HoundBlog

Today is my 55th birthday. What a day it has been!

Ken had to go to work this morning and the plan was that he would get home around 2:00 and we would go to Greenwood and choose and purchase paint for the outside of the house and then go eat at Red Lobster. I had arranged with my friend and neighbor, Charlotte to go to Traveler’s Rest to look at a litter of Chinese Crested puppies that this lady wanted me to evaluate for her, then meet my friend, Janet for lunch, so around 9:30, we left.

Got to Cheylene’s house and the puppies were gorgeous! We stayed nearly 2 hours talking and admiring and playing with puppies, then when it came time to leave she asked us which ones we were taking! Oh WELL! I hadn’t come prepared to go home with a puppy, but nevertheless, we ended up taking home 3 with us! A lovely black hairless male and a brown sable puff male and a brown sable puff female. They are named Saber, Teddy and Charlene.

At Janet’s we carried the crate into her house so the babies would be cool while we went to eat lunch. Janet handed me my gift which was a small flat package about 8″ x 6″. She patiently waited through our tale of our morning trip and then I opened my gift.

Oh dear! I’m afraid I cried something awful. It is the most beautiful gift she could have ever given me and what makes it even more special is that another set of friends had a hand in it’s creation.

It’s a book.

Not just any book, but one that’s photographs of Tara’s first ASFA field championship points run. The day before the course, Janet had said goodbye to Bailey a Whippet that she got from me about 10 years ago and sister to our Bridget. Bailey had developed bone cancer and it was aggressively attacking her body and she was in a lot of pain, so Janet made the heartwrenching but right decision to let her go. We encouraged her to go on to the coursing to get some distance from her sadness and I’m so glad she did. There are lovely photos of Tara running, waiting for the bunny and just hanging around with her sister, Scarlett and another whippet we bred, Rose, owned by the same lovely couple who own Scarlett. That day had a lot of highs and some lows peppered by comic relief in the form of Rose eating the headliner in Patrick’s car (well, maybe that wasn’t comic relief for Patrick) and a photo of an unusual run by a pair of Ibizian hounds. The last page of the book has 3 photos of Scarlett licking away Janet’s tears and underneath the photos Erin has written a quote from Willie Morris — “In my life I find that memories of the spriit linger and sweeten long after memories of the brain have faded.” followed by her own words “Sometimes the best moments happen when the dogs aren’t running at all, but kissing away a friend’s tears. This book is dedicated to all the whippets who have gifted us with sweet memories of the spirit.”

The beginning of the book is a poem I wrote that I dedicated to the three girls who made their debut that day on the coursing field. It goes like this:

Your eyes are lit with demonic light
The motor whirls and you take flight
You leap and soar your heart so free
You stretch, you turn with precise degree

Around the course you fly with glee
A poem in motion we all agree
It’s over too soon and you protest
Leaving the bunny to be repossesed

Other dogs must have their chance for glory
You bark and snap and voice your worry
You pull and tug and try your best
But Mom says “No, it’s time to rest”

“You’ll have another turn real soon
Just cool your jets — sing another tune!”
Trophies and ribbons mean naught to you
That white plastic bag’s all you want to accrue

When day is over and you’re homeward bound
You know you are one TIRED hound
You gave your all and did your best
Next weekend, though’s another contest!

Dedicated to Tara, Rose and Scarlett by Margaret Norkett

Ken and I did not go out to dinner — he’s just too tired and I was still stuffed from lunch. We talked about going out tomorrow night, but it will be a 10 hour day for Ken and his 15th in a row, so we’ll have to wait and see how he feels.

I came home to a phone call from my mother who began the conversation by saying “Fifty-five years ago today I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl” — needless to say, I cried again — what beautiful words to hear from your Mother and better than anything she could have purchased to give me! And I am so thankful that my Mom is still around to say them! I read on my blog where my sisters have wished me a Happy Birthday and feel that I am truly blessed. I have wonderful friends and a loving family — can anyone ask for more??

This is truly a birthday I’ll never forget!

Love to all,

Margaret