A Tale of Two Muttys

 For my very first Christmas, my maternal grandmother gave me a stuffed animal. He was a nice, yellow, soft dog whose label said "Le Mutt". I called him Mutty. I carried this thing around everywhere, mostly by the neck. Slowly he turned grey, earned some bald spots and his limbs seemed to have stretched a bit. His eyes and nose were replaced at least once, and I practiced my sewing skills by attempting surgery when he got torn.


When my grandmother passed away a few years ago, my Uncle Kurt was cleaning out her things and he sent me a box. Among other treasures, he found a brand new Mutty. Apparently, she had bought a backup in case I needed it and she actually kept it for all those years. I decided that it would make a perfect first stuffed animal for our daughter. I know that she'll choose her favorite toy without my help, but it would be sweet if she loved her Mutty as much as I did mine.