(07/01/12) Opposites Attract

We pulled out of our driveway this morning at 8:05 AM. For George, the last few days have been fun, as he got more and more excited For the trip each passing minute. All winter, he could not get excited about the trip explaining that for him, he holds back until things are underway in case the whole adventure ends up a wash. For me, the closer the leave time got, the more I got anxious and melancholy. I hate leaving our beautiful home, my routines, my own bed, and of course my kitty girls. Like most pets, they know when we are going away because they watch us pack. Usually one or both will sit in our suitcases so we can't pack them up. It is hardest leaving them. Both are such remarkable creatures. Every pet owner says this, I know, but Maggie is my bodyguard, my sentry and my protector. When I am sick, she does not leave my side. When I shower, she opens the bathroom doorknob to get to me. She sleeps beside me in a big basket (Thank you, Dad!) filled with my own baby blankets knit by my maternal great grandmothers (Sorry, Mom!). Rose (a.k.a Rudy, Rooter, Root, RancidRose) is our source of never-ending entertainment. She will sit, speak, sit up and turn around for her treats. She was a very quick study. She has also been known to run down the hall as fast as she can... straight into the wall. Bam! And then, she sort of smiles out you... Obsessed with her catnip-filled purple bunny fur sachet pillow, there is just not a grouchy bone in this girl's body. When we got her, she weighed 13 plus pounds. We now have her down to a manageable 10.8, great trim down, but it has left her with some loose skin that hangs and looks *just* like udders! Last night was the epic event of "The Trimming of the Claws". I have long held that we need to tape it and show it on PayPerView. My cats' hate of the clippers, feral snarling and general unpredictability combined with their propensity for violence makes for Wipeout-style nail biting anticipation. Will the cat claw her eyes out? Will she escape? How much blood will be spilled? We chose not to declaw the girls. They have one chair on our bedroom that they are permitted to rip on. So we make the effort to trim their "nail-ies". Taking care of the girlies this time is their dear Auntie Beth, our roomie, with assistance from my ma and pa. We both are ardent believers in travel and it's ability to change how you view life and the world by experiences on the road. Even as a little girl, I never turned down my dad's offer of, "Hey, Bud, you want to go for a ride?" While I know that home will always be there, waiting for my return, it is so hard to leave this time because it is for so long. Oppsites do attact; George and I are each other's mirror in feelings when it comes to leaving. I'm so glad I have him to lean on. We are making our first stop of the trip, Sonic, in Hagerstown. There's nothing like a Cherry Limeade in the morning!