The Genz

Football fans are a funny sort. Really, we follow our NFL team religiously. We cry when our teams lose and walk with a little extra energy in our step with wins. When the season ends, our hearts break like the most hurtful of Dear John letters. Why can't they play football year around? When fans, like me, are unable to walk into our favorite stadium, the TV serves as our coliseum. With beers or cokes in our right hand , a handful of chips in the other and cheese sauce dripping off the chin, we scream delight when a play goes for 10 yards. Our voice crackles with emotion after a TD and the bottle tops fly off another beverage. When an opponent scores or manages an unlikely first down, emitting from the room are loud protests include feet stomping and seemingly endless chatter directed toward the TV as if the Steelers players and coaches or commentators can really hear us. Football fans, and I think especially Steeler fans, are blindly loyal. With our"Terrible Towels," tigh

My English Springer Spaniel, Sierra, always brings a smile to my face. On a wintry, cold and snowy Saturday morning, Sierra looked up at me with an eager and excitable expression, "are you ready yet," even as I continued to pull on layer after layer of socks, coats and hats. As soon as the door opened, she shot out into a maze of blowing snow, and as I tried to look out of my fogged glasses, she was tugging at her leash, pulling me into the heavy drifts outside my door, causing me to one knee as she jumped into the snow. After wiping away a little of the fogginess, both from my glasses and the early morning tiredness, I watched as she stuck her head into a snowdrift and popped up with the white stuff covering her face and her sweet smile, suggesting,"now you do it." Only for you Sierra. With the wind blowing 20-30 mph, she takes over, again pulling the leash cord to its full length as I avoid falling a second time. Into the snow she goes again, hopping in and out of