catching up
My ankle continues to be problematic. We have ruled out tendonitis - it would have healed weeks ago - but PT guy is surprised it isn't responding better to treatments based on the new diagnosis (nerve damage from compression). It seems better - until I try to jog, and then the whole thing blows up like a puffer fish and we have to start over. If it isn't better - better better, not just a little better - by the end of August, I'll have to get an MRI and start looking at surgical options, because by that point evidence would indicate a degenerative disorder of the tendons behind my ankle. Which would mean no more running. Ever.
...So, yeah. I haven't been my most cheerful self, I'll admit. It's just so intensely frustrating, because I have no idea what is wrong with me. Will I ever run again? And I know it's whiny and pathetic to even worry about it, because so many people are lucky just to walk and at this point I'll still, even after surgery, have mostly normal mobility. But... damn, I was having so much fun running and I miss it like crazy and I just feel stupid and sad and sore.
*
But! The hellhounds are doing fabulously well. Sputnik is now bigger than Sadie, and all gawky juvenile clumsiness. His paws are still too big for his body and after his latest growth spurt his hips are slightly higher than his shoulders, so he tends to trip over himself when he's excited. It is adorable. He is also as mellow, gentle, and affectionate as Thunder was, and he loves EVERYBODY. He looks like a timber wolf but he has the temperament of a teddy bear, and we could not love him more. He has free run of the farm and he's just so easy. He never wanders off, never chases cats, is polite to the horses, ignores cars, and eagerly welcomes strangers. He sits on command, lays down on command, and has a pretty good recall. Unfortunately, "stay" means nothing to him, because he firmly believes his role in life is to follow us around, or to lay on the porch. Nothing else makes sense. :P
Rain is, on the other hand, a firecracker. She loves to run (and this adds to my own disappointment, because I would so dearly love to take her out for jogs) and is one of the most athletic dogs I've ever seen. She can jump into the bed of the pickup truck already, and she's only just now 6 months old. She loves jumping hurdles the kids make for her, and her very favorite thing in the whole world is to chase tennis balls all over the farm. If there is no one available to toss them, she will toss them herself. Failing that, she will chase (and catch :( ) birds. Did I mention she was fast? And that she can jump super high? She also swims like an otter. We were keeping her under close supervision because we thought she would wander (her recall is pretty much terrible once she gets running), but she is super attached to me and knows this is the home of the family pack so she doesn't get too far away. She'll run all over the hay field as fast as she can, and then she runs right back to me and flops at my feet, or she lays on the porch waiting for me to come outside. She is super smart and learns incredibly fast - it's just a matter of convincing her that our ideas are better than hers. :) Luckily she is afraid of the cats and of the horses, terrified of motors and wheels, and not at all aggressive otherwise she'd be a handful and I'd be looking for obedience classes. As it is, she's a bit of a rogue - but really a super farm dog and I kind of adore her wildness. She is, as I mentioned before, totally my dog. I thought it would wear off, but she continues to make it clear to everyone that I am hers and she is mine. <3
*
The horses are also doing well. Ranger is... well, himself. We had a great few weeks and then he threw a terrible spooksplosion and I've spent the last week re-establishing his confidence, but we're getting there. Slowly. (Apparently, tree shadows are okay to walk through. They are okay to canter through as long as no one is on his back. But trotting through them? No way. Then they bite. Apparently. Or something.) This horse. *shakes head* Good thing I love him. :D
Brisa is clever and bold and full of herself, as usual. I let her develop some bad habits - namely, laziness - because back when my daughter was riding her mostly on her own I wanted a lazy pony who would not get herself and T into trouble. But now that we're back to thinking about endurance, I would really like to get her more engaged and forward. She has a lovely trot - when she feels like working - and a beautiful canter. But ooof. Getting her to move in anything resembling forward rhythm has proven a slight challenge. I know she can do it - a couple years ago, before she hurt her leg, she was routinely chugging along - but now she likes just ambling. My fault, I know, so now I'm working on building back her work ethic as I get her legged back up. It's wonderfully fun, though, really. She has a sense of humor and a streak of mischief, and she makes me laugh even when I'm trying not to lose my patience. :)
(Someday, though, I might like to try an easy horse. :P)
*
We desperately need rain. Still. To keep myself from worrying about it, I am reading all sorts of cheesy horse fiction. Have been enjoying Laura Crum's mystery series, though the plots are paper-thin and predictable. The main character is occasionally irritating, but the horses are wonderful. Also been reading westerns, of all things, and thinking a lot about the problems inherent in "taming" anything.
...So, yeah. I haven't been my most cheerful self, I'll admit. It's just so intensely frustrating, because I have no idea what is wrong with me. Will I ever run again? And I know it's whiny and pathetic to even worry about it, because so many people are lucky just to walk and at this point I'll still, even after surgery, have mostly normal mobility. But... damn, I was having so much fun running and I miss it like crazy and I just feel stupid and sad and sore.
*
But! The hellhounds are doing fabulously well. Sputnik is now bigger than Sadie, and all gawky juvenile clumsiness. His paws are still too big for his body and after his latest growth spurt his hips are slightly higher than his shoulders, so he tends to trip over himself when he's excited. It is adorable. He is also as mellow, gentle, and affectionate as Thunder was, and he loves EVERYBODY. He looks like a timber wolf but he has the temperament of a teddy bear, and we could not love him more. He has free run of the farm and he's just so easy. He never wanders off, never chases cats, is polite to the horses, ignores cars, and eagerly welcomes strangers. He sits on command, lays down on command, and has a pretty good recall. Unfortunately, "stay" means nothing to him, because he firmly believes his role in life is to follow us around, or to lay on the porch. Nothing else makes sense. :P
Rain is, on the other hand, a firecracker. She loves to run (and this adds to my own disappointment, because I would so dearly love to take her out for jogs) and is one of the most athletic dogs I've ever seen. She can jump into the bed of the pickup truck already, and she's only just now 6 months old. She loves jumping hurdles the kids make for her, and her very favorite thing in the whole world is to chase tennis balls all over the farm. If there is no one available to toss them, she will toss them herself. Failing that, she will chase (and catch :( ) birds. Did I mention she was fast? And that she can jump super high? She also swims like an otter. We were keeping her under close supervision because we thought she would wander (her recall is pretty much terrible once she gets running), but she is super attached to me and knows this is the home of the family pack so she doesn't get too far away. She'll run all over the hay field as fast as she can, and then she runs right back to me and flops at my feet, or she lays on the porch waiting for me to come outside. She is super smart and learns incredibly fast - it's just a matter of convincing her that our ideas are better than hers. :) Luckily she is afraid of the cats and of the horses, terrified of motors and wheels, and not at all aggressive otherwise she'd be a handful and I'd be looking for obedience classes. As it is, she's a bit of a rogue - but really a super farm dog and I kind of adore her wildness. She is, as I mentioned before, totally my dog. I thought it would wear off, but she continues to make it clear to everyone that I am hers and she is mine. <3
*
The horses are also doing well. Ranger is... well, himself. We had a great few weeks and then he threw a terrible spooksplosion and I've spent the last week re-establishing his confidence, but we're getting there. Slowly. (Apparently, tree shadows are okay to walk through. They are okay to canter through as long as no one is on his back. But trotting through them? No way. Then they bite. Apparently. Or something.) This horse. *shakes head* Good thing I love him. :D
Brisa is clever and bold and full of herself, as usual. I let her develop some bad habits - namely, laziness - because back when my daughter was riding her mostly on her own I wanted a lazy pony who would not get herself and T into trouble. But now that we're back to thinking about endurance, I would really like to get her more engaged and forward. She has a lovely trot - when she feels like working - and a beautiful canter. But ooof. Getting her to move in anything resembling forward rhythm has proven a slight challenge. I know she can do it - a couple years ago, before she hurt her leg, she was routinely chugging along - but now she likes just ambling. My fault, I know, so now I'm working on building back her work ethic as I get her legged back up. It's wonderfully fun, though, really. She has a sense of humor and a streak of mischief, and she makes me laugh even when I'm trying not to lose my patience. :)
(Someday, though, I might like to try an easy horse. :P)
*
We desperately need rain. Still. To keep myself from worrying about it, I am reading all sorts of cheesy horse fiction. Have been enjoying Laura Crum's mystery series, though the plots are paper-thin and predictable. The main character is occasionally irritating, but the horses are wonderful. Also been reading westerns, of all things, and thinking a lot about the problems inherent in "taming" anything.