We had the most wonderful holiday with our Canadian friends, Gina and Thom. They inspired us to camp, kayak, relax, eat, drink, and pray for the last 4 weekends. We've unplugged, hung out, chilled, toasted next to the fire, and enjoyed the beauty of the land we call home.
We have floated the lakes in Kayaks, finding peace on the water, peace in the lack of people, peace in the calming of the ever changing clouds that make a new view every 5 minutes, a view that doesn't involve a screen - sorry, it does involve a screen.... sunscreen.
We were having a grand time, until we had an "incident". Syd, our darling, high energy, deaf Outback - Austrailan Shepherd (her daddy was a dingo, we're sure), had a real "chimp attack" on Saturday afternoon. Rick was contemplating going fishing until I said a resounding.... No. Don't get me wrong.. I love Rick fishing because he catches FISH. Prior to him thinking about going something happened with Syd... He said "she freaked out... she must of gotten bit by something." So, we have lunch, feed the puppies, hang out a while as Rick decides whether to fish or not to fish....We're about 45 minutes from her "chimp attack" and I notice her left, upper lip severly swollen, and she is scratching at it like it's bothering her and I openly confirm, "Oh yeah, she got bit by something,... must be a bee sting." I wasn't bothered by the one side... although she kept messing with it, and, what I like to call "dirt diving", you know when a dog sniffs something it shouldn't and then desperately tries to remove the smell, sediment, powder, etc from their nostrils. They push and frollick, and dive and roll, and sneeze, etc. Well, I was okay until her OTHER lip started to swell and she began to look like "the Joker" from Batman. I realize that in the last month while we have camped I have always had 1) a vehicle to take her to a vet and 2) cell phone coverage to "phone a friend" for help. I suddenly had neither and a dog whose possibly having a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting. I told Rick, in no uncertain terms, no, he couldn't go fishing because we may need to go to the vet. He said he would go and speak with the camp host to see if they could get us a lan line to a vet. While he was gone, I prayed, and prayed, as I watched her little face grow, just having faith that her esophagus wasn't swelling and closing off her breathing. Rick came back with "Children's Benedryl" ... manna from heaven.... we gave her a bit, and within hours she was back to normal. It was humbling, praying for something so trite to some, yet so worrisome to others, the life of their dog. God put me in a place where I had to trust Him as all my "usual" resources were limited, something He is, nor has ever been.... limited. Two hours later we were back to normal.... naughty dog back, lips back to normal, chewing on her ever patient sister. All was once again well.
