Mass. boy, trying to avoid bedtime, calls 911

BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) — Police in Massachusetts say a 10-year-old boy called 911 because he didn't want to go to bed.
Brockton police say the boy called 911 just after 8 p.m. Wednesday and told the dispatcher he was calling to report his mother because he did not want to go to bed.
There was no emergency.
The Enterprise (http://bit.ly/YoKmJZ ) reports that according to the police log, an officer went to the boy's home and explained to him when it was appropriate to call 911.
No charges were issued.

Grad student sues to get grade changed

A Lehigh University grad student is suing a professor and the school after she received a C-plus grade in 2009 that she claims kept her from reaching her dream of becoming a licensed professional counselor.

On Wednesday, a judge chastised both sides in the case.

Read the story from the Allentown Morning Call.

Mass. bride has a white wedding

Saturday's blizzard shut down a lot of New England, but it couldn't stop one Massachusetts bride from getting married.

Kathryn Jussaume, 30, of Lowell, and Jason Destroismaison, 32, of Tyngsboro, have been planning their wedding for seven months now. They picked a heck of date.

Here you'll find the rest of the story.

Armstrong, Te'o topped Most Disliked List

Forbes magazine released its list of the most disliked athletes in America. Topping the list based on a Neilsen survey at 15% appeal were disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o.

Golfer Tiger Woods was third at 19% appeal, followed by Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace at 21% appeal

Here's more on the story.

Teens lose fingers playing tug-of-war

A boy and girl in Los Angeles lost fingers in a game of tug-of-war on their schoolyard.

According to the Associated Press, the boy and girl had stable vital signs Tuesday after undergoing hours of surgery, but no information was disclosed on whether doctors reattached their fingers.

A get-well banner hung at the South El Monte High School campus, and counselors consoled students after the horrific start Monday to the traditional Spirit Week celebrating homecoming.

Schools have conducted such games for years, El Monte Union High School District Superintendent Nick J. Salerno said.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this happening,” he said. “It’s unbelievable to me, it’s shocking.” 

Read more here.

Busted! Woman's breast implants stuffed with cocaine

Many thanks to my Digital First Media friends for pointing out this odd blurb.

Reuters/Spanish Interior Ministry

Of all the ways to enhance your bust line, stuffing yourself with cocaine-packed implants is probably not the best idea. You will certainly appear to be a drug smuggler, to say the absolute very least.
A Panamanian woman with cocaine breasts was caught at a Spanish airport Wednesday after border police discovered fresh scars and blood-stained gauze on her chest, reports Reuters.
A good indicator that this was an attempt to get drugs through the airport in Barcelona are these photos, which clearly show that cocaine implants will make your chest lumpy. Officials found 1.38 kg of cocaine in the makeshift implants.
— via Reuters

Best clutch peformance by Philly athlete wearing No. 12

In honor of today being 12-12-12, here's a look at the best clutch performance by a Philadelphia athlete wearing No. 12 in recent memory.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=3618349

Finding the purrfect way to bond with cats

Gaston and LeFou curled up on our couch.

When my youngest stepdaughter Kristen graduated from high school in June, I never thought I would hear the pitter-patter of little feet running through our house.
Weeks later, I discovered I would.
But it’s not what you think.
In July, our middle daughter Kelly flew back to the nest after being on her own for 18 months. It was nice to welcome her back home, but there was one thing – well, actually 2 things -- that I would have to deal with upon her return: her cats, Gaston and Lefou. Being the wonderful humanitarian that I am, I wasn’t going to make Kelly give them up.
I have never been fond of cats. Oh sure, they are cute, but whenever I was around them, they were just too annoying for my tastes. Way too annoying. Give me a dog any day.
So on those rare occasions when the prospect of adding cats to the household was mentioned, my response was always the same. “I’ll NEVER have cats in my house.”
Well, as John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
So on July 1, I started a life with cats in it.
It was an interesting start for the cats on their ride from Kelly’s apartment near Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The pet carriers she purchased were too small for them, so they made the ride back to Pennsylvania in alcohol boxes on the back seat of my car.
To ease the transition to their new home, Gaston and Lefou – and yes, they are named after characters from Kelly’s favorite movie, “Beauty and the Beast,” – were given free reign in a room in our basement, complete with Kelly’s wraparound couch, their food and water dishes, scratching post and the litter box. They also had access to a bar, but I don’t think they used it.
We rigged a hotel-room style lock on our basement door which left just enough room for the cats to come upstairs when they so desired. It also kept our yellow Labrador from racing to the basement and eating the cats’ food.
After about a month or so, the 2-year-old cats got comfortable in their new surroundings and began exploring the rest of the house, with Gaston being the more adventurous one. That’s when I discovered that he apparently likes me. 
One late summer evening while watching TV, Gaston hopped in my lap and made himself comfortable. It was awkward for me. My wife, of course, thought it was cute.
Since then, we’ve bonded. Gaston enjoys inspecting my closet – my wife says it’s his man cave. When he hears the door open, he rushes into the bedroom to see what he can get his paws and mouth on or rub up against. He especially admires a belt that hangs from a hangar – and I have the teeth marks on the belt to prove it.
He also has gotten into the habit of hopping on the bed early in the morning and curling up on top of my wife or I. You can tell his comfort level by the amount and loudness of his purring.
Anything new that comes into his field of vision, Gaston needs to inspect it – sometimes with a dose of hilarity. My wife adorned a sliding glass door with some holiday cling-ons more than five-feet high on the glass. Well, it’s been Gaston’s daily mission to try and knock the decorations off the glass. He’ll just stare at them for awhile, then jump more than 5 feet in an attempt to grab one. He usually succeeds.
And since the weather has turned a bit chillier, Gaston has found a new place to stay warm: by sleeping on the cable box!
What about Lefou, you ask? He’s the opposite of Gaston: an introvert — or just very depressed. Lefou is still afraid of our dog, and heads into the basement when we have company. He pretty much keeps to himself — though we’ve discovered he likes sleeping on Kristen’s bed since she’s away at college — and is only seen or heard when he’s hungry.
While Gaston and I have bonded, he still does things that annoy me: hopping on tables and counters; scratching furniture; playing with connections to the TV; or attacking my shoelaces when I’m trying to put on a shoe. 
For the past two weeks, the cats have been curious about the Christmas tree. They found the strings of lights fascinating as we were putting them on our Blue Spruce. The same fascination occurred when adding the ornaments.
Lefou has found a spot under the tree to take naps, and we’ve caught Gaston drinking water out of the tree stand.
I hope that’s where the fascination ends. I wouldn’t want them to end up like the feline in “Christmas Vacation.”

Mike Spohn is The Mercury’s Sunday editor. E-mail him at mspohn@pottsmerc.com or follow him on Twitter @Merc_Mike

My Eagles preview

The Eagles kick off their season Sunday in Cleveland with much at stake, including the futures of head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Mike Vick. The two are likely tied together.

A disappointing 8-8 season a year ago in which they needed to win the last 4 games to get to that mark left Reid on the hot seat. If the coach is there, so is the quarterback.

The Eagles' success pretty much hinges on how much Vick can stay on the field over the course of a 16-game schedule -- and he took only 12 snaps during the pre-season because of injuries.

AP Photo
Eagles head coach Andy Reid expects
to improve on last year's 8-8 record.

 

Despite some upgrades on the much-maligned defense from 2011, there are still question marks, particularly at linebacker and safety. And defensive coordinator Juan Castillo has much to prove in his second year after moving to the other side of the ball from offensive line coach.

I've lost confidence in Reid as a head coach. The Eagles have regressed in each of the last 3 seasons; their last playoff win was in January 2009. Reid bears a good portion of the blame for poor coaching and talent acquisition. their last playoff win was in January 2009.

I don't believe Vick is a Super Bowl quarterback, either, and not just because he has trouble staying on the field. When he is behind center, he has a tendency to hold onto the ball too long and last year he turned the ball over 24 times in 13 games.

While there are plenty of skill players on the offense, the loss of left tackle Jason Peters to an Achilles' injury will be difficult to overcome.

So what do I see in the my crystal ball? Maybe just a slight improvement over last season. A double-digit win season is possible with a few breaks, but I forecast a 9-7 record and a playoff spot. Whether it's as NFC East champions or as a wild card will come down to the season's final game against the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.

And one more thing, Eagles. I guess I took it for granted that you'd win a Super Bowl before I turned 50. Well, guess what? This is your last chance for that to happen.

As far as the opening game goes, the Birds should have no trouble with the Browns. Final score...31-13.

Reds fan grabs back-to-back home run balls

Baseball fans dream of catching home run balls.

On Monday, one fan in Cincinnati accomplished something that has likely never happened in the history of the game. He caught back-to-back home run balls.

Caleb Lloyd, 20, was sitting in the first row in left field when Reds pitcher Mike Leake blasted his first career home run.

"It hit my hand," he said in an Associated Press story. "I didn't expect to actually catch it. I never actually caught a home run ball. It hurt really bad."

Moments later, Cincinnati shortstop Zach Cosart sent a shot in the same direction. Lloyd managed to grab that one, too.

"The second one bounced behind me and bounced right into my lap," he said. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh, that's just crazy!' I couldn't believe my eyes. Right now, I still can't believe it's happening."

However, Lloyd left the park with neither ball. He gave Cosart's home run ball to his friend who provided the tickets to the game. He gave Leake's home run ball back to the pitcher in exchange for an autograph.

For more, go here.

A loving farewell to my best friend

Disney, a 10 1/2-year-old black Labrador,
was a great companion.

I lost my best friend recently.
We watched a lot of TV, hung out on our deck, played ball, went for walks together. And she loved it when I rubbed her belly.
The best part? My wife didn’t mind it a bit.
My best friend was Disney, our 10½-year-old black Labrador mix whom we had to put down suddenly a few days before Easter. One morning, Disney and I took a nice walk. Twelve hours later, she had trouble walking. The next day, she couldn’t get up off the bedroom floor.
Just seven months removed from knee ligament surgery (I wrote about her recovery in December), we didn’t want to put our beloved family member through more tests, X-rays or surgery. Maybe the knee surgery and subsequent rehabilitation and recovery put more stress on her body than we thought.
I was devastated. That was by far the most difficult morning of my life. Later that day came the truly hard part — arriving home from work and knowing Disney wouldn’t be racing to greet me with her tail wagging excitedly. I’m not ashamed to admit that for a few days I shed a lot of tears when I approached our front door.
The last image I have is of Disney in my arms as I carried her to the car, then from there to the veterinarian’s office, where she lay with pained eyes on an exam table as we said our goodbyes.
As the shock of her loss wears off as each day passes, I think of all the good times our companion gave us.
Disney was an awesome dog. We got her for $20 from a farm in Douglass (Berks) in August 2001 when she was just a puppy. I repeatedly told my wife it was the best investment we ever made. And yes, Disney was named for the resort which we had visited just a month before she joined us.
Disney wasn’t your typical Labrador; she was actually a pretty laid-back dog. When we tossed a ball to her she’d chase it, but would usually drop it on her return trip. We joked that she was only half of a retriever!
Unlike most Labradors, Disney didn’t like water. We made one visit a few years ago to French Creek State Park with some friends. As our other dog, a yellow Labrador, and our friends’ two Golden Retrievers swam happily in the lake after a tennis ball, Disney would go into the water just enough to get her belly wet.
As she grew older, Disney hated loud noises — especially motorcycles. And she despised thunderstorms. I particularly hated the ones in the middle of the night when Disney would wake up panting and shaking and I’d have to escort her to the basement where she’d settle down and stay until morning.
Our most vivid memories about Disney revolve around food. One Valentine’s Day, my wife gave me a box of chocolate-covered pretzels. I left them on the headboard in the bedroom and we went out that night. Apparently, I didn’t close the box tightly because when we returned, the box was barren — and Disney was the only one home.
On several other occasions we’d arrive home to find an empty bag that once contained bread or rolls on our kitchen floor. We knew Disney was the guilty party.
The best Disney story happened on our wedding night, and my wife and I didn’t find out about it until a few days later.
After taking the wedding gifts, flowers, etc., into the house and getting my stepdaughters situated with a cousin who was going to stay with them for a week, my wife and I left for our airport hotel, from where we would leave the next morning for … Disney World. But in all the commotion of getting everything into the house and put away, several slices of the leftover wedding cake — Orange Creamsicle wedding cake — were left on the kitchen counter.
Well, Disney wouldn’t let this golden opportunity pass.  So she helped herself to a few slices of wedding cake — and had orange icing all over her face. Unfortunately, no one caught it on camera.
These memories and hundreds of others will live on in our hearts, and I hope that we reciprocated Disney’s love. I’m sure she’s been showering angels with all the love and affection that she showed us for more than 10 years.
I just wonder if she ate any of the angels’ Easter candy?

Mike Spohn is The Mercury’s Sunday editor. E-mail him at mspohn@pottsmerc.com or follow him on Twitter @Merc_Mike

Wrestling hold at party turns deadly

Watching pro wrestling turned deadly of a 24-year-old Louisiana man, according to FoxSports.com

According to the report, Stephen A. Arceneaux III was hosting his own "Wrestlemania 28" party when he and a 14-year-old cousin acted out a wrestling hold. Arceneau died after he refused to "tap out" of his younger cousin's "rear naked choke hold" and caused him to stop breathing, police said.

The story goes on:

Arceneaux and his cousin began wrestling on an inflated mattress at the party and the teenager, who weighed just 110 pounds, placed his arm around the 220-pound Arceneaux's neck.

Witnesses said Arcenaux was in the hold for 30 to 40 seconds, but refused to give up or "tap out."

When one of the witnesses saw Arceneaux turning blue, they told the youngster to let go, but by that stage Arceneaux had already stopped breathing, the report said.

Arceneaux's girlfriend tried unsuccessfully to revive him before he was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is continuing.

"It's bizarre," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. Pat Yoes. "We're still investigating it. But when you have violent horseplay like that, it just goes to show you that anything can happen."

It's National Cereal Day

Today is National Cereal Day.

To celebrate, I had a bowl (or 2) of my favorite, Cheerios, which I believe is the favorite cereal of my 2 granddaughters, Arianna and Alayna. Some days I may have a bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios.

Others I eat on a regular basis: Frosted Flakes, Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms, and Rice Krispies.

What's your favorite?

The groundhog was wrong

Kate Upton is the cover model for
this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition.

A couple of weeks ago, Punxsatawney Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter. I beg to differ, and it has nothing to do with the warm winter temperatures and lack of snow we've experienced.

There are 2 reasons for me to be thinking spring.

First, the Phillies loaded a tractor-trailer with equipment on Sunday that was heading to Clearwater, Fla., for spring training. The 5-time National League East champions open camp this Sunday when pitchers and catchers report for their first workout.

And this week, another sure sign of spring bloomed again: the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. Model Kate Upton graces this year's cover.

Another voice silenced

 First it was Richie Ashburn in 1997. Then Harry Kalas in 2009. Now, another voice of my youth has been silenced.

Andy Musser was a Phillies broadcaster for more than
25 years.

Andy Musser, the third member of the Phillies broadcast team that was together for more than 20 years, passed away Jan. 22. Musser didn't get the acclaim that Kalas and Ashburn received from fans, but he was a solid baseball announcer.

He was also very versatile, broadcasting Sixers, Eagles and Big Five basketball games. Before joining the Phillies full-time, Musser also worked for CBS Sports where he did the Super Bowl and the Masters golf tournament.

Here are a few of his most famous Phillies calls.

The legend of Roy Halladay grows

Since being traded to the Phillies in December 2009, Roy Halladay has become a folk hero.

In his first season with the team in 2010, he won 21 games -- including a perfect game against the Marlins -- and won the National League Cy Young Award. And, oh yeah, he threw a no-hitter against Cincinnati in his first post-season start.

This past season, he won 19 games and finished second for the Cy Young Award. His final game was a 1-0 loss to St. Louis in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.

So Halladay's been a larger-than-life figure for Phillies fans. That legend may grow after something that happened before Christmas.

According to the blog Zoo with Roy, Halladay, while on a fishing trip in the Amazon with professional angler Skeet Reese and others, saved a native boy from an anaconda attack.

Also on the trip was Halladay's best friend, St. Louis pitcher Chris Carpenter, who was the winning pitcher in Game 5.

UPDATE: Accounts question claim of chimp's owner

According to an Associated Press story, some accounts from Hollywood are questioning if the chimpanzee that died in Florida on Christmas Eve was indeed Cheetah, who was a sidekick to Tarazan in some movies in the 1930s.

Here is the new story:

A Florida animal sanctuary says Cheetah, the chimpanzee sidekick in the Tarzan movies of the early 1930s, has died at 80. But other accounts call that claim into question.

Debbie Cobb, outreach director at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary along Florida's Gulf Coast, said Wednesday that her grandparents acquired Cheetah around 1960 from "Tarzan" star Johnny Weissmuller and that the chimp appeared in Tarzan films between 1932 and 1934. During that period, Weissmuller made "Tarzan the Ape Man" and "Tarzan and His Mate."

But Cobb offered no documentation, saying it was destroyed in a 1995 fire.

Also, some Hollywood accounts indicate a chimpanzee by the name of Jiggs or Mr. Jiggs played Cheetah alongside Weissmuller early on and died in 1938.

In addition, an 80-year-old chimpanzee would be extraordinarily old, perhaps the oldest ever known. 

According to many experts and Save the Chimps, another Florida sanctuary, chimpanzees in captivity live to between 40 and 60. Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Fla., has a chimp it says is around 73.

A similar claim about another chimpanzee that supposedly played Weissmuller's second banana was debunked in 2008 in a Washington Post story. Writer R.D. Rosen discovered that the primate, which lived in Palm Springs, Calif., was born around 1960, meaning it wasn't oldest enough to have been in the Tarzan movies of Hollywood's Golden Age.

Cobb said Cheetah died Dec. 24 of kidney failure and was cremated.

"Unfortunately, there was a fire in '95 in which a lot of that documentation burned up," Cobb said. "I'm 51 and I've known him for 51 years. My first remembrance of him coming here was when I was actually 5, and I've known him since then, and he was a full-grown chimp then."

More than one chimpanzee appeared as Cheetah in the Tarzan movies of the 1930s and '40s.

Film historian and Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osbourne said the Cheetah character "was one of the things people loved about the Tarzan movies because he made people laugh. He was always a regular fun part of the movies."

In his time, the Cheetah character was as popular as Rin Tin Tin or Asta, the dog from the "Thin Man" movies, Osbourne said.

"He was a major star," he said.

At the animal sanctuary, Cheetah was outgoing, loved finger painting and liked to see people laugh, Cobb said. But he could also be ill-tempered. Cobb said that when the chimp didn't like what was going on, he would fling feces and other objects.

Chimp from 'Tarzan' movies in 1930s dies

I should know that primates live long lives, but I was still surprised to read this morning that Cheetah, the chimpanzee sidekick from the Johnny Weismuller "Tarzan" movies from the 1930s, died recently at the age of 80. That's a long life, even for a chimp!

AP Photo
Cheetah, with Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane and
Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan.

Cheetah died on Christmas Eve of kidney failure, the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Fla., announced.


Here's the rest of the Associated Press story:

Sanctuary outreach director Debbie Cobb on Wednesday told The Tampa Tribune (http://bit.ly/rRuTeJ ) that Cheetah was outgoing, loved finger painting and liked to see people laugh. She says he seemed to be tuned into human feelings.

Based on the works of author Edgar Rice Burroughs, the Tarzan stories, which have spawned scores of books and films over the years, chronicle the adventures of a man who was raised by apes in Africa.

Cheetah was the comic relief in the Tarzan films that starred American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller. Cobb says Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller's estate sometime around 1960.

Cobb says Cheetah wasn't a troublemaker. Still, sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest says that when the chimp didn't like what was going on, he would throw feces.

Animals make news at live Nativity scenes

A couple of interesting news items happened over the Christmas weekend involving live Nativity scenes.

First, a goat in Minnesota fled the scene from a Nativity at Bethlehem Church in Fergus Falls, Minn. The 3-year-old Angora goat escaped its leash on Christmas Eve afternoon and remained on the lam on Monday.

The goat's owner said he tried to chase the animal for two hours, but a lack of snow made tracking it difficult.

There was some happier news Christmas Eve involving a Nativity display at The Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati.

There, the conservatory reports, a night watchman oversaw the delivery for a sheep that was part of the live animal display. Officials say the birthing went well and the mother and lamb were doing fine.

 Officials said they may name the female lamb "Merry."

Hard to keep a good Lab down

My black Labrador Disney -- wearing a cone
because of her knee surgery -- lays in the yard.

Disney poses for a photo after getting a bath
months before her knee surgery.

 

 

For the past eight weeks, my wife Sharon and I have been health care workers. But we weren’t providing care to an ill child, or comfort to a relative. No, our patient has been our 10-year-old black Labrador, Disney.

In early October, Sharon and I were walking our two dogs when Disney lunged toward a pack of dogs that was being walked on the other side of the street and suddenly started limping on her right rear leg. Naturally, we were at the farthest point from our house, so I walked back home with the other dog to get the car to return and pick up Sharon and Disney.

The next day I took Disney to the vet. The diagnosis was a cruciate ligament tear. I was surprised, but apparently this injury is very common among Labradors, especially aging ones.

A few days later Disney had an appointment with an orthopedic specialist, who confirmed the diagnosis and set up a time for surgery to fix “the football injury,” as he called it. The surgery went well, but the doctor also found severe arthritis in the knee. I felt a little sad when Disney was brought out wearing a plastic cone around her head to keep her from picking at her sutures and with her right hind quarter shaved.

We received a long list of discharge instructions to help Disney in her recovery, among them changing her diet, limiting walks to “elimination” only, and keeping her confined — for 8 weeks!!!

That last one was going to be a little difficult for a dog that has had the run of the house for the past 10 years. The surgeon wanted us to keep Disney in a room about the size of a doctor’s examination room. But living in a two-story townhome, there are no small rooms on the first floor.

So we had to make do. We have some paneling in the basement, so we used a piece or two as a divider between the living and dining rooms. And to aid the “elimination” process, my dad built a ramp out of plywood to put on the deck so Disney could avoid using the steps.

For the first week of Disney’s recovery, I slept on a couch in the living room. No, I wasn’t in the dog house. But Sharon and I agreed that was probably best to keep Disney from whimpering. The patient also needed pain medication three times a day, and one of those times was usually around 2 a.m. — or whenever I woke up in the middle of the night.

But after that first week we needed another confinement plan. Disney learned that by using her cone, she could move the paneling and walk around downstairs. So we borrowed some baby fencing from our oldest daughter and set up a small pen for Disney in the dining room.

Her recovery was going well. Two weeks after the procedure, she returned to the surgeon to get the sutures out and lose the “cone of shame.”

But free of the cone, Disney was again using her ingenuity to get out of her confinement. She realized that if she put her nose on the floor, she could lift the pen and crawl underneath. It was a bit surprising to come home from work some nights and see that Disney had escaped. This happened so many times, we called her “HouDisney.”

I know she didn’t understand why she had to be confined, and probably thought she was being punished. But it’s not like I could talk to the patient and tell her about the recovery process.

Another two weeks passed quietly and a first set of X-rays on the repaired knee showed good progress. But then the surgeon said something that caused me a lot of angst: because her knee was healing, Disney would want to be more active and therefore her confinement had to be more strict.
He wasn’t kidding. The past four weeks have not been easy.

We used dining room chairs as clamps to keep Disney from getting out of the makeshift pen, but that didn’t stop her. She still managed to escape a few times. The issue was especially bad when we went to bed and Disney had to stay downstairs. For a couple nights in a row, we could hear the rustling of Disney trying to get out.

In one instance, Sharon went downstairs to scold Disney and saw her trying to CLIMB out of the pen. That was the last straw. So at 10:30 on this particular night, we were at Walmart buying a crate for our ornery patient. Disney didn’t like being crated, but we had to keep her as confined as possible. So close to the end of her recovery, we didn’t want her to screw up the surgery.

Being the stubborn old lady that she is, Disney hasn’t gone in the crate willingly. We’ve had to put a leash on her, then walk her into the crate. But she gets something out of it, because the only way Sharon or I could get her to move was when we said “treat.”

Disney’s final X-rays were scheduled for Saturday. To be honest, when we’ve been home we haven’t kept her totally confined. On Thanksgiving, she was walking around a lot as we entertained a house full of people, and she’s also climbed the stairs once or twice over the past 10 days.

She seems to be recovering nicely. Disney’s moving around about as well as she did before her injury — with a slight limp — so I expect the X-rays to show she is nearly healed. And based on inquiries from our neighbors, Disney’s been missed my many.

Our work isn’t done, however. Next are weeks of rehabilitation as we have to build up the strength in Disney’s injured leg. I only hope the rehab process is a little less aggravating than her recovery.

Mike Spohn is The Mercury’s Sunday editor. You can e-mail him at mspohn@pottsmerc.com, or follow him on Twitter @Merc_Mike.