Cattle Chutes and Cake - It's Saturday

It's been a week, as they say, capped off by another trip to the hospital one evening for further testing on the foot and the clot therein. The doc gave me a list of "if you see this go to the hospital immediately". Come on, it will buff out.  Not.  So there I was. The foot had swollen up so badly they decided to x ray in case there was bone injury in addition to the puncture wound.

Let's just say the x ray tech believed the whole "bends like Gumby" until the tears came. It was not a pleasant stay, though everyone did what they could to make an unpleasant experience bearable.

Nothing was broken, just serious inflammation from the infection. But the antibiotics are working and the clot should be absorbed without running amok (though staring at it saying "I am Borg, you will be assimilated" does NOT work).  I was sent home in the morning, with some serious pain meds, which I've not, yet, tried to take as I hate the "help" of things that numb.  Friend around helped, Partner and other friends checking on me, but I was trying to be the kevlar gumdrop, not showing that I was hurting.

But this morning I needed help, as Barkley had his yearly check up at the vet we both like so much.

Though I could hobble my away around the kitchen,  there was no way I could wrangle with him in a pressure bandage with a frankenshoe.  He actually LIKES going to the vet and about pulls my arm off going inside where the pretty Vet takes care of him and gives him a treat!

 This calls for back up!

Fortunately, I know a strong and capable young man who can be talked into going to the vet on Saturday morning at o' dark hundred.   The visit mostly went well, At age 10, Barkley is in great shape and a healthy 89 pounds. He had two little lumps on him, both needle biopsied, and as suspected, just fatty growths in an aging animal. But he had an ear infection in both ears, even though he'd not been scratching at them. which needed ear drops and antibiotics.

Ironically though, Barkley and I are on identical antibiotics. Same name, same milligrams per dosage, just a different dose.  His were a LOT more expensive. I told him to get a job with  health insurance. He ignored me.

I can't get him to clean my firearms either.

I'm not looking forward to a week of  daily ear drops. Let's just say he does NOT like his ears messed with, and trying to hold onto him with a bandaged foot and the bad knee, while he tries to buck me off, is NOT going to be fun, if this morning was any example.

I need to build a cattle chute or something to round him up and get him in. But today, thankfully today at least,  I had help.

So, by way of thank you, there was  freshly made cake (and no creamsickle cake this time Old NFO!)

Guinness and Molasses Cake - An experiment of science and alcohol and a kitchen.  I had help getting all the ingredients  and utensils I'd need gathered up, then sitting on a barstool at the island, and one by the stove with a stool to prop the foot up with, I could conduct my little experiment.  I sort of jotted down what I was doing on a piece of paper in case it turned out.

"It turned out", if two people eating the photo piece with one plate and two forks while jockeying for position at the counter, is any indicator.

It's much richer and darker than gingerbread, denser (stouter :-)  than regular cake, though still with a tender crumb.  Paired with a simple whipped cream topping infused with just a trace of vanilla/sugar, it was a huge hit and I'll package up the rest to be taken home.

I may still need that cattle chute though, for the rest of the week.