Murphy Doodle's Winter Day

this is the most fun day of my life

letty and jack played in the white grass with me and i ran and jumped and ran and jumped, i even chased a ball and a frisbee but it was not easy

letty did not want to stay out and play with me, she left me outside and i found a bone to chew on while i rested on the cold white grass, i wanted to bury the bone but the dirt under the white grass only let me scratch it, that was strange

then it was time to eat

"No, Murphy, it is not white grass it is called snow. Let's practice snow, listen to me.  Snow, want to play in the snow?"

i nodded my head, i like this new word snow, i hope i get to play in it again and again and again

after we ate lunch letty stood by a the hot hole in the wall with scary flames in it, I walked to the window and barked to go outside

she said, no murphy, it is cold outside, we were just out there playing frisbee and now i am cold and standing by the fireplace to warm up

no, i howled

then i begged jack to go outside, I like to sit on the couch so i can watch jack all day long, he loves to play ball, but now i want to go outside so i gave him my most pitiful look, 

even please didn't work

he took me outside but then he slipped away from me and went back inside by the fire in the wall place where letty stood, 

i can watch them from outside because i have a table to jump on top of and sit in the window

i like being outside when other dogs are nearby so we can bark at each other, over the fence where i can not see lives quinn, my friend, we get to bark a lot when quinn stays outside, he tells me about his neighbor winston who runs up and down the fence, like i do with penny, my dog friend, on the other side of the fence

Murphy and Quinn, an Australian Shepheard 

quinn used to come over and play with me, we loved to chase and roll each other, sometimes we would take naps together in the shade 

one day quinn did not bark at the fence

quinn is gone now, letty said they moved away, whatever that means, it means that they took my friend, i still bark for quinn everyday but he does not bark back

quinn, i will miss you

Murphy Doodle will be a year old on March 8. He came to live with us May 1, and we have laughed and played ever since. He has even learned to write a story about his life.  I originally named him Happy Dog before we picked him up and carried him home. Then he became Murphy Doodle, but I still call him Happy dog when I hug him.  Happy Birthday, Murphy.  

Meaningful Moments

November brings sunlight, migrating birds, and a chill in the air, and yet this glorious state of Oklahoma can find summer days in November. Next week we have planned golf tee times for four days out of five. It is refreshing to enjoy so much sunshine and warmth after the ice storm of October, that has left our landscaped scarred. The rising fear of COVID 19 once again has settled into our souls, and we are looking for chances to enjoy friendships in the sun. 

Taking time to breath and relax after chopping, pulling, tugging, and tossing tree limbs, Jack and I took a long walk over the hidden hill, up and down, breathing deeply and laughing when we tired so quickly. On the last hill upward and homeward bound we saw a giant 'kissing tree,' or at least I saw a giant  tree on the horizon filled with mistletoe the size of leaf bags. Needing a chance to slow our pace, I gently tugged on Jack's arm and pointed upwards. He looked at the mass of mistletoe and smiled saying, "I love you." I returned his smile but didn't budge.

Once again pointing upward I asked, "And what is the custom when standing under mistletoe?" Without another word he pulled me into his chest, covered my body with his arms, and planted a sloppy loving kiss on my lips. I just love being in love.

During this week when the world whirled with Presidential controversy, we said yes to babysitting a Goldendoodle puppy nearly four months old. No cliche of my mother's could describe the hysterical mayhem that existed in our quiet home for two and a half days. So innocent, little Miss June Bug appeared.

Her puppy energy flowed indoors and outdoors. Like we did with Lucy, we went outside with our puppy and played ball. It didn't last long because she discovered the torn tassels of the pampas grass broken and strewn all over our yard by the storms. Junie B, as I nicknamed her, carried the flowering tassels in her mouth and ran in a gallop back and forth across the yard. Tiny fluffs of pampas grass floated into the air like children blowing bubbles.

On day two I drove to PetCo and bought chew toys, and oh, did she ever love to tug, growl, and bit at anything that moved, including our feet and ankles. We never quit laughing.

On day three I attempted to sit in on a Zoom meeting. What was I thinking? I did my best to pay attention, but Junie B had other plans, like chew on a golf ball. Not good I tried to explain to her, then she found a squeaky toy that I keep for kids to play with, not good I explained and grabbed it from her.  At last she found a workout ball that she could chew, and occasionally found my sock and ankle to chew on. I lasted forty minutes on Zoom. I can't imagine the view my friends had of me as I continually dropped away from the computer screen to pull something out of the dog's mouth. 

That afternoon, I invited our neighbor to bring her six month old puppy over to play.  

Quinn, Australian Shepherd looks so regal on his footstool, but in action he runs like an Oklahoma dust storm in constant motion, never missing a swirl.  

Watching Junie B trying to run figure eights was a riot. Quickly, Junie B caught on that she would not be able to keep up the race, so she stood crosswise to the running dog and took the passing blows of Quinn, leaving both dogs to roll and tumble. For nearly an hour, Linda and I sat in lawn chairs watching the dogs play. For a moment, I thought back to the days when I sat in the park, a proud young mother watching her daughter play on the slides and swings. She was always a dare-devil in the spirit of play. 

Our minister called to check on us this week. It filled my heart with joy to hear his voice and concerns. I explained that even though we felt apprehensive with the coming months of indoor activity, we had managed to play more golf this summer than in the years when I felt younger. He wished he had an escape like golf.

Ironically, I have golfing friends who sometimes say things like; I am really not competitive, I just like to play golf with friends and be social. I just laugh, because I know that deep down inside each one of my golfing friends has a competitive streak. 

On a warm day this week, with only a hint of a breeze three of us teed off near the ten o'clock hour. Even though I thought I hit the ball with zing and power I found that my short game stumped me. On hole nine, I chunked my favorite chip shot to the green and my head dropped in disgust. "That hurt my ego," I expressed out loud. We laughed. 

On hole thirteen none of us went in the water, but Donna, our five foot tall dynamo out drove me, on a great drive I might add. She nearly danced a jig she was so proud. Naturally, we took a photo with her showing her bitch wings and me pointing to a ball not even in the picture.

Being a non-competitive group of ladies, and that's a tall tale, we continued on our lovely day in the sun sharing stories. On hole number eighteen, the last hole of the day, we teed off and each of us found the fairway with our tee shots. Being able to say that our tee shot is in play (in the fairway), is a great line to use in golf, especially when the leaves have fallen and the rough is littered with brown crumpled leaves that hide golf balls from men and women alike.  

"Ah ha!" Kathy yelled pointing her finger toward the ground, "Look what I did. I just out drove both of you."

With a little imagination look for three golf balls, 
foreground, middle left, and front. 

I am sure glad this is not a competitive group of women golfers, but they are some of the greatest ladies I have ever been blessed to play golf with regularly. And that is most meaningful for me.