Monday, March 8, 2021

Tigers and Bravery

 Cujo here. If you might recall from my last post, I was telling you about my mom's mishaps of late. The drawing salve seems to have done the job, as her hands are bandaid free. The salve was to draw the splinters out. It must work pretty good. I still think it looks nasty, like yucky ear wax.

She should wear gloves, you know. I have heard Dad tell her this, but she says she forgets and once she gets started she doesn't stop until she is finished. She told Dad that her arthritis has been bothering her ever since that last prolonged cold spell of weather. 

She was crying!! My first impulse was to bite him for making her cry! I have no idea what he could have done, but I was ready to defend her if needed. But, when Dad asked her why she was crying, she laughed at him, so I guessed he didn't do whatever it was. She told him she had gotten Tiger Balm in her eye.

WHAT?? Did she say TIGER? I know about tigers. Toni and Bo like to watch the Animal Planet and I do not recommend watching this. It is about animals killing smaller animals and eating them. Tigers are scary fast and strong. They have huge claws and big sharp teeth. I have no idea what a Balm is, maybe it is a baby tiger? I don't even want to know. I want absolutely nothing to do with this Tiger Balm she speaks of.

It must be small, because, how else would it get in her eye? Dad even wondered about this. "How did you manage to get Tiger Balm in your eye?" he asked. I was listening, as I wanted to know this myself. She told Dad she was rubbing it in on her thumb joint and then she had something in her eye (a cat hair, she thought) and used her finger to try to get it out. Then he asked why she didn't wash her hands before she did that. She told him she did, but that it was still there and now it was making her eye tear and feel mentholated.

Mentholated? I wish Wall-E was here so I could ask him about this word. He warned me that there would be times like this and that I would just have to keep listening and try to figure it out. This must mean that this balm is not an animal like a tiger. Maybe the balm comes from the tiger. Maybe if I knew what mentholated was I could solve this mystery.

I am willing to try to figure this out ... as long as no real tigers are involved! I don't know if I have ever shared this with you, but I am not really as brave as you would think I am. I put up a good front. I can bark loud and I have a mean growl, but when I do this, I am usually in my mom's arms. I know she would never let anyone hurt me, she loves me. This is why I can be mean to Dad. He would never hurt me either. My mom would never allow that!

When I was a tiny puppy, there were lots and lots of puppies and dog moms. We were in cages and after our dog moms stopped feeding us, we had to fight for our food. I lived there until some people came and took all of us dogs away. Then we were put in different cages and people would come and look at us. Sometimes they would pick one of us to adopt.

A man adopted me. He drove a truck and thought I would like to ride with him. I like to ride alright, but I do not like men. It was men who took care of all the dog moms and puppies. Those men were not nice, they were mean to all of the dogs and puppies.

So, this man who adopted me was not happy with me and he gave me away to the family that told my mom they didn't want me because I had a defect. I found out what the defect was after my mom started taking care of me. It was a hernia and Mom had it fixed. My mom takes very good care of me and I don't have to fight for my food. I don't have to fight tigers, either!

All I really have to do is behave, but even when I don't my mom still loves me. I think it might be time for lots of hugs and kisses from my mom and I must go!

4 comments:

River said...

Cujo; you are wise to want to stay away from Tiger Balm, it is a strong (like a tiger strong) ointment which warms the skin when it is rubbed on, so the aching joints and muscles can be eased, but hurts when it gets into the eyes. It is not for animals, so you don't have to worry that your mum might use it on you.

Val said...

Since you don't like that ear-wax drawing salve, Cujo, here's an idea you can share with your mom next time she gets splinters. My dad worked for the telephone company, climbing the telephone poles to service the wires. Those metal step-thingies weren't on all poles, so Dad used "climbers," which were metal spikes strapped to the inside of his calves. The older poles had many gouges from years of climbing. On the way down one afternoon, Dad's "climbers" slipped out of the splintered wood, and he SLID DOWN THE TELEPHONE POLE.

I won't go into all the gory details, but Dad had to lie still for several days, and get those splinters out. No drawing salve for him! He used BACON! Strips of bacon, laid across the splintered areas. It must have worked, because Mom pulled out the splinters, and Dad was back on the job. It may be messy for your mom to wrap her hand in bacon, but I'm sure you would approve...

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Tiger Balm would not be good for an eye
Drawing balm is good for splinters

Joanne Noragon said...

Cujo, you not only are brave and strong, you are smart. S.M.A.R.T.!