Not following orders

I’ve been successfully balancing weaving and not-weaving in the past few days. I’m now halfway through E’s wrap with the lavender silk, so it’s all downhill from here!

I have a home energy audit scheduled for this afternoon. They apparently take 3-4 hours! I expect I’ll be able to do my own thing for most of that time, so plan to do more weaving. I’m really interested to see what they say about my home’s energy usage and how to minimize it.

I know some people are reading to hear about Jack, so here’s an update on that score. After the day that he didn’t feel well (no clue what that was about), Jack & I have had some issues. He’d spend an hour outside and then come in and pee on the carpet. Not typical or acceptable. Cleaned up after him 4 times in 24 hours, and had to figure out what the heck was going on and how to address it.

Here’s my analysis. Jack was really unhappy about being stuck out in the yard and having to watch me go for a walk without him. One might say he was pissed off. So he came inside and told me that in the only way he had.

I’d explained that this was doctor’s orders, and was to get him healthy. More than once told him this. He didn’t care.

So this morning this is what we did: I got up, did my yoga, put his harness on (which means going for a walk), put him out in the yard, and went for my walk. Walked as quickly as I could to maximize my mileage and minimize the time away. Came home and attached the leash and we walked around the block – about 1/2 mile – despite the fact that this is 2 days earlier than prescribed.

We walked slowly, with no pressure to move along on my part. Jack was clearly very happy, with his feathery tail wagging most of the time. We came home, he ate breakfast, and we played. It’s already early afternoon and there’s no indoor peeing.

I had to choose between Jack’s emotional health and his physical health. He doesn’t care what the doctor ordered, or the fact that this might not be the best for his little body. I believe I made the right decision. And that this is the pattern we’ll follow for at least the next several days. If he can only do 1/2 mile long term, so be it. I can do the rest of my walk alone, and can get it done much more quickly than if I’m with him anyway. We can live with this.

I’ll talk to the vet more next time we have to go in for something, but since we came home from hearing her mention his “unusual confirmation” I’ve been paying a lot of attention to his body – how it looks and how it moves. My current analysis is that he has a form of doggie dwarfism. His really stout body, especially his front legs and feet, his bowlegged walk-especially if he’s moving quickly-fits. He doesn’t have a large head or overbite, also typical symptoms, and the vet may disagree with me. But I already know she’s concerned about arthritis and joint problem potential in his future. I’ll have to carefully watch his weight, and the next time I buy dog food will get the type designed for this, but he is what he is. We can’t change that.

We can, however, be happy with each other, and with our lives, and do what we need to do to manage symptoms as they present themselves. Quality of life…that’s what we all want, two-legged and four-legged alike.