Some things should be jewelry even though they’re not. Here is just such an example. It’s a cunning Chinese chop or signature stamp that I first saw at the Reno Salvation Army on Sutro St. while I was there with my husband, Ricky. He was as enamored as I was until he realized it wasn’t a dollar and fifty cents but a couple of zeros more. OUTRAGEOUS. We were dead flat broke as usual, and I reluctantly left this darling treasure behind.

      However, I thought about it all week and by Friday when I got paid, I asked my son if he wanted to go with me to Reno to buy a little jade dog. He said yes as long as he could have it when I died. I gave him my word which was cheap back then as he was only ten or eleven and could be bought off with a few packs of Magic Cards. He also promised to keep the trip a secret. Luckily it was summer and the light lasted forever so we had just enough time to whiz to Reno, pick up the little dog and hurry home with no one being the wiser. And no one is still the wiser.

      

      The jade dog has its place in my lacquer writing box, with Monte Blanc pens, and sterling silver letter openers, all manner of inks and a couple or other chops that just serve to show how special the jade dog is. I wish I knew who commissioned the little dog from whom. I have two little pugs and I’ve had two Pekingese and it’s hard to capture these creatures in their true beauty. I’ve never gotten a good pic yet of either of my pugs. But this little sculpture captures these breeds in their nobility. My life has been enriched by my outrageous little caper to Reno so many years ago.