Getting Ready for the Road

I'm trying to pack, trying to pull myself together for the road.  I suffer from separation anxiety, and the further I'm going, the longer I'll be gone, the greater the angst.  My dog isn't helping.  She went into the back room where I'd set out my suitcases, sniffed them, then went back to the main bedroom where she has curled her big body into a tiny melancholy ball.

I remember when flying was exciting for all the good reasons.  When I first moved to Chicago, I had a calico cat who traveled w...