Living and Creating with Melissa Merrill

Monday memory and swaps

Childhood Pets,
I had several over the years of my childhood but none are as close to me as my Dalmatian dog Pepper. It was late summer 1982, my sister and I went to a horse show with our grandparents to their friend Dick Walding’s place. Big horse arena and stables. Dick gave us a tour of the stables. We went and sat to watch the show and towards the end a voice came over the intercom and asked if the girl with the green ribbon in her hair would come to the stable doors. Well I sat there and looked at my grandpa and said is he talking about me. I had a green ribbon tied in my hair. So we headed down to the stables and met up with Dick. He took us around towards the back and what do you know, there was a litter of little Dalmatian puppies. Dick said, for wearing that green ribbon you get to pick out a puppy to take home. I looked at my grandma and grandpa with a look of ‘can I’. Go ahead, my grandma said. So I looked them all over, if was tough as a kid to just pick one. So finally after a bit I picked up my new puppy. On the ride home my sister said you need to think of a name for it. I looked down at my dog and the name Pepper came out.
When our parents came to pick us up and saw that I had a new puppy. I was franticly telling them the story of the day’s events. So my mom gave me the ‘you can keep the dog as long as you know that you need to take care of him speech’. Jumping up and down I headed to the car. For the next nine months I took care of my dog Pepper. Then in April 1983, the family up and had to move out to Oregon. So Pepper went to live on my grandparents’ farm. We would travel back to visit every other year or so. This picture is of me and my dog Pepper in 1985. He passed away in 1997. Pepper was 17 years old.

Swap information. I am able to share my doll swap creation, from Vivians "Beat the Winter blues" swap, that I made for my swap buddy Catie.

as well as share the lovely doll she made for me. My Spring Angel.
Anxiously waiting the return of the Spring Charms from Michelle's swap. These are the charms that I made for her swap. I have my bracelet already to adorn with all the lovely charms from the other swappers. So stay tuned for a picture of that.

Off to do more creating.