Excitement in Tucumcari

After blogging about arriving safely in Tucumcari yesterday, I didn't realize I was in for an adventure. I asked the lady at our hotel about any local parks where I could walk Moon Shadow. She said there was a park just a half a mile down the road. I drove up and down looking for it and could not find it. There were some open lots that looked barren and deserted, so I didn't think that could be a park. I ended up taking Moon Shadow for a walk on the property of the hotel. This too was very dry and barren. Little did I know there were these small round prickly balls that blended in with the dirt and straw for grass. Moon Shadow stepped on one with her front leg. I picked her up and tried to get them off but they were like needles and stuck to you. I carried her back to the hotel room to get my tweezers. By that time she tried to bite them off which made them stick to her face and it cut her tongue. I finally got them all off of her, except for this one needle that was stuck in her paw pad. I kept trying to get it out, but it was stuck in there good. I fought with her for over a half hour. We both were exhausted and out of breath. I knew I needed help. So, I put her in the car and looked for a vet. Luckily I found one just in time before they closed. We finally got that bugger out. It was a half inch long. We both were so happy to get that out of her paw that we fell asleep by 7pm. What an introduction to the South West!