Mackenzie started having a severe allergic reaction to something this morning so I had to make an emergency trip to the vet. She’s there now and got a variety of shots and is on an IV for fluids (her temp was quite high). They are keeping her for observation since it was pretty bad and evidently she was starting to have trouble breathing. I’m hoping she’ll be able to come home by evening. What caused it is anybody’s guess—is it related to her normal allergy issues or did she get a bug bite or something?

We did go into the woods over the weekend. We did a long hike at Greensfelder Park. My phone said it was 9.55 miles, Louie’s said around 7.5, the trail said less than both of those. Who knows. My phone ALWAYS shows a longer distance than Louie, though usually his says he has more steps. This is a great mystery—I often have my phone in a bag and he often has his in his pocket so we’re guessing that’s the reason for the disparity but it doesn’t make that much sense.

The trees are pretty.

We ended up skipping the Farmer’s Market in the morning in order to go hiking instead. We want to really be in shape (well, the best you can going hiking once a week, ha) for our upcoming Grand Canyon trip.

Saturday night we went to the symphony. Karen Gomyo played the Sibelius Violin Concerto and it was breathtaking. Her sound, intensity, and clarity were amazing! It was one of my favorite performances in some time.

Sunday I got to see a student play with her orchestra at the Community Music School, which was really fun, actually!

And then Louie and I went crazy at REI and ended up each buying a pair of hiking shoes. So we both own good hiking boots AND good hiking shoes. I think this gear thing is starting to get out of hand, but it makes sense to have both, we think.

So now it’s Monday and things are a bit thrown off due to the vet run, but I’m trying to have my normal routine: email, practice, blog. I’m listening to some of the pieces we are learning for the Perseid Quartet for fall concerts and having a lovely time. The weather is beautiful, not too hot, sunny, and I’m just hoping Mackenzie is doing okay.

These guys keep me busy! And yeah, it’s been a hard year with the animals. Losing Oistrakh in January, dealing with all of Chloe’s issues, and Mackenzie’s allergies (which seem less serious but still undiagnosed and causing problems.) It’s been a theme for this year.