Stewart's Sister

There were both pros and cons to growing up as Stewart’s Sister. Here are a couple stories that illustrate both sides of that coin.

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One time Mother and I were on our way home from Wasilla when we came across the scene of a recent accident on the road. Apparently somebody had hit a moose and then just drove off, leaving the poor thing on the side of the road. Somebody else then come along and saw that it was still alive but injured, so had parked their vehicle in such a way to protect it from getting hit again. When we stopped to see if any assistance was needed, they asked us to contact the State Troopers to come take care of the situation.

So, we drove on in to Palmer and headed straight to the Troopers Office. I went in to talk to the lady at the front desk and explained the situation. She was very nice and friendly, taking out the proper form to fill it out for me. She began by asking my name, but when I told her who I was she stopped and put her pen down and said with a frown, “Oh. You’re Stewart’s sister.”

“Yes.” I replied, not sure what that had to do with anything.

She picked her pen back up and said “So, how fast were you going when you hit the moose?”

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Another time I was driving to work one morning when a car came out of nowhere and slammed into me, T-boning me from the right side and completely wrecking both vehicles. It all happened so fast it took me several minutes to comprehend what had happened.

The cops came to assess the situation and ending up giving her the citation. They then called a couple tow trucks and made sure we were both taken care of. I was beat up pretty good, but thankfully did not require an ambulance.

The tow truck driver eventually came and hooked my car up and let me sit up front with him in his cab as he drove back to Palmer. On the way, he asked my name for his records. When I told him, he said “Oh! You’re Stewart’s Sister!”

And then he just went off, saying over and over again, “You tell him I’m giving you this tow for free, okay? You tell him! This is a $95.00 tow, but I’m giving it to you for FREE. Just make sure you tell him!”

The Countdown is On!

Just 13 days left before my trip and I’m super excited!

There’s a lot still to be done, however:

Finish gathering up all my gear

Make sure I have everything I need

Go shopping for the items I’m lacking

Try on all the clothing to make sure it all fits

Make sure it all fits in my one suitcase

Get paperwork organized

Make sure Bryan & Mother each have a copy of my paperwork

Organize the donations received and make a list

Right now I have a pile of stuff upstairs in the storage room. Each night, when I think of something new, I run it upstairs right then so I don’t forget. When it comes closer in to time to actually go, then I’ll worry about packing.

Two of my coworkers have said they would donate items to the research station. One has already given me $200.00 to go purchase what they need, so I sent an email to Earthwatch to make sure I get the right things. I believe the second guy is going to give me items he already has and doesn’t need any more. And I’ll probably purchase a few things myself to add to the pile, like (or course) chocolate!

I’ll probably end up with my suitcase and a box to check, and a tote bag & my daypack as carry-on. Unless I can fit my daypack in my suitcase – that would be better.

1st Blood Draw

Viktor gave blood for the first time a few weekends ago. I’m only just now getting around to writing about it because I’ve been down with a rather persistent head cold. But he did so well: he was a Champ - I was the nervous one.

His appointment was at 3:00, so around 2:30 I bundled him up in his crate with his hot water bottle and a blanket (don’t judge me: it’s cold out there) and headed off down the road to the vet’s office. We checked in and waited perhaps 5 minutes before a vet tech came out to explain the process to me one more time, and then took him on back to the procedure room.

So then I had to occupy myself somehow for almost 2 hours before I could pick him back up and take him home. I sat at a café and tried to eat lunch and went to a few stores to browse the isles, but really all I did was worry about my boy.

He basically slept through it all. They gave him some sleepy medicine and shaved his neck to expose his jugular vein. The blood draw went quickly and without any problems.

When I finally was able to pick him up, the vet tech explained that he was still a little loopy from the medication they’d given to relax him but that he should be back to normal within 24 hours. At the moment, he was “extremely affectionate” she said, laughing. Most cats get hyperactive from the meds – but apparently Viktor is an “I love you” drunk! (sorta like my brother, come to think of it)

His scrawny little neck is all bare now, but the hair will grow back. Probably just in time for him to give again. I wonder if he might end up permanently bald because of all this?