Well what a strange week this has been. Last
weekend was so much fun, I got to spend time on the river with family and watch
the river transform back into the jewel that we have all been waiting for.
Sunday we got home and I noticed the Winston was moving a little slow but I just
figured He was a little sore from the shoreline rocks. Monday he was limping a
little more and by Monday evening he wasn’t putting any weight at all on his
paw. His foot started to swell up and looked like a big lumpy pear and so we got him to the vet. Best
guess was either a broken bone in the foot or possible a critter , scorpion or
spider bite. He was put on anti-inflammatories and antibiotics but his paw
continued to swell up. Wednesday rolled in and the swelling opened up a wound
across the top of his paw and infection began to ooze out. Now I like to think
of myself as a “mans man”, but when my Winnie is not doing well I turn into
quite the” girly man”. One look at Winstons’ big brown sad eyes brings me to
near tears and makes me run into the other room to bring him back a treat. He
has me trained well. Knowing that Goldens have a predisposition for cancer
makes me fear that each limp is the beginning of bone cancer. Cat watched me
all week and said that at least she knows that if she ever gets sick
that I will take care of her. I said yes, as long as the prognosis for her
returning to the river is positive, I wouldn’t have her put down. Thursday
evening the swelling finally began to subside and a return checkup at the vet Friday
morning made me feel like a little more time and rest and Winston will be
fishing again. I can’t believe that the
week went by and I really had no huge urge to fish, I just wanted to see my
Pups get better.
Friday as I got Winston back home I couldn’t
help but notice the snow beginning to fall. I had heard people all week say
that the water had cleared a little each day and that we were now over a foot
of visibility. With Winston doing better it was time to get back on the water.
I headed over to the Nature Center and was greeted by just an incredible site. I
looked up river and the steam was hovering above the river and the monstrous
sized snowflakes and the golden back drop of a few changing trees got me
humming smoke on the water. I stood for a second and admired Gods mural and
then decided it was time to inflict some payback on the river. A few more steps
and I was able to get a better glimpse of the water and I could see that the
water had completely changed back from the last time out. It looked as if a
lime quarry had maybe been dug upriver.
The “better than a foot’ visibility was back to about 3 inches. I had
already taken off work so I decided to stay. I fished for a couple of hours and
got 6 to the net with the biggest at about 14 inches. I had to smile every time
I hooked up because it reminded me a little of Winston. Even when you see that
he is in real pain and not feeling well, a little scratch of his belly gets his
tail a wagging. Even with the clarity being so bad today, the river was still
wagging its’ tail at me and throwing me a bone (no pun intended) every now and
then.
So my blog today is about a wish for Winston
and the River to get well soon. Get well soon cards and treats will be received
at The Drift and as for the river, I don’t know…just get well soon!
As always, Connell, Cat, Winston, and The
Drift Fly Shop would like to thank you for reading…
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