Day 4273

I took my first long outdoor walk since I was hospitalized. I didn't walk as far as I usualy do, but it's a start. I have no real pain anymore. I'm just a lot more tired than I used to be. We had a nice sunrise walk with Dawn this morning and it was still cool enough to take her on her Sunday outing later in the day. I wasn't able to keep up with Dawn and Janet on the Sunday outing, but I didn't expect to. I walked about halfway and returned to the car. I think I had plenty of walks today.

When we went for ice cream cones on the way home, we discovered that the place was closed. There was a little sign on the window saying that due to a staff shortage, the place would be reducing the number of hours they were open. This seems to be a recurring theme. Small businesses just can't find or retain the staff they need anymore. We found a more expensive ice cream place that charged a ridiculous amount for a cone, but we got one anyway. Dawn waits all week for her ice cream cone. I still don't feel like eating ice cream for some reason. That saved a little money.

My unexpected bile duct blockage is making me a little nervous about returning to the observatory. If this had happened while I was out there, it could have been life threatening. Lack of decent medical facilities is one of the main things that observatory residents complain about. There is only one small hospital in the area and nobody seems to like it. Serious medical problems often involve a drive all the way to Odessa or El Paso and now those hospitals are full of Covid patients. It's a mess. A lot of my friends buy helicopter insurance so they can be airlifted out if something serious happens. 

I can't think of many reasons to like living in a big city but access to good medical care is still at the top of my list. I received excellent care during my hospital stay and didn't have to wait to see the people I needed to see. Janet had the same experience when she was being treated for cancer. I think it helps that our primary care physicians are associated with the hospital. It's doesn't look like we'll be moving to West Texas, but I knew that anyway. The older you get the more you depend on good doctors and having a major hospital nearby.

Since tomorrow is Labor Day, a lot of things will be closed. My gym is going to be closed, so if I want to walk I'll need to get out early before it starts getting hot. My walk in the park this morning wasn't that bad. Of course, I didn't really go very far. We won't be able to visit the Dalmatians tomorrow either since the kennel is closed for Labor Day. I'll still be able to take naps though. It seems like I've been doing a lot of that lately.

We might be able to retire Dawn's cone soon. She shows very little desire to lick her paws lately. Did her bladder stones cause enough discomfort to cause her to start all the licking? Sometimes licking is the way dogs react to discomfort. Maybe it's the new allergy pills she started taking. It's weird that we still don't know what was causing the problem. I'm glad she's getting better though. I'm glad I'm getting better too.

Allie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day