Here’s how my next week is shaping up:
Friday: My whole family arrives.
Saturday: We install the dishwasher and hook up the fridge and fix the leaks around the house and identify which plants are stifling the growth of other plants and judiciously pruning them.
Sunday: Southern Festival of Books
Monday: Chimney Sweep
Tuesday: Taking the dog in for her surgical consult and perhaps surgery.
Wednesday: Warping the minds of children.
Thursday: Heating and air conditioning dude comes to give the whole thing a once-over.
I am already a nervous wreck about the dog. First because I normally don’t take her to the vet by myself and second because we need to do something so that she’s not hurting, but I’m really nervous about how much money it might be. I guess we’ve been very lucky so far that she’s never needed anything more than her annual check-up. But the vet was really nice about talking it over with me–she is a relatively young dog (8 years) of a breed that, if not fought, can get to be 15 years old. She has almost as much time ahead of her as she’s got behind her. There’s no reason she shouldn’t be running and jumping and enjoying herself. And good lord, this is a girl who used to be able to jump over the couch. Let’s at least get her back to a point where she can get on the couch.
But on the other hand, I don’t need a Lexus solution here, either. She’s just a housepet. She needs to be able to get on the couch and down the steps and into the car and out of it again. I don’t actually need her to be able to do backflips off my dad’s belly again. And I want her to not be in pain.
So, I’m hoping there’s something they can do that will make her more mobile and reduce her discomfort without breaking the bank.
Tiny Cat Pants 
so while I should be expressing concern for the dog, and it does make me sad to see her struggling to get snuggly with the folks she loves who love her back
…
I’m curious about the details of your Wednesday.
Hey B, I’ve been following your description of Mrs. Wigglebottom’s issues, and I may have missed this … I know Lyme disease is still very rare down there, but has she been tested for Lyme? Lameness is a symptom.
It would be very unlikely since I don’t think the disease has migrated that far south yet, but worth looking into anyway. Tick-borne disease in general are an area that most people tend to over look, but testing for them tends to be really inexpensive.