Two Benadryls and you can roam the 'hood

After several totally nasally stopped-up mornings, I woke up today with a lovely golf ball implanted in my right jowl.

I love my husband.

I am horrified, and he says, "Honey, I can barely see it now that you've pointed it our to me."

When you're horrified, I'm not sure that's the correct answer, but I love him just the same.

Wouldn't you know I had planned to take today as a VACATION day?

I took Benadryl and Advil to the max, puttered around the house playing ball with the border collies.

The combination got to me mid-morning, so I took a nap. The golf ball in my neck took that opportunity to swell to baseball size. The worst thing about it -- as I look at it, I'm thinking...I'm so chubby, the fat neck may be only something I can see.

Waking up with a baseball in your neck is enough to scare anybody to the doctor's office, particularly on a Friday afternoon. I sought the comfort of Dr. Tom Dansby, my "doc in the box."

Good ole doc saw it immediately, and gave me an enormous medical explanation, complete with multi-syllabic terms, on what it might be. Not the mumps. Maybe a sinus infection. Most probably a sinus and saliva gland infection. But could be worse, so he wants to see me in 10 days if it's not totally gone.

Now, here's the scariest confession from me in all of this... I absolutely do not remember letting Roux out at any time. And if I did, it would have been out in the back yard. When I went to take my nap, Gumbo was in his crate and I guess I thought Roux was under the bed.

When I woke up two hours later, I saw a black flash chasing Natchez in the front yard. It was Roux. She had evidently been outside the entire time, and I still haven't figured out how she got into the front yard.

She was hot and sweaty and out of breath -- evidently having a very good time. I was sick and thankful the Lord spared me dog grief for my evidently drugged state. (Two Benadryls, baby, and she's out!)

Now that Roux is spared from her outdoors adventure, I hope I can give an equally promising report on my baseball neck. Bless Lindsey's heart, he said the right things but I don't think he knows how worried I am about this thing I've never had before getting better.