Half and Half

I wasn't sure how to fit all my thoughts into one blog post, so I'll make it two with a split in the middle. Starting with  . . . Buck :) His incision is healed over with new skin and will leave a four inch scar along his spine. He's clear of all the meds that were bothering him. With all of these meds gone, he's noticing some lingering pain in his neck surgery area. He called the surgeon, who suggested the primary, and we threw the pain doctor in just for kicks. The pain doctor gave Buck a local anesthetic and a mini-shot (that lasted basically that afternoon). He wrote him a script for like a dozen? PT appointments, which begin this week (this is for upper back/shoulder/neck, not the lower). Buck is also scheduled to see his primary later this week for another opinion. He may be able to go back to the pain doctor for a longer-lasting shot of cortisone--initial diagnosis is along the lines of spondylosis/osteoarthritis--age related wear and tear with a hint of arthritis mixed in. In the meantime, it looks like insurance paid for the back surgery 100% (not all the other guys like anesthesiologists and such, but the big bill is covered), so we're hoping for a refund of the big ole' deposit we put down on the surgery.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Second half . . . We've had some goods and bads with the critters. I don't remember if I ever updated on Chauncey's foot that makes him yelp when he licks it? He has a cyst, which they don't think is cancerous. They said just leave it alone, since a surgery would be super difficult given the lack of skin available to pull together after a section is removed from that area. We were cool with that! As long as it doesn't bug him more, we don't have to worry about it.

Since being home consistently, Buck is very bothered by the smells of the guinea pigs--the rest of us maybe have gone "nose blind" as the commercials say. When we first set up the bunny coop in the laundry room, we just innovated a solution to close off the open bottom (it's supposed to sit on the grass). This innovation was a the lid of a plastic storage tub. It worked okay, but they constantly kicked out fodder and whatever was mixed with it onto the laundry room floor. The lid/floor also became stained and gross (despite weekly cleaning) due to the somewhat porous nature of the tub composition. So, Buck and I scoured the home improvement store looking for options and came up with . . . PVC slab! Buck and the boys screwed together a frame that has a lip on it to catch all the kicked out mess. They set the whole thing on top of the wheeled furniture movers we bought for the piano, and now the whole shebang rolls in and out of its little laundry nook with greater ease. All-in-all a cute (it matches!) improvement to the former not-so-perfect arrangement. The PVC should rinse off fairly easily, and hopefully the aroma de pig will be less offensive to ourselves and our guests :)

Sadly our little hamster, Gimli, ended his tenure as a Crew pet. He was at least two years old, and almost made it that long in our household. The boys nursed him back from at least one round of that weird paralysis stuff that ended the other little furry creatures. Brennen buried Gimli up on the  hill with the rest of the critters. He was one of our first pets here (not counting Chauncey), replacing the little wild mouse, Pippin, that Graysen caught.

The chickens seem to be on the mend. Marshmallow is no longer rusty red. The limping chicken got better. Then Honey started limping and kind of dragging her wing, but she's looking spry once again. Turkey is bald up front from where her feet clear the feathers from her bulging crop. I just don't know how to keep up with a greedy bird that stores food for days on end. We've been trying to help her work it through, since she won't keep her "bra" on. What a goofy problem to have :)

And finally, here's the bird we kindly took off our friends' hands. I texted and said, "Hey, look at what that crazy parakeet is doing now!" and the response was, "Oh yeah, he escaped a BUNCH of times." What?! NOW you tell me? :)