Five Days

Escape from Hillbilly Hell.

I left Southwest Virginia yesterday with all my worldly possessions packed in my car, along with four dogs and a rabbit. I drove south for about six hours, through a torrential downpour and rush hour traffic to meet my cousin just outside Atlanta. She took one of the dogs and the rabbit to foster in Georgia, and I continued on to Mount Olive, Alabama, a small town north of Birmingham.

This morning, I woke to a completely new set of circumstances. I feel like a refugee, someone mandatorily evacuated from a natural disaster. Or a war zone. PTSD is real. I will never forget the impulse to keep looking over my shoulder for the first two hundred miles. It wasn’t so much a fear that someone was chasing me, but disbelief that I had actually managed to get away.

I have plenty of things to do today, so it’s not like I can sit idle. I have to repack all my bags for Europe, make travel arrangements for my dog Milo who ... well, I’ll get to that in a minute. But I’m also going to take a long, soapy bath in a real tub, repair my stressed dreadlocks, and paint my nails. I can’t remember the last time my lifestyle allowed for such indulgences. Oh...I’m also going to enjoy my dogs. This is their first full day of being my pets instead of my rescue salvages, and they are loving every minute of their Mommy’s retirement.

Milo was going to fly with me to France. He’s in training to be my service dog, and that is going exceptionally well. He got his harness and other equipment today and he seems to realize exactly what is expected of him.

But we got some very bad news yesterday--APHIS rejected Milo’s health certfiicate because there’s a paperwork problem involving his second rabies vaccination. Free rabies clinics are great, until the vet conducting them doesn’t document properly. Then they create issues for poor dogs like Milo who will now get left behind when I fly to France. Oh, he’ll join me eventually, but not without great headache and hassle, not to mention additional expense.

He’s going to work his heart out for me, though, when he gets finally gets there. Have a look at him on the job today in Lowes. I could not have been more proud of my beautiful boy as he walked through the store without once nosing the merchandise or other customers. He did look at a few things, but nothing excessive or problematic. He stayed focused, on task, and worked the guide harness like a pro. He’ll be a great help to me going up stairs and hills, and during those times when I feel dizzy and off balance. I love this dog. Leaving him behind will be hard.

Other Posts in this Series (because this one won't make sense if you haven't read the other ones)

Forty Days
Thirty-Nine Days
Thirty-Eight Days
Thirty-Seven Days
Thirty-Six Days
Thirty-Five Days
Thirty-Three Days
Thirty-Two Days
Thirty-One Days
Thirty Days
Twenty-Seven Days
Twenty-Six Days
Twenty-Five Days
Twenty-Three Days
Twenty Days
Eighteen Days
Seventeen Days
Fifteen Days
Fourteen Days
Twelve Days
Eight Days
Six Days