Trying to be the Alpha Dog

Adam's vlog reminded me of how a dog is supposed to behave.  How my previous German Shepherd / Anatolian Shepherd behaved.  


Rocco was a very beautiful and intelligent handful.  It took all I had to be alpha with him.  We went round and round and round when he was a youngster.  I couldn't give an inch or he'd take five miles.  I had to be really on top of my game for the first five years I had him.  No relaxing.  Ever.  There were days I was sure the dog was smarter than me.  I got help from one of the Sheriff's Department canine trainers when he was a year old.  That's how I learned that I ALWAYS had to be in charge.  I've had dogs my whole life and this was a whole new way of thinking about dogs.  This dog, Rocco, needed a very strong leader.  And my Sheriff buddy turned me into one.  The results were awesome.  Rocco turned into an incredibly well behaved and trained dog.  I could take him anywhere and never worry about his reactions to various situations.  He was good with any size dog and young children too.  It is not easy for a 100 or so pound dog to be gentle and not knock a toddler over, but he was a pro at it.  He also did well with seniors, walkers, wheelchairs, shaky hands & all.  I regularly took him to public celebrations like Fourth of July where he mingled with the crowds, allowed anyone to pet him, and was an absolute pleasure to be with.  I got a lot of compliments on him.  As he got older, I was finally able to relax a little bit and enjoy the wonderful dog he was.


I got Lilly Ann at 15 months old when Rocco was 12 1/2 years old.  She had been severely abused and was terrified of everything.  She was too scared to challenge anything.  I didn't see the need for me to be the super strong alpha leader.  Instead I was patient, sweet, loving, and worked really hard to earn her trust & bring her out of her shell.  It worked.  She became very confident, no longer terrified, and was naturally a good girl.  So good, I didn't realize she was challenging me and very effectively running my household without me noticing by the time she turned 4.  I was told by a trainer friend that this is a very common problem with Australian Shepherds & that I should congratulate myself on having a normal dog with normal problems.  Oh, and I should get my butt in gear and start being the one in charge again.


Maks came along at two months old - a baby that had been dumped in my neighborhood.  It was exactly one month after Rocco died.  Maks was naturally a good dog too with a strong desire to please me.  Still is.  


So, I have two dogs that don't outright defy me.  They like to please me.  I relaxed way too much and let them take over running the house.  They're good at it.  Especially Lilly Ann.  But, Adam's very well trained dog reminded me that I am supposed to be the one in charge and we have been working on that this week.  


It's exhausting being the one in charge.  I find myself having to think about every interaction with them ahead of time and decide exactly what behaviors I want from them & not proceed until I get those behaviors.  


Maks has responded well & is much calmer in general now.  My sister came over last night and was surprised at his ability to sit calmly without being told to.  The changes made this week have been very good for him.  


Lilly Ann, on the other hand, has fought me every step of the way - looking the other way when told to do something or flat out turning her back to me and walking off.  She does not like having someone else run HER house.  But, since she has figured out that I mean business, she is reluctantly complying.  Her willingness to do as she is told on my schedule instead of her own has improved.


Today we went for a structured walk with me in charge and them being made to walk beside & slightly behind me.  This is how I walked Rocco for the first five years of his life - I had to. It is the first time I've made Maks and Lilly Ann go on this type of walk.  Usually they're on retractable leashes. 


Doing this with both dogs was exhausting.  Fortunately, Maks figured out what was expected pretty quick, so my left arm was saved from much pulling.  Lilly Ann took time to figure it out.  Then she took time to decide she'd comply.  My right arm paid the price.  Boy is it sore!  However, something clicked in her brain today and she has been happily looking to me for direction & then complying all evening.  YAY!!!


I don't expect Maks or Lilly to turn into Rocco.  I know they are different dogs with different capabilities.  However, they have not reached their full potential and it's my job to get them there.


No more Miss Pushover at my house.  From now on, I am the one in charge!

My house is soooooooo SAD this week!

I think even the most die-hard Pollyanna would get a case of the blues if she spent more than an hour at my house.  We miss Rocco horribly  - and it shows.  Sylvester wanders the house meowing - looking for our buddy.  He usually settles on sitting on Rocco’s bed and meowing rather pitifully.  Lilly has been refusing to eat.  She too spends a lot of time on Rocco’s bed crying & sniffing his blanket.  She doesn’t look for him though, she understands he’s gone.  She has hidden Rocco’s teddy bear in the front window behind the sofa and chases the other animals away from it.  When she has fallen asleep, I’ve caught Sylvester curled up in the window with buddy boy’s bear.  Both of them have been sleeping curled up pretty much on top of me at night and have been extremely clingy.  Last night I cooked scrambled eggs and mixed it with cottage cheese & a few pieces of kibble for Lilly and sat with her so she’d eat.  It took some convincing, but she managed to finish her dinner.  As for me... I didn’t think there could be this many tears.  Tuesday, while cooking dinner, Lilly and Gabe were playing in the living room & Sarah was hanging out in her room -- I ended up bursting into horrible sobs because Rock wasn’t in the kitchen talking to me.  For over 12 years he has followed me around the house, talking to me the whole time - especially when I was in the kitchen.  The silence with him gone is heartbreaking.  Wednesday I broke down when I looked at the calendar and saw "R-adequan" written on several future dates... reminders to me to give him the miracle series of shots we never got to try.  As for today... I’m hoping I can keep it together.  My eyes are starting to get permanently bloodshot and puffy, my nose is chapped from blowing it so much,  and my sinuses could sure use a break.  So, if you see me and ask how I’m doing - I don’t mean to be rude by brushing you off or ignoring you.  I’m just trying to get through this day without another disastrous sobbing episode.

Goodbye Buddy Boy

Rocco got a lot worse on Sunday.  He ended up paralyzed from just below the ribcage and could not feel anything at all in his hips or legs.  So yesterday Lilly & Rocco & I went to the vet.  I couldn’t leave Lilly at home - she’s never let me leave her if I’m taking Rocco and yesterday was no exception.  Besides, I didn’t want her searching for him.  So, she waited in the car while the vet examined my big beautiful boy and told me what I already knew - there wasn’t anything else we could do for him.  So I held my buddy boy in my lap while the vet gave him the drugs to put him to sleep forever.  And I cried.  Once he was gone, I brought Lilly in to say goodbye.  She sniffed his body and then came to me and asked for a hug.  Poor little girl, she really depended on him for his eyes and ears.  After Lilly and I left the vet we went to Percy Warner Park and went for a hike through the woods.  She mastered walking across a beam over the river, jumping over a log, and enjoyed wading in the shallow parts of the water.  Then it was back home to reality.  A too quiet house without Rocco.  Both Lilly and Sylvester slept curled up with me on my bed last night - something they have never done before.  And today I found Lilly lying on Rocco’s bed sniffing his blanket.  She’s not looking for him.  She knows he’s gone.  She just misses him.  I do too.  I know the tears will fade in time, but for now I cry spontaneously.

 

Progress

Today was rainy and thundering - a grey dismal day. But it was full of progress and hope for the furry ones in my home. Rocco had his vet appointment yesterday and got the first of the series of magic shots. Today he is standing better and able to walk more on his own. He still needs a lot of help, but is better. Jack, the cat, finally had enough and beat Gabriel up -- twice.   :)    We're thrilled that he's finally decided to stand up for himself! And Gabe went for his first big dog walk with his harness on. He did very well and walked half a mile before deciding he was too little and needed to be carried the rest of the way home. The girls have both been very good today and unusually quiet - none of their normal barking at each other just for fun. NOT that I'm complaining! So, despite the weather outside, its been a great day!

Getting Old SUCKS!!!

Rocco turned thirteen in October '07, so this is no surprise... he's old.  But knowing the aging process is happening, knowing the time to say goodbye is getting closer and closer... knowing about it absolutely does not make dealing with it any easier.  

This time last year I was worried he wouldn't make it much longer.  His hind legs were so weak he couldn't go for walks anymore and just the act of standing had them trembling with the effort.  Then we discovered his low thyroid, got some magic thyroid boosting pills, and suddenly life was better.  He got stronger and has spent the last year walking a mile per day.  

Until last week...  

Last week he fell, hard.  And now the degenerative nerve disorder in his hips is creating all sorts of havoc with his ability to stand and walk.  He can't feel where his hind feet are placed, so he falls frequently and ends up dragging his hind legs behind him.  This is not a strength issue, it's an inability to feel where & how the legs are placed and a lack of communication between the brain and the hind legs.  ~~ Kind of like trying to walk with your legs completely asleep. ~~  I have to use a sling under his abdomen to support him so that he can walk without falling.  This upsets me so much more than it upsets him.  He'll drag himself over to his sling, look at it and then bark at me - he likes that he can walk fast again when we use it.  When he first figured out the sling made it easier to walk, he took off running down the street with me chasing behind trying not to drop him & yelling at him to slow down.  He hasn't moved that fast in over two years!  I'm not in good enough shape to be jogging down the street in the best of circumstances, but carrying the back half of a 105 pound dog while doing so sent me into an asthma attack.  We've been walking one block per day - he would like to go further and attempts to drag me along with him, but I just can't carry him any longer than that.  

We're seeing the vet later this week.  She might have one more magic pill up her sleeve - actually it's a series of shots.  Other than his hips, my beautiful boy is in excellent health.  His heart is good, his hearing hasn't diminished a bit, and mentally he's as sharp as ever.  So I'm hoping the shots work.  The same hope I had as a child and had to deal with my little Patches dog getting old.  Because, just as I wasn't ready to say goodbye then, I'm not ready now.  And just like Dr. Aldene managed to pull some magic shots out of his bag of tricks to give me several more years with my little Patches, I'm hoping Dr. Torchia's magic shots will give me more time with Rocco.  Because I'm just not ready to say "goodbye".

 

Just hear those sleighbells jingling...

The outside of my house is covered in lights, the tree is up, and carols are playing on my i-pod.  Dog is lying at my feet & Cat is sleeping in his absolute favorite spot - under the tree with the presents.  He got all sorts of excited when I got the tree box out & sat beside me while I put it together.  When I took a break, he followed me into the kitchen, "meow meow meow", wouldn't shut up until I went back & finished putting the tree up.  Despite trying to relax at the moment, I can't stop my brain from making an endless list of things to get done before my family arrives next week (we're doing Christmas early).  As much as I'm looking forward to their visit, getting the house in shape for company sucks.  A magic wand would be so nice right about now!  On second thought, cleaning the old fashioned way is probably better.  If I had a magic wand, I'd probably manage to screw it up ala Mickey in the Sorcerer's Apprentice. 

Sylvester's favorite place to sleep at Christmas

Rocco

Dear Santa, I've been a very good boy this year...

Summer's here!

It's so beyond hot & muggy out today!  I'm spending the rest of the day inside with the a/c & ceiling fan going.  Hmmmmm... another thing I could do with all of that lawn - I've got plenty of room for a pool.  Problem is, they'd have to dynamite the backyard to get one in the ground - oh well, it's a nice thought.  I SHOULD be going through & organizing the mounds of paperwork in my office... but that isn't any fun.  Went out to water the potted plants on my deck - it's so miserable out, Rocco refused to come outside with me.  

We went to the lake earlier today, but the heat was just too much.  I suppose it would have been fine if either of us had bothered to get IN the lake, but I'm not all that fond of creepy crawlies and Rocco only likes to wade up to his ankles.  Maybe we'll go back this evening once it's cooled down a bit.  Oh yeah, I live five minutes from the lake.  Sylvester, on the other hand, is out on the deck all stretched out and basking in the sunshine.  Crazy cat!   

One of these days, if it ever cools down, I've got a ton of gardening to do.  As in digging the rest of the flowerbed that is supposed to wrap around my house but at the moment only goes across the front.  The dirt here is rocky clay, so where it's impossible to build raised beds (next to the house) I have been digging out at least a foot deep and replacing the horrible dirt with good topsoil.  It's a major undertaking, but the flowers are just beautiful.  I've got the prettiest flowerbeds on the street - seriously, I do.

So, that's a lot of what I do when I'm not working.  I garden.  I also belong to a couple of garden clubs that are active and keep busy going to meetings, potlucks, etc.  I spent a lot of time last year volunteering at an equine therapy program for handicapped children, but have cut back on time spent there due to gas prices and the fact that it's an hour long drive to get there (one way) and I have difficulty driving long distances (the whole nerve damage in my hand thing).   In the evenings, Rocco and I stroll through our neighborhood, stopping to talk to the neighbors as we pass by.  I've got some wonderful neighbors that have become good friends.  It has been one year since I moved here from California.  I'm finding I like the slower, friendlier pace of Tennessee very much.

They Don't Make Them Like This In California

The radio is blaring in the bathroom.  The overhead fan is going.  The light is on.  Maverick is whining.  


Out in the garage another radio hollers loudly. The lights are on there too.  Rocco is barking pitifully and Toby is crying.


Everyone has had a chill pill.  They don't seem to be all that effective today.


So, we repeat a scene that is becoming all too familiar...
I will get Rocco and Toby and they will join Maverick in the bathroom where all three will huddle until the scary thunderstorm is over.

2 U-hauls, 3 dogs, & a cat... moving with mom

What was I thinking?
Not sure I was thinking when I agreed to my latest adventure with my mother. If there had been any activity in my brain at all, I'm sure I would have screamed and ran when she asked me to help her move cross country. But, evidently my brain was on vacation that day, so you all get the pleasure of reading about this hair-raising trip. Trust me... you won't be bored!!!


*Note: animal ages are at the time of the trip. 


The Characters
Before we start this tale, it would probably be helpful for you to have some background information on the characters involved. So here goes....


Rocco - my dog, a shepherd mix, rescued from the pound at 5 months old, he's 9 years old now and weighs 95 pounds. Clingy, neurotic, demanding, way too smart for his own good, and hates moving with a passion - always afraid he'll be left behind. Loves to go on trips and travels with me frequently. Hates cats. 

Maverick - mom's dog & Rocco's buddy, 45 pound Fox Terrier / Blue Heeler mix, 7 years old, sweet & lovable, always happy, loves to play, gets car sick. :-(

Toby - a rescue dog, sis found him at her work 3 years ago & asked mom to keep him for "a little while", his ears were severely infected causing permanent hearing loss, when he gets excited he sounds like he just got run over by a car, not taken out in public much due to dying dog noises and overprotectiveness. This 70 pound, black lab/retriever mix is the reason the propane man refuses to venture anywhere near mom's house.

Cali - the cat. Spoiled, demanding, neurotic in his own way. Mom got him so young his eyes weren't even open yet - he was orphaned. Only cat I've ever met that HATES milk. He disappeared for three years & then showed up back home one year ago. This 9 year old rules the house and sports his own bedroom filled with toys.

Mom - talkative, always sees the positive side of things, can't read a map, no clue how to open the hood of a vehicle, definitely couldn't deal with hooking up a tow trailer, operates on very little sleep, gets to her destination in her own time.


Me - need my sleep, don't talk THAT much, no problems reading a map, hooking up tow trailers, or making minor vehicle repairs. Neck, shoulder, & wrist injuries require frequent stops to get out & stretch and put a time limit on travel. Spent most of the trip smelling like "Ben Gay". Like to be on time.


Leaving California -- well, trying to leave...

The idea was to pick up both U-Hauls on Wednesday, have them completely loaded by Thursday night, and leave town on Friday morning. It was a lovely idea... too bad it didn't happen.


Only one of the U-Hauls was ready on Wednesday about noon (instead of early like promised) & they wanted us to pick the other up quite far away - nope, not happening. So, they found one a bit closer that we could get after 4p.m. So only one truck got loaded & only halfway because we'd promised those helping us pack that they could be done by 3p.m. Wednesday there were also real estate papers to sign for the sale of the house. After driving 30 minutes to meet the courier... the courier didn't show with the paperwork. So we wasted over an hour there.


Thursday the courier actually showed up & the paperwork that arrived with him was signed... but some of the paperwork was missing, so we'll try again tomorrow. Managed to get the 17' U-Haul almost completely loaded. Would have been able to finish if the door hadn't broken when we shut it. Oh well, it's almost full so it can just stay shut. Definitely don't want to unpack the whole thing & load it into another!


Friday managed to finish loading the furniture from the house into the 24' U-haul. All three dogs to groomers. Gave tons of stuff away to friends. Courier finally showed up with remainder of paperwork at 4p.m. Water to house was turned off today.


Saturday washed clothes at the laundromat. Finished loading boxes from storage unit. Wonderful water guy notices we're still there & turns water back on. Goodbye dinner with friends. Ready to load vehicles onto trailers behind U-Hauls, clean house, and head out in the morning. Oops... strap to hold vehicle on trailer is broken.


Sunday drove an hour (one way) to get the strap on trailer fixed, loaded up vehicles, finished cleaning house, too tired to drive.


Monday put dogs & cat in U-Hauls & FINALLY drove on down the road! Stopped in Sacramento to have late dinner with sis. While there Mom managed to get 24' U-Haul stuck in a driveway. Did I say she doesn't do reverse? After over an hour of me standing outside in the COLD wind yelling directions ("NO, your other left!") the truck was turned around. Mom was complaining that the headlights were dim & she couldn't see well. Decided to drive down to Stockton & take a nap at the Flying J - nope, it's full. So drove on & finally found a place to stop in Westley. Mom slept in her cab with Toby & Cali and I shared my cab with Maverick & Rocco. Believe it or not, once you give up on trying not to get covered in dog hair, sharing a bench seat with a 95lb dog & having a 45lb dog sleep on your stomach can be comfortable.


Tuesday woke up, took dogs for walk & potty stops, fed dogs breakfast, put dogs back in trucks, took cat for walk and potty stop. Asked Mom if she wanted breakfast now or later. Later. Got back in truck, waited for Mom to start hers.... dead battery (so that's why the headlights were dim). Walked down to McDonald's & grabbed breakfast while we waited for U-Haul repair guys. Told them to fix blinkers on Mom's trailer while they were at it - working blinkers help when you're trying to change lanes. Finally headed down the road at 11a.m. Had to stop for someone to use the potty about every hour - if it wasn't a dog it was the cat screaming that he would die if not let out of his cage immediately. Didn't take him long to figure out that if he screamed loud enough we'd pull over & let him out. Stopped for gas a little north of Buttonwillow & let everyone out for potty & snack break.  Got out a blanket, stretched it out on the grass, & took a nap for an hour with all three dogs lying around me on leashes attached to my arm.  Got lots of strange looks  & a few people taking my picture... didn't care.


Leaving California isn't easy!

Tuesday cont.... Finally made it to Lancaster VERY LATE and found "No Vacancy" signs everywhere. Managed to find a NASTY motel room that doesn't allow pets. Mom slept in the room while I shared the bench seat with all three dogs this time and got to watch a drunken brawl and some drug deals go down in the parking lot (free entertainment???). At least I got a hot shower in the morning (used my own towel).


Wednesday called Mom's real estate agent & let him know we would be a bit late signing the paperwork for the new house. He was shocked to hear we're STILL IN CALIFORNIA! Finished up some family business in the morning & headed toward Hwy 18. Some friends who drive this route all the time had given us directions, so we didn't look at a map. Soon we were chugging up a mountain at 7mph & I was insisting we shouldn't be going over a mountain. But, we hadn't seen any signs for Hwy 18 yet & our friends were supposed to know what they were talking about. Ended up in Santa Clarita, pulled out a map & found out that we should have taken 138 to get to 18. Well, not going back over that mountain now. So... we headed on down the road toward Palm Springs. We were supposed to be spending the night with those wonderful directionally challenged friends tonight. We called them and said we were running really late due to a slight detour :-/ and wouldn't be to their place until around 2a.m. That was before we ran into the roadwork that turned 6 lanes of traffic into 1 and we took almost 4 hours to get what should have been one hour down the road. So, at 2a.m. on Thursday morning, we FINALLY got out of California!


Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh Arizona!

Even though it was the middle of the night & we were absolutely exhausted, just seeing that "Welcome to Arizona" sign made us feel oh so much better! We were still hours away from our friends house, so we pulled over at a rest stop and slept. It was a good sleep. I didn't even notice Rocco sharing the seat with me and Maverick sleeping on my stomach. You KNOW your tired when you don't notice a 45 pound dog sleeping on you! The next morning we were on the road again bright and early. Made a potty stop for the furry ones somewhere on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Got out their food/water bowls for breakfast while we were at it. We made a new friend out there. A little bird was sooooooo thirsty he was willing to brave the three dogs to get at their water. I managed to find an old pie tin and a good sized rock to hold it down and filled it with water for our feathered friend and was rewarded with a whole bunch of happy chirping noises. Happy Happy Joy Joy!!! 


We made it to our friends home right about lunch time on Thursday. They were so sweet and had lunch waiting for us, the backyard waiting for the dogs, and one of the bathrooms all ready for the cat. We were all happy & relieved to be off the road and out of those U-hauls for a while. We relaxed all afternoon, took incredibly long showers, went to bed early in real beds not shared by furry creatures, and woke up to the smells of breakfast cooking. :-) Did I mention that these are some awesome friends! After breakfast and another wonderful shower, we packed up to head out again. The poor dogs groaned when they saw we were headed back to the U-hauls. I think they would have gladly stayed behind and become Arizona puppies. We spent all day Friday driving through Arizona and only stopped for a few hours that night at a truck stop to nap before heading on into New Mexico.


Nerve wracking New Mexico.

Saturday morning while beginning our drive through New Mexico we had absolutely no idea this part of the trip would be a nightmare. We thought the worst was over. Surprise!!!!!


First, Rocco got sick. Fortunately he's a very good boy and is able to tell me when he's sick, so we were able to pull over in time. Poor guy was just so stressed out he had diarrhea all day. So we ended up pulling over and stopping A LOT. At one of the truck stops I managed to get him some cottage cheese, rice baby cereal, and pedialite along with a Zantac to soothe his stomach. The combo isn't a miracle cure, but it helps a lot and Rocco was soon feeling quite a bit better. It took us until dark to reach Albuquerque. We stopped for dinner at the Flying J there, got Rocco some more cottage cheese, and noticed all of the truckers flying out of there - a mass exodus. One of the waitresses explained that there was a real bad snowstorm on the way and everyone was trying to get out of dodge before they got stuck there for a couple of days. So we quickly joined the race to get out of town.


Did I say we joined the race??? More accurate wording would be something like: "We made a pathetic attempt not to get left behind in everyone elses dust." Remember back when we were leaving California and the U-hauls top speed was 7mph over that mountain we were NOT supposed to go over... well, getting out of Albuquerque requires going over mountains too. So there we were chugging along in the middle of a blizzard so bad it was nearly impossible to see the road in front of us, holding our steering wheels with a two handed death grip, and semi-trucks passing us like we were standing still. After over an hour of this, we stopped at another truck stop to stretch & find out the status of this blizzard. The road behind us had been closed and the storm chasing us was worse than originally expected. Back on the road we went. Gotta try to stay ahead of the worst of that storm, but at our slow speed things weren't looking good. Not only were we praying, but I had called several friends in CA who were still awake and asked them to pray too. The only thing more terrifying than this drive was the thought of getting stuck in the storm. We were the last ones left on the road. All of the semi-trucks had passed us long before. Suddenly, while going up-hill, the U-hauls picked up speed. Considering we'd been pushing the gas pedals through the floor board for the past hour and only been creeping along, this was a wonderful surprise! 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45mph!!!!!! We were flying up that hill and leaving the storm behind! Believe what you want, but I truly believe that God sent angels to push us over that hill. 


We made it to Tucumcari, NM in the wee hours of Sunday morning completely exhausted. Parked near a McDonald's and slept until McD's was open to serve us breakfast. For the first time in my life (and probably last), McD's was heaven. It was warm & bright inside, there was warm running water in the bathroom to wash my poor abused face with, the crew was smiling and friendly, and the food... well, they must have had a gourmet chef working for them that morning. ;-) We quickly found out that, although we had gotten ahead of the storm, it was still chasing us and would arrive in Tucumcari within the hour. On the road again.


YEE!  HAW!  It's TEXAS!!!


Sunday around noon we made it to Amarillo, TX. Hallelujah! No more running from the storm. We found a nice gas station with a HUGE parking lot and a small shopping mall nearby. Doesn't matter how bright & sunny and beautiful it was outside, we slept. When we woke up, we took all of the pets for a nice long walk around the dirt parking lot, fed them (more cottage cheese mixture for Rocco), and then spent a relaxing half hour wandering through the little shops before sitting down at a real restaurant for lunch. It must have been the week of master chefs visiting I-40 because I swear they had one too. ;-)


Oklahoma & Finally Arriving Home.

We spent Sunday afternoon heading for Oklahoma City and managed to arrive around 11pm that night. Because we didn't want to deal with big city traffic, we decided to drive through the city and find a hotel on the other side (remember, our last shower was way back in Arizona!). What we DIDN'T know was that on the other side of OK City are toll roads and that once you're on a toll road you don't get off the toll road. So, through OK City we went. My, my, my do they have fun lane changes! Exit to the right for the first road and then zing across FIVE lanes of traffic for the next exit on the left and then cross five more lanes of traffic for the final exit on the right. Doing this in a car would be a challenge, but in U-Hauls towing vehicles... SCARY!!! Whew! Made it through OK City, now to just find an exit where we can get a hotel for the night. What do you mean toll roads don't have exits???????? The speed limit is what? Since when can you get a ticket for going too slow????? Well, we didn't get a ticket. But trying to keep those U-Hauls going the minimum speed of 45mph over that toll road was not easy! We finally made it to the end of the toll road and found a Motel 6 manager who felt sorry for us, gave us one of the handicapped rooms (they've got bigger bathrooms - for the cat), and let us take all four animals into the room for what was left of the night. By now, I'm sick. Picked up the flu somewhere along our route & I'm miserable!


We spent all day Monday on the road with wonderful weather and no mishaps (my bones aching & my head about to explode) and finally made it to Mom's new house on Tuesday. All went well with the paperwork for the new house, Mom's realtor arranged for a couple of guys to unload those blasted U-Hauls, the hot water worked (showers), and we slept. When we finally joined the land of the living again, we found out that the snow storm we outran in New Mexico closed the road for 3 days.


Well, there you have it. 8 days, 2 U-Hauls towing 2 vehicles, 3 dogs, and a cat. The moving cross country trip from hell!

Priorities

Rocco had me laughing out loud this morning.  Usually he walks to the truck with me when I leave for work and I give him a few cookies.  This morning he was off exploring and missed the routine.  I left anyhow.  As I was heading out the driveway, I saw Rocco in the rear view mirror racing to catch up.  When I stopped, he came up to the driver's side and sat down, giving me a look that clearly said he wanted his cookies.  When I handed them to him, he ran back to the house.  No requests for luvins or begging to go with me.  He didn't even pause between snagging the treats and taking off!  At least he knows how to prioritize.