Mutt-mories

Today I was up at Urban Source buying more veneer scraps to augment my “Scrabble tile” production.

The proprietor recognized me and asked if I was still making dog puppets (ten years ago she found me at the Sounds & Furies Women’s Winter Faire and bought up the last of my puppet stock to sell in the store). I admitted that I had stopped making them because it had become an exercise in running my own one-person sweatshop.

We reminisced about the sock puppets and she told me about the puppet she had gifted to her sister, a white Mutt that her sister named Alfonse. Alfonse accompanied the sister on a trip around Europe. He was dutifully photographed at each landmark. These photographs were compiled, made into calendars with captions such as “Alfonse in the Alps”, and distributed to family members for Christmas.

Hearing that made my heart smile and reminded me of other patrons who returned year after year to tell me where my Mutts had emigrated (the UK, Italy, etc.)

I do miss my Mutts…

…but not enough to resurrect the sweatshop 😉