Second Pattern Today
Some folks hear the word mutt and smile; others might use it like an insult. For me, it brings back some of the best memories. When I was a kid, the only dogs we had were strays we rescued off the street.
One of those strays was something special. My dad owned a little grocery store downtown, and one cold winter night, a dog showed up out front. It was freezing out. I went outside to play with him, and he turned out to be super friendly. I ran back in and asked my dad if we could keep him.
Dad said, “If he’s still here in the morning, we’ll take him home.” I think he figured it was too cold for the dog to stick around, so he felt safe saying that. What he didn’t know was—I had already snuck the dog some scraps from the meat counter. No way that pup was going anywhere.
Sure enough, the next morning, when Dad went in to open the store, there was that dog sitting right out front. I wasn’t with him, so he could’ve still sent the dog away, but I think he was impressed. He called and told us to come pick him up.
We named him Spotty. He was a true mix of breeds—your classic mutt—and might’ve been the kindest, smartest dog we ever had.
My dad always called him “that mutt,” but it was his way of showing affection. We all loved that dog. That was nearly 60 years ago, and I still remember Spotty with a lot of love.
The dog ornaments are larger than the tree ornaments. They are around 7" tall. I made them for year-round decorations.
Three Horses Pattern
Here’s another story about my dad. He passed away when I was just ten years old, but I still remember how much he loved Christmas. He always made a big deal out of it, especially making us kids go to bed early on Christmas Eve like it was a grand production.
One year, he put a big salt lick under the Christmas tree. We had no clue what it was for, but we didn’t think too much about it. Christmas Eve rolled around, and off to bed we went like always.
The next morning, I woke up to a strange noise coming from the side of the house. It sounded like something walking along the wall and then onto the front porch. Then I heard the door open—and my mom immediately started yelling at my dad.
Turns out, he had bought us a pony and led it into the house to surprise us. He parked it right by the Christmas tree—that’s when the salt lick finally made sense. My mom wasn’t exactly thrilled, but we were over the moon. We absolutely loved it.
Like I said, my Dad loved Christmas. I had the opportunity to visit my Dads grave site a couple of weeks ago, so he has been on my mind. These stories make me smile. Sorry if they are boring.
The Three Horse pattern is large, at over 15" in length.
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