Shades of Where the Red Fern Grows ...

Two of a Kind © 2013 Karen Mathison Schmidt, artist

7 x 5 inches • acrylic on museum quality, archival GessobordTM

gloss varnish for UV protection

Here are Sophie and Buster enjoying a father/daughter moment in the winter sun on the back steps.

Chances are if you’re around my age and were living just about anywhere in the South when you were a fourth-, fifth- or sixth-grader, you read, or had read to you at one time or another, Wilson Rawls’ children’s classic, Where the Red Fern Grows. When I was putting the finishing touches on this one, it brought to mind the dogs in the story, Old Dan and Little Ann. Those fictional dogs were pure Redbones, mind you, and ours are mixed. But still. I remember how much I enjoyed reading it, and of course, crying at the end.

Later it was made into a movie, in 1974, and then again in 2003, and though neither was quite as good as the book, I still cried at the end. If you enjoy dog stories, you might want to look for it at your library, the bookstore, or here on Amazon. 

Even though it’s a children’s book, I still enjoy it. If you’ve never read it, try to resist googling the synopsis, and go straight for the book. Be sure to have some Kleenex handy.

Old Dan was brave and strong, while Little Ann was very intelligent. Both were very loyal to each other and to Billy. ... Old Dan had the brawn, and Little Ann had the brains.