It’s autumn and the farm is beautiful. We pack our backpacks with water and snacks and before we head out the door, I quickly take a drop of Copaiba as per my usual morning routine. With “Bettie-bear” (our four-month old Airedale Terrier) on the leash, we head towards the river where we cross and then let Bettie off her leash to run the trail heading into the kloof.
It’s a bit later than we hoped to get out and our lovely neighbour greets us as she’s already heading back from her morning walk with Fred, her tail-wagging friend. After a quick chat we continue walking just to realise that we’ve lost Bettie. My five-year-old volunteers to run after our neighbour to see if Bettie followed her and before I could say anything, he’s off.
I follow. As I approach the river, I can hear something’s happened. Bettie has fallen in and can’t seem to find a place on the river bank to get out! It’s her first time swimming and even though I know she should be able to swim just fine, I somehow didn’t picture it happening like this. After a few tries, she finally gets out and I breathe a sigh of relief.
We head back to the other two waiting for us and the adventure for the day continues. The boys enthusiastically climb on the big rocks and I find myself thinking it’s too risky for a three- and a five-year-old to be climbing that high. I pray for protection and remind myself that I really do trust their father with my own life, so I can trust that he’ll watch out for them. For the second time in just an hour I think to myself what a mess I would’ve been if I didn’t take that drop of Copaiba before leaving the house…
We enjoy our picnic and the boys climb some more rocks and trees before we decide to head home. Bettie has strayed off the path again… she’s found something that’s caught her full attention. After calling and bribing, she finally trots toward us with something in her mouth. I don’t want to see it or believe it but I have no choice because she proudly comes and drops a snake at our feet. Oh boy! “At least it’s dead” my husband says with a grin on his face as if the fact that she brought us a dead snake changes the fact that it’s a snake. I’m ready to go now and although I’m aware of my anxiety levels rising, I’m amazed at the level of calm that I’m still maintaining.
We have some way to go before we get home. We walk through the apple orchards, leaves displaying an autumn artwork. The boys are now tired too and they start complaining and fighting. We’re all ready to get to the comfort of our home and lunch. We amble on and it’s as if we all see it at the same time: a troop of baboons in front of us feasting on what’s been left on the trees since the harvest. I pray again and pick my youngest up who is now ready on the verge of crying. Bettie is luckily on her leash but I find myself wishing I had a leash for my eldest who is ready to fight the troop and save us all!
Home at last! The boys are hungry and ask what’s for lunch as they talk about their adventure. Me? I take a drop of Copaiba and realise what a gift it is to have something safe and reliable to help me do life with this wild bunch.
