Well, we’re getting closer to our escape from California. This past month at the Petaluma KOA has been hectic to say the least. This park has been PACKED every weekend, Halloween activities on all of them. The Gladiator came out and had some Halloween fun himself…

We have been busy during the weekdays as well. Madison the Wonder Cocker has been battling an ear infection for the last 6 months and we have made several trips into her Vet’s office I think for the sole purpose of draining my wallet. It is getting REAL frustrating with all the meds and treatments she has been put on, getting no results from any of it. But we still plug away, the Princess demands it. 

And the big kicker was finding out I blew another disc, this time C6/C7 in my neck. Spent many days running back to Santa Rosa Kaiser trying to “beat the clock” as it were (Kaiser insurance ceases at the first of next month). Got an MRI which showed only a herniated disc, not ruptured. Got a couple of rounds of oral prednisone trying to reduce the inflammation (not a lot of luck, but some), then got an epidural cortisone injection. Not an earth shattering experience, not even close to my previous foray into the darkest realm of exquisite pain for which I got fused. So far it has been a week since the injection and the pain is way less now, but not altogether absent. I’m hoping I don’t have to visit the knife again… 

Thursday we are heading up to Redding to visit Jeanne’s mom and brothers for a couple of weeks. We’ll then return here for the Gladiator’s First Birthday at the end of November before we really load up to head out of California. The prices for everything here are just wayyyyyyy out of control high. I’ll be ecstatic to see California shrinking out of view in my rearview mirrors…