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.  

BLAME IT ON VALENTINE'S

Is Love in the air?

Blame it on Valentine's or better yet, blame it on Covid, but I feel pretty.  Saying "I feel pretty" is not the same as "I am pretty."  I am a romantic at heart and could watch the movie "Pretty Woman" over and over, because Julia Roberts is stunning and beautiful. My favorite romantic movie is "Princess Bride" when Wesley replies to the princess, "As you wish."

This year for Valentine's Jack bought me some new jewelry. I surprised him with the gift he gave me. He smiled and said, "The pink fits you fine."  I smiled, too, and giggled. 

Along with the jewelry came the opportunity to dress up and apply a light level of makeup. Dress up? After two years of Covid. It felt exhilarating and the new jewelry lifted my spirits. 

The next day I wore another new piece of funky jewelry that my friend, Kathy Klopfenstein Hale created. She is also the creator of the stunning pink "light up my life" jewelry shown above. ByKatDesigns (click to go to the site)

One cold winter's day since Valentine's I sat down with my jewelry and began to play like a child with free time. I set aside different pieces and organized them by feelings or memories. Once again my heart felt lighter and I giggled with my discovery, like I'd found a hidden gold mine of fanciful feelings and  emotions. My Aunt Della wore the tiny Safire diamond as a ring when she was engaged, a long time ago. My friend Peggy took seashells that my mother collected and created a necklace of shells and woven beads. My friends Kathy and Cheryl once beaded necklaces of colorful stones. My daughter, my sister, and so many more friends who had bought me jewelry over the decades. 

Had those emotions been hidden by a mask for two years?

Had those feminine feelings of being attractive been masked by jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts of winter wear, or no where to go?

I left my jewelry on the bedspread for a few hours, while I pondered what to do. 

I went back to Kathy's Etsy (By Kat Designs)  site to try to figure out what happened to my psychic. This is what I discovered.

Had I bought this piece I might have felt charming when wearing it. 

This one said, I feel sassy. That made me laugh and think of a friend who could wear that piece quite well. 

This one filled with whimsy but beckoned a feeling funkiness. 

Like "touch magic" I felt the difference in how I looked at my jewelry. Instead of matching pieces of clothing, I saw it as a way to express my feelings. Had it always been that way? 

I must have felt puzzled when I bought this colorful fall leaf in during a spring festival. 

This is my 1968 pin I bought to show that I am different. I have no idea how I felt, but I recall not wanting to look like everyone else, and yet fit in. 

It's time to wear some of those old pieces filled with charm and delight. Wasn't there a song called Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band? 

    Is there Love in the air?

When I read this quote on social media, I decided to use it as my mantra:

Wake up every morning, close a door, and keep the old woman out!

The lady I have been seeing in the mirror the last few years has been stuck inside too long. Her reflection in the mirror shows the lines of time. In this photo I took for the jewelry, I noticed something about my picture of rose red and pink jewels. 

Yes, there is an older woman standing there, looking at herself, looking at the mess behind her and around her, but this older woman is not old. Older than she ever thought possible when she bought that hippie pin, longer in the teeth, heavier on her feet, wider around the waist, yet brighter inside her heart. 

Now I have a plan, a way to close the door on that old woman. If it is not a yard day or cleaning house day, then this older woman will be wearing jewelry, new and old, feeling pretty, feeling sassy, feeling curious, and feeling happy and adventurous. I might even be singing to myself:

I feel pretty

Oh, so pretty

I feel pretty, and witty, and bright...

For I'm loved

By a pretty wonderful guy! 

Westside Story, 1961 I Feel Pretty 

Yes, there is Love in the air.