Hoocher has adapted to city life, just fine, thank you. He’s selected two sofas and a chair as nice places to sleep, and he’s marked his way around the block. He’s guest of the Professor and Green Goddess—as are the Senator and Governor—while the Chairman and VP party it up with the Chairman’s soccer team.
Hoocher’s probably the easiest dog to live with temporarily who ever has mooched a treat in the house. He defines cool; Ms. Chairman, you ought to get him a pair of sunglasses. Nothing perturbs Hoocher. He had a how-do-you-do with a Visalia visiting across the street with the aplomb of a duke at high tea. Can’t wait to introduce him to the U.K. couple who live down the block. Instead of Hoocher, you should have called this dog James … James Bond.
Hoocher has the taste buds of a duke as well as royal manners. Milk bones are beneath him, literally; stick one in his mouth, and he’ll drop it on the floor, between his legs. Beef Jerky, well, that’s another story. He’ll inhale a beef strip, but without any noticeable slurp or gulp.
The Senator and Governor are behaving as well as the dog, which is routine when they’re at our house. In fact, the Senator even helped with housekeeping today. He took a broom to the kitchen floor. “I swept everything under the refrigerator,” he said proudly. As for the Governor, he became intellectually involved with an “Ed, Ed and Eddie” cartoon festival on TV. When the Governor burst out laughing once, he explained, “He said ‘applesauce.”
The four of us walked Hoocher around the block, 7/10th of a mile, tonight, which put the boys in a somnolent mood. The Governor was put to bed at 9 p.m. in a crib upstairs without a protest. We were going to let the Senator stay up a while longer, but he took himself to bed. Tears welled in his eyes, because, “I miss my mother.”
Saturday is going to be one of those days. With the two boys and a dog in residence, we’re also hosting a dinner party for ten people. It’s a cooperative event, with five couples each producing a dish, with the Green Goddess in charge of the main course—lamb. The house was in reasonable shape for this dinner, until the boys and dog arrived. Right now, the living room looks like the hand grenade range at Ft. Benning. The Chairman’s sister will be entertaining the boys from Saturday afternoon into the evening, so everything should go just fine.