holiday travels

I'm spending this week in Indiana on the family farm, relaxing. Christmas Day I made the journey from Northern Alabama to Southern Indiana, right to the heart of the snowfall. I don't have any pictures of it yet, I have to get the film developed. (Yes, I use film, digital hasn't caught up with film as far as quality, yet) Noah made the journey with me, since he's the only one of the cats that enjoys trips.

I picked up Noah from Tom's house Saturday morning, as I was heading out. It's been about 3 years since Noah's been on a trip longer than the vet's, but he remembered the routine. I put a saddle blanket over the luggage and stuff in the back seat to protect it, just in case he got sick, and a towel in a spot as some extra padding for a bed. Well, apparently he had a big breakfast, and the poor thing got sick, fortunately for me on the towel, less than 5 minutes into the trip. I pulled into a church parking lot, rolled up the towel and stuck it in the trunk. After that he didn't have any more problems.

Noah spent the trip either sleeping in my lap or lying on the blanket behind my seat. For safety reasons, if he's going to be in my lap while I'm driving, he has to be lying down, no exceptions. That's always been the rule, and he's learned that. He keeps my lap warm better when he's lying down anyway.

We stopped a couple of times as we journeyed up I-65 through Tennessee and Kentucky. In Bowling Green, KY, I found a CVS pharmacy open, and bought Noah a leash and harness, since I'm a goober and forgot his. I got him harnessed up, actually 2 collars improvised as a harness, one around his neck and one around his chest, attached to the leash, and let him out for a walk. Ya know, taking a cat for a walk will get people's attention.

We continued north, and the roads became more and more interesting, however the roads only truly were bad on the secondary and tertiary roads in Indiana. After an all day drive, I finally made it, just after sundown. Eirene, her husband Orion, and their two boys were still at my parents' house. We opened presents, and I got a chance to relax and unwind.

Noah has decided he's definitely a Southern cat, and does not like the snow at all, especially when it's deeper than he is tall. Yes, when we arrived at the farm, Noah experienced the wonders of 30 inches of snow for the first time in his life. This is only the second time he's ever seen snow. He wasn't sure what to do when he sank in it up to his belly, except look up at me with a pitiful expression. He's joined my parents' cats and the hissing only lasted 12 hours. Whitty and George are trying to ignore him, Shadow isn't sure what to think of his new twin, and Cleo finally decided she has a new playmate. Ultimately, this is why Noah likes to travel, there are kitties at the end of the trip for him to visit and play with.