Two updates of a personal nature tonight. First, the good news: I finished my 50,000 words for Camp NaNoWriMo, if not the actual novel. Nope, the real novel is still a long way off but not as far off as it was before Camp began.

Second, the not-so-good news: my dog is suffering from, apparently, something called Caudal Occipital Malformation Syndrome*, which basically means that her brain is larger than her brain cavity has room for and it’s a congenital condition. And, boy, is she ever enjoying rubbing it in that her brain is bigger than her skull and my isn’t. Bigger than my skull, that is. And probably not bigger than her skull, either, as she is now fond of saying. Over and over.

I just outed myself as having a talking dog, didn’t I? Well, who doesn’t, I ask you? My dog is very intelligent and expressive, as anyone who knows her can and will attest. What I would do without her I just don’t know. And I hope I don’t have to find out any time soon.

We have to go to an out-of-state veterinary college very soon for a series of tests so we can figure out what the next steps will be, what kind of treatment, what I have to do at home, etc. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, please; she’s my buddy and my pal and I really do love that little bundle of canine joy.

*Two-page PDF about COMS-CSH and another page with links to PDF’s and an MP3 audio file of a talk about it by a doctor’s veterinary research.