A ton to cover on an off day…

From the mundane:

1. The town of Marysville

2. Off day chores

To the Big Stuff:

3. Lucky’s treatment day

4. It’s a small, small world

Ok we start with the big. #3 - Every week we dedicate a day to Lucky, this was something Chris and I talked about before we left Jacksonville and we agreed wholeheartedly we were all in. It requires us to not only take the day off but has resulted in the need to drive 250 miles round trip to get the treatment he needs and both Chris to the emotional ups and downs of the situation; we don’t regret any of it at all. Quite the contrary, Lucky is my buddy half the day and the other half he is all Chris’s so we have a strong cause that we are focused on in addition to the daily miles we strive to achieve along the route.

We had help today from Pony Express Veterinary in Marysville letting us come in today at the last minute. A kind tech brought Lucky back in and then a tall, strong, handsome guy walked in with cowboy boots and trucker hat… it was Dr. Tony Hawkins! With an easy way about him he took the vitals, drew the blood and chatted afterwards about the results. Bottom line - bad. His Leukocytes are severely low at around 800 with normal 3k-12k. His body cannot fight bacteria at this level. He is also anemic. Dr. Hawkins prescribed antibiotics to help him fight. Same time I sent the results to Mizzou team and my home team in Jacksonville. I received a call at 4pm from Mizzou and they wanted to know Lucky’s temperature. I had no idea and they broke the news that if it is 102.5, he needs to be admitted for IV fluids and antibiotics overnight immediately as he is not able to fight bacteria. Jeana told me to find out and she would call back in 30 minutes…..pressure! Chris ran over to a pharmacy and bought a children’s thermometer which I was instructed to take an anal temperature. Chris watched nervously as I told Lucky to stand and stay…not a flinch from Lucky and he is slightly under 102. Jeana calls back and tells me we are safe for now but no running until this improves.

#4 - My Aunt Beth is reading the blog every day and knows Chris from the posts. Yesterday I tagged Chris on one of his musings and she notices the last name…late last night she messages me asking if his mothers name is Maureen and sisters are….This morning I ask Chris and he is instantly emotional because he knows Beth! His cousin Bobby dated Beth for 5 years before marrying Uncle Stephen - and they were very close. Beth met Chris as a young kid and through Bobby knew Chris’ family very well. Beth has a special ability to remember not only the names, places but also the minutest details of smile, laugh and essence that snap you back instantly to those memories with clarity. We FaceTimed late today and all reconnected - what a small world. Turns out that RAAm is not only about talking to strangers and creating new memories but also the connecting of those meaningful relationships that slumber and only need to be awakened to flourish again as if there was never a gap in time.

#1 - Marysville is a beautiful little town that has a great energy and ton of history. The town boasts a fully bricked Main Street and museum highlighting the original Pony Express. We had a nice movie and tour of the museum before retiring to a free city park that had power and water hookups for any RV’s or campers. There is a Walmart in Marysville on the far side of town but this is highlights the problem with auto travel - the roadways, especially the highways, take you through the new side of town where the Walmart’s, fast food and big chains live. Somewhere behind all of that is the real heart of the small towns where there is a Main Street, less travelled but the real heart and soul and that is where we end up going by foot.

#2 - The chores of an off day in addition to Lucky’s treatment include potential transit, laundry, full RV clean up, shopping, logistics for upcoming route, mechanical issues, paying bills, catching up on business and hopefully a little bit of rest!

All for today as we plan to enter Nebraska tomorrow…Go Cornhuskers!

I appreciate your support -

Cheers,

David.