Cherokee's Memory Book, Chapter 3

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      Something else I liked was anything little and soft. Like any baby I liked putting things in my mouth. Sometimes someone dropped a sock out of the laundry or left a slipper on the floor. It would disappear. I would pick it up gently and take it out through my dog door. Then I'd dig a hole and bury it.
     When your daddy proposed to your mommy he gave her a diamond ring. They were sitting in our living room and they were so happy neither of them noticed when I sneaked into the room, picked the ring box up off the coffee table, and tiptoed outside with it. Later Becky looked and looked for the little box. She finally found it in the back yard, half-buried in dirt.
     Pretty soon when Grandma Jessica or Grandpa Rick lost anything, the first place they looked would be the back yard. They found all kinds of things out there--Teddy bears and scrunchies and handkerchiefs.
     The best time of the year was Christmas. There were always Santa hats and cloth-covered decorations stuffed with cotton and Christmas stockings. All the little toys and dolls on the Christmas tree as high as I could reach and pieces of the Christmas puzzle.
Most of the time I could sneak these things  through my dog door when no one was looking. That was lots of fun.
     When Grandma caught me she would say, "Give" and hold out her hand. I would gently let go of my prize so she could take it and put it back where it belonged.

    I also liked to steal food whenever I got the chance. I figured if it was down on my level it was supposed to be for me and if it wasn't on my level I could always stand on my hind legs and then it was on my level or I was on its level and then it was for me. 

     Ben was especially helpful because he would put a plate of food by the couch and leave it there while he checked on his laundry or watched TV.

I got lots of treats that way. At Christmas, I could usually find his mug of eggnog and finish it off for him. (Katherine, while reading this to me: "Mommy, you've gotta see this picture! It's hilarious!")
     One day day Grandma and Grandpa left some slices of bread on the kitchen counter.
     They wanted the bread to dry out a little so it would make good French toast. But the bread kept disappearing. Grandma thought Grandpa had taken it, although she couldn't understand why. So she put out some more. That disappeared, too. Grandpa thought that Grandma had taken it though he didn't understand why so he put out more. I ate almost a whole loaf of bread before they compared notes with each other!

     Here I am right before the New Year's party trying to figure out how to get the sandwiches and cookies down to my level.


Today I am thankful for parties.


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