more updates...

Not much to report here... still plugging along with the to-do list. We went to a briefing this morning at the family services building on Tim's base. A few new pieces of information, but not much. To ease my discouragement at the seeming waste of time (and effort - 3 kids and one semi-grouchy wife, fed and nicely dressed out the door at 7:30 am, 19 degrees, frost on the car, rush hour traffic into DC), Tim pointed out that, hey, if we already knew most of what they had to tell us, we must be doing alright.
We are still working on the dog situation. One thing that we found out this morning is that, until our airline tickets are printed, we can change the itinerary as may times as we need to in order to get it right for our situation. At their suggestion, we are looking at a different airline (not ANA) to take him from Osaka Kansai to Naha Airport in Okinawa. The trouble now is that they are telling us he would have to stay in Osaka in quarantine for 12 hours before connecting to Okinawa. We also found out that everyone arrives on the island between 7pm and 10 or 11 pm. There is just no getting around that.
It is interesting to note that the social climate in Okinawa is not at its best right now. The entire military community is in a base ordered lockdown as a result of some poor decisions by a few American military servicemembers. As of now, it is indefinite, which is something, not scary, but hmmmm... interesting to think about.
You can read more about this from these news links.

Japan Update

U.S. orders total lockdown of troops

it's always something...

So upon reading that there is an option for the dog to undergo an on-base, in-home quarantine in Japan, we had our flights adjusted to accommodate the dog joining us (all legs of the journey need to be under 12 hours). Only to find out that All Nippon Airlines (our final leg from Osaka to Naha) has a crate size restriction of 19" width. Doesn't sound so narrow, right? Well, crates for sale on the internet which state this width, are about the same for height, and Nigel is 22" at the shoulder. So we are back to where we started... oh wait, no were not.
We now have an 9 hour layover - 12 am until 845 am in LA and have to change planes in San Fransisco, as well as Dulles, LA, and Osaka, before finally arriving in Naha at 9 pm - Okinawa time, mind you - which will actually be 11 oclock in the morning for our happy band of travelers.

It's an adventure. It's adventure. It's an adventure.


Besides this news about the dog, there is also the news that the overseas suitability screenings office is backed up until March 23. There are roughly 500 things to be done, and some have to occur in a certain order. These appointments could not be scheduled until some other form had been printed, and they have to be completed 30 days in advance of detachment.

So I revert to my DGF's sage advice. Breathe in... breathe out... take a sip of wine. Repeat.

And the good news is: even if it isn't an appropriate time to pour a glass here, it probably is over there!

While I know others are struggling through their troubles this Christmas, we are having our own issues with the loss of our Moses. We aren't moping around the house crying all day and night, but there is a heaviness about the place. I went into the kids' room last night to help Simon settle himself. I told him to face the wall so he could see Moses (Tim had taped a picture of the cat up above each bed). I was really looking for something for Simon to focus on so he would stop talking to Chas and Mia and go to sleep. He burst into tears, and said he prayed to God that he wished Moses was still alive. And he didn't even get to see Moses; he really wanted to see him Friday night after we discovered him. Simon is such a sweet soul. I remember once he stood in the kitchen and cried because Moses was in the backyard crying to come inside and I didn't immediately go open the door for him. 'Mosey's my best friend and you're leaving him out there!' I think the deadbolt was on, the boys couldn't open the door on their own. Simon used to get down on the floor and show Moses pictures he had drawn, and he was always first to volunteer to fill Moses' food bowl. When Simon asked to see Moses, I was going to let him, but Tim didn't think it would be a good idea. I thought it wouldn't really hurt but might offer Simon some closure. It's done now, Moses is in the ground with dahlia bulbs over top awaiting the warm Spring. We set a small amount of the same bulbs to the side, we'll put them in the ground at the new place. We have talked with the kids about getting another cat when we get to the new place in Virginia. We'll have to see.
In the meantime, Nigel is doing his best to fill the space. His coat is getting so long that it is falling to the sides naturally leaving a part on his back. At the part, you can see the difference between the undercoat, soft and light, and the overcoat now, coarse and peppery. The fur on his head, though, still makes an Einstein-ian explosion, which is quite adorable. We also weighed him at the PetSmart and it appears he has gained some weight since coming home in September. He likes to bury his treats lately. He rarely eats them, but instead, wanders the house whimpering and searching. So far he has buried treats in the couch cushions and in baskets of toys. And if he cons me into letting him outside (sometimes you can't see beneath the beard if he has something in his mouth,) he makes a mess of his beard as he noses the dirt over to fill the hole. Nigel is a happy and mostly balanced member of our family.