Slow road back

Maya is home and on a slow road to recovery.

She got out of doggie hospital the end of last week, with one toe amputated. For now, she's going to the vet every other day to have her bandaged changed. Fortunately, our local vet can do that now so we're spared the longer trip. She has to be sedated for them to do the change but as she heals better that shouldn't be necessary.

Maya at home with Easter basket art painted on her dressing
painted by one of the vet techs after her bandaged was changed
on Saturday. Today the local vet transferred the art to new wrap!

The vet at the hospital says she'll need surgery to fuse her ankle bone to keep it stable because she lost ligaments attaching it. I don't have any reason to doubt what he says, and they're top-notch surgeons there, but still I am getting a second, and maybe a third, opinion before we do that. But her wound needs to heal more before they can do any more on her so we have some time.

Since I don't have Maya with me I don't go traipsing around the Wilderness or the Mountain anymore. Almost everyone who goes to the Wilderness is walking their dog or dogs, and the Mountain has mountain bikers and a few other hikers, but most of the few people I meet there are likewise walking a pooch. It just wouldn't be the same without my buddy and would seem a bit maudlin. I don't want to get sappy about my dog, but, in truth, I feel bummed when I'm running these days and see others running or walking their dogs. I ran six miles today and it seemed like I met three or four other runners with their dogs. I felt like saying, "She'll be back." Just don't know when.

Glacial erratic

So, I run more, trek less and am still finding interesting stuff in the woods. The other say I saw a small sign off a little used trail that I was walking just to cool down after an hour run. The sign said "Glacial Erratic." I know what they are—odd, out-of-place boulders left by the last ice age 10,000 years ago. So a detoured to see it. It was cool.  Maya doesn't appreciate these things, so I'm not feeling guilty about finding it without her. She just tags along and humors me. She has other interests, and probably feels likewise: that I'm good company but just don't fully appreciate some of the best parts of our adventures. Another day ...