"I ran away from the situation. Like a scaredy-cat, I ran in circles. Like this ... watch." Chloe jumped off the lounge chair and darted around the backyard showing Mindy how she acted earlier that day. "I didn't know where to go. I couldn't find it, but I still heard it. Then, I felt it, and it hurt!" Chloe put her paw up to her snout, rubbing it ever so gently. "A little sympathy here?" She stared at Mindy, who without emotion was almost asleep. Chloe climbed back onto the lounge chair to continue the story for Mindy as they lay pool-side. "Like I was saying ..." but before she could go on, Mindy interrupted.

   "First of all, you're not a scaredy-cat! You're a dog. A pea-brained Brittany spaniel, the runt of your mama's litter, remember? Second ..."

   "I'm not pea-brained you squatty-legged, overweight beagle. Take it back!"

   "No! Why should I?"

   "I said, take it back!"

   "No!"

   "Yes."

   "No."

   "Yes."

   "Nooo! Then why did you flitter around the yard? Huh?" Mindy asked. "Hey, did I just say flitter? Cool."

   "I had a yellow jacket in my mouth. Yellow jackets sting and bite, then they sting, sting and sting until there is no more stinging to be done!"

   "Like I said -- a pea-brain."

   "Stop."

   "Sheez, okay already. Answer me this, pea-brain. Sorry. How does this, yellow jacket, get in ones mouth?

   "Well, I knew you were too busy sleeping this morning to realize what was happening to poor ol' me. I was walking through the backyard, you know, sniffing stuff and exploring Dad's new flowers. Those colorful zinnias really caught my attention. My nose was how they say it? Superfluous. Hah! Top that one, smarty-pants."

   "Oh, I will you boneheaded pea-brain dog." Mindy tried to madden Chloe as she told her story.

   "I spotted, in the middle of his garden, of all places, my hamburger, my favorite squeaky-toy. I thought it was lost forever. I had to retrieve it. So I moseyed my way past the giant elephant ears." Chloe got down from the lounge chair and showed Mindy how she sauntered through the garden. "Then around the pampas grass and black-eyed-susans, and suddenly, between me and my hamburger were the hosta plants." Chloe started to shiver at the thought.

   "Why were you suddenly, let's see, timorous of the hosta plants, Chloe? Oh, by the way, timorous means showing fear or hesitancy, in case you were wondering."

   "I know what timorous means. I read a lot more then you. The hostas are daunting. They just look frightening to me with those stems growing out of their leaves. But I wanted my squeaky, and it was just on the other side of them, so I decided to go through them instead of around. What a mistake. I think I startled the bees that were eating the nectar. All of a sudden they were buzzing all around my head." Chloe thought the story finally began to intrigue Mindy when she picked her head up to listen, cocking it to one side. Just when Chloe thought she had her hooked, Mindy lifted her back paw and set off scratching her ear. When she was done, she put her head down once again.

   "Go on, Chloe. I'm ready now."

   "I had to protect myself, so I started snapping at them, trying to scare them off. What a mistake."

   "I'll say. Like I said, pea-brain."

   "Yea, okay. I must have caught one in my mouth because all-of-a-sudden, zing! I felt a sharp pain in my cheek. I opened my mouth to cry out and I saw it fly out. Before I could shut my mouth, another one flew in. It was like they had a master plan on how to protect themselves. Ya know?"

   "Then what happened?"

   "I ran away from the situation. My cheeks started to inflame."

   Mindy was puzzled. "They were on fire? Seriously?"

   "No! Now you're the bone-head. They weren't on fire. They were swollen. My throat started to close from the swelling. A couple must have stung me on the head, because my eyes were closing and I had a hard time seeing. That's why I ran in circles."

   "Holy canolli, Chloe. Wow, it sounds serious."

   "Serious enough that when Mom saw me and realized what had happened, she had Robbie scoop me up, and we jumped into the jeep and headed for the Animal Hospital. You should have seen Mom drive. She was like a maniac driving through the streets wicked fast."

   "Cool, Chloe. You're awesome. Could you have d ... di... died?

   "I don't know. I couldn't understand that doctor mumbo-jumbo. I'm only a pea-brained dog remember."

   "True, you're right. Epinephrine and Benadryl are tough words for a Brittany spaniel to comprehend. Hehehe. Maybe I should spend less time sleeping, I miss all the good stuff."

   "Good stuff? Thanks a lot, Mindy."

   "Oh, come here ya big lug. You know I love ya. Now let's go inside and get something to eat."

   "Really? You want to go with me?"

   "Of course. Hold-up a moment." With that, Mindy jumped off the lounge and ran towards the garden.

   "Noooooo, Mindy, stop!"

   Too late, Mindy disappeared into the depths of the garden. Past the elephant ears, around the pampas grass and through the hostas. "Minnnndyyyy!"

   Moments later, the squatty-legged, overweight, sleep-fanatic beagle appeared.

   "Squeak, squeak, squeak."