The Summer That Got Away

I'm back.

I wish I were back from an exciting adventure or an exotic locale. Instead, I was always physically here, but mentally elsewhere. I had prioritized and was pre-occupied by other things.

It's hard to believe it's been over two months since my last post. I hadn't intended to desert the blog or go on a hiatus. I thought it was a fluke. But looking over previous posts, it's not new this year to allow a long time between posts. It just hasn't been this long.

The summer hasn't been a good one. It seems as if we've been in a heat wave for a full two months. We're in a mini-two-day heatwave now.

In the midst of one of the hottest, most humid periods, we were hunting Lola. She ran off from Jeff at Taylor Farm. Hours of efforts by five people could not dislodge her from an area of deep brush.We spent a full day at the park after she went missing. Then we went every day afterward. We posted signs all around the park, went door-to-door and posted online.

I got a phone call six days later; Someone had seen her running across the field. When he called her name, she ran into the woods. We got to the park as fast as we could. I spotted her as I stood on a boulder. She was about three yards below us. Jeff climbed down; it took about 15 minutes before she got close enough for Jeff to give her water and put a leash on her.

Lola was weak; she could hardly stand. She must have used her last bit of strength and adrenaline to run across the field. Jeff carried her to the car and we immediately took her to the vets. She checked out fine.

Since then she seems to appreciate us more. Lola's more loving and social.

I think (hope) her instinct will never be to run off again.