The dog days of summer were supposed to end August 11th. My dogs don’t agree, but then we live in Texas. They think Kip and I are crazy. I have no argument. We always wait until the fall when it’s nice, to take our yearly motor home trip. 

We’re getting ready to head out on another six to eight week trip around the 20th of September. Our destination is Maine. We are trying to time it so we can see the fall colors in the New England states, and also see a lot of other historical things along the way.

We don’t want to miss any bad snow storms, so we’ll be coming back through North Dakota and we’ll swing down as far as Pierre, South Dakota in mid-October. This will be the fourth year we haven’t escaped one hot  summer day in Texas.

In the meantime, I have been busy with a few projects. I was going to get my water tower collection updated before I left, but to tell you the truth, it’s much more time consuming than I thought it would be. They were supposed to be a perfect thing to collect. Especially since I live in  a tiny home. They don’t take up any room and they don’t cost me anything.

I forgot that I am not an organized person and the whole thing got out of hand. I lost track of which ones were already named and who submitted what. I also have no idea what city or state some of them are in. I’m sorry. Some of you went out of your way to help me collect. I’ll try to figure out a way. At least unlike most collections, I don’t have to worry about them collecting dust while they wait.

I wrote some storybooks…(More about these later….) Here is my favorite page from Nikki’s…

My head is a busy place!

Sometimes when our eyes are closed, we can see much better

I can’t seem to find the words, so let’s do this together

We can sit here quietly and I’ll take your hand in mine

I’ll look inside your hurting heart and see what I can find.

I see the one you’re missing is right where they belong

They want you to know they have been there all along.

See them fill it up with all the love they have to give..

They want you to remember, in your heart is where they’ll live.

Let’s sit here a while longer. You can tell me what you see

A smile, a laugh a wink… a treasured memory?

Remember all those things you thought you never would forget?

The good and maybe bad times. And it’s not over yet.

One thing about memories…you’ll soon recall the cream of the crop

Because the bad ones sink to the bottom and the good ones rise to the top.

When our eyes are closed, we can see a little better.

Let’s keep them closed a little while and say a prayer together. 

South Dakota photos by Dianna Diehm

Murdo has lost some good people these past few weeks. I hope this poem helps you find peace. My thoughts and prayers are with you…

This sunflower photo was taken near Vivian, SD, by Nancy Authier on the day of a family member’s funeral. Thank you Nancy

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!