Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

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For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” use the PayPal link on my home page or mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

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Readers Look Backwards at Own Pups

Robert Frost’s Tweet-length poem “The Span of Life,” and last week’s column about my own old dog who “barks backwards without getting up,” had quite a few readers sharing remembrances of their own pups. Here are a few . . .

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“Your thoughtful column brought a few tears to our eyes because we had fairly recently had to bid goodbye to our own ‘lovable backward-barking dog,’ a bull terrier named Sir Elton,” wrote Carol and Bob Olivera.

“Our canine companions (best described by us as ‘children with paws’) have all held a very special place in our hearts, and it is so very difficult when they let us know it’s time to say goodbye.

“We have a plaque in our home that reads: ‘It came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a piece of my heart with them, and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog and I will become as generous and loving as they are.’ ”

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Jim Reynolds’ note greeted me with a warning bark: “Woody, my wife always, and I seldom, read your articles (different politics).”

Then Jim’s tail metaphorically wagged: “However, ‘A lovable backward-barking dog’ brought tears to an old (79) dog lover. Maybe the article had the impact because the old dog wasn’t a dog at all; maybe me, much younger, and me now.

“And perhaps Frost’s dog was my two 13-year-old dogs that died in my lap, or perhaps it was one of the other five dogs my wife and I raised and then passed ‘beyond backward-barking.’

“Your readers and I were blessed by Frost’s dog and poem, and your discovery of the poem (so long ago) and especially your sharing the wisdom in today’s column! Thank you for an insight that I will treasure.”

Jim then added his own deep wisdom: “I believe that if a dog’s human always tries to do their best for their dog, they have done their part of God’s plan. A dog’s life cycle is shorter than I prefer – but then I can treasure, love and care for more dogs. Perhaps that’s the tradeoff that’s best for both us humans and the dogs that God loans us to love, to learn from, and to care for.”

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“Your column brought back memories and some blurry eyes, thinking of our old dog, Pinky,” wrote Rick Throckmorton.

“Bought as a reddish-blonde cocker spaniel pup for my two small boys, Pinky was part of our lives for 17 years, until, like your Murray, he would ‘bark backwards’ at times as he protected the family hearth from some unknown and unseen intrusion.

“Gosh, we loved that dog. When he left us, it was as if tearing away a part of the family. Could never replace him!

“Anyway, you brought back a memory of a Tom T. Hall song that also brings tears when I hear it on the radio. While ‘only a song’, it is poetry in its true form.”

Rick shared the full song which includes these lines: “Ain’t but three things in this world that’s worth a solitary dime, / But old dogs and children and watermelon wine. … Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes; / God bless little children while they’re still too young to hate. … That night I dreamed in peaceful sleep of shady summertime / Of old dogs and children and watermelon wine.”

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Check out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

• Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” use the PayPal link on my home page or mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

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Poetic Reality: My Old Dog Barks Backward

It is not one of Robert Frost’s most venerable poems, certainly not among his longest at a mere 20 words including the title, but “The Span of Life” has long been one of my favorites by the masterful poet.

Penned in 1937, the poem has been on my mind in 2019 – including now as I write this column with our 12-year-old boxer sleeping nearby – for Frost’s words are about Murray surely:

“The old dog barks backwards without getting up. / I can remember when he was a pup.”

Murray, with a bandage where IV was, recovering after recent surgery.

Murray, named after my writing idol and late friend Jim Murray, has become an old dog too weary to get up and turn around before barking at something behind him. And this is if he hears a noise in the first place. Indeed, in recent months his hearing has faded ever as much as his once jet-black muzzle and mask has faded to charcoal and snow.

As if it were only a week ago, that being yesterday in dog days, I can remember when Murray was a pup. His name in the litter was Dave, but we changed it on the drive home. Nearly as quickly he earned the nickname “Gator” because he attacked hands and shoelaces, and even a wooden molding corner at the top of the stairs, with the fervor of an alligator.

In his early months, Murray also chewed up the backyard sprinkler system and took out an entire flowerbed of plants. “Spirited” is the word the laughing veterinarian used to describe the young Gator.

Now when Murray barks backward, if he barks at all, it is with a few less teeth, three having been pulled recently.

Nor does the ol’ guy see much to bark at these days. Despite two eye surgeries, he has grown nearly blind. No matter, Murray navigates the house nimbly by memory and gets around the neighborhood on twice-daily mile-plus walks remarkably well by familiar scents.

Of the eight dogs I have had in my life, Murray is my paws-down favorite. One reason, in fact four, is because he has always made my daughter, son, wife and me feel like we are each his favorite human in the entire world.

Example. Throughout four years of high school my son took recovery ice baths after every cross-country and track practice with Murray always keeping him tub-side company.

Example. Normally, Murray stays off all beds even if invited up. However, when my daughter called off her engagement during the last week of grad school and came home to mend, Murray leapt up and curled beside her for weeks on end.

Example. Murray is, quite simply, my wife’s shadow.

Example. Murray keeps me company when I write at home and keeps watch for me out the window when I’m out. Even now, with veiled vision, he keeps faithful vigil. Indeed, his brown eyes have clouded over but they still clearly register bottomless unconditional love.

Our dear old dog just had another surgery, this time to remove a lesion from his lower lip. “Epitheliotrophic lymphoma” the pathology report stated in a medical mouthful of scary syllables. Has it spread? Only time will tell.

For the time being Murray is back to his older self, still strongly muscled at 79 pounds, still with a supersonic stubby tail when happy, still enriching our lives beyond measure.

As The Span of Murray’s Life winds down, it seems to me Frost’s poem misses the mark in being wistful about his pup. It is a natural feeling, yet all in all I think an old backward-barking dog is even more lovable.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Check out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

• Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” use the PayPal link on my home page or mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

Rants and Raves About This and That

 Harrumph! If you were anticipating 600 words of warm maple syrup over waffles-like sweetness this morning, put down the newspaper and phone your grandma. I’m in a the-rains-have-chased-an-ant-farm-into-my-kitchen kind of grouchy mood.

But I do love the rain, especially the softer showers that my great-grandfather, a farmer, used to call “a million-dollar soaking.”

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I’m annoyed that we citizens get soaked with more and more taxes every year while fewer and fewer potholes seem to get filled. In Ventura, Johnson Drive especially resembles a road that’s been bombed by enemy aircraft. Throughout Ventura County every city and neighborhood has its own neglected moonscape roads that are as zig-zagging difficult to navigate as diagramming a sentence spoken by Donald Trump.

But I do love how rarely modern tires get flats compared to eons ago when I first learned to drive.

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Speaking of driving, I’m annoyed that there’s more than a three-month wait to make an on-line appointment at the Ventura DMV to get a license renewal with a REAL ID. Harrumph! I want to see the eye chart before my birthday, not get tickets to see “Hamilton.”

But I love being at the DMV and seeing the radiant smiles of 16-year-olds who have just found out they passed their driving test.

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I’m annoyed by the New England Patriots’ selfishness and greed in hogging the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

But I do love New England clam chowder.

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Call me a Pa Ventura-like ol’ fuddy-duddy, but the halftime show of the Super Bowl usually annoys me and this year was no exception.

But I do love that Maroon 5, headliners of the 2019 midgame-snack-rush-bathroom-flush extravaganza, donated its entire $500,000 payday to the children’s charity Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

I also loved Gladys Knight’s rendition of the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIII.

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The NFL stubbornly still using Roman numerals to designate the Super Bowls annoys me.

But I loved Roman Gabriel when he played quarterback for the Rams in the 19LXs and early ’LXXs – and I think even at age LXXVIII, ol’ jersey No. XVIII would have played better than III-year pro Jared Goff.

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I am beyond annoyed at the assault on Mother Earth and Her clean air and water by U.S. president XLV, big business around the globe, and mankind in general.

But I love that Patagonia, founded by Yvon Chouinard and headquartered in Ventura, is donating the additional $10 million in profits the company earned in 2018 as a result of corporate tax cuts to grassroots groups battling climate change.

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I get annoyed when I see a police officer behind the wheel commit an infraction – such as recently driving in a heavy downpour, where the visibility was horrible, with his headlights off and nearly causing a traffic accident because of it – that would get the rest of us a ticket.

I love seeing a speeder get pulled over.

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I am annoyed that the profession of journalism is grossly undervalued and constantly under fire in America.

But I loved the Washington Post’s “Democracy Dies in Darkness” one-minute commercial that aired during Super Bowl 53. Narrated by Tom Hanks and featuring powerful images, it was powerful poetry:

“When we go off to war. When we exercise our rights. When we soar to our greatest heights. When we mourn and pray. When our neighbors are at risk. When our nation is threatened. There’s someone to gather the facts. To bring you the story. No matter the cost. Because knowing empowers us. Knowing helps us decide. Knowing keeps us free.”

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Check out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

• Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” use the PayPal link on my home page or mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

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A Date With Coincidence And Fate

Sometimes one has to wonder: Coincidence? Or fate?

The date of Jan. 26, more than any other single day in the year, in my family seems to hold a story typed by the fingers of a higher power. Coincidence seems overmatched in explaining it.

Coincidence – “the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection” – is my sharing a birth date with my wife’s grandfather. The odds are only 1-in-365 against this accidental connection.

Coincidence, too, is my daughter giving birth to our first grandchild on the one-year anniversary of the night – seemingly, in fact, the very hour – that the Thomas Fire razed my childhood home. For my father especially, who still lived in the house, a date of gloom was instead turned into one of bloom in celebrating the birth of his great-granddaughter Maya.

Multiple memorable events and coincidental anniversaries happen every date of the year, of course, which is why newspapers run daily “On This Date In History” summaries. A Jan. 26 coincidence, for example, is Michigan becoming a state (1837), Louisiana seceding from the Union (1861) and Virginia rejoining the Union (1970).

Celine, right, with best friends Holly, left, and Dallas.

January 26 has seemingly surpassed coincidence for my loved ones and me.

Shuffling chronological order, let me begin with “On This Date” in 2003 when a drunk driver speeding down a city street at 70 mph rear-ended me as I was stopped at a red light. My life, in a blink’s instant, was forever changed. I suffered a ruptured disc in my neck and, despite successful fusion surgery, have permanent nerve damage in my left arm, hand and fingers.

Still, it was not fully a tragedy. In truth, I was beyond lucky in walking away from a hunk of twisted steel that had seconds earlier been a Honda Civic. Indeed, two police officers at the scene could not believe I survived.

January 26, 2015 offered no such compassion for my daughter’s dear friend Celine. In India for a wedding, Celine and her younger brother were passengers in a taxi when it was broadsided by a bus. The brother walked away, the big sister did not. In a blink’s instant, a life at age 26 was extinguished; a lifelong friend was lost before intertwined long lives were lived.

Coincidence, surely, these two crashes occurring on the same date. But there is more. Jumping back in time to the Jan. 26 five years before my car crash, my lovely niece Arianna was born.

And this: on Jan. 26 five years ago, exactly one year before Celine’s tragic death, my daughter met the love of her life who would become her husband.

One more coincidental star came into magical alignment this young year. In college, my daughter and Celine had a third inseparable roommate and “sister”, Holly. Last Saturday – Jan. 26 – Holly’s boyfriend proposed to her.

Holly’s fiancé – she enthusiastically said “yes!” when he got down on bended knee – claims he did not choose the significant date on purpose. He says he was not hoping to magically metamorphose an anniversary date of sorrow into one with a measure of joy. In fact, his proposal was delayed a week due to a Midwestern blizzard.

Still, it is naturally possible that Justin’s subconscious was at play when he settled on the fateful date. Or perhaps Jan. 26 somehow chose him.

I cannot help but think the latter. As Hemingway wrote in the closing line of dialogue in the novel “The Sun Also Rises”, spoken in – coincidentally, Celine – a taxi:

“ ‘Isn’t it pretty to think so?’ ”

Yes, it is.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Check out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

• Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com