ALMOST LIKE IT USED TO BE

Yesterday evening I was getting ready to get Nigel out of his pen to do one last urinary catheter before bedtime. I was holding his rear up with a towel, and Llewis came into the room. Nigel knew he was leaving the pen, and HE WAGGED HIS TAIL!! All the work  and doubts I have had vanished at that instant. He had not wagged his tail-- or been able to-- since he went down in the rear. It was one of the things that made me the saddest, that he could no longer wag his tail, and there it was-- the tail wagged.
Yesterday I put him on my bed.
He has been there before but the other dogs stay far away.
Yesterday his brother, Llewis, slowly and cautiously climbed the 3 little steps to the bed and, one eye cocked on his explosive brother, proceeded to curl up at the foot of the bed.
Nigel said nothing. Llewis inched closer. Nigel did not even lift his head. And then, they were sleeping together, as they used to do.

Altho I cannot leave them alone on the bed for more than a moment or two (I shove my office chair next to the bed to keep Nigel from fumbling off the side)
it is nice to see them together.
Nigel's burning desire is to be whereever we are, which means in the living room as well as out here, but he cannot negotiate the step into the house and when he drags himself he tends to try to go under the table and gets hung up in the chairs.
His neck is healing nicely from the lumpectomy. I believe the drain comes out Monday.

You can just see the incision below the white partial collar on Nigel, on the left.
(I have to get a new tablecloth for the holidays. They are laying on the only one I have, which I love. But in the crazy days right after the move home I could not find half the sheets and blankets, and so.....)

This is Nigel's usual home. It is 4x4 feet and there are two dog beds under the quilt along with a waterproof covering, just in case. Since he seems unable to urinate on his own, I don't worry about it too much. Because of his apparent gastric health and the food I feed him, his stools are simply a pick-up. We are anxious for the cart to arrive but he could not use it yet anyway, with the incision on his neck, which needs another week or 10 days to heal.

This is the large version of his Illinois DL, sent by Jackie Chazey: There is a smaller one for him to carry in his pocket when he finally gets the cart and gets going.
Many thanks again to the Drool community which has supported and encouraged us and Nigel in every possible way.