I require your wisdom and assistance.

I don’t usually do personal stuff here. This is a special situation.

I imagined that at some point I might take a day off either before or after a weekend and wander to Kentucky, picking up my Mel and bringing her down to Texas. Until Saturday night this was all wistful daydreaming. This is not happening someday. I leave on Friday the 31st.

If I can get away from work, I’ll be leaving on Thursday the 30th, but I have no idea if that could even happen.

The recently acquired car is untested. I’m about to fix that.

Yesterday morning my beloved Bob nearly suffocated me in my sleep. Thus awake at 7 AM on Sunday, and I remind you that 7 AM is usually my bed time, somehow it occurred to me that good ol’ Sears might possibly be open on Sunday.

FYI: They are.

I don’t know why I was all snobbish about taking my car to Sears who have been my suspension and tire people for so long. That’s where I went. As always, they take good care of me. The car now has Monroe Sensa-tracs for the front, Gabiel Ultras intended for the Matrix/Vibe on the back (they don’t do this on request, but there were supply issues) and Michelin WeatherWise all around. The Michelins were only $20 per corner more than the only other tire I was considering which was in inventory. I’m ready for anything but deep snow. Well, the car’s ready for light ice but I’ve been in Texas for fifteen years. The brakes are fine. It was just the poor action of the tires and shocks. Right, so I’m road ready. Although I might try to get into Don some time soon to be sure.

I’m trying to get Mel both out of her apartment and Greater Metropolitan Cincinnati before the end of the month. While she could stay with her Mom for a little while longer, a complicating factor is Cato, her well named feline companion. Someone in Mom’s house is horribly allergic. We don’t take our companions to the shelter. On the other hand, no other fully plausible options are apparent. Unless Cato stays in a little room in Mom’s basement for a few days, and he has transportation to Austin. Mel’s personal option, otherwise, is a 26-hour Greyhound ride. With the Greyhound option she loses not only Cato but an unfair amount of personal possessions. Not that a Corolla with a kennel in it will be overly spacious.

There you have it.

The last time I took such a journey was in the last century. This was also before mobile phones, in my experience, and stuff like GPS. I need tips on finding traffic reports, not so much volume but road conditions. I don’t even know where to look to find the “snow line”. Is there ice in KY, TN, AR? Will there be at the end of the month? As I type its 54 degrees in Austin and will be close to 80 next week.

I have a place to crash on the Kentucky end. Thank you all the same.

No, I don’t have proper winter clothes anymore but intend to improvise. Layers.

I need tips and advice on taking a dedicated indoor cat on a long, and no doubt frightening, car journey. I’m budgeting 18 hours each way. I have a real, knowledgeable cat fancier to ask. I intend to call my vet. There will be a kennel involved. In fact, we’ll need something to keep the boys kind of apart for a while once Mel and I get to Austin.

I’m hemorrhaging money this month and not just for Christmas. On the other hand, I’ve been holding on to some for a while and with a new roommate it may not hurt so much. To be clear: at least for the foreseeable future Mel and I intend to live in my 408 sq ft.

I have folks to tend to Bob for a few days, and thanks to the wonders of the 21st C., I’ll be in touch with them. I am not traveling with a computer or an easy way to send text messages. I’m considering buying a GPS unit, in part because of my need to know about road conditions (Do they do that?) and would need something Dad-proof and OS-X compliant.

Otis held out until he finished that one, last important task. The poetry is just right. I got to man up and get this done.

I’m off now to compose a letter to my landlady. I really do need your assistance with any advice you may have. To my fellow Kentuckians, I’m sorry that I can’t stop and visit. It’s odd knowing that I will be driving through Louisville for the first time in my life.