The Full-Moon-Time Missing Menorah Mystery!

Today has turned out to be a great day after all—thank goodness. This morning when I got out of bed and went into the kitchen to drink a cup of coffee I saw a note from Tony on the breakfast bar. "I'm sorry Nance. Hank passed away in his sleep last night. I will bury him when I get home. Love, Tony"

Even though Tony and I knew that Hank's time left in this world was short — I still cried, because he had been one of our best friends for over fifteen years and a joy to be around.

By the time that T. had came home my tears had dried and I felt at peace knowing that Hank, our little black & white dog, was now in a much better place—hopefully happily running and jumping in greener pastures near that Rainbow Bridge, as he had done when he was younger, even though we didn't have a bridge on my place in Utopia. After we had buried our dear little friend, outside close to our trailer, we ate our breakfast in silence because it was just too hard to talk about Hank's passing, because we were already missing him.

Following breakfast Tony and I went outside so he could feed our dogs and I could clean their pens for him. When we came back inside the trailer Carlton was flashing—Kinky had called. "Nance, it's Kinky. Please call me." Click. I picked up the phone and punched in his number.

After I had told Kinky about Hank's passing and he had said some kind words about Hank he said, "Nance, Rebecca is over here gathering up some things of mine to put into their Frontier Times Museum exhibit, because they are inducting me into their "2011 Frontier Times Museum Texas Heroes Hall of Fame," on Saturday July 23rd, at high noon, on the Court House lawn in Bandera and I cannot find my cowboy shirt with the menorah, that Nudie, from Nashville, made for me. Do you know where it might be?" There was silence for a few seconds as I pondered his question.

"Kinky, I think you gave it to that San Antone Institute of Arts & Crafts, I mean culture, last year."

"OMG! You're right! I did give it to them along with a cigar box and one of my cowboy hats. Thanks, Nance. You have solved that mystery for me. If you have anything that you think they may want to put in their exhibit, please bring it over."

Eight minutes later, T. and I jumped into Trigger, with a few items of Kinky memorabilia that Rebecca might want to use, then we took off for the Lodge.

When we arrived Kinky introduced us to Rebecca and then he starts laughing and says, "Nance and Tone, y'all are never going to believe what has just happened. It is the weirdest thing."

"I'll believe anything, because it's Full Moon Time, Kinky. In fact, tomorrow night is the official Full Moon, in case you're interested," I said. "What happened?"

"The shirt is here!" Kinky says, with excitement in his voice. "It just arrived before you got here."

"What?" I asked.

"Right after I hung up the phone with you, there were two knocks on the door and a man is standing on the porch holding this big box to deliver to me and it was from the San Antonio Institute of the Arts and Culture. Can you believe that?"

Before I could open my mouth to say, "Yes, I could," he continued on, "How weird is that, Nance? Yesterday, I tell Rebecca to come out here around 10:00 this morning. Then I spend an hour this morning, going nuts, looking for that missing shirt, then I call you and you solve the mystery and then it is delivered to me five minutes later, along with my cowboy hat, a Kinky cigar box and some photos. It's absolutely amazing to me." Then we all started laughing.

"Wow, Kinky!" I said. "That's pretty incredible and I am sure that F.M.T. had something to do with it..." Here are a few pictures, of the items of Kinky's, that we helped pack into the trunk of Rebecca's car, that will be going on exhibit at the Frontier Times Museum. The first is the back of the missing menorah shirt and the second picture is of the painting that Jules LeMelle did of Kinky with his father Tom.

Early this evening around 5:30, our dear friend Carol came over for a visit and I am so glad that she did, because she had us laughing and it really helped cheer T. and me up. Tone and I laughed about her and Maggie's cutting horse adventures last week, but we quit laughing when she told us about her run-in with the newly arrived unwelcome Water Moccasin family that has chosen her lake to live in, in fact—it totally scared me.

Then she and Tony ganged up on me or should I say," they tried to gently persuade me into entering a writing contest to win a seven-year-old black gelding horse." And when it was time for Carol to head back over to her ranch, so she could feed her horses—I had promised them that I would do it, because I love them, because they are some of my best cheerleaders.

So, now I must end tonight's post, because now I must write in 150 words or less why I  want to be a cowgirl, so please wish me luck with that, because I would love to win that horse and be a real cowgirl. But before I post this I just want to tell Hank, "We loved you so much little buddy and we will miss you and we thank you for sharing your life with us. You were a great dog and you will forever live in our hearts. Rest In Peace, Hank."

I took this picture in 1999 when we were still living in Utopia of Tony kissing Hank, while Hank's mama Little Girl stood near by while Blue slept behind Tone, in Tony's chair.

Y'all have a great evening! And May the Dog of your Choice Bless you, as Hank did us.