Hopelessly Devoted to You

So, last night I finally succumbed to the bug that has been plaguing Paul for the past week, and I woke up this morning not only to a sore throat, swollen glands, and general malaise but also to a blood sugar of 3.3 mmol/L (ie. low). Freddie tried to tell me. About an hour before I finally got up, he gently pawed me, but I was feeling so crappy from the cold bug that I ignored him (I'm working on getting him to be more persistent).

 No runnin' for me and Freddie this morning

Paul still isn't completely healthy, but he graciously offered to take Freddie on his morning outing (generally I do the daytime walks, and he does evenings). They left, and I prepared for an hour or two of sipping vile anti-cold concoctions* and wasting time on Facebook/Google+.

Cooperation

 
Five minutes later, they were back. Freddie had refused to walk more than a block. Once unleashed, he charged into the study, where I was vegging in front of the computer, and pretty much threw himself into my lap.

Tool Belts

He then flopped down at my side, which would have been fine, except that he hadn't altogether finished his morning "business." So Paul had some breakfast then took him out again. I suggested he try the beach direction this time — bigger temptation — but the same thing happened. Freddie balked; they came back. Freddie skidded and scrambled into the study like a crazy dog and greeted me as if we'd been apart for days.

Now, on mornings that I row, Freddie happily goes out with Paul. His greetings when I return are, likewise, happy — but not crazy. Paul's theory is that Freddie knew I was under the weather this morning and was worried about me. I'm not positive that he knew I was sick (it wouldn't shock me), but he certainly knew something unusual was up and didn't want to leave my side.
 

The Christmas Tree Lot in April

Dogfriends** out there will find nothing strange in Freddie's response. I don't either. Still, there's something startling and moving, to say the least, in seeing this kind of devotion acted out in real life, by a member of a completely different species. Freddie's alerts give me a similar kind of response — a powerful sense of gratitude and responsibility, not just toward Freddie but toward all of the natural/animal world. How the hell could anyone hurt such a creature? (I'm thinking again of the plight of the rescue pup.)

Pier Lights

It was in part this sense of gratitude/responsibility that prompted me — sufficiently revived by my anti-cold concoction and other meds — to take Freddie to the forest for a walk in the early afternoon. We had the pleasure of Paul's company, too. We travelled by Car2Go, and while I was dragging my derrière for most of the excursion and totally bagged by the end, it was worth the effort to see Freddie bounding joyfully over logs and through streams or simply trotting next to us, tail curled high, tongue lolling.

Good Stick

Below, to conclude, is my latest food find. Yummy little crackers made from an organic banana base. Quite low carb. Sugar-/salt-/gluten-free (I think the "& Wheat" part of the label is unnecessary, no? If there's no gluten, there's no wheat ... right?). Other flavours include almond-cocoa and pistachio-anise. And, like another of my recent discoveries, they're made in Quebec, so the French on the label is correct. :) Paul hates bananas and thus gives these things a thumbs down. I gave one to Freddie to try, and he spat it out. But what do their primitive palates know?

Oh, and speaking of my birthplace, here's the latest. The Parti québécois is irritating, even infuriating, in all sorts of ways, but I'm pretty sure I'd miss them if they disappeared altogether.

Bonsoir, et à la prochaine ...

*Mix together, in whatever quantities you can stand, oil of oregano, apple cider vinegar, turmeric powder, lemon juice, echinacea teabag, and hot water. Sweeten however you like, or not. Use for the swallowing of pill-form supplements (Vitamin C, Tylenol, Cold-FX ...) then sip or chug the rest.

**I take this term from the German "Hundefreund," which I recently discovered and love!