I can't hear you because...

...Emily had her abscessed ear drained today. Her ear has been bandaged into a form roughly the size and shape of a little red-and-white banana. I am informed by a reliable third party that she was a Very Brave Doggie and deserving of many treats. She came home, had breakfast, went to the park, and (despite the Cone of Shame she must wear) appears very much herself.

Silly dog may have created the abscess through an excess of head shaking. Silly dog.