Day 1. December 26
Knoxville, Tennessee
The Motel 6.

Orange keeps track of mileage.

Almost 600 miles in and the dogs and I have had dinner and are sitting on the bed watching tv, but only after a quick thumping of the mattress and a rumpling of the pillows failed to reveal any creatures other than the three that have paid to stay here for the night. The bed is huge so there’s plenty of room for me and the girls ~ I can actually sleep in a straight line if I choose. My mom and I each light a candle at night and mine is glowing softly on the desk/dresser next to the television, which is turned to the weather channel and not showing good news on my Northern/Colorado route.

Right now I’m concentrating on the logistics of transporting two beagles across country and my mind is a little preoccupied with making sure they both pee and that I keep up with the leashes and my keys and schedule gas and coffee and potty stops all at the same time, but now that I’m in the hotel room there’s a sense of anticipation tinged slightly with the discombobulation that goes with being (self)-uprooted. Genie Alisa says I’m going to LA to be with my people. Lee Lee says what I feel is normal because I just left my people. They are both right.

This little experience started out today after a great Christmas with my mom and Hosa, the sisters and the rest of the family. Combining their two poodles with my two beagles, always a little hectic, was slightly more this time thanks to one recent spay and Daisy’s all-you-can-eat-buffet trashcan party. Still, it was one of my best and most memorable visits. I had hoped to see a few people but in the end really just wanted to spend it close to the clan.

Everything got done for the move but I’m a little disappointed because my car is packed to the gills and I wanted to keep it simple, holding onto only those items that are clothing or photography or dog-oriented. Yet I still managed to bring along a box of impractical things (that’s right ~ like getting rid of everything you own is practical . . . ) There’s an espresso maker that belonged to my mom circa 1970s, my Black & Decker blender, and the antique waffle iron my grandparents got at a yard sale for my birthday many years ago. I’m not sure what this says about me that I kept kitchen items.

Anyway, Tuesday, in the midst of a house-emptying panic attack made worse by a pulled wisdom tooth the day before, I texted Maggie that I was feeling overwhelmed. She replied simply.

All you need is Orange.

The little naked doll with the bright orange hair has been around since I was five. A gift from a relative ~  I can’t remember who, she’s a constant and a trooper, somehow managing to hang on through a gazillion life changes. She’s spent most of her naked little existence packed away but on this trip she’s riding shotgun, a reminder that I’ve got people.

The truck before Hosa took charge. Thank you Hosa!