Clifton

In my Dad's later years (he lived to be 87) one of his favorite pastimes was to watch television with my little niece.  The cartoon they enjoyed the most was Clifford the Big Red Dog.  That always made me chuckle because my Dad's name was Clifton (but he was better known as Clif).

As his health failed, he spent the last three weeks of his life in a beautiful hospice facility.  My Mother and I spent every day with him, with other family members coming and going.  He would drift in and out of sleep and later in and out of consciousness.  Once in awhile he would mutter things softly.  One day when I returned from running an errand my Mom said, "He keeps talking about a big red dog; he sees a big red dog.  I have no idea what he's talking about."  Taken out of context like that we were puzzled..  We thought for awhile; then I had a light bulb moment.

"Mom, he sees Clifford.  Clifford the Big Red Dog!"

He passed away shortly after that and I'm hoping that Clifford the Big Red Dog ~ or some semblance thereof ~ was there to greet him on the other side.

Yesterday I spent the day creating some new Wee Ones with subtle holiday/Christmas themes. Red is a big holiday color, so I noticed it was a recurring theme in the new "holiday collection of critters."  And without even thinking about it, I created a red dog.  Once I realized, omysweetgoodness, I have a red dog ~ it was obvious what his name would be.

Clifton. The Wee Red Dog.

Here's to you, Dad. :)

Why I Love What I Do.

With our first Sidewalk Fair behind us (and what fun it was!), I was reminded of another reason I love doing what I do. I got to see a few kids interact with my Wee Ones and the smiles on their little faces, the conversations we had about the foods the Wee Ones like and observing the indecision... do I want a pink dog or a penguin ~~ reminded me that I am fortunate to be creating some childhood memories for little ones.

Arabella, the happy owner of 5 Wee Ones, may just remember the conversation about how I come up with names for them all. Hunter, although only a wee one himself (about a year old) won't remember me, but he may carry his Wee monkey thruout his childhood.

It got me thinking about my first (and favorite) stuffed animal ~ a dog named Floppy. He's around here somewhere... and over 50 years old.

Reading this assured me I'm not the only one with fond memories. And just a bit of sentimentality.

It's why I do what I do. And why I love what I do.

Sparky - the Happy, High Energy 4th of July Dog

Although he looks a tad pink here (and it's possible it is my monitor...), Sparky is actually as red as a delicious apple. He turned out to be one happy guy, too, so it was fun shooting him "up." He's sporting his star-spangled 4th of July ribbon and is ready to party down with fireworks!

I've got to confess I wasn't sure about making a red dog, but as is true of most of my little guys, once they are finished they make me smile. And although I have never watched it I remember my Dad watching "Clifford, the Big Red Dog" when he was well into his 80's. My little 4 year old [at the time] niece got him hooked on it. It was a little strange to see him sitting in his recliner (alone) smiling from ear to ear as he watched this children's cartoon; but it made him happy so who was I to judge.

Ironically, as he lie in hospice during his final days he remarked to me more than once that he saw a big red dog wagging his tail and barking for him to "come over here." We finally surmised he was talking about Clifford, the Big Red Dog. And that made me smile.

So when I turned little Sparky around today after I closed up the final seam and saw his big red dog smile, all I could think of was my dad... And the kicker?

My dad's name was Clifton. Close enough.