Getting ready to take Ollie with me to Mexico

I started to prepare this month all the details necessary to bring Ollie with me to Mexico. There is a lot of red tape getting a dog ready to fly internationally. I'm just about finished. I hope Ollie appreciates the lengths I am going to, to bring him with me. Yea, right, sure!

So I'm sure you are wondering why I would go through all this just to bring my dog with me to Mexico. I'm glad you asked. Ollie is not only my pet, he is my therapy dog. We got him a little over a year ago with that in mind. A few years ago I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I stay home a lot, as day to day, the symptoms I have vary. One of the symptoms is a lot of pain day in and day out which also has led to depression. Ollie would be on my lap 24/7 if I would let him. He is totally devoted to me and lets me stroke him over and over which brings comfort to me and brings me out of myself so to speak. Imagine a human doing this for us. Not day in and day out anyway. Ollie has become very much a part of my life and so...he comes down to Mazatlan with me where the weather is warmer and we hope for temporary healing for me as the fibro not only produces pain but many, many other symptoms. More on that later.

So, Ollie has had everything taken care of except the final health check. Oh, I forgot to tell you, as he is my therapy dog, he does qualify as a service animal and the $100 trip fee is waved. Ollie came with us to Puerto Vallarta last winter and he did very well. He took to everyone and everyone took to him. He is easily an mascot where ever we go.

So much for Ollie. Let me tell you a little about Mazatlan and why we like it so much especially when there are so many areas in the US that we could choose. We love the warmth day in and day out. On the days it is a little to warm, well we will just take a dip at one of the two pools that are on the property, or go across the street and swim with the dolphins in the ocean. Yes, margaritas & cervezas are pretty good also. There is plenty of Mexican food everywhere. There are these guys selling tacos from little stands, along with hot dogs. The Mexicans are very colorful in their art, and the decor' they use in their buildings. They also still hold close the family ties that some Americans have lost. Families live together. I'm not sure they would know what a nursing or assisted living would be. Most are interested in trying to communicate with you as they want to practice their English. For those of us that know just a little Spanish, and if we aren't to embarrassed, we like to practice our Spanish with them.

I am leaving 3 weeks from today for Mazatlan. So much to get ready in order to be prepared to be gone for 4 months. I'd like to store enough food in the refrigerator for Joel for while I'm gone so he doesn't go back to his bachelor ways and stock the freezer with frozen burritos. His plan is to run up to 20 miles runs every weekend in order to get in shape to run another marathon. Hopefully December, 2009 he will be able to run the Mazatlan Marathon. When he lives in Mazatlan 3/4 time, he plans to volunteer for their marathon association. So back to the food; I suppose I'll leave him plenty of boxes of macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, cans of tuna fish and the like so he won't starve. I'll get all the laundry done, clean the house, get our packing done and I might be done by the time I have to leave. Hmm, think it will look like the same way I left it when I return home? Joel, you just might surprise me. Or, he'll bring his dirty laundry home to me in Mazatlan.

I'll use this format to let you know how my travels are going as a married woman alone with her dog in Mazatlan. Signing off for now.