9 June 2012 Big Day

Weeks ago our aussie Gwen was barely able to walk after a hike on the Tanbark Trail. A few tests at the vet confirmed she had a partial ACL tear. :-( We were faced with surgury or trying a cocktail mix of possible treatments, including laser treatments, adequan injections, and high doses of glucosamine. She was placed on the dog equivalent of bed rest with specific instructions for no running or jumping (tell an aussie that). The surgery sounded horrible and would have put her out of action for months and maybe permanently so we opted for the mixed bag. It seemed to work. Within a few days there was marked improvement. About a week ago she got to start taking a loop around the yard, but today was the first really big hurdle.

Ali's sister was in town. She wanted to walk with the dogs and visit the dogs so we decided to try a very short walk at Holden Arboretum. To get there, she had to jump in and out of the Subaru and be able to take at least a short walk. One mile after we arrived, she still looked great! It was a day to celebrate. I left Ali and her sister to enjoy a longer walk at Holden and was very happy to bring Gwen and Eva home after the wonderful one-mile test of Gwen's ACL.

After the dogs had been returned home, I started working on my second mission, planting. I really can't remember the last time I didn't garden. It was probably when I was in high school. This year I have rarely been at home so the window for a garden was almost closed. I went to a small local nursery and bought tomatoes and acorn squash. A few hours later, they and the pumpkin seeds I have purchased were in the ground. :-)