Glimpses

There's just too much that I haven't been reporting to catch up on, but here's a little glimpse into our lives *today*.

Roscoe - sweet, rascally Roscoe - got out of the yard last week. He was gone all day - about 10 hours. The stress was palpable. During that time, I thought I'd lost Madison and Lillian - who were riding around the neighborhood on their bikes, searching. . . Everything came into perspective when I switched yelling Roscoe's name and started screaming for the girls. . . of course, they were OK, but reality set in that we might not get our sweet dog back. We finally got a call from a Vet clinic much farther away than I can imagine him traveling. . .

I'm sad to say, that our *sweet* dog never came back. Oh, Roscoe came back. . . but he's a changed dog! He must have found himself a sweet girl dog - because his motivations have completely changed. Since we got him back, he's marking his territory inside the house, he's barking (he used to bark VERY selectively!), and he BOLTS if he finds an opening anywhere. Since that first day gone, he's gone missing almost every day. We've found him ourselves each time until last night - when he was brought again to a nearby vet's office. This morning, he got out twice by 8:30. And this is with all fencing in tact - he's getting to be quite the creative escape artist! We now have him on a rope anytime he goes outside, but he hates it, and we know that life is really never going to be the same. Tomorrow, his life will change forever. We have an appointment booked that will hopefully stop his wanderlust. . . No posterity for Roscoe-boy, sadly. But, at least he will hopefully stay put and we can once again enjoy the girls' best friend. . .

Today we are packing up all clothes that we won't need over the next few weeks. We still don't have a date when we'll return to the US, but we're preparing so that when the call does come, we are able to pick up and leave as soon as we can. . . I've got several children who are quite upset about missing the last bit of school - especially Madison, who is missing her 5th grade ceremony and party, but I'm hopeful that we can make up for it by having a fun summer.

Milo's been working for his brother, Orrlan - doing electrical and other misc work. It's been amazing for us - such a blessing. And the girls are loving spending time with their cousins. We've got a few silver linings in this craziness that we're living out. . .