Today in Tucson, Y'all!: Mountain Biking and Jackson Update

Hey y'all!

This weekend was pretty relaxed around Casa de Pattison. Friday, we were able to help Sam and Jenna out with some Subaru/Leave No Trace business (which meant I got to take some behind the scenes shots!). Ben then went mountain biking on Saturday, which meant that Jackson and I got to shuttle him to the very top of Mt. Lemmon and then pick him up at the end of his ride. One thing that I have not gotten used to is that when we are planning on going up the mountain, I need to plan for it to be at least 20 degrees cooler on the mountain (this should be common sense and should not be difficult for me seeing as we go up about 6000 feet in elevation...). Alas, I still do not dress properly each time and Saturday we got to see some snow on the ground! We're getting very excited about the possibility of being an hour away from snow and skiing this winter!

Now for the important part: Jackson's medical update! He's been limping quite a bit but shows absolutely no sign of pain when we manipulate his paw and leg. He has full range of motion but just doesn't seem to want to put any weight on one foot. Well, Thursday night he basically didn't at night so we decided to not wait for his normal vet appointment and took him in. Again, when the vet moved his paw and leg all over the place he showed no signs of pain or of even noticing that his paw was being moved about. So, we're going with the conservative route of giving him some pain meds and making sure he doesn't move around too much for the next few weeks. The struggle...he is definitely feeling better now and, although still limps, wants to play and run and jump. Telling a 7 month old puppy that you can't play is a bit heartbreaking. But of course we are thankful for a report of no swelling or broken bones and will do our best to keep him calm for the time being!