I am happy to say that Olive has made a remarkable recovery
since her surgery. She seems as energetic as ever and seems to think she is
back to normal. Of course, I know that she should take it easy for a while; for
that reason, I have been keeping her from jumping around, chasing geese, and
rolling in the grass. I have avoided playing Frisbee with her and have been indulging
her strictly with easy gentle tosses of balls and sticks.
Olive's crate is still set up in the living room, but I lock the
door only when I go out for some errand or other. She seems to actually like
the crate so that I often find her napping in there with the door open. I am
wondering if she will be upset when I fold up the crate and put it away. I plan
to leave the bed there in that spot, but the crate does get in the way of
access to my liquor cabinet and stereo system.
A few people have told me they think Olive is walking
strangely. I have been watching and have not noticed anything being off. If she
is walking differently, it is very subtle. I will ask the vet for an opinion
the next time I bring her in for a shot, which will be in January.
Olive's fur is filling in nicely except for a spot on her lower
back, which I believe is slowly starting to grow back. In all, I think she is
well on the mend and has come out of the whole ordeal very well.
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A few bits of dog humor that I have been saving:
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| Olive is a better watchdog than that, though not by much. |
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| Of course, 1000 love. |
After minimally decorating for the holidays last year, I put
up my tree and other decorations for this year. The decorations include a dog Advent
calendar that someone gave us with twenty-five cardboard doors that each open
to reveal a doggy treat. I coordinated the openings so that Olive will get #25
on Christmas Eve.
I hosted a holiday roast beef supper with a few close
friends that Olive knows well, not wanting to get her too excited with too many people. Olive has
already gotten several nice holiday gifts, including a box of gourmet dog treats, a
few toys, and an electric dog biscuit maker. The biscuit maker is similar to a
waffle iron or donut baker, with indentations in the shape of dog biscuits. I
am looking forward to making some spent grain biscuits with a quantity of spent
grain that a person who home brews beer gave me. I have in the past made such
biscuits in my oven with peanut butter from a simple recipe; Olive loved them.
I had a 100 year old suitcase that belonged to my grandfather. The suitcase is a bit beat up and doesn't even close properly, so I didn't think it would be worth much as an antique. I had thoughts of junking it, but then thought it might make a nice holiday accent piece if I filled it with gifts under the tree. So far the reviews have been positive, and I think of it as a way to include my grandfather (a very kind and intelligent man) in this year's holiday celebration, some 39 years after he left us.
With that, Olive and I wish all a happy holiday and a good
new year.
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| So when are you going to make those dog biscuits you mentioned? |
