More gastritis, more troubles.

Now to get back to the current arc, there are real-world problems that I have with it. Said problems are all related to a statement that I expect Lynn made at one point: "HUM!! The people who write me angry letters about how shabbily the Pattersons treat a cartoon dog are as baffling as the ones who think that Farley might die. Why do people feel sorry for him?"

The reason that I suspect that she said something along those lines is that seems likely that Lynn never really stopped to consider how people might react to the arc. This is probably an extension of what looks like a generalized inability to look at things through other people's eyes. In her mind, she's telling the story of a dog who got sick as the result of his being a what she thinks a dog is: a messy, stupid, shambling clown of an animal that can't be controlled but only reacted to. The idea that people might see this as the result of the bumbling of his long-suffering owners baffles her because of her default assumption that everyone thinks much like she does.