April 2019
We’re on the move, slowly heading towards Yellowstone and visiting states and places we have not been to before.
Natchez Trace Parkway National Park- ever hear of this one? We hadn’t, but I saw a long green line on the map of Mississippi and just had to know what it was. The parkway is a 444 mile long road, very narrow that has been preserved due to it’s history.

It starts in Natchez and ends in Nashville. “Kain Tucks” used this trail to get back home after floating their goods down the Mississippi to either Natchez or New Orleans. Kain Tucks were Kentuckians or other travelers from Mid-America areas. Once steamboats came into being on the rivers, this trail was no longer used. It’s history dates back thousands of years to pre-historic people that used this same route. Who new?

 
And now, more about sleep, or the lack thereof. It’s been a month with none of us getting a full night’s sleep…due to our sweet little Rhylee. We tried this and we tried that. We looked it up on line- ah ha! It’s typical in older dogs- flipping their day/night clock. Senility, cognitive dysfunction, etc. etc… Several treatments are available and seem to work according to on line forums. Clare called Rhylee’s vet back home and we got the low down.

SAM-e—good for people as well as dogs for help with mood and joints (odd combo, huh?)
Melatonin- helps one sleep
Benadry- makes one drowsy
Meloxicam-helps with aches, pains and sleep
Some at night, some in the morning. Rhylee thinks they are yummy treats. Three nights of this regime and we got about 7 hours of rest! YAY!!
So, we’ve hit him full bore with all of them per the vets advise and will back them off one at a time as the sleep pattern stays at night.
Apparently, our move into the beach house was the straw that broke Rhylee’s back, as far as routine, confusion and thinking. Just about did us in, too 🙂
And THEN…always one more thing right? We have a had couple of nights of thunderstorms. They last for hours and hours, sometimes lots of rain, sometimes not…and sometimes with hail- big hail-

fortunately the brand new truck only had a handful of tiny dings!
The Rhylee regime is not working….sleep deprivation…ugh!

We are following spring as we move north-