I have almost as many cat pictures as I do those of water towers. I never used to like cats. I love Dollie, but not because she’s lovable. She’s just really cool. I wish I was cool like Dolly. 

Cat song…

Everybody wants to be a cat
Because a cat’s the only cat who knows where it’s at
Tell me, everybody’s pickin’ up on that feline beat
‘Cause everything else is obsolete
A square with a horn
Makes you wish you weren’t born
Every time he plays
But with a square in the act
You can set music back
To the caveman days

I’ve heard some corny birds who tried to sing
Still a cat’s the only cat
Who knows how to swing
Who wants to dig a long-haired gig stuff like that?
When everybody wants to be a cat

A square with a horn
Makes you wish you weren’t born,
Every time he plays
Oh riki-tiki-tinky
With a square in the act
You can set music back to the Caveman days

Everybody wants to be a cat
Because a cat’s the only cat who knows where it’s at
When playin’ jazz he always has a welcome mat
‘Cause everybody digs a swingin’ cat

Everybody, everybody
Everybody wants to be a cat
Hallelujah
Everybody, everybody
Everybody wants to be a cat
Everybody, everybody
Everybody wants to be a cat
Everybody, everybody
Everybody wants to be a cat

“This tiny home has a mouse.”

“Can we talk about this tiny home thing? It has a mouse!”

“I was just going to mess with her a little.”

“This is too big.”

“I don’t think I like it!”

“Much better.”

“I told the mouse to dust.”

“I sleep in a feline position.”

“You say fat cat like it’s a bad thing.”

“If I fall asleep, don’t throw me away.”

“I prefer, “Go Fish.”

“Please tell her not to touch me!”

“I’m looking for that mouse.”

Tiny home and tiny RV living is for the birds.!”

The thing that surprises me the most… about my life is this… 

I never really planned a thing. It’s all been hit or miss.

I never had a dream that I was driven to pursue.

I never looked too far ahead. I preferred a close-up view.

I know it’s just the way I am, but  at times I feel distressed.

Are people who don’t have good sense, sometimes the happiest?

Some days I feel resentful. Life gets on my last nerve.

Other days I’m grateful to have more than I deserve.

When I look back on those early years and I see where I am now,

The words that come to mind are Man oh’ Man, and Holy Cow!

I’ve lived in five great states and in each we’ve made our home.

Our RV travel has been fun… no matter where we roam.

But for me there will always be just one shining crown.

I might call other places home, but there’s only one hometown.

************************(60’s picture of the Chalet Motel in Murdo. My parents built it over a period of years. I have written many stories about the Chalet in Murdo Girl. It is now part of the Range Country Inn.)

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I look back now at that young girl who left town with her grandpa the day after graduation. Someone had suggested I go to California and get a job. I hadn’t made any other plans, so why not? Grandpa was going to put me on a plane in Rapid City in a couple of days.

The same day we left Murdo, I remember sitting by myself at a track meet in Rapid City. Grandpa had dropped me off because I just HAD to go and watch Murdo’s track team. I needed to be there to support all the guys I had cheered on through all those football and basketball games over the years.

A couple of our stars…

I was feeling a huge sense of loss. I was not prepared to leave high school…

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Below:

(Karen Ferdig Snider and I helping build the float for homecoming 1969. I lost my annual so Eddie Jackson sent me some pictures. I think we were all goofing off at our class play rehearsal in the bottom pic.)

Like all of us, my life has taken a lot of twists and turns since high school. There’s been some great hits and a few misses, but these last three plus years that I have been able to share, through the Murdo Girl blog, about my life in Murdo, as well as other life experiences, have been good for me. (I think that’s what writers call a run-on sentence.)

Anyway, I really appreciate all who have allowed me to share all of my stories and some of yours.

What a gift! 

Hold everything! This is not a rerun. It is a new display from my incomparable  collection of worldly water towers. With over one hundred thirty-four and one half highly respectable receptacles in my portfolio, this collection has really increased the value of the Murdo Girl branding.

The Crown of Beastertown

Given to me last year by my dear friend, Sherri Miller, this well designed tower doesn’t hold water, but it sure makes the little burg look cute. The rabbitants are good with little bowls of H2O strategically placed around town so storing water hasn’t really been an issue until lately when Betsy’s Hare-dos opened up. It’s difficult to fix a do on a hare without water. So far, we’ve managed with wishing well water, but I’m sure we’ll have to do whatever we have to do for Betsy to continue to do her dos.

I had just about decided that all anyone needs to relieve stress is to play for at least two hours every day. It’s fun and relaxing and wears the body out in a good way. As it happened, I had to rethink things. Charlie and Craig came for one last weekend, so Craig could finish the work he’s been doing for us.

Playtime didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. The first three times, I didn’t really have any expectations. For the most part, we played well together. This time was different. This time I found myself thinking about what my Barbie was going to do and say. Was she going to be a professional, a college student, a mom? I didn’t have the chance to find out.

Charlie forgot to bring her Barbie dolls. Do you think it’s possible she forgot them on purpose? Maybe she wasn’t having as much fun as I was…Nah.

So instead, we set up all of the Beasterhop village again and wrote a story. Charlie said her Dad’s phone took better pictures than mine, so she took all of the photographs. She taught me some things, too. I now know why you sometimes use a flash when it’s not even dark.

The master at work…

Since Charlie likes to develop stories, she took over that part, too. I told her we needed about twenty pages for a little children’s book. I got to be the scribe, and I’m going to self-publish it. It will be ready by October, which is good, because the name of it is, “A Thanksgivington Christmas.” I have to correct her name if we use this cover. It’s Charlize.

When we got to a stopping point with that project, Charlie said we should make treasure maps. We each made one and took Charlie’s outside to follow the clues on the map to the treasure. We located all of the markers… just like she had drawn them on the map. Things like water, tall grass and big trees…amazing.

When we got to the place on the map where the big X marks the treasure, she looked down and there was a perfectly formed thing she said would make a great Christmas decoration. Later, when they were getting ready to leave, I asked if she was going to take her treasure home. She said, “You keep it, Lil Papa. It matches your house better than mine.”

I guess playing for a while each day really is a good thing. I hardly had to do much at all. I’m sure going to miss those much anticipated play dates. I think I’ll buy a Barbie. Maybe I’ll buy two…just in case she forgets hers again.

Which cover design do you like best?

I have recently had three wonderful play-dates with my granddaughter, Charlie. I can’t begin to tell you how much I have learned about how things have changed, and surprisingly, how much they have stayed the same.

For instance, kids still play with Barbie dolls. My friend, Cynthia and I played with our Barbies for hours on end, but Barbie has changed. Her main purpose in life, is not to look good for Ken. Barbie is a veterinarian, or a mountain climber, or a super hero.

It took me until the third round of Barbie to get the courage to ask Charlie if she thought I had learned enough to name my own Barbie and even talk for her. Charlie negotiated with me. If she could be the one to develop the story-line, I could play with, (manage), one Barbie. She didn’t like the name I picked, but she didn’t make me change it. (She bit her tongue a lot.)

When the story started, we were all in the dungeon of a castle. As we progressed, the story began to sound an awful lot like Beauty and the Beast. The Barbie dressed like a super-hero was bad and she kidnapped three other Barbies, a dog and a little girl and locked them in the dungeon. It was my Barbie’s job to distract the mean Barbie while the others tried to escape. I thought of a great way for all of them to get out, but Charlie said it was too soon. She said we had to keep the story going for a while. When I thought about it, I could see it made sense, so I continued to let the evil Barbie beat up on me while Charlie orchestrated the activities of the other three, plus the little girl and the dog.

In the end, we had a Christmas party because Charlie decided that the evil Barbie was just starved for attention and a few presents would change her attitude…at least for a while. She said to watch her closely because she could turn evil again at any moment.

We had our props set up in the bedroom, and right when it was getting exciting, Kip peaked in. He rolled his eyes a little when he saw we had retrieved a little Christmas tree from the garage, and an infuser that lit up and changed colors. We also had a box we had transformed into stage and another Christmas decoration that played a Johnny Cash song. I think Hudson gave it to Kip last Christmas. All the Barbies danced to “The Ring of Fire” during the finale.

After we cleaned up that mess, we played hide and seek outside. I found I can no longer move quickly enough to find a good hiding spot when the other person only counts to twenty. I cheated and kept moving while Charlie looked for me. Craig, who was outside working on building our front steps, gave us clues when he tired of us trying to get him to tell us where the other one was hiding. Hide and seek was my least favorite thing to play. It’s much more difficult to hide when you’re big.

We played Old Maid a bunch, and Go Fish a bigger bunch. We had another board game and we walked the dogs as many times as they would let us. I had six miles on my Vivofit the first day. I didn’t look the second day, but I know it was more.

We put a puzzle together. Unfortunately, I dropped one piece and Sammie chewed it up.

I didn’t take many pictures. I was too busy learning how to play with a pro!

Have you ever been truly surprised?

We had been really busy that summer planning our wedding day.

The date that had seemed so far off, was only a month away.

The invitations had all been sent and the Church knew we were coming.

The location of the momentous event was Casper, Wyoming.

We had both been married before… ten years each, to be exact.

With two kids apiece (and three dogs)…our new home would be jam-packed. 

Kip called me at work on a day that everything had gone wrong.

He said there was someplace he had to go. Why didn’t I ride along?

“You won’t have a chance to change,” he said. “I’ll pick you up in a few.”

I really didn’t want to go, but there was no good reason not to.

As we drove, we talked about our day. I didn’t ask the destination.

When we pulled up into the driveway, I asked with some consternation,

“What are we doing here? This is where Carolyn (my boss) lives!

Are you doing an appraisal review? Come on…tell me, what gives?”

I knew her house had been for sale and Kip was a real estate banker.

“Does she know we’re coming for dinner? You apologize and I’ll thank her.”

I was laughing as she opened the door. I thought she’d be so surprised.

It turned out, the joke was on me. It was a shower she had organized.

(Carolyn caught this picture as a co-worker, Ann, opened the door.)

Heidi (13) Heather (11) Mason (8) and Craig (3) were all a part of two households. The youngest, Craig is now 40 and Heidi is ten years older. I love the picture of her sleeping at the end of the big day. She still had the baby’s breath in her hair. I joined Heidi, Heather, and Craig who were all asleep on a bed at the Ferguson’s who invited everyone over for a celebration after the ceremony. Mason and Kip were the last to give up. The other photos are of our first home together in Casper, and our first Thanksgiving there with Mom and Gus and Kip’s sister, Karlyce and her husband. (Come on Mary, I’m sure you looked lovely.) The last picture is of me with our first grandchild, Michael, born a few weeks before we moved from Colorado to Texas.

(The young woman and her new friend, Arf, continue their search for the future)

“I know the man who wrote this book. I recognize his name.

Is he the one orchestrating this senseless game?”

Arf didn’t move and he wasn’t sympathetic.

He looked at me as if to say, “I don’t do pathetic!”

“Okay, Arf!” I said. “Don’t look so perplexed.”

I’ll go along willingly, where do you want me next?

He went to the book and turned the pages with his paw.

I watched intently…not believing what I saw.

He started at the back and stopped at the beginning.

I saw the author’s photo. Now my head was spinning.

I’ll tell you this story Arf, since there’s no one else to tell.

I met this man the day I left somewhere I used to dwell.

He helped me board the train I took to some random destination.

He took the seat next to me and handed me a red carnation.

He asked me odd questions like, did I want to work or be a wife?

I said I hadn’t had a chance to plan the next stage of my life.

Before he got off the train, he handed me a book.

It was one he had written and he hoped I’d take a look.

I never read a word of it though I should have I suppose.

Did I leave it somewhere? Only heaven knows.

Would it have been of interest to this lonely waif?

Someone who spent most her life never feeling safe?

The writer said something I haven’t thought about in ages.

He said I would find my truth between the pages.

I remembered the photograph. Who was I dancing with?

And how was she connected to the gentleman wordsmith?

That day he left me on that train, I couldn’t hear all he said

As he removed his hat and slightly bowed his head.

It was when I heard the whistle, and when I heard the bell.

 I heard a man’s voice whisper, “I bid you a fond farewell.”

Now, I can recall… he whispered something more.

“I know your father loves you… now and forever more.” 

*************

I heard the whisper at the well say, “You’re ready to move on.”

Look back for just a moment to make sure the past is gone.”