What's been up

We've been doing alright. Lea and I miss Roscoe, but she's been asking for him less and less. Such is the loyalty of a two year old, right? A German police officer came by the other day to ticket us because it turns out the man did want to press charges. Upon finding out that we no longer have him, the police officer left without giving us a citation. It made me feel a little better about the way things went.
We've been working in the garden every chance we get. I have made three new beds and extended another. Poor Miles did something terrible to his lower back while weeding. We've planted tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, several types of peppers, lavender, strawberries, raspberries, and a few shrubs. I planted mint and mushroom rosemary last year and they both conspired and took over an entire bed this spring! We FINALLY finished Lea's playhouse and bought her a little slide.
I'm trying to get a referral to a neurologist because of these daily killer headaches that I'm getting. I think they're migraines because they feel like pressure and my vision is doing some crazy things (straight lines twitching, blind spots, light flashes, etc). They're getting to the point where I have trouble functioning during their peak hour (around noon or 1) so I'm caving and getting an appointment. I am just hesitant to go because. . . well, I hate going to the doctors. It seems like I never get out of there without an extended hospital stay.
I've been walking a lot. We have these amazing woods that start two blocks away from our house and with the weather as nice as it's been, I can't get enough of them. It's a good thing that Lea's a tomboy and that Noah likes his baby sling because we've been having a blast tromping around.
Lastly, I am going to start selling Pampered Chef. Starting up was too good a deal to pass by and there are no obligations involved. On top of that, I love to cook and I love their stuff. I'm probably only going to do like one party every month or two, but I plan on having fun. If it doesn't work out, I still got $500 worth of cooking supplies for $150. Yay!

bye, friend

Last week, I had brought Roscoe outside to brush him because he was blowing his coat with the onset of spring. I had him by the scruff with his collar off so that I could brush there, too. He saw something that caught his eye, twisted away from me, and took off down the street. I grabbed his leash in the usual ruse that sometimes works in getting him back. He sees the leash and thinks it's walk time! Anyways, it didn't work and he foiled any and all attempts to get him. I went back into the house and fed Noah because Ros usually comes back after his tour de neighborhood (and the boy was hungry), but I had a bad feeling and sent Miles out to look again. I soon got a call from him saying that Ros was across the street. As I got up to look out the window, I saw a little girl riding bikes with her dad. Then I heard snarling. I got outside just in time to see Roscoe knock the girl's bike over and jump at her. The man kicked him away and Ros attached to his shoe. When he saw Miles coming, Roscoe ran back down the street. Miles left me to chase after him, and the man chewed me out, screaming "hund kaput" and motioning to where Ros had knocked down the girl and bitten his shoe.
I have mentioned a few times that something like this was a worst nightmare concerning Roscoe. According to German law, a dog that even bites clothing should be put down. We could have been sued by that girl's family (even though she wasn't physically hurt) for emotional damages. The man would have been within his rights to call the polizei. Miles could lose rank.
I found a shelter that is not only no kill, but that doesn't accept dogs once it's reached capacity, meaning they never transfer animals. I had to pay them a few hundred dollars to get Ros in there, but I think it was the best I could do for him. Glossing over what happened, I told them that he could be very aggressive and that he should go only to experienced pet owners. He has his own kennel which is huge and is indoor/outdoor. He'll be walked every day and let into a yard for two hours a day. They also put their dogs through obedience training before they go to new homes. It was the best that I could do for my old friend because we absolutely couldn't keep him any longer. Miles and I have has this argument for long enough and I knew it was time for me to let it go.
I feel like maybe I am bad at training dogs. I've housebroken quite a few dogs, and I am good at teaching them basic commands, but I think that a better trainer would have been able to do something with Roscoe. I feel like a failure and I miss my dog. I have had him for five years and I base entire periods of my life on our time together. Of my two years in DC, he is what I think of because he was where I focused all of my energy. When Miles was deployed, Roscoe rode shotgun wherever I went. Each time I was pregnant, it was Roscoe who curled up against my stomach. He is in a vast majority of family photos. I can't even look at them right now.