What a long, strange trip it's been

(To quote the conductor on the train trip from Vancouver, WA to Seattle, and how right he was.)

Well, post-trip wrap ups tend to be poor things and I wouldn't want this one to be any exception. This time I took some chances and while maybe some of them didn't work out, maybe some of them did. There were downs, but I'm not going to hold those close to my heart when I look back on what I've done. I just wanted to say how great it is to be a rat, at least if you're this rat. Good rats go to heaven (it's true!) but bad rats go everywhere. ;)

Especial thanks go to Frynge, JD and Kupok for making me feel loved when I needed it most, and to Ivan for letting me see the otter within and for the valuable part he played in making me feel appreciated. And to Rain for sharing his hearth and his careful rat care during the first part of my trip. Skippy is home, safe in Australia as Rain and Pouch would have wanted. But most of all to Ristin, the raccoon I love with all my heart and soul, for making all of this possible. Going to America would have been unthinkable before I met him.

That's all for now. I have been in transit for over 24 hours and I am a smelly rat. Ristin will be making me a bath so I can get clean again.

The obligatory shout-out post?

Oh no! It looks like I have to do a thank you page to everyone who helped me or touched me along the way. What if I miss someone? If you're wondering if you're mentioned then you probably are. If you think you should be and I didn't, give me a poke. I can be very forgetful.

( Avert your eyes )