Our little mountain is not too high, maybe 500 or 600 feet above the surrounding lowlands, but it’s high enough that spring reaches the top just a little later than the bottom. Here is the recently scalped area at the bottom of the mountain, where all the pines were removed. The hardwoods in the undisturbed area are pretty green now.

Up top, the hardwoods are just starting to show new leaves.

The very few dogwoods left on the mountain have also opened their blooms more than at the top, but they are so ragged and sparse these day that I don’t have good photos of them.

Although spring is nice, we are having some health issues these days. Leah had surgery, a laminectomy, on December 21, to try to resolve some nerve pain. It was not successful. Now her surgeon says that she needs a spinal fusion because the condition of her spine poses a risk of weakness and numbness in her leg, which poses a risk of falling. Understandably, Leah is not thrilled to have surgery again so soon, especially since spinal fusion is a more serious surgery than a laminectomy.

I also need surgery to repair my torn rotator cuff, and my surgery is already scheduled for April 16. I don’t look forward to the surgery or the recovery, but I do look forward to having two working arms again. In the meantime, I will need Leah’s help for things like driving me to physical therapy and possibly putting on my socks. So her surgery will have to wait until my arm to closer to normal. Then, once I’m better, she will need help during her recovery, which is likely to be more painful and longer than mine.

But wait, there’s more!

A little over a month ago our newer dog Zoe started vomiting in the mornings. Now, dogs do sometimes barf for various reasons, so one time in the morning is an inconvenience, not too much to worry about. Three days in a row is worth worrying about. So, off to the vet, for a diagnosis of pancreatitis. That’s not good. In fact, it can be life-threatening. There was no obvious cause for the condition, and not a really well-defined treatment. She got a course of antibiotics, and the vet wanted her to have a special diet, part of which no longer includes any table scraps He also put her on omeprazole every day. Omeprazole is a generic Prilosec, the same antacid Leah takes.

So, Zoe was getting a little dab of peanut butter with a hidden capsule every evening, and she was no longer throwing up.

And then she ran out of omeprazole. The next morning, she threw up again. And then the next morning she threw up again. And then the next morning she threw up again. And then that afternoon, she went back to the vet, who put her back on omeprazole. And the next morning she did not throw up. It’s seems pretty clear to me that Zoe will be on an antacid for a while.

So far, that’s about all we’re facing right now, although I may have an issue with a painful spot on my leg, which hasn’t been diagnosed to my satisfaction. Our health problems are going to have to start taking a number.