The two cats and Maddie snuggled with us overnight in the hotel. The bunnies also slept peacefully. While Mike got ready, John and I left early with Maddie to retrieve the large animals first, and then load up Zeke and the other three cats. Mike took the two “hotel cats” with him in the car. The road at the remote pet boarding facility was battered clay, which forced us to drive slow. Fiona the cow had plenty of time to communicate with the neighbor’s cattle while we made our way slowly by. The bull seemed quite interested. Perhaps they were discussing their lives as cattle in Florida versus Georgia. Perhaps the bull was making passes at Fiona. Whatever they said, it seemed to be an interesting conversation.
About an hour past Atlanta, the highway began a slow, curvy climb into Tennessee. I enjoyed seeing some unusual rock formations in the Smokies. I felt a deep longing for mountains ever since I left my home state out west. I don’t like the heat. I would prefer snowy mountains to anything, but Colorado has changed so much since I joined the US Navy, back in 1997. During visits, it wasn’t MY Colorado anymore. I felt the same about California, where I lived as a kid. It’s entirely unrecognizable. It ceased being MY California a long time ago. I never considered living in Florida. In fact, a year and a half before meeting my husband, my USN ship made a port visit to Mayport. A bunch of us took a rented van across the state to swim with manatees, which was incredible. Despite that, on the way back to the ship, partly because it was August, perhaps, but mostly because it never gets cold enough there, I said I would never live in Florida. Then, I met Mike. His family was there and he’d been away too long. What I found in Florida were excellent state parks, beautiful oaks hammocks, pine forests, abundant grass for livestock, and a nice place for our young son to grow up on our farm. Our son will carry his home state of Florida with him everywhere. He will always have that common experience with his dad, which is a treasure for them both. As we were leaving, he had zero regrets, but I know from experience that all too soon, it won’t be HIS Florida anymore.
Tennessee had some beautiful areas where the Smokies peek through suburbia, but it’s also a place that wears its emotions on the outside for all to see. Billboards proclaiming, quite rudely, political sentiments interrupted the views with strong emotions and anger. Honestly, it kind of killed the mood. I had hoped to explore a bit more of the side roads, but the negativity dissuaded me. The weather was also a factor. Strong storms were moving in while we settled the horses at the fairgrounds in Murfreesboro. The small animal boarding facility was relatively easy in comparison. Once again, we settled the one dog, two cats, and travel cage with two rabbits in at the hotel. I had pre-packaged meals for all the animals, so it was easy. Maddie and I went for several walks, despite the stormy weather. We had some business to do at the local branch of our new bank to ensure closing would happen on time. It was quite stressful, but with the help of a local banker, we got it done. I sent her flowers after our trip to thank her for her extraordinary help.
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