Oh, No! Not Another Post about Dogs Friday Round-Up

I am now frying an egg every day for Swirl. I’ve decided that he needs more protein to address this muscle loss business. When I’m done frying the egg, I put it in the bowl, slice it into bite-size pieces and blow on it to cool it down. There will be mockery of this from some corners since I’ve made such a fuss about Swirl’s past as a rugged sled dog who ate chunks of frozen fish and slept on straw with his nose under his tail. No one on the trail ever fried him an egg, that’s for sure.

On the other dog front, Tempest, who is a quite beautiful and devoted dog, has the horrible habit of eating other dogs’ poop. I’m betting this is a common but rarely discussed phenomenon. What isn’t talked about is the impact of this culinary choice on humans’ sense of regard. I mean I look at Tempest running through the woods and I think there’s a gorgeous black, healthy, energetic, shit-eating dog. But all dogs eat disgusting things, right? Some of them just hide it better.

Speaking of dogs, a big brown and white dog came tearing out of the woods to bark and growl at Tempest, teeth bared, the whole deal. And I yelled super loud, HEY! KNOCK IT OFF! and the growling dog backed off and I thought, wow, that felt great to yell at something. The growling dog’s owner shouted an apology, and I wanted to say, “Never mind. I’ve been waiting to yell like that since November 6th.”

We’ve gotten through the toughest part of Knee Camp. We’re past the wound care and the seemingly ever-present and harrowing falling risk part and pretty much into rejoining life and all the goings-on part. I’ve retired the gait belt, but we are still knee deep in compression socks (get it? knee deep?) which are torture to put on. Yesterday, at the post-op check-up, my husband asked if I could come with him to the exam room, saying, “We’ve been a team on this, so I’d like her to come in.” That made me pretty happy.

I’m getting a very nice award next week. It’s the 2024 AARP Wisconsin Andrus Award for Community Service. There’s a breakfast event and speeches, including mine which is supposed to be fifteen minutes’ worth. So, I have been thinking about that speech and getting stuck on the fact that there are thousands of older adults holding communities up all over Wisconsin, Boomers all with our sensible shoes and dodgy pasts. We bring our hands and our know-how and our quietude (the exquisite benefit of not having to prove ourselves anymore) and we do what is asked of us and what needs to be done. Old people show up. I love that so much. I guess that’s my speech. More on that next week.