I wish I could update you on everything that’s happened over the past four days, reader, but time is short, so I’ll have to give you the abridged version.  Yesterday, after a smooth weekend of walking, Adama and I made it to South Carolina. Already. Two days ahead of schedule. I wish I could say it was all sunshine and farts from there, but we’ve had some setbacks since. It would’ve been nice to celebrate properly, but not long after we crossed the state line, Adama came up lame. Given the way he’s walking, I can’t decide if it’s his left hind leg or both hind legs. It’s not even certain whether it’s his leg at all. Could be the pads of his paws. He’s put 550 miles on those ponies, and most of them have come without shoes, so it seems a strong possibility.

The thing that worries me, though, is the possibility that it’s not an external injury at all. Having observed him for twenty hours (minus 8 hours to sleep and 4 hours for a Law and Order Marathon), I can safely say that lameness isn’t his only symptom. He’s lethargic. Yes, he usually lies around all afternoon and evening following a 14-mile walk, but this is different. He’s been like a brick. Doesn’t even lift his head unless I call him a few times. I’m worried. I might strike this as simple paranoia if not for the five separate ticks I’ve found on his hide over the past three days. I search him every night, reader, but these ticks just kept evading me. Dude’s just got so much fur.

So anyway, yesterday wound up being hellish. In response to Adama’s injury/illness, I decided to get on the old Droid (Google, I have to admit that your Android system redeems you from your Maps mishaps) and look for a nearby hotel. The closest was actually in an area we had just vacated that morning: a Days Inn on the border of the Savannah/Hilton Head Airport. Fortunately, Droid also helped me find a cab that would drive all the way up to Hardeeville (SC) and take Adama and me back down to the Savannah area. I dropped forty bones on the transaction, but there was no way around it. We spent the night at the Days Inn, running observation and generally laying around and recovering. I made an appointment with a local vet for 4 o’clock this afternoon and a reservation with Hertz, who has promised to come pick me up in an hour.

Adama does look slightly better this morning. His old rambunctiousness is returning and his limp isn’t nearly as dramatic. I’ll know more at 4. Keep your fingers crossed that it’s just raw foot pads and not a tick-borne disease. Me, I’m going to do what I can to enjoy this unexpected Zero Day. Looks like I’m going to get to see Savannah, after all.  I’ll also be making plans to allow Adama a few days’ rest while I continue on into South Carolina. As of now, the plan stands that I will check him in to the vet’s kennel for four days while I make the journey from Hardeeville to Orangeburg, where I’ll rent another car and swing back down to pick him up. This is an aggressive plan, as Hardeeville and Orangeburg are 100 miles apart, but I’m confident that I can put in longer days without Adama slowing me down. We’ll see. If he winds up having to wait and rest for five or even six days, all the better for him.

I know that many of you tuned in today in the hopes of reading a new installment from Jeanette. Unfortunately, Jeanette is also out of commission, up to her eyeballs as she is with other obligations. It’s likely that we’ll all have to wait until next week for her latest gem of humor. Hopefully, I and this week’s guest poster can hold down the fort until she returns. Take care, reader. Beware of ticks.

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