JIM AND LINDA'S TRAVELS: UPDATE

OH MY….it has been a while!!!!!

We arrived in Hondo, Texas on October 9th and it was really nice to be “home”. Jim and I are so happy that we bought into Lone Star Corral (LSC)….and so enjoy being there. The people are so friendly and so inclusive….you never feel like a visitor at LSC. We got set up and the first thing Jim did was go out to the shed and start unloading it. I think he was anxious to get to his “hobby area”.

We contacted the local service guy and after a few days of troubleshooting discovered that our electrical problem was tied into the ceiling fan that we installed in the bedroom….some crossed wires.

After relaxing for a few days, out next project was to get some of the landscaping cleaned up. So, it was out with the garden tools and away we went. Bushes were cut down, new planter boxes were built and that huge agave plant was removed. The only thing left is to being in some fresh stone and that will be done this spring. All and all, the lot looks good.

We left on November 10th and headed down to the oil fields to earn some much needed money. Things seem to be a little slow this year and we have spent more time in the yard than we have in the past and in the month and a half that we have been here, we have been on 4 different gates. We are hoping that after the holidays, we will get a gate that will last for a few months. We have had to extend our working schedule into April as we have had some unexpected expenses for Walker. We had a very bad scare earlier this month and thought we were going to lose him. We noticed that his stomach was quite distended and took him to the vet. After running blood tests and an ultra sound he was diagnosed with Intestinal Protein Enteropathy. This is an abnormal condition of the intestines where more protein leaks out of the intestines than the body can replace. There is no cure for this disease only maintenance. It was touch and go for a while, but a very good vet, Dr. Trial, put him on an antibiotic and steroid for 4 weeks and a vitamin B12 shot once a week for 4 weeks, plus a special dog food. On our last visit to the vet on Saturday, the blood test indicated that his protein levels were back to normal and there wasn’t any fluid in his stomach. His medication was reduced to just one steroid tablet once a day and 2 more vitamin B12 shots over the next 4 weeks. He goes back for another blood test on January 6th and, if his levels are still normal, we will probably be able to reduce his medication. But, he will more than likely have to be on some type of medication for the rest of his life, along with the special dog food which is a prescription food and only available from a vet. All and all, he is doing good considering how sick he was…….Jim and I are very thankful to Dr. Trial for getting Walker through this. We would have been devastated if we had lost him!!!!!!!