Before heading to PT yesterday morning I got my first look at the increasingly cluttered garage.  At least Alex found a spot for his boxes in a corner that doesn't further limit car access (though it will be more difficult to get to some of the shelves back there.)

At PT they have started numbering my sessions at the top of the worksheet listing my exercises, and yesterday was #39.  Unfortunately I still have a ways to go, so it's a VERY good thing that insurance is picking up the hefty tab!  

Despite 'excellent strength' in all directions ("your foot will hold you") I continue to have serious difficulty with even the smallest step up/down.*   So yesterday Lori tried BFR (blood flow restriction), used for the purpose is building muscle. I did my calf raises and leg presses with the "tourniquet" at the very top of my leg; we shall see if that helps any.

* I do okay with "good foot up, bad foot down", but Lori is not okay with just that; she wants me to be able to negotiate a flight of stairs the "regular" way (even though stairs are few and far between here in Phoenix.)  So she has me working on BAD foot up and GOOD foot down, and that is NOT pretty!  LOL

Last night I was still wide awake at 11:00 (after watching a movie that ended at 10:30, and then reading in bed, both of which often make me sleepy.) So I took something, and then "slept in" until 5:00 today.  By this time of year it's not yet light, so I had to wait a bit before going outside to get Creepy started. 

While I was netting the pool surface I spotted a small swimmer, so it was Bobbi to the "rescue" again...

  except that this morning it turned out to be toad (which would have been fine if left alone?)  

I wanted to snap a photo of the little guy (would have come in handy for identification purposes) but before I could even start to head in for the camera it hopped away into the grass.   

I sure hope it wasn't one of these!

Now that the monsoon is here, you’ll need to protect your pets from a toxic toad found throughout Arizona. The Sonoran Desert toad, also known as the Colorado River toad, spends most of the year burrowed in the ground, but it comes out with the summer rain looking for a mate. 

The Sonoran Desert toad secretes a neurotoxin strong enough to kill dogs that pick them up with their mouths. The Game and Fish Department says Sonoran Desert toads kill more Arizona dogs than rattlesnakes do! 

Also, keep a close eye on your dog when letting them out first thing in the morning or in the evening, when the toads are most active.