Just when things feel better, thanks to Sheba walking, I seem to have lost my speech again. It’s hard to tell where I am at with speech until I try to talk to a human. I called David to see how I could fare and found myself back to using key words. Key words let me communicate well enough to be understood. I wanted to see how I’d do with Davey before my Zoom appointment with Dr. Shoja at 11:00.
I had a spa under overcast skies, posted here and putzed around the house until it was time to take Sheba for a walk. I was keen to see how we’d do, so I went to Trailhead #6 to walk that trail which is not too long and one with which Sheba is most familiar.
She was reluctant to walk at first, so I threw a stick and she immediately went after it. I threw it again, further along the trail, and off she went again, and this time she picked up the stick and trotted off down the trail to go to poop. She did the entire trail at a brisk walk. I’m so relieved. I don’t feel the need to go to the vet anymore, but neither do I feel like going back to long walks with our friends. We may sometimes join them for a few minutes and then turn back, just to keep our friendships strong.
While I awaited my appointment with Dr. Shoja, I decided to do some front yard raking, and Sheba came out with me. Shortly after I set to working, I heard her barking. She’d gone next door to visit Dave, whom she loves, and I was thrilled to know she was up for a neighbourhood walkabout. I’m so happy she’s feeling and walking better.
My video meeting with Dr. S. went well, but for the first twenty minutes it was brutally hard to get sound out. And the chat feature of the program her hospital uses didn’t work. Without that feature, I was sunk. She’s going to contact their tech people to find out why it wasn’t working and to get it working.
When I was done, it was time for toting. Put another way, it was time to go outside and do things to bring on terrific back pain. After doing four barrow loads, I had to come inside to rest my back. Then it was out for more torture, but it felt good to be getting the work done.
By 14:00, I’d taken a fifth barrows full of crap to the organic dump and moved all the outdoor garden furniture into the studio. By back was filing divorce papers, so I came in to rest before doing the sixth and final barrow load for the day. Once that was done and all the tools put away, Her Highness and I went to Elder Cedar to walk. At least, as we left, I hoped she’d walk.
She did! She walked like normal the entire way, and when we arrived at the train, and again when we arrived back home, she exited the van with enthusiasm. She still lies down if I stop walking to chat with someone, so what I feel that I’ve learned is that now I have an elder dog and she requires me to be conscious of that in all we do together.
Once home, it was spa time, and oh how good it felt to slip into warm soothing water after a day of psych talk and heavy yard work. And I managed a Zoom call with Beth and our friend, Lynn, late in the day. Talking wasn’t easy, but I could participate in the call. It takes a lot of force and air to speak, so it tires me out quickly.
Our evening was as usual, but my walkabout was fulfilling because Pinecone Park is looking fabulous! Today, I’ll be working on the front yard after I water all the beds. There is no rain at all in the forecast, however evaporation rates have slowed considerably so I do not need to water every day. I am really enjoying my solitary days, filling them with work on the yard and gardens.
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