Case 624X9: Re-appearing Nuts

A picture I snapped during the storms this week.

With two dogs roaming my property at all given times, there can be quite the mysteries. It is a constant DSI (Doggie Scene Investigation) with Buddy hiding everything he can get his mouth on. If you hadn’t noticed, the dog that is so quizzically looking at me in the picture from my last post is the newest edition to our household. He is a rescued St. Bernard/Aussie Sheppard mix. He came from the Greenville Humane Society.

Last night I was planning to go to Dupont as this week has been a roller coaster of work, Mountain Bike Advocacy and zero riding. Well the man held me back and I didn’t get out of work quite soon enough to make a Dupont trip worth it. Plus from the reports I had, trail riding was probably out of the question. So my mind started churning though the possibilities. I realized that I hadn’t yet made the ride from my house down the not-quite-ready Swamp Rabbit trail to Furman. It would be flat and probably not much of a work out but at least it would help ease the demons.

When I pulled up to the house, Buddy came trotting up to greet me as usual. Shade is currently out on the DL (Disabled List) and therefore has to stay in the house during the day. When I got out of the car Buddy rolled over so I could get some good rubbin’ on his tummy. When reached down to pet him I saw something that blew me away. There before me were two protrusions that looked an awful lot like balls.

The day Kristin rescued Buddy, his nuts were chopped. So this was quite unusual that he would mysteriously grow balls again. I wrote it off as anxiety from not biking and went to get my stuff ready.

I swapped the 23 out for the 19 and took off down the road. After two miles of 30 mph back country roads, I hop on the Swamp Rabbit Trail (SRT) very close to Sunrift. The SRT has been graded and most of the old railroad ties removed but it is also no where near finished. The riding is quite pleasurable though as it is mostly flat and once you get through Travelers Rest, it often feels remote with one towering rock garden.

In what seemed no time at all I noticed a trail to my left and realized I was already at my destination which was Furman. I rode the dirt trails out there a couple times and asked myself “Self, what would the Extreme Tomato do for some X-tra E?” E being endurance here folks, so I crossed the road and climbed Altamont to the top of the King of the Mountain. Once at the top, I phoned Kristin to let her know I would be home for dinner shortly. I also told her to take a look at Buddy’s underside. She asked why but I didn’t clue her in, I just told her to look.

I bombed back down the mountain as the sun dipped below the horizon with the more westerly mountains shinning brightly pink eventually fading to a deep blue in the north. It made my soul glow.

Back across the highway to Furman so I could re-trace my steps home. I made it home just after dark and when I walked inside Kristin informed me that she couldn’t notice anything different about Buddy’s underside. I said “here come with me” as I took her outside. I called buddy and promptly flipped him on his back. The nuts were gone, just like that. I think Case 624X9 is going to be one for the books and the vets.

Peace