Early on the Fourth

I am officially a Fourth of July Scrooge and probably will remain so whenever I have a dog. Zane isn’t like Garron. He doesn’t climb all over me when fireworks go off, but he’s a velcro puppy inside the house and needs to be babied while relieving when there are lots of fireworks. Tonight was only the third, and after my show, we turned up the music really loud to distract him and ourselves. We put on some sound activated lights, and it was a glorious three hours!!
It was also a distraction for me, because I’m off air for an undetermined period of time. I have had some off-and-on technical issues, and though I believe many of them have been solved by installing the latest version of the software (without paying for the upgrade which seems useless), management still feels I need to test despite two perfect shows after the installation. Taking a break isn’t as bothersome as the undetermined time they want for me to be off air. It’s been days since I asked how many perfect shows are needed, and I’ve received no answer.
Anyway, complaint over. Blasting the music with the sound activated lights made me wish my nephew and neeces could experience our sound and lights. I remember all too well the fun my cousins, sisters, and I had blasting music, and I’m guessing they would enjoy the lights too. There are very few times I think about being an aunt, because I’m so far away, but the majority of my neeces and my nephew are old enough, that I’m guessing our house might be a fun place to visit for a while. I don’t know any of them too well, and it’s a shame I’m just someone they have to call aunt and be nice to because I’m family. I remember finding something fun about most relatives’ houses whether it was the juke box or a whole bunch of marbles.
I don’t have too much new to report on Phil, accept the wound is still slowly healing, and the leg’s swelling seems to get smaller in spurts. It seems like once every week or two, fluid leaks from it, and it shrinks. Phil sees the doctor again next Tuesday, and we’re all holding our breath. The next step is going back to work and stopping home healthcare. More healing and shrinking will need to occur before prosthetics are prepared. He’s thinking he may not be ready for a dog again until next spring. He trained a friend on her phone this week, while I went out to visit another friend’s vending store in St. Paul. 
Phil’s trying to find things to fix from his wheelchair. He hopes to make our gates spring-loaded to automatically shut. People seem to be careless about leaving them open, and we want to make sure it’s safe for the dogs.
I talked to the school about Zane slowing down, and if they are in the area, they’ll come and look at us. In the meantime, if I make the determination he isn’t safe anymore, I should retire him. The school says I have no obligation to seek their permission. I have a good home lined up, and I know he’ll have another Black Lab four years younger as company when the retired friend is gone for a few hours. The next step is going to her house and making sure the chemistry between the two dogs is good. There’s also filling out the online application. I’m dreading the prospect of a Kragnes house with no dog in it and still have a little hope that maybe we can avoid that scenario. Zane wouldn’t be happy if he didn’t go out with me and stayed home with Phil. Zane’s been a real comfort to both of us in the last few months, and I can’t imagine life without him.