Mid September Swim

I took the dogs for a walk yesterday. Beautiful fall day, sunny, 12 degrees. I took the Chuck it ball and the frisbee for the dogs to play in the pasture. Excellent toys for both dogs and they love the competition of running together for them. I just have to remember to get them back before we head home as the path to the pasture leads right along the river. Yesterday I was so enjoying the walk - lost in thought - I forgot to get the frisbee back from the dogs and off they went for a dip in the river. Too late I realized my mistake. The place the dogs always head for is down a beaver trail, along a steep embankment. The river is shallow - no more than knee deep for me. From the pathway I can see the dogs frolicking in the water up to their bellies and as the sand settles I can see exactly where the red frisbee has sunk to the bottom and is laying in the sand! Hope is very smart and knew it was there - somewhere - but from her perspective she could not see it. Now I had two choices: nearly kill myself trying to get down the steep, muddy, hawthorn infested descent or kiss the frisbee good bye and chock it up to experience. Well, I may have been willing to leave it if I couldn't actually see it laying on the bottom, glowing red, taunting me in the shallow water. It was driving me rather nuts to see it and not be able to get it. So I made my decision and went for it. Running shoes, jeans and all I slid down the muddy embankment grabbing grasses and trying to avoid the hawthorns. I tried to step into the river but sank up to my calf in river bottom mud. So now one runner and pant leg was soaking wet and I stood on the shore contemplating my next move... give up and climb back up... or jump into the centre of the river, where it was sandy, and hope I landed on my feet and not my face. Both dogs were delirious with excitement and jumping with soggy, muddy paws and bodies all over me nearly pushing me into the river ready or not. So I took the plunge and jumped to the middle... thankfully landing on my feet but now definitely wet from the thighs down. I waded to the opposite shore; which was beachy and open, located the frisbee and waded back in to grab it, of course getting the sleeve of my hoody wet up to my elbow. Now that I had the frisbee back in my possession the dogs were thrilled and wanted to go again. Humph!!!!

View from the top!

I was now half wet, muddy, not really very cold but on the wrong side of the river from home. I waded back across the river and managed to find a lower, more gradual, climb to the top but that meant traipsing through thistle, rose bushes, more hawthorns, and all kinds of fluffy seed plants that wanted to attach themselves to my sodden legs and sleeve. I was quite the picture when I got home. We have a carpenter at our place adding a veranda onto our house. I had told him I was going for a walk in case the kids got home before I did. He was the first person I saw when I got back (of course!!!!). He took one look and asked if I fell in the river *~*. At least I could save some dignity and admit I purposely chose to get wet  to retrieve the frisbee, hoping that that admission made me look BRAVE and adventurous instead of stupid and clutzy. Somehow I don't think it made me look better. The kids were already home from school as my half hour walked turned into more than an hour.
So, end of story, all turned out well. I got the frisbee back and had the adventure of doing something out of character for a mom my age :-). Here's the $10 million dollar question: How come it was O.K. for me to do it (and actually rather fun! ;-) but I would have flipped out and been mad if one of my boys had  done the same thing- coming home all wet and muddy and doing something SOooooo dangerous? Neither of the boys asked me that question...  they knew better - I probably would have flipped out on them! :-)