Just a short blog, to say that I have not dropped into an open manhole or a previously undiscovered well. I am taking time to process the events that have led to my current situation, and have found myself essentially unable to write about it for the moment. In the week following Richard's totally unexpected decision to abandon everything we had been intending, I noticed that Stickley had developed a limp in his front leg. Within a few days, he was having a very difficult time putting any weight on that leg. In the barn, I had also been dealing with Westley, one of my little angora goats, who had paralysis of both legs on his left side as a result of deer meningeal worm infection. With Westley having been unable to stand up for nearly 6 weeks despite my attempts to get him moving, I decided it was time to let him go. He was not having a good quality of life for a little goat, and it wasn't fair to keep hanging on to hope. I took both Westley and Stickley to the vet. Unfortunately, I learned that Stickley had developed osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer that is relatively common in greyhounds of advanced age. He would have been 11 this month.
Westley and Stickley were humanely euthanized on the same day, just 10 days after Richard's bombshell. It was one of those "just when I thought things couldn't get any worse..." moments.
So, still dealing with a lot of loss in my life, and a lot of uncertainty. I'm not sure where all this is leading, and I dislike instability. I leave you with some pictures of Stickley and Westley. It has taken me some time to be able to write about their passing, and even now I have hot tears coursing my cheeks as I write this. Too much loss in too short a time, and no light at the end of the tunnel yet.
Stickley, retired racing greyhound, track name "RJ's Elk River"
Run free my big dog, you are not forgotten.
Westley, the wee angora goat, not even a year old. Loved while he was here.
