Savor the moment

This morning, we all lay in bed for a long time, listening to the howling wind, watching the horizontal snow, and hugging with our K.

As I ate breakfast, one thought kept going through my head - "Damn the rules". The "rules" include keeping K quiet so that she isn't at risk of breaking the bone with the biggest tumor. However, her bones aren't ever going to get stronger. The radiation will actually make the bones weaker because it will kill healthy bone cells along with the tumor cells.

So, K and I headed out into the hellacious winter weather for a hike on the trails. When we reached the well-packed trail, I unclipped the leash. I have decided that K will truly live for whatever time remains, no matter how short or long it may be.

In the photo above, you can see that K has quite a haircut right now. If she could describe her week, she'd probably say that she was deprived of breakfast every day, and then, during the day, she kept falling sound asleep and then waking up in a different hospital room with a new section of fur shaved off. Her belly and left front leg are bare. And, she has patches shaved where she received infusions or had blood drawn. Despite the ferocious wind and cold, the naked patches didn't seem to bother her. Her eyes still shined.

She seemed to appreciate being back on her familiar stomping grounds, gazing out at the shrouded mountains. She's a lucky dog - she's lived in the same place with the same family for all of her life.

We ran into her brother and the Runner on the trails. Seeing R made me realize that K is a bit sedate right now. But, I guess that almost any dog in the world is sedate compared to R.

R is at his physical prime, bursting with power and grace. I love watching him run.

I talked with my vet today, and she's okay with us breaking the rules, as long as we make sure not to go anyplace too remote. She wants me to be able to get help if K fractures her leg. We can handle that constraint.

Today, I was simply happy to have my girl back by my side on the trails that we love so much. I tried not to think about the future and just savor the moment.