Lemme see… I have taken exactly 2-1/2 days off this year (out of five weeks). The Friday and Monday surrounding the weekend we spent at Tahquamenon in February and a half-day to schlep over to the Quiet Water(s?) Symposium at the beginning of March. (Why can I never remember if there is an “s” on “Water” or not?) Work has been good so far this year, both in what I do and the folks I work with. If you have been reading between the lines, our work *environment* has been a bit iffy and I am knocking on wood because SO FAR I am a survivor but I do have an exit plan if push comes to shove so don’t cry for me Argentina (or anybody else).

But here’s some random crankiness from news articles and things. What is this about people flying with “comfort aminals” that happen to be birds and insects and things. I TOTALLY understand how important trained service dogs are for people with disabilities of all sorts. I am a nervous flyer and I would probably find some comfort in a nice calm doggy myself. But insects and things? I mean, there are probably *other* passengers who are AFRAID of some insects. I am afraid of a very few of them myself, a few of those rather irrationally (please don’t ask or comment). Is this just me being insensitive to other people’s issues? Or does anyone else agree that the airlines should “crack down” on this stuff?

And then I made the mistake of scrolling through facebook crapola. Somebody shared a “wondrous” seatbelt for dogs. I couldn’t help wondering how long the dog would stay quietly suspended in that contraption.

When we “traveled” with my childhood Tigger dog, we did not restrain her at all. Of course, “traveling” with her meant driving 15 miles out to the cabin and back and there were no seat belts for anyone in those days. When we went *out* of town, you can dern well betchya we boarded her. We didn’t ever inflict our loverly doggy on the relatives we visited. If they wanted to enjoy her, they had to visit us and they did, often bringing dogs with them that were much more annoying than Tigger.

We boarded Tigger at the vet and so she would whine nervously as we began our trips to the moomincabin, knowing that we were going in the direction of the vet, on the same road. When we turned right on to Six Mile Road, she would settle down. Sorta. Because when we made the NEXT turn, on to Birch Point Road, my dad would take her collar off and let her out of the car and she would run like the wind the rest of the way to the cabin.

Once upon a time, when, well, uh, I was still “friends” with dogmomster (or so I thought), she went to China on a band trip and, after her dogz were in the kennel for a few days, I picked them up and drove them to the moomincabin (this was pre-arranged, I didn’t just do it on a whim like, “Oh, I think I’ll go pick up dogmomster’s dogs today”). I was nervous about this. I had never traveled more than 15 miles with a dog in the car and I figured they would whine and be noisy and I’d have to stop every half hour to let them out to P. What really happened was that… Well, first of all Ernie more or less HUGGED me. For picking them up from the kennel, I mean. Then they basically settled down, one in the front passenger seat and one in the back and WENT TO SLEEP! After a while, they woke up and switched seats. When we started across the Mackinac Bridge, they both perked up BIG TIME and then settled down again, I guess knowing that they were nearing the end of their journey. The moominbeach is Dog Heaven and all dogs love it there.

P.S. I did stop at the Grayling rest area to walk them and let them P. That seemed to be all they needed.

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