Thank you! I just had my fourth set of x-rays last week and unfortunately the bone never healed; it's as broken now as it was six months ago. But I have a very respected orthopedic surgeon who assured me back in December that if there was no pain when she released me from the stabilizing boot, there was no reason for her to perform surgery to screw the bones together. So when I finally got out of that #*@& boot, there was no pain, and no need for surgery. I had a follow-up appointment with her last week and she said there was no reason not to do whatever physical activity I want to do, whether it's gardening, hiking, or exercising on the elliptical machine. So I was ever so happy to be back working in the garden today after such a very long time.
As for Sprite, her injury took a very, very long time to heal. But I'm happy to report that she finally stopped limping in January, and her mood improved. It was obvious the pain had led her into a depression... no smiles, no playfulness, just slept all the time and limped around the house. But once the limp went away she began playing with her toys and smiling again. It was such a relief. Today she accompanied me around the garden, chased a few squirrels, and even helped me dig a hole for a transplanted Gertrude Jekyll. Later we sat down on the upper hill in the back garden and looked out on the Hudson River together, with me scratching her ears and her leaning into me.