December Summary

This entire month, starting with Thanksgiving, like every year, actually, has been non-stop and hard to breathe. Every night has been meetings or parties. A few patrols, interviews, surveys.

Jack drove us all out into the sticks. To see family in the country. He has a grandma and some cousins that live on farms near Hutchinson, Kansas. Some of them I like. Some, I don't. Jack had to argue to get me into the house. Grandma said, "Dogs don't belong in no houses." Finally, she relented, with the edict that if she even saw me looking near the kitchen she would chain me up in the barn.

Jack and Sherry struggled to chit-chat with some of the relatives. Jack got into a political discussion with a cousin who ranted against city folks. He went off for ten full minutes about government bailouts and corporate welfare. When he stopped to take a breath and down a beer, Jack asked how much in farm subsidies had he taken in from the government in the past decade. Two veins immediately stood out on the guy's forehead. He would not answer. Jack smiled, said, "I reckon around $200,000. Am I close?" The guy made a growling sound even I had never heard before. "More?" said Jack. "Really? $300,000? Wow."

This did not make Jack popular. Several of the men were giving him evil looks. I was trying to figure how best I could back up Jack. But, we managed to get off the farm without incident or violence. Which is good. Because I so hate fratricide.

These past few weeks, most of December, I have been busier than a three-legged dog in a sled race.

Jack and Sherry are hosting a New Year's party this Thursday. They do nearly every year. It gets crazy. Interesting people, and interesting scents, show up.

It gets confusing for me. I have, in years past taken to shifting back and forth, for various reasons, from dog to man. Last year I avoided doing that altogether. I hung around, getting petted and handouts, retreating upstairs only three times to seek respite from the noise, but generally keeping an eye on things.

2 days before Xmas everyone was gone for most of the day. I took the opportunity to slip out and get some things done. Yes, shopping. But, other tasks. I was at the Oak Park Mall when a boy about 8 or 9 slammed into me. I was standing there, waiting on someone to show. He went down, unhurt, but started whining. I picked him up, said, "You're OK, little guy."

"Take your hands off him!" screamed a woman. His mother scuttled up and nearly ripped an arm out of a socket when when she yanked him away from me. She launched into a tirade, accusing me of attacking her little son. She started screaming for security.

The last thing I needed was a silly tangle with the law. It was getting late in the afternoon. I had to head home. I tried to talk to her, to calm her down, but her eyes were filled with crazy. Her scent was heavy with fear. When I saw 2 mall-cops running toward us I decided the time for tact was past.

I slipped away. The mall-cops were hot on my heels. I slipped into a large Xmas display and shifted. The looks on the faces of Tweetles Dee and Dum were priceless, nearly worth the hassle. I slipped out to the parking lot and shifted again. I made it home just before Jack and the boys.

They are all gone from the house most of today, returning and exchanging gifts and clothes, going to the gym. I think triples at The Peanut are on the agenda. (Triples are a BLT which The Peanut, a bar near here, is famous for.)

Jack's political ideas are very interesting. I don't quite grasp them all. Or him. Or humans in general.

Warin, Gorton, contact me about Thursday