It was late in a hitherto uneventful afternoon.
A shrill sound split the air at a pitch audible only to dogs and to humans age 24 and younger.
Suddenly, computer and TV monitors were swarmed by images of scary men in threatening poses.
The world placed its hopes in the only individual who could combat evil of this magnitude.
Wearing his lucky ID tag, he set out to vanquish the enemies unknown.
Ambushed by water
I may forgive, won't forget
The trees click their tongues.
So Caramello's gone missing. He went out the door last night and didn't come back. His family is very worried.
Gucci and I met at the bluffs to review some theories about Caramello's disappearance.
The alternatives are sobering.
Caramello could have fallen into a gully.
Or maybe he was kidnapped by a criminal mastermind --
In which case he could be hidden anywhere, even under our very noses.
Eventually, Gucci left to search elsewhere for Caramello. I continued to sleuth on my own.
Come back, Caramello!
There's a beautiful flower that I like to visit at the bluffs.
It has been a launching pad for some of my most important investigative work.
It has also crossed my mind that if I were to position myself strategically I could use this flower and its foliage as part of a disguise to render me scary and warriorlike, as the elephants did when fighting the rhinoceri in Babar's Travels.
Just a thought.
Dolce's uncle paid her a holiday visit. He thoughtfully paid attention as well to those of us who didn't have any visiting relatives.
But when I got home I was beset with the blues. Why didn't I have any relatives visiting?
Too bad my relatives live on the other side of the continent.
There has been a lot of terrible medical news in my circle recently. So I am pleased to at least allay concerns in one tiny area. My recent lab tests revealed good results: a very good general blood panel, normal liver enzymes, and a phenobarbital level that was actually a little on the low side, which means there's lots of room to increase the dosage should that ever be necessary.
So my health is one less thing for my associates to have to think about.
If you want to, though, you to can always worry about my weight: 17 pounds, 7 ounces. Remember, however, that a good portion of that -- at least 5 to 10 pounds, I'd estimate -- is attributable to my luxuriant fur.
I got to work right away on some of my New Year's resolutions -- specifically, those dealing with exercise and excretion.
First, I took a very long walk with my associates Buddy and Killer. By the end we were exhausted, especially me.
I took a few hours to rest.
Then I undertook learning how to use the doggie door.
It was fairly pleasant. My training team had taped up one piece of the airlock door, so I only had to go through one layer of plastic.
I had a lot of encouragement from my trainers, and they arranged for me to enjoy delicious treats on the other side.
I was a heroic and outstanding student, if I do say so myself.
So far, though, this is just an agreeable pastime involving intermittent reinforcement. I have not yet reached a Helen Keller-"W-A-T-E-R"-type epiphany where I catch on that I should run out this door when I need to void my bowels. Perhaps that will come later. Or maybe not. It's not an easy connection to make.
Things are looking grim for Thomas' computer. He cracked the screen a few days ago, and ordered a new one from eBay.
Today Charlie got out his tools to install the replacement screen and carefully, taking hours, took everything apart, only to learn that that we'd been sent the wrong screen, which won't work with Thomas' computer. Then, while he was putting the computer back together, he dropped a screw into the computer's headphone jack. He and Thomas tried everything, but they couldn't get it out.
While Charlie worked on a communication to the eBay seller, Thomas took a quick nap on the sofa.
Perceiving that they were both dejected, I tried to lend support.
I wished I could do more. Why couldn't I be a helpful techie when my brothers needed me most?
It's terrible to feel impotent to stop the suffering of those you love.
