It took two months after crossing back into Canada to complete the process. It's incredible how much paperwork and due diligence is required to return to your own home country. This is what I had to do:

Months before departing for Canada
• Obtain Canadian Passport (applied for in person at a Canadian Passport Service Center in Laval which included showing my original Canadian birth certificate as proof of citizenship).
• Interview potential movers (only two were recommended for international moves)
• Call Social Insurance Registry to reactivate Social Insurance Number
• Create a My Service Canada Account
• Phone online financial service, government, etc. that uses 2FA and to continue to get access once back in Canada.
• Get a letter from State Farm that indicates the length of time with no "at fault" claims for me.
• Get a letter from Colorado Motor Vehicle department indicating driver's license history with them (length of time licensed, clean record, class of license, etc.)
• Obtain all health records for myself and my dog
• Obtain rabies certificate for my dog
• Get extra supply of prescription medicine from doctor
• Fill BSF186 customs declaration form for all my possessions that I'd bring with me for the long drive to Montreal and also what the movers would deliver (https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publica.....bsf186-eng.pdf
• Fill Registry for Imported Vehicles (RIV) form for importing my personal car into Canada (https://www.riv.ca/OnlineForms/Home/Landing )

At the border crossing (11 February 2025), I showed my Nexus Card and Passport and declared my intention to repatriate myself upon which I was directed to park my car and go inside the customs office where I presented all my forms. I was required to pay 5% duty on the value beyond 10 000$ for any individual item I was declaring. Fortunately, there was only my car, whose kbb.ca estimated value was about 11 200$. So I paid 5% tax on 1200$.

After that, I drove on to Longueuil, QC where I had booked AirBnB accommodations through the end of March.
Then the next phase of my repatriation began. With my Canadian passport being my only valid Canadian piece of identity, I went through the following steps:

• Opened a Canadian dollar checking account at the local bank, and applied for a Canadian dollar credit card
• Set up an account with OFX.com and WISE.com for converting my IRA distributions from US dollars into Canadian dollars (at near market rate and much better than any bank or credit union).
• Registered with the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) to qualify for the provincial universal health care (coverage will become effective 1 May, after three months residency in Québec)
• Took my car to a Canadian Tire automotive center to submit it for federal vehicle inspection to certify it as compliant to Canadian vehicle laws
• Took my car to different place for submit it for provincial vehicle inspection to certify it as compliant to Québec vehicle laws
• Went to the SAAQ (Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec) to register my car and get my Québec license plate
• Applied for auto insurance in Québec (and cancelled my auto insurance in the United States).
• Met with my realtor in the Montréal area to begin house hunting while also keeping tabs with my other realtor in Littleton, Colorado who was selling my old home there
• Found a house to buy in Pointe-des-Cascades just as I accepted an above-asking-price offer from a buyer in Colorado
• Applied for a mortgage for the new house (this was tricky as my credit profile in Canada was a complete blank), and secured the loan
• Went to the Canadian Border Services Agency main office in downtown Montréal with Form BSF186 to clear my possessions that were at the mover's warehouse in Montréal. Delivered the CBSA form clearing my possessions to the movers.
• Made arrangements for the movers to deliver my things on 31 March, three days after officially finalizing the purchase of my new home with the notary.
• With a new permanent address, I went back to the SAAQ office with my official Colorado driving record as proof of experience that would allow me to exchange my Colorado drivers license for a Québec drivers license.

I received my new driver's license in the mail this past week, two months after crossing the border, and thus completing my repatriation. I'm still unpacking things and setting up my new home, and still have much to do, though I did register myself as an elector for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

But to any other fellow Canadians out there looking to return to Canada, I highly recommend reviewing the information on this website: https://kurucz.ca/expatrepat/index.html
The information provided proved to be invaluable in preparing me for transitioning to this new phase in my life.

After having lived away for many years, I am at last back in Canada. And because of VRChat, I have already made many friends here in the local furry community even before spending my first night as a repatriated Canadian in Longueuil, Quebec.

Furnal Equinox - Toronto - March (if I can find someone to roomshare with at the main hotel)
Furcationland - Portland (Maine) - April (under consideration)
Calfurry - Calgary - May
Anthrocon - Pittsburgh - July (someone will have to give me reason to attend)
Fur-Eh! - Edmonton - July
CanFURence - Ottawa - August

The first American election I witnessed was when Ronald Reagan become president in 1980. Even up until 2016, election campaigns had been civil and generally free from hatred and violence. That changed on 15 January 2021 and seems to be getting worse. I was deeply disturbed by this past election. Never have I seen such vitriol and hatred to that extent

I have never seen so many "Fuck Joe Biden" quotes and even some "Fuck Trump" quotes. Civility has gone out the window. Whatever happened to the notion that people can "agree to disagree" instead of threatening to punch someone for not agreeing with you? If you want no better example of civility between opposing views, you need not look any further than former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton: a Republican and a Democrat and they are friends!

This past election was without precedent. I have never witnessed a political party turn against its sitting president just because he did poorly during a debate (I understand he was still recovering from COVID) or have two assassination attempts against an opposing candidate. There were also other acts of violence as well (i.e. the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband and threats against election workers). I do not recall ever seeing such negative vilifying of opposing candidates. And the presidential debates have become a pathetic joke and a disgrace.

I think one big reason for the current political atmosphere is social media. Originally created with the intent of bringing people together, it has had the unintended opposite effect. When I talk with someone who has opposing political views from my own, they seem to live in a completely separate reality. If any of you who have access to Netflix have not seen this, I highly recommend watching "The Social Dilemma" which first aired in 2020. It was a real eye opener.

It brought to my attention that podcasts, twitter posts, news media sites, etc. can be politically very biased. If you are right-leaning, you probably enjoy watching Fox News. If you are left-leaning, your favorite news source is probably MSNBC. These and other similar sources of information cater to their respective audiences and will continue to feed them what they want to hear without giving them a fresh perspective. What they broadcast is also often outright false or misleading.

It is why I've learned to avoid such sources of information. I did find a few websites that report on the level of news bias and reliability, such as https://adfontesmedia.com/ and I'm quite sure there are more such websites. It helped me find the most reliable, least bias sources of information that look at an issue from all sides.

I am pessimistic about the political stability of this country in the years to come. Unless people catch on that they are being blinkered into narrow political views that vilify any who do not agree with them, things are going to get worse. One must learn to fact-check whatever one reads and not accept everything at face value.

I have been a practicing mechanical engineer for over 29 years, 25 years of which were in the aerospace industry. This included the last 13 years of the Space Shuttle Program and now over 10 years here in Littleton, Colorado working in the Artemis Program. But as exciting and interesting as it has been, I have grown weary of work and grown weary of living in the United States.

Things have grown crazy here. I am deeply disturbed by these mass shootings that seem to occur regularly to the point that they are commonplace. And lately, it seems like Canada is a good deal more politically stable than the United States. I cringe as to what will happen in the aftermath of this upcoming election with the vitriolic divisions in this country.

Then there is the cost of healthcare in this country. I've done the math. Universal health care, while not a perfect system, still makes cost of living in Canada less expensive than in the United States. Once I retire, I will have to buy my own insurance if I stay in the United States. It will cost me more in premiums and paying out of pocket for deductibles than would the higher taxes in Canada, even in Québec, which is the province with the highest taxes (but a very low cost of living, even with GST and PST). Quality of living is also better there and property is less expensive in Québec.

I miss being in Canada, and I miss my family there. I have for almost every year visited them, except during the pandemic. I don't think I ever emotionally recovered from the isolation of that year when the Canadian border was closed. I find myself frequently browsing through Realtor.ca and Centris.ca for nice homes along the St Lawrence River between Québec and Montréal. So last year, I decided the time was near. As a first step towards repatriation, I applied for and received my Canadian passport.

But it really all began in 1996, when I sat in on a presentation by financial advisors and learned that living on social security alone will leave you at close to the poverty level. It was an eye opener for me and I immediately began to prepare for this moment that will soon be upon me by opening that first IRA.

And now, the time has come. Last Tuesday, 22 October 2024, I notified my company of my intention to retire. My last day with Lockheed Martin will be 30 January 2025. I am interviewing movers now, and have already selected a realtor who will help me sell my home here in the Columbine Hills. Sometime in early February of next year, the movers will come and pack all my things away, and I will make the long drive from Littleton, Colorado, United States to Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Once in the Montréal area, I will find a place to rent and over the next six to twelve months explore the surrounding neighborhoods and find some nice home to buy to settle down in and begin vacationing 365 days a year, camping, traveling, attending fur meets, and going to furry conventions (Furnal Equinox will be my next fur con, since Toronto will be only a 5-hour drive away).

I will be in New Zealand from the 20th of March to the 10th of April next year. My itinerary will be as follows:

Queenstown - 20th to 24th of March
Franz Josef - 24th to 27th of March
Greymouth - 27th of March (to catch the TransAlpine Train to Christchurch)
Christchurch - 27th to 31st of March
Wellington - 31st of March to 3rd of April (my birthday)
Cambridge - 3rd to 7th of April
Auckland - 7th to 10th of April

If any New Zealand fur happens to be along my itinerary and would like meet up between sightseeing tours, let me know.

I will be in Australia from the 20th of September to the 12th of October this year. My itinerary will be as follows:

Sydney, New South Wales - 20th to 23rd of September
Hobart, Tasmania - 23rd to 28th of September
Melbourne, Victoria - 28th of September to 2nd of October
Adelaide, South Australia - 2nd to 6th of October
Thala Beach (between Cairns and Port Douglas), Queensland - 6th to 11th of October
Sydney - night of the 11th prior to return flight to Denver, via Los Angeles

If any Australian fur happens to be along my itinerary and would like meet up between sightseeing tours, let me know.

This past week has been a memorable one for me. Last Saturday at the Wings over the Rockies museum, I saw a presentation by Harrison Schmitt, who walked on the Moon on Apollo 17. He was the only scientist (geologist) astronaut to do so since the 11 others were all military pilots. I also saw this past Wednesday a movie about the Apollo 11 mission: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8760684/


While I did not see these people myself, I had heard that there were a bunch of protesters at the front of the museum denouncing the moon landings as a hoax. This tweet I posted yesterday says it quite plainly what I think of such moronic people: https://twitter.com/MichelMephit/st.....77497651453953

As part of a two-week vacation visiting my brother at his home north of Montreal, I went on a road trip to visit family on my father's side. Our first stop was in La Tuque, Quebec, where I visited my uncle. If there's anybody I'd want to emulate when it comes to clean, healthy living, it is him. He's incredibly healthy for someone who is 99 years old. Sharp of wit and engaging, he hasn't touched alcohol in 61 years (alcoholic), and only started developing arthritis this past year. My brother and I are already talking about a family reunion when he turns 100 next year. I also had the pleasure of visiting a cousin in Jonquière who's 69 and also the picture of health.

Then there are my three nephews, sons of my widowed sister-in-law.

Two years ago, I disowned them when the oldest proved to be nothing but a deadbeat and all three were excessively obese and showing no redeeming behavior: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7556173/

This past week, I stopped to visit my sister-in-law and her three sons. I had heard of the state that they had let themselves degenerate into, and it is as bad as I had feared. They do not know that I had originally included them in my will, and will now most likely be forever disowned.

The youngest is 21 years old, the oldest is over thirty. All three are utterly lazy and make no effort to help their mother around the house. They have no motivation whatsoever to make something of themselves. To top it off, they are morbidly obese, each weighing well over 300 lbs and are complete, utter slobs.

The youngest even had to have his gal bladder removed! Kind-heated as my sister-in-law is, I'm afraid she's partly responsible in that she mothers and feeds her sons too much. Lasagna, muffins, and bread should not be part of their diet. Though they are half my age, it is very likely I'll outlive them.

I pray that they will see and understand that they are heading for a sad end if they do not change their ways.

It was 15 years ago today that everything changed. I was visiting my mother that Saturday when I got the news that the crew of STS-107 had been lost when their ship, Columbia (OV-102) broke apart over 200,000 feet over Texas still going 12,000 mph.

I was devastated. As part of the KSC workforce at the time, we get to know many of these astronauts. So for us, we took the loss personally. The following Monday was a tearful return to work. That Friday, I would with several thousand others attend the memorial at the Shuttle Landing Facility on the spot where Columbia would have touched down had they made it home safely.

In the following months, I, along with my colleagues, did our small part in the accident investigation. The culmination was the Columbia Accident Investigation Report:

https://www.nasa.gov/columbia/home/CAIB_Vol1.html

I would see Columbia one last time, on 26 April 2010, when I visited the Columbia Room, on the 16th floor of Tower A, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC. Inside this room is where the 38% of wreckage of Columbia found has been enshrined. Even to this day, pieces are found in the back country of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, bringing it up to a total of 40%. Pictures weren't allowed, except for one set of official photos:

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-020104a.html


In the years following the accident, we would continue flying Space Shuttles, but the ball had been set in motion. One of the recommendations of the CAIB was that the Space Shuttles should be retired, as they were aging and based on 1970s technology, and that a replacement should be developed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, previous attempts to develop a vehicle to replace the Space Shuttles were partially completed and then cancelled by a short-sighted Congress. This was also a failure pointed out in the CAIB.

The result was that when the last Space Shuttle (Atlantis) landed on 21 July 2011, American astronauts had no means of getting back into space to the International Space Station except by Russian Soyuz spacecrafts. I and thousands of others were laid off the following day.

Fifteen years later, I am again working on manned spaceflight. It has been three years since I was hired by Lockheed Martin and am now doing my part in developing the Orion Spacecraft, which will hopefully be taking astronauts beyond low Earth orbit and into Deep Space, which is something that has not been done since Apollo 17 in 1972.

I am truly disgusted with what has happened this past week, and the intolerance and judgemental attitude of some in the furry community.

I first became aware of the Furry Raiders sometime last year. I was at a local fur meet when I noticed a few members wearing that red armband with the paw in the middle. I really didn't think much of it and just continued focusing on enjoying myself. It was sometime after that I heard people complain about said armband and how Foxler was a Nazi.

I did see some pictures of Foxler in fursuit, wearing a brown shirt and tie, with the red armband and paw, which was suggestive of the Hitler Youth of the 1930s and 1940s, and heard of how his name could be construed as Fox + Hitler = Foxler.

SO WHAT! WHO GIVES A FUCK! I personally have not witnessed anything that suggests he actually believes in the crap promoted by the actual Nazi movement, but even if he and the Furry Raiders do subscribe to that bigoted movement, I wouldn't give a fuck!

This country's First Amendment states that everyone has a right to express their own opinion. That means that if you truly believe in what that stands for, you must stand back and let people say things that will truly get your blood boiling and not do anything to prevent them, as long as they do not advocate violence against others.

That includes Nazis, the KKK, Holocaust Deniers, Moon Landing Hoax proponents (which I personally find offensive), members of the Flat Earth Society, etc.

Personally, the one big thing I have against the Furry Raiders was their commandeering of 25% of the RMFC Room Block last year before it was even open for the rest of us, possibly with help from within the RMFC Staff. That felt like an "us vs. them" move that did a great deal of harm to the convention. Aside from that, I had a great time at RMFC last year, and didn't see any Nazi and/or Furry Raider activities or anything else potentially offensive, and was looking forward to attending another RMFC this year.

Then early this week, before I even realized that it happened (because I was at work at the time and do not avidly follow twitter all the time), RMFC gets killed. Why? Because intolerant, judgmental people ON BOTH SIDES of this fuck-up threatened violence against each other and some idiot threw in some ridiculous pseudo-legal letter threatening one side of this that made matters only worse.

I am truly disgusted with the local furry community and this fucking shit storm. Personally, I have to say that 2, the Ranting Griffon said it the best in his latest rant: https://youtu.be/XYS55QQM6GE

Now, I have no local con to attend. At least, I still have Megaplex, even though it is not a local con to me anymore.

I just found out that two days ago, Eugene Cernan, commander of Apollo 17, died.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Cernan, along with Frank Borman and James Lovell, at an event 8 years ago celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission, which he presided over.

Of all the Apollo moon walkers, he was my favorite. His was the mission where they got to do the most. He and Jack Schmitt were there three whole days on the moon (versus the few short hours Armstrong and Aldrin had), driving the rover farther than anybody else, exploring some of the most interesting areas on the moon yet seen by humans.

I am truly saddened by his passing, and I'm also sad that of the 12 moon walkers we now have, only six that are still with us. I just hope that some of them will live to see Humanity's return to deep space four years from now on the Orion spacecraft.

I really dislike such people. Prior to moving to Colorado, I had a furry roommate once, who came to stay with me, promising that he had a job waiting for him. After 2-1/2 months with me, he still didn't work and just stayed home playing computer games. I later learned that he had been evicted by the previous fur for not paying rent for a whole fucking year. This deadbeat even had the gal to try and buy a fursuit from someone else when he couldn't even pay the rent.

I have no tolerance for someone who makes no effort and just lives off of others, and will have no sympathy for such people if they end up on the streets, and that includes in my own family. I have a nephew who is over 30 years old, still lives with his mother, and does nothing at home except eat, sleep, and smoke pot. He also has two brothers that I fear will end up just like him. All are morbidly obese and do not seem to be motivated to do anything except depend on their mother for everything.

So I have made an appointment today with an estate planning lawyer and will be modifying my last will and testament to REMOVE them from my list of beneficiaries. As soon as the paperwork is done, they will officially be disowned.

I am very slow to pass judgement on anybody. Often, drama between groups is due to misunderstanding or preconceived notions, and I therefore prefer to remain neutral.

I first met members of this group at a furry social meet weeks ago. I saw the controversial arm band and was aware of some people linking it to the Nazis, but paid it no heed. People see what they want to see in any symbol.

I met another member of their group at Foxtrot this month. The arm band had now been turned into a sash worn around the waist. It actually was a rather nice sash and reminded me Eastern designs, now with their paw symbol in the middle. However the event organizers did not like it and forbade them to wear it at the meet, and that is their right.

In both occasions I remained polite and neutral with members of this group. However this polite neutrality is not an endorsement of their group, and I do not take kindly to them listing me as a trustee on their FA page. Until a friend on Twitter had alerted me to this, I did not even know they had done this.

It also doesn't help that their latest actions (booking 25% of the RMFC room block) have become rather divisive in the Furry Community. I refuse to be embroiled in this drama, and have politely asked them to remove me from their trustee list.

I've wanted a realistic skunk fursuit since about 2003, and after a first failed attempt, I found a really good fursuit maker ( http://www.furaffinity.net/user/beetlecat/ ) to make one for me. After getting on her commission list a few years ago, my turn finally came earlier this year.

Now the day has finally come. Deanna has finished the fursuit and packed it in its Pelican Case (which I had previously purchased and shipped to her). I've sent her the final payment and also sent her a UPS shipping label through ParcelPro, which allowed me to insure it to its full value and have it shipped 2nd day air, all for a very reasonable price.

It will be shipped soon after Deanna is back home from the Holidays. I myself will be flying out this Monday to Montreal to visit family and not return until the 2nd of January.

My only regret is that neither of my pet skunks, Basil or Andy, lived to see the day. I would have so loved to do a "father and son" picture with one of them. I had even fancied the idea of entering myself and my pet skunk in the annual Skunk Show which I took Basil to while living in Florida. As it is, the distinctive markings on the chest, arms, and legs of the fursuit are patterned after the ones Basil had, making this fursuit a tribute to my first pet skunk.

I just returned from what was the best Megaplex experience ever. It went off to a really good start when I arrived Thursday night and KP showed me the "Wanted for Questioning" poster that was created for me. I had not even realized I'd be getting one. Apparently, it was because I was one of the first 20 super sponsors to pre-register. I did not like the art by Uchi and the captions by Blitz. I LOVED them! That alone made my entire weekend. I got my own copy of that poster and I'll be framing it and hanging it on my wall in my home.

The other special moment was the Care Presentation. Among the animals they had was a skunk, lavender in color, named Boo. It had been two and a half years since that terrible day where I cradled Andy's still form in my arms, howling my anguish. Boo was such a sweet-tempered skunk and so adorable. I had missed holding a skunk so much that those first moments when he was placed in my arms left me in tears. I gave Care a crisp $100 bill and they allowed me to hold Boo for the several hours that they were there, only handing him over to the occasional attendee who wanted to pose for pictures with him. He even gave me an affectionate nibble on the finger as I put him back in his carrier when it was time for Care to leave.

Aside form that, I had the pleasure of meeting up with many of my Florida friends whom I had not seen in a year, since Megaplex 2014. It was good to see them all, and I look forward to next year's Megaplex.

These last few months settling into my new home in Littleton, Colorado have been quite busy, but this past week, I finally had time to edit together all the video I took at Megaplex 2014 this past July. I'm quite pleased with how my Glidecam stabilizer worked, though I'll be needing more practice to get better.

I'm rather happy with how the fursuit parade video turned out too, with me walking backwards along with the parading fursuiters. I got some nice closeups of Uncle Kage in his pink bunny suit in the ball pen at the Funday Pawpet Show. The only tricky part was finding all the headless fursuiters I accidentally recorded on video in the ballroom right after the Parade, but I think I managed blur out the heads of all the ones who's faces were clearly visible when I edited the video.

http://archive.fursuit.me/view/Furr.....egaplex/MP2014

I've seen many skunk fursuits in person and online, and it irks me that none of them have got it right. The markings on a striped skunk all have the same basic pattern: a single, thin stripe down the bridge of the nose, not connected to any other white markings, the top and back of the head between the ears is all white extending into a single solid stripe down the neck, gradually widening until it splits into two diverging stripes from above the shoulder on back, widening into two wide bands that drape down the sides and extend onto the tail itself.

Granted that there is quite a bit of variation on this basic pattern, as can be seen in this picture:
http://michel-mephit.timduru.org/vi.....Skunks%202.jpg

but with a few exception, they all follow this aforementioned pattern. Basil did have one of the best-looking, classic markings, and won several ribbons for it at the skunk shows I took him to:
http://michel-mephit.timduru.org/vi.....s%20drawer.jpg
http://michel-mephit.timduru.org/vi.....0basil%201.jpg
http://michel-mephit.timduru.org/vi.....0basil%202.jpg

I just wish other skunk fursuits followed this basic pattern. Don't get me wrong, I am not in anyway putting down anybody's skunk fursuit. Many are quite cute and nice looking. It is just that to me, a skunk's stripes is one of it's most beautiful attributes, and something I am set to have myself once Beetlecat builds my skunk fursuit. This is the reference sheet I provided her showing the classing markings I love so much:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7773294

The additional markings on the arms and belly were inspired by Basil's unique markings: http://michel-mephit.timduru.org/vi.....%20stripes.jpg

It was a year ago this morning that I lost my son, Andy. I miss him. His death still haunts me at times. Burned into my memory was seeing him after he died, howling my anguish as I cradled his still form in my arms. I am still unable to bring myself to watch video of him that I uploaded to Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?li.....197145D5934BF2

I miss Basil too, though it's been 4-1/2 years since he died of lymphoma. I've found myself watching video of him lately. I love the ones Bungee Skunk took of him and uploaded to Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_rCgETrffs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esONo4Btn-c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ni2BfBUTHU

As a tribute to Basil, my skunk fursuit that Beetlecat will build for me later this year will have the same distinctive markings that Basil had: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7773294/

Earlier this month, I traveled to Cleveland, Ohio for a job interview and there's a strong possibility that they will hire me. If they do, it will mean that I would be once again living in a state where pet skunks are legal. I'm uncertain yet if I'll want another pet skunk, but if I do, it will not be until the summer next year.

I have to say that I am really pleased with my car and it's ability to handle the winter snow. It really came in handy when I made a road trip from Rochester, NY to Cleveland, OH right after New Year's Day, for a job interview.

I had to deliberately plow my car into the deep center median snow to avoid being part of an accident happening in front of me, and then I was able to power my way out of the deep snow and resume my trip:

http://youtu.be/e5Hi78y0LpE

I bought a new 2014 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited yesterday morning. Here are the pictures:

http://s177.photobucket.com/albums/.....phit/Car/2014/

I have accepted a job offer for a 6 to 12 month contract engineering position in Rochester, NY. I will be moving there towards the end of this month.

I may or may not move back to Florida, depending on possible job opportunities in this state, including a much hoped for job offer from NASA at the Kennedy Space Center.

I picked up Andy's cremated remains at the veterinarian here in Cocoa today. Holding his urn in my hands further drove home that my boy is truly gone. His urn will now sit beside Basil's in remembrance of two dearly loved pets that will be sorely missed.

I will not be getting another pet skunk anytime soon. Because I poured so much of my heart into each of them, their deaths have left me so devastated that I am unwilling to subject myself to such emotional anguish again, especially after losing both in such a short period of time.

Perhaps in a year or two, when things are more stable in my life, I'll consider being a parent to another one.

I was visiting friends in Davenport, FL this past weekend and had left my skunk Andy with the veterinarian for room and board, and would have picked him up yesterday morning.

I got a call Sunday evening from the veterinarian. She informed me that he is lethargic, and was bleeding from one side of his nose. A chest X-ray showed that one of his lungs was filled with fluids, suggesting internal bleeding, yet there is no evidence of trauma. She quickly found an "exotics" specialist in Tampa that could take him in for observation and do what was necessary to take care of him.

I picked up Andy at the veterinarian around 8:30 PM Sunday evening and made the drive across the state to Blue Pearl Veterinary Specialist in Tampa, Florida with Andy sleeping in the front passenger floor. He was lethargic all the way and seemed to be getting even more so in the last half-hour before I reached the veterinary hospital.

They took him in and put him in intensive care. I then stayed the night with Blazer Raccoon, hoping he would recover. I got a call from the hospital in the early hours this morning telling me that his condition was getting worse. His symptoms indicated exposure to rat poison. This past week, I had in fact found rat poison under the kitchen sink of the rental home I had just moved into a few weeks ago and had thrown it into the garbage. Looking back, I realize now that Andy had gotten a few bits of it before I could throw the poison out.

I made some calls to my contacts among skunk rescue societies in Florida and a skunk owner was found 15 minutes from the hospital in Tampa. Arrangements were to be made for a blood transfusion from the donor skunk to Andy and I was driving back from Blazer's house to the veterinary hospital to meet with the donor skunk's owner and be with Andy. I was 10 minutes away when I got the call. Andy had died of internal bleeding in the lungs before they could begin the transfusion. First Basil 3-1/2 years ago and now Andy. I have again lost my son.

http://michel-mephit.livejournal.com/95595.html