Posts from the ‘Bear’ category

Bear’s good report

Today was the big 8 week post-op checkup at 9 weeks.

It was a mad co-ordination of an orthopedic vet and his travelling surgical team…Dr. Calm and Calm Veterinary… and Bear and me.

We all survived.

At 11:15 a.m. I headed for Kila, MT (Calm Veterinary) with computer, Kindle Fire HD, smartphone and SNACKS including dog treats.

At 1:04 p.m. we received word that the travelling surgical team were on their way with a 30 minute ETA. It was Dr. Calm’s day off but she had agreed to be at the clinic for a joint session.

Bear’s medical team assembled about 1:30. Bear was whisked away for x-rays. Then I was whisked away to assist in the x-ray procedure.

One look at Bear and a comment that they had muzzled him at one point and I called a halt and took him out of there for a calm-down break.

After some quiet time and hands on checking of knees, hips and back – we tried again with Dr. Calm and myself at his head and feet AND “gowned” in protective gear that weighs a TON. We “flipped” Bear, spoke quietly, held and the xray was taken in short order.

The x-ray along with the manual exam showed Bear’s surgery leg was fully healed – YEA! The manual exam of the non surgery leg was good as were his hips but the x-ray showed some fluid on the knee of the non-surgery leg. So…the instruction was to go to normal activity, and see how things go. Bear also had a chiropractic adjustment on advice of both Drs and we go back in two weeks for another.

The hope is that there is no tear on the non-surgery leg and that it is just muscle catching up. If there is a tear, it will probably be evident as things progress. I am relieved that there was no immediate suggestion for the 2nd surgery.

We came home via the grocery where I procurred cheddar goldfish crackers and a bottle of wine…fell OFF the color detox wagon!

The sun was shining.

It had been a beautiful day to drive to Kila and back and I thought maybe Bear would want to spend a bit of time on Beardog Point.

No…he just wanted to go in the house.

He stood by the treat cupboard so I gave him a Greenie.

Nom, nom, nom!

Nom, nom…

more Nom.

And that’s all she wrote.

Lights out.

Day is done.

I am so glad I have wine and goldfish crackers.

Tomorrow is another day.

North shore Flathead Lake

The North shore of Flathead Lake.

It was 40F and raining. What looks like shallow water is snow melt turned to ice over sand.

The entire area will be covered with water when they allow the lake to rise in the spring, but right now, the lake is about 100 yards out.

The sand has been snow covered, but 2 days and nights above freezing and a little rain took care of that.

But, we had a good walk.

Happy Bear!

Today is week 8 post-op – hard to believe! Due to scheduling conflicts we could not get an appointment for radiograph and checkup until next Thursday at week 9. We continue on leash which is just as well considering the ice and snow and walking conditions.

Starting the 8th week

The weather guessers were correct…last night there was a weather disturbance.

I was up uncharacteristically late last evening. Bear and I had our last walk at … *GASP* … 9:45 p.m.!! It was precipitating a kind of hard snow – fast and furious – pellet-like in nature. There was enough fallen to cover our 5:00 tracks.

I woke to a temperature of 34F, not much more snow and the dripping of melting runoff from the roof.

Midday, the sun and blue sky surprised me. I made a mad dash to town – stopping for a walk and garbage run and then a grab of some supplies. Forecast for the weekend looks marginal and I favored a mid-week dry road run. Town was a mess! As in, why weren’t all those people at work??? But needed items were acquired and we headed home.

The sun was shining in the yard and I intended another two hours of work and then…and THEN…some time in the chair with Bear…on Beardog Point.

It was loverly.

Bear has been limping a bit on his non-surgery leg, so we have been taking things extra easy and some time in the yard in the sunshine was just the ticket for both of us. I did not distract by trying to take photos – just enjoyed the sun and quiet and fresh air that had a warmth and softness that felt like Spring.

But, that chair. That is where I sat – for the first time since Bear’s surgery. Bear was laying – a little distance in front of me…watching the game trail, smelling the air, listening. Just like we like.

Today, is the start of week 8 post op. Schedules of the surgeon and Dr. Calm are proving a bit difficult to coordinate so I think we will not have our 8 week post op appointment until week 9 or 10, but it is good to be in the 8th week.

And the moon is nearing full and it is beautiful in a clear Montana sky as we start the 8th week.

A messy week

It was a messy week. The weather was messy. My schedule was messy. I had a day of spills on Wednesday including a cup of coffee that jumped out of my hand and I am STILL finding sticky coffee splashes in unexpected places.

But today, Saturday, after a messy start of freezing fog and snow flurries…

The sun came out!

Beautiful. Only 18F, but beautiful…especially in the warm sunroom.

I know. The number of herbs have dwindled…by more than half. And the rosemary and basil are not looking especially good. The parsley looks thin as I’ve been using a lot of it but I think that it and the chives may survive my gardening skills.

Just outside the sunroom…the herb graveyard. I have high hopes that the lavender, spearmint and peppermint will revive in the Spring as I put them out during a week when it was above freezing and told them to go dormant until June 1. We’ll see. I am not surprised, but I am a bit disappointed as the herbs gave the room a nice feeling. But I am not disappointed enough to go buy more and subject them to my not so green thumb. I WILL try again next year :) !!

Bear’s back end as he checks for critters…and a close up is coming in case you’d like to leave now…

I was watching Bear watch the game trail and noticed his legs. They are positioned the same and he is bearing his weight equally on both – hurrah!! No odd angle and the foot on his surgery leg is solid.

The walking conditions have deteriorated this past week and we’ve not been able to do the distances prescribed. But we are out and about and I call him in the house now and again to get him up and walking. All continues to progress well.

Project Management

The last 30 years of my working life has involved taking a project from concept to completion. I have worked on various sizes of projects both alone and as part of a team. I realized years ago that I had learned some concepts from project development that have stood me in good stead in other areas of my life.

A large and/or detailed project can seem overwhelming. The typical approach that both I and the current team utilize is to define the broad scope, divide the project up into modules and proceed. For me, that makes the project doable. I don’t worry too much about the WHOLE thing, but concentrate on one module at a time. It is not quite as clear cut as that, but that is the general idea and it is the part of project development that has helped me in my personal life.

When it became clear that Bear needed the TPLO surgery, I first added up all of the weeks of rehab – the time that our lives would be a bit upside down – AND, there was the possibility that the other leg would need the same surgery. (there still is that possibility but the surgeon was more optomistic after the pre-op exam under sedation so we are thinking positive!!)

That first false start – the surgery I thought was scheduled right away – it actually helped me get my head in a better place. Although I did not like Bear having to wait a month, it was a good month and it allowed us to enjoy some gorgeous weather outside together as well as giving me some thinking time to get the house in good order, supplies in and generally just prepare for the post-op. And I started thinking in small chunks of time vs the WHOLE ENTIRE rehab. The time broke down into surgery day, day 1 & 2 post-op, week 1 & 2 post-op, week 3-4, etc. I stopped looking ahead at a long period of time and concentrated on where we were.

And now, here we are 4.5 weeks post-op. Bear is moving easier and in a more normal way every day: Little things like getting up and lying down, backing up, turning in a circle. All are getting better. We are walking on a short leash now vs the belly support. Our outings are more relaxed and more fun for both of us and getting better each day.

Inside, as I put away the Christmas decorations, I got to thinking that moving one of the chairs back in the sunroom would be ok.

While it was nice to shake up the routine and I always find it interesting when I change where I sit and “Oh!” – that’s a nice view – I did on occasion miss my wing back chair for reading.

One thing led to another…

Bob’s room got a mini-makeover as well.

Bob was more worried about where his food dish was than the fact that he had his furniture back.

And while I was situating the furniture and finding pillows and fleece…can of worms!! I ended up going through every closet, every drawer and having a general whole house clear out, straighten up and re-organization.

I remembered there were some old green sheets in the motorhome. As soon as I got the pillow on the right end of the bed all comfy AND color-coordinated…Bear was happy.

I’m happy. I’m happy Bear is doing so well and I’m happy taking the rehab one day at a time.

We head toward the end of week 5 with a bit more normal back but enjoying each step of the way.

On Christmas Day

I had, what I consider to be, idyllic childhood Christmas Days.

For a time, as a young adult…I tried to recapture those.

But, now, as a middle-aged …almost SENIOR adult (how did that happen???), I have found that I absolutely love some of my own traditions along with the memories.

The current traditions have their foundation in the idyllic traditions of my childhood. It is the best of both times!

Yes, my childhood Christmas mornings were about the magic…the gifts, the full stocking…but they were also about a wonderful sweet roll and a scrumptious breakfast.

My sweet this year is kolache dough filled with almond paste (homemade which took about 3 minutes), given the “Christmas Bagel” treatment along with a marachino cherry for color.

I LOVE the sweet kolache dough. It has the flavor of a flaky pastry without the flakes. It worked wonderfully in this Christmas sweet and it is a versatile dough that freezes well.

Color me happy with my 2012 Christmas Sweet!

I made green chile gravy two days ago.

I made red chile gravy yesterday.

I made corn tortillas yesterday.

This morning I made stacked cheese and onion enchiladas with Christmas (red and green) chile gravy.

Southwest tradition would put a fried egg on top of the enchilada stack but I am a poached egg girl so poached it was.

My own refried black beans and sprouted brown rice…slightly off Mex-TexMex, but good!

The day was beautiful for all reasons: the celebration of the birth of the Messiah, a day of good celebratory food, a day shared with Bear and Bob…and sunshine and snow and beauty.

My preferred Christmas Day tradition is to snowshoe through the woods, but the snow was a bit light and Bear is recovering.

Still.

Bear and I hopped in the Jeep and headed down the road. We had a good walk just a bit north, drove through town and returned home…

The Road Home on Christmas Day 2012.

The sun, blue sky, Christmas Day…the front porch called.

But not to Bear :) !

Bob was my front porch buddy.

An eye was kept on Bear via the “baby” monitor.

Photos were taken via wireless remote. …so much fun with gadgets…a part of Christmas Day!!

24F but it felt warmer.

A dear friend gave me a beautiful calendar. The illustrations are Monet-like impressionist style watercolors and the quotes fit me and my life perfectly. I perused the pages this afternoon as I enjoyed a blue cheese-rosemary lavash treat…afternoon delight!

I hope all who venture here have also had a day filled with faith, love and tradition and good food.

Happy, Happy Christmas Day to all.

The video below…I took several snippets of Bear and I walking so that I could look at how things are progressing with his leg. I am happy! It is a little hard to compare the surgery leg to the non-surgery leg as the surgery leg was shaved… But compared to how the surgery knee was bowed out and now it is in alignment…I am happy. It is early days but I think all is going very well.