Day: April 21, 2016

Red was diagnosed with arthritis by Dr. Suzanne Fariello at the Cambridge Valley Veterinary Clinic this morning, especially in his left leg and both hips. Dr. Fariello sat down with me (and Red) and we mapped out our own little war on arthritis, I think it’s a good one.

We are giving him some advance joint medicine, some anti-inflammatory pain killers for the next two weeks, and this morning we began laser treat, a new and much buzzed about approach to joint and muscle problems for dogs.

Red is nine years old, I’ve had him for three of those years, and he has worked and run just about every day of his life. At this age, working border collies often get joint and muscle problems and pain.

Lately, as I’ve mentioned, he has been limping and visibly uncomfortable. Dr. Fariello thinks we can beat back the arthritis if we move quickly and are creative, I like her plan.

In a couple of weeks Cassandra, a vet tech who is trained in massage, will also begin some massage work. Dr. Fariello and I agreed on this varied but not too invasive approach to Red. Including the four laser treatments – one today, three next week, and the medicine and the exam, the bill came to $307.

Well worth it to ease the pain and discomfort and get Red back to work (especially with his loving but useless sister running around). I told him he was lucky he was not back on that farm in Northern Ireland, things might have turned out differently.

Red had to put on protective goggles, and I thought he was Mr. Cool, as usual. He didn’t move or flinch. All the dog feels in this treatment is warmth, it is painful. We could see some results from the treatment as early as tomorrow. I’m going to bring him out to sheep every day, but just have him lie down and watch Fate run around in circles. He has fun doing that, and it won’t  hurt his legs.

I appreciate Dr. Fariello, she is open and direct and easy to talk to. She explains the options, the cost, and the likely results. I like that we have a plan for attacking the arthritis, not just an armful of pills, though we have that as well. I life understanding the diagnosis, the treatment and the cost. You can’t do better than that.

I’ll keep you all posted about the laser treatment, I’ve heard good things about it, and I hope we can ease some of Red’s pain.  Our therapy work will not be affected. Red has many good and healthy years ahead of him, I think, this will be exciting.

Can you capture the light in black and white? The power of a sunrise, the feeling of the light spreading out into the world, light makes light possible. I was waiting for the sun this morning, and it was waiting for me, the sky filled with light and steaks and contrails. I am in love with my new camera.

I get these impulses sometimes to hold Maria, to dance with her or sing to here. My singing frightens the chickens and the donkeys, so I don’t sing to her in the pasture, but after chores this morning, I felt the urge to dance with her, so I hummed a waltz and we danced together for a few minutes, and since my camera was slung over my shoulder, it was very easy to reach up and take a picture.

It is important in this world to make time for love, to make sure the people we love know that we love them, to remember the small moments of human connection that are fragile and precious. There is no reason not to dance in the pasture after our morning chores were done, these moments are the grounding thread of life.

Life is short and sometimes cruel, it is important to remember what is precious every single day and honor it in every possible way.

Ed Watkins (on the ladder) began painting the farmhouse today, it is urgently in need of some tender loving care. There is peeling paint, some rotting boards, some damaged slate, but more than anything, some damage from last year’s brutal winter. It’s just time, Ed came by and walked us through what needs to be done.

He quoted a very good price and it will take two weeks. The difference on the back side of the woodshed is already quite striking, we need to show the house some care. Our plan was to do this in a year or so, but nobody really cares what our plan was. I’m excited to see the house painted before the June Open House.

Ed is quite a find, a genuinely nice man, an honest man, a hard-working man. He calls me “Johnny,” which nobody has ever called me except my grandmother. She called me Johnny all the time. Ed is going to replace he rotting boards, put some flashing in, repair a hole in an eave that the birds have been using to next in the attack. Old farmhouses are the houses we most love, but they need some loving too.