Moving Mono In

We did not think that my mother would be able to move out West so quickly - that I would be able to help her pack up our old home but not actually move to Wyoming. However, her new employers asked that she begin work at the start of the new year, which meant that we had to leave Ohio right quick! My friends were able to help us clean out the fridge, and Mom and I packed up the home as fast as possible. All throughout the move, I had a special helper: Namake-Mono.

Namake had her nose in all of the activity and was sure to sniff and investigate all of the boxes. She danced about our feet and helped to....what would be best to say here....organize our efforts. Once the boxes were taken away from the house, all of the free space was utilized as new play areas for her. She loved having new tracks for running and took even greater joy from jumping off the stairs. Every remaining couch and item became her domain, and bounding over furniture became her new favorite challenge. Life was good to be a puppy.


And then came the car ride.

Poor Namake-Mono was not very good at car rides, frequently getting ill after 20 minutes or so, and we planned on driving all 21 hours (her longest car ride before that was an hour and a half). Tensions were high on the first day as we kept checking for any signs of doggy distress. We made a little nest for her to be comfortable, kept the window down to help her breathe, and made the ride as smooth as possible. She got better with each day, and that meant that we were even able to keep the window up, and ourselves much warmer.

She had lots of stops along the way and wanted to meet all the squirrels in each state we passed through. They, however, were not so pleased to see a traveling puppy. Stopping at hotels had to be her favorite part of the trip, though, and she relished jumping from bed to bed in the rooms. The hotels were a hit for the human members of the family as well. One even offered a wine and cheese bar followed by a cookies and milk set! Good times, overall.

Once we arrived at the new place, she took to the new place quickly and made her space everyone she could drop a chew toy. Seeing her so comfortable in a new place made it easier for me. It is difficult for someone not to feel good when a puppy dog is happy. The move has also been good for me to get ready for my own move. There are so many things to remember and get used to (finding places to shop, work out, shop, and just getting a feel for the area). But she makes it look so easy, so perhaps I'll be fine in Japan as well.