A New Era Begins

And by new I don't necessarily mean better. I have not spoken to the Woman nor let her touch my person since Jack was whisked away before my very eyes. AND, oh the infamy! They used the beauteous PrimRose as a femme fatale, her mere presence distracting both Jack and self so we couldn't think straight.

Herself has felt his absence keenly as well but there will be no detente any time soon. It's all very well going around looking downcast and sniffling occasionally but honestly, I'm the one who has suffered the greatest loss and she knows it. In protest, I refuse to even look at my hot dinner until she has vacated the barn. I am certainly not accepting bribes in any form even if fed by hand.

Last night I nearly softened my stance - nearly - but managed to remain aloof. She stood next to me in my room and draped her arms around my neck. She launched into a long speech about how wonderful I have been with Jack and what a good friend and how caring etc. I felt compelled to bend one ear to her ramblings. And she may be right. I knew when Jack was cold so I would press my side close into his to keep him warm through his blanket, I know he sometimes gets confused so I would lead him into his room and show him his hot dinner and, not touching it, quietly slide into my own room. I know he has trouble seeing sometimes so I always went ahead and told him what to expect. I went first with the foot man so he would understand that it was not an unpleasant experience. And I always let him win our "rasslin" matches. I had no idea that Herself had noticed any of this. She is not known for her powers of observation (she once tried to put a young masked bandit in the motor vehicle, mistaking it for our tabby cat).

She told me his needs have grown greater recently and that it will take more than one set of human hands to see to them. Honestly, couldn't she just have hired a team of Jack minders? I admit, the idea of him being in a toasty warm room last night when the temperature plunged off the bottom of the thermometer gives me a warm feeling deep inside (not my exterior - the barn could be an ice storage facility these days). But why couldn't we have both simply moved into the house here? She's incapable of seeing the obvious solution.

She reiterated that I was a stellar donkey and begged my forgiveness. It's a start but I am still debating accepting a Stud Muffin directly from her traitorous hand. Meanwhile, Molly's reaction has been to smother me with even more slobbery affection. She insists on pinning me against a wall and washing me thoroughly. Needless to say, like Sally, I have frozen spikes down my back that Herself refers to as the donkey/dinosaur look. Women. Pahh.

I hear that Jack is adjusting very well which makes me happy but it will be a good long while before I stop sensing his presence beside me. I fervently hope they aren't thinking of sending that young hooligan TJ back here...