Of cats and cars

Well, I made it to Saskatoon. Intact. With the cat.

It is an accomplishment worth noting, since said cat refused to eat her Gravol-spiked tuna, and thus yowled for a good portion of the trip. Getting her in the cage was no trouble, since she was accustomed to getting her kibbles in there through a careful program of moving the bowl closer to the cage for several weeks previous to departure. As soon as the cage moved to the car, things got ugly. When the motor started, the complaints began in earnest. Around Drumheller, she started to hyperventilate. She was meowing in rapid, staccato bursts and making a face like a taxidermied cougar. I had to pull over, 'cause I thought she was having some kind of seizure! But ya'know, the moment the engine was off and the cage door was opened, she was calm as could be! Faker...

I took the opportunity to refresh myself with a burger, then we were on the road again.

Anyway, after that little episode, she seemed to calm down a fair bit, and actually remained quiet for minutes at a time, so I think she may have slept, or maybe just passed out from the stress. Despite the fact that I was up until 3am packing my house up (with the incredibly kind and generous assistance of Ronni), I was not the least bit sleepy. I wouldn't eat the tuna with Gravol in it either...but the four cups of strong coffee probably helped!

The trip was made bearable by the extremely kind gift of a shiny new ipod nano from my darling friends at Resort TV (it's even engraved!!! Resort TV channel 12 ROCKS!!!) Since my tape player is jammed, I cranked up the ipod and bopped all the way across the prairie. From the pointy peaks near the BC border, to the flat-ass prairie of the Saskatchewan border, I had Tom Waits, Diana Krall, Aretha Franklin and countless others to help me on my way. For anyone who is not yet converted to the Church of Ipod, I tell you brothers and sisters, it is GOOD. Through instant access to 1000 songs your sanity shall be SAVED. Fall down on your knees and do the HAPPY DANCE OF JOY to the sounds of the HOLY IPOD. Amen.

Now I am hanging out with my brother and soon-to-be-sister-in-law (the wedding's in May) and Mom and Dad, and Karen's folks from Ontario. The guys spent the day doing guy things (installing a diswasher) as the ladies all hit the malls. I have to say - the people in Saskatchewan are so darned friendly! We were in a shoe store, and the post-lady came in. The clerk was in the back room, fetching a pair of boots, so the mail lady just handed me the stack of envelopes. Would that happen anywhere else?!? Yeah, maybe, but it struck me as extraordinary, and a reflection of the totally trusting atmosphere in S-toon. Very glad that my brother is settling here. Also super-happy for he & Karen. They make each other so happy & I hope they continue to do so forever! Gawrsh... He's all growed up...

Next...getting to Iceland. Coming soon.