Open a Newspaper, or Not

Quote of the Month: Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi
(My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is Open.)

Millie and Willie Cottonpoly, a sock puppet creation, are here to tell you their story during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge.  

Millie and Willie enjoy the Neighbors section of the local newspaper

 

Millie:  I just love the Neighbors section of the newspaper.

 

Willie:  And, the funnies. Gotta read the funnies, especially on Sundays.

 

Millie:  What happened to the front pages, Willie?

 

Willie:  Oh, I spilled coffee on'em. Threw'em away.

 

Millie:  Spilled coffee, eh? Something upset you?

 

Willie:  You know, Millie, I've been up and back and all around this great country. I've seen every natural disaster and traveled through towns that in one year went from prosperous to ghost towns as times changed.

 

Millie:  Yes, Willie, you've told me some sad tales.

 

Willie:  I've also seen heroic people jumping in rivers to save a drowning child. I've heard the farmers talk of doing the harvesting for a neighbor who had been diagnosed with cancer. I've watched other railroad workers leave an extra large tip from their rather small income to help out a waitress down on her luck.

 

Millie:  I know, you've told me those stories, too.

 

Willie:  I want to think of those stories today.

 

Millie:  I understand. Some days, you'd rather not open the newspaper and read about tragedies.

 

Willie:  You already saw it, didn't you?

 

Millie: (tears welling in her eyes, nods)

 

Tillie:  (barks and jumps up on Millie's lap)

 

Willie:  (gets up and grabs the leash) Let's take a walk.

 

Millie:  (gets up, takes a bag of home made chocolate chip cookies off the counter)  Noticed the new neighbors are settling in. We'll stop by and give them a proper welcome to the neighborhood.

 

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

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever tried to shield someone from bad news? Do you bring cookies to new neighbors?

Open a Love Letter

I'm a little late with my L post today. Internet connection was getting lousy. I was getting loony from trying to link, so I let go of the old and bought a new Linksys. (Making up for my lack of letter writing, but no more being lazy! Love Letters are always worth the wait, right? They also leave a lingering luscious feeling. I'll let Willie take it away, now.)

Quote of the Month: Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi
(My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is Open.)

Millie and Willie Cottonpoly, a sock puppet creation, are here to tell you their story during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. 

Willie sent Millie many Love Letters during his years of working on the railroad.

 

Willie:  Hey, Millie, I was cleaning out the closet under the stairs and found a box with old letters. Do you still want to keep them?

 

Millie:  Of course, Willie. I'd never part with the sweet letters you sent me through the years. It's what kept the spark alive between us.

 

Willie:  (blushes a little) I'll just tuck this back where I found it.

 

Millie:  Wait a minute, Willie. That's one of my favorites. (takes letter from Willie and holds it close to her heart) I had just quit my job at the bank and I was a little worried about how you'd react, and if it was the right decision. (Millie begins to read Willie's words to her from May 1977.)

 

My Darling Millie, (Millie smiles up at Willie who pulls his cap over his eyes)

 

We had a stop over at Loyalsockville, PA today. Great name for a town, eh? Anyway, bought some Hot Tomales for you at the General Store and started chatting with a lady buying dog biscuits. I told her about our dog Tillie and that you're starting a dog obedience school. She's been training dogs for 27 years and said it's been a labor of love. She said, "I can't believe I get paid to play with those pooches all day!" 

 

Anyway, I wanted you to know that I think of you every mile of every trip. I have a restless spirit, but not a wandering heart. Once I laid eyes on you at the bank, I knew I'd love no other. You are the coal in my furnace, the color in the stripes of the fabric of my life, and the reason that no matter how far I roam, I always long to come home to you. By now, people might have expected us to have a few little anklets to raise, but the Great Creator hasn't seen fit for that to happen. No worries, Darling, you and me, we make a great pair. And, together, we're all the family we need.

 

On to Footville, WI, then home to you, Darling. 

 

With Love and Affection,

Willie

 

PS: I bought some of the dog biscuits, too. I think Tillie will take a shine to them, and you might want to try them out on your first class of Puppy School.

(At this point, Willie is a little flustered and leaves for a bag of doggie biscuits for Tillie Two and Hot Tamales for his Darling Millie.)

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

 

The towns Loysockville and Footville are real towns, according to this fun site, Weird U.S. Town Names. Go there for a chuckle. I was surprised to see how many states have a town named Climax. I grew up near Climax, MN.

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Write a love letter to someone.

Open to Excursions

Quote of the Month: Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi
(My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is Open.)

Millie and Willie, a sock puppet creation, are here to tell you their story during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

Open to Excursions

 

Millie and Willie Cottonpoly checking their calendar

 

Millie:  Willie, just look at the calendar. We're in for a busy weekend.

 

Willie:  Let me see here. A poet is coming to the college today.

 

Millie:  We're invited to a mystery themed birthday party on Saturday afternoon.

 

Willie:  Mr. Happy wants us to come out to his place sometime this weekend to see what's cookin'.

 

Millie:  Uff da. I think I'll need to take a nap.

 

Willie:  Want me to join you?

 

Millie:  A good foot rub does relax me so.

 

Tillie:  Woof (scratches on the door)

 

Millie:  Someone will need to take Tillie for a walk first.

 

Willie:  I'll do it, Millie. You go put your feet up. I'll be up to rub them in a few minutes.

 

Millie:  You're so good to me.

 

(Willie gets Tillie ready for a walk while whisting I've been working on the railroad.)

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Be open to excursions and you might find inspiration. Do something new and exciting this weekend! Write about it in your journal, or if you're in the A to Z Challenge, maybe it will help you with the rest of the letters/month!

 

 

Millie the Dog Whisperer

Quote of the Month: Open the window in the center of your chest and let the spirits fly in and out. Rumi
(My theme for this year's A to Z Challenge is Open.)

Millie and Willie, a sock puppet creation, are here to tell you their story during the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. Be Open to a new Direction in life. You, like Millie, might be called to be a Dog Whisperer.

Willie met Millie when she was working at the First State Bank of Worthington. While the income was sufficient for her to rent an apartment with a friend, and the costumers were interesting (especially the young railroad worker, Willie), Millie's heart wasn't in counting change and opening accounts.

Willie:  When I started courting Millie, I was worried that one of the other fellows in town might woo her away. She's quite a looker, you know. But, it wasn't the human species that captured her heart, it was the canine variety.

Millie:  I always had a side job as a dog sitter. All my neighbors knew that I loved dogs. I'd walk by their houses, and their pups would run out to greet me. Sometimes, I volunteered to take them for a walk, especially if their owners were really busy or were getting a little less mobile and needed someone to give their dogs exercise.

Willie:  For our first anniversary, I gave her a miniature Schnauzer.

Millie: She was a little devil.

Willie: It's true. Whenever someone came to the door, she barked like they were going to murder us or something.

Millie:  She didn't come when he was called.

Willie:  Chewed every piece of leather she could find. I didn't have a single shoe left to wear to work.

Millie, working her Dog Whisperer charms

Millie:  I was desperate. I thought I had a way with dogs until Tillie came to live with us. So, I brought her to dog obedience school. The class was a life-saver. I wanted to learn to do what the instructor was doing. She had all those dogs under control at the same time.

Willie:  Millie already had a natural talent for calming down dogs and teaching them tricks.

Millie:  Once I learned a few more techniques and worked with more dogs, I gained my confidence. Soon, the neighbors offered to pay me to help train their dogs. I got so busy, I eventually quit my job at the bank.

Willie:  Millie has been called in to work with castaway greyhounds that were only trained to race. She's rescued Dobberman's whose owners didn't know how to handle them. She's gone into animal rescue shelters and retrained dogs that were once abused and taught them to regain trust in humans.

Millie: (tears glistening in her eyes) I can't understand cruelty to animals. Dogs bond with us, are always loyal, and will protect their owners. How could anyone turn their anger on them?

Willie:  Abuse never makes sense.

Millie:  I stopped by the shelter yesterday while you were at the podiatrist.

Willie:  Do I need to hide my leather shoes?

Millie:  It's a one year old miniature Schnauzer, Willie. Abandoned. One paw was wrapped in a bandage. Looked exactly like our Tillie.

Willie: (humming I've been working on the railroad as he gathers up his shoes and tucks them in a closet) We'll go get her tomorrow.

Millie:  I love you, Willie.

Willie:  I love you, too, Millie.

(Millie gets out the doggie bed while humming How much is that doggie in the window)

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

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Millie has the special skill as a dog whisperer. Do you have a special skill? Have you ever rescued an animal from the shelter?