Remy is feeling 'punky' - and Here I Go Again

Vaccinations are just not Remy's thing. Unfortunately, they are required for his Interstate Health Certificate, otherwise he won't pass the Agricultural Inspection gatekeepers in Florida. For years now we have been avoiding the "all-in-one shots", instead breaking up the different vaccinations. Still, Monday, the day of the vaccinations, he was groggy, and I just hoped a dose of Banamine (analgesic and anti-inflammatory medication) would make him feel better. Tuesday we (JP - not me! It was freezing) decided a hack through the woods would be the thing to do. Remy walked out nicely, so did I because I had to get off due to my freezing extremities. Based on the good walk I thought we were in the clear, but on Wednesday Remy was definitely feeling quite 'punky'*, even having a slightly elevated temperature.

Luckily, we have a wonderful veterinary team and after consulting with them I gave him more Banamine and kept close watch. Today I longed him in the indoor and then rode him just long and low and he seemed more chipper. Phew! When the four-legged kids are sick we feel their pain.

A bit more than a week till take-off: Time to start channeling my inner pack rat. While I am usually a very good packer (years of travels) I am just flummoxed on how much stuff there is to take for both of us. And Here I Go Again: I have managed to have another guy in my life that has more stuff than I do. How did that happen?? Flashback to JP moving in with me: He had more shoes than I did!

Remy's magnum travel box is already full, and there a still tons of things to take. Wonder if I can put a trailer behind my snazzy VW??

Just one part of Remy's extensive luggage collection

*Feeling Punk.  A listener in Council Bluffs, Iowa, says his grandmother, born in 1899, used to say I'm feeling punk, meaning “I'm feeling ill.” The term derives from an older sense of punk meaning “rotted wood.”