Episode 3 — Just about a year after Bronson came to live with us, our daughter broke her leg while skiing.
Now, breaking a leg these days keeps most young people down only a couple of weeks, then they are on their merry way in a soft cast of some kind. But, in Boulder, Colorado, in 1981, it was a different story, and she was in the hospital for nearly a month!
Please excuse my going on a rabbit trail, but I really must share some of the bizarre events of that day. It was just about time to call it a day and head back to Cheyenne, and I had already plunged down the trail my last time (turned out it was the last time ever), and getting a little impatient for the rest of the crew to finish up. Suddenly, my niece came running, crying and scared, telling me Annmari was hurt on the ski run. I took off running toward the ski patrol and quickly realized the boots had to come off, so I ran barefoot, scared half out of my mind.
I firmly believe God placed a small, pre-teen angel there to wait for me!
The second I got to the patrol shack, a boy — no more than about 10-12 years old — took my hand and told me to sit down, that he would get me some water or coffee, and sit with me until the patrol brought her down. Not a chance! I was going up that mountain with or without their help, and nothing was going to stop me.
That little guy simply said, “No ma’am, you can’t go up there. You’ll just be in the way.”
When I began to argue with him again, he took my hand and led me to a chair, and said “Sit!” So, this 40-year-old, very strong-willed lady sat! And waited!
There are far too many details to go into now, but it was a very long trip down the icy mountain road to the hospital in Boulder only to be told we were at the wrong hospital because they didn’t provide emergency services.
What kind of hospital doesn’t take care of emergencies?
Alas, at the second hospital we had a 10-month pregnant nurse and an assistant who apparently didn’t know what soap and water were come to get her out of the car. Amazingly, they dropped her only once before I reverted to my normal ballistic self and threatened to kill everyone around unless they got a doctor immediately!
Okay, I digressed far too much, so back to our four-legged friends.
That was a very rough month for Annmari, but we had recently added Cody (a Husky-Shepherd mix puppy) to our household and knew he would be great company for her in the coming weeks while she had to stay home.
But, we were all in for a surprise when we brought her home.
Cody — who had absolutely adored her before and thought it was his duty to sit in her lap every time she sat down — immediately started barking and ran away from her. He didn’t want any part of her. All we could figure out was that he didn’t recognize her with that heavy plaster cast all the way from toes to hip.
Even so, it didn’t take long for him to forgive her for being different, and he fell in love with her all over again. But he remained very suspicious of that contraption on her leg, and he surely didn’t appreciate not being allowed to sit in her lap!
Of course, Bronson, who had become ‘Old Faithful,’ stepped right in to help smooth things over, and the three of them enjoyed many leisurely days while she recovered. During this time, Bronson apparently decided it was his responsibility to teach Cody some manners, and he seemed to just naturally assume a fatherly role. When Cody got too rambunctious, Bronson in his own funny way, put a stop to it and Cody would go off somewhere to enjoy a minute or two of a pity party.
His sulking never lasted very long though, especially if we got out his food bowl. That puppy was ravenous, and would eat almost everything in sight!
In next week’s episode, we’ll tell you all about Cody and the clams.
