MERRY CHRISTMAS

Yes, I know I've been neglecting this blog, but I decided to drop by and say Merry Christmas!  I just don't spend as much time online these days.  I had hoped I'd do better, but there's only so much time in a day.

I told some doll friends that I was trying to find time to work on a doll scene for Christmas.  Sometimes I just have to find time to play.

Did you know that it snows in Houston?  Mostly in my imagination although we actually had a few flurries a few weeks ago, but nothing like the snow I grew up with in New Jersey.  So, I have to use my imagination and let my dolls have snow.  

This is one of my modern Vogue Ginny Dolls.  Some of you know her as GinnyFaith.  I've been neglecting her and decided she should appear in some photos again.  I used to include her in just about all of the photos I took of my dolls.  Then the Vogue Doll Company came out with vintage reproduction Ginnys and I kind of lost interest in the modern dolls.  I'm sorry GinnyFaith!

Here's a close up so you can see her spiffy outfit.  My friend Sherelyn gave this to GinnyFaith last year.  Her doll has the same outfit and so does SHE!   I always meant to ask her where she found them.  It's not often that you see a grown woman and her doll dressed alike.

Some of them tried ice skating for the first time and fell on the imaginary ice.  The Madame Alexander Doll on the left is skiing.  She's wearing one of the Ginny outfits that I still have from my childhood by Vogue (Fun Time #49 from 1954).  The Madame Alexander skater in the gray and peach outfit is also wearing an outfit from my childhood by Vogue (Fun Time #47 from 1955 - It's actually suppose to be a roller skating outfit.)  The vintage reproduction Ginny in the white skating outfit I got at a Fire Flies Convention.  The 1954 Ginny Painted Lash Walker is wearing a vintage ski outfit by Vogue (Fun Time #49 from 1955).  I added the red mittens because her hands looked cold.  They didn't come with the outfit originally.  The AA Modern Ginny that took a fall is wearing an outfit that my friend Karen Mowery made for a Ginny Doll list event.

I stood her up so you could see the outfit.  Karen sewed outfits for our dolls for the month of January.  She chose to make ice skating outfits.  Ginny's name is embroidered on the hat but it doesn't show in the photo.  Karen loved to sew and especially loved to quilt.  Sadly, she passed away way too soon.  I'm fortunate enough to have several outfits that she made.  My doll is also wearing a sweater my mom knitted using a kit that Vogue sold (#7869 Knit Kit in  1957).  I also have the matching hat she made.  This sweater was actually made for a Ginnette doll, but it's the only one I still have.  The sleeves are a little bit long for Ginny.  I feel very fortunate to still have it.  The kit had directions and wool to make sweater sets for the Jill, Ginny and Ginnette dolls.

This is a close up of the terrible fall they took.  (I would have had them standing and skating if I could have figured out how to balance them on ice skates!)

They worked hard building this igloo and making all the snow balls in case any stupid boys came by.  That's a modern Hispanic Ginny on top of the igloo in her snowsuit. On the right is a vintage reproduction Ginny wearing a pink and gray ski outfit that Vogue made (Fun Time #6049 from 1956).

On the right is a vintage Nancy Ann Muffie doll wearing her Santa suit minus the correct hat.  I put a more traditional Santa hat on her but the reds were different and it had white trim that was whiter than the fur on her suit.  I settled on the red and white striped hat but I'd sure like to find the original hat that came with this outfit.  I added the red glasses because I thought she looked cute in them.  I have maybe four or five Muffie dolls in my collection, but the Vogue Ginny doll is really my first love.

We all with you a Merry Christmas!

On more thing...

This is one of my Chatty Cathy dolls.  She's still dressed in her Houston Astros uniform that she wore for the World Series.  I bought her Christmas apron down at MD Anderson Cancer Center.  It was designed by a child with cancer.  I left the tag on because it gives the child's name and age.  I wasn't sure if it would fit Chatty Cathy when I bought it.  I probably would have gotten another one if I had known for sure.  It was made for the American Girl Doll.  There's a matching child's apron and a matching one for adults.  I thought it was really cute.

Merry Christmas once more and I'll be back again some day...

"L" as in Lucky for ABC Wednesday

 Welcome to ABC Wednesday and the letter "L" as in Lucky.

It all began with Lucky. 

My life as a future Crazy Cat Lady began in 1952.  This is Lucky in our backyard in Westwood, New Jersey.  I always loved cats.  My mother wasn't crazy about them, but she relented and got one because of my obsession.  Before Lucky came along I would go outside and sit on the front porch and wait for a cat to go by.  That didn't happen very often, so finally my mother decided it was time to get a cat for me.

These photos were actually slides that were scanned.  Here we are in the backyard playing with Lucky (and our dollhouse).  I no longer remember the name of the girl on the left, but I'm in the middle and my sister is on the right petting Lucky.

Lucky was the first of many cats that I've had in my life.  I remember every single one.  I don't even admit to how many I have at the present time, but enough probably to qualify as a Crazy Cat Lady.

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"K" as in Killer Kitty for ABC Wednesday

It's time again for ABC Wednesday and the letter "K" as in Killer Kitty.

Our cat Zoom is a tiny cat.  She was found as a kitten behind a shopping center after Hurricane Ike in 2008.  At least that's what the man in the parking lot told me when he said, "Can you drop this kitten off someplace for me?"  At first I said no.  Then I took a second look and saw a sick kitten.  Her eyes were infected and looked horrible.  I couldn't just walk away.  I took the kitten from him and headed straight to the Veterinarian.

She was treated with antibiotics and eye medicine.  I was told she might lose the one eye, but she didn't.  She started getting well and then relapsed, but another round of antibiotics did the trick.  She's been with us ever since.

We love her, but she's a strange cat.  I'm pretty sure she has some kind of mental disorder.  I have to warn people when they come in the house not to touch her.  I usually say, "Don't touch Zoom because she'll kill you."  Then she'll come over by them and roll around on the floor by their feet looking cute.  Sometimes they'll say, "Really?  I can't touch her?"  I reassure them that she'll scratch and/or bite them if they do.  She's small but fierce.

One time my son came from Austin for a visit.  All of a sudden I heard him yelling, "Will someone come and get this stupid cat?"  Keith was trying to come down the stairs and Zoom wouldn't let him.  She was trying to attack his legs.  I started laughing, but Keith didn't think it was funny.  I wish I had thought to take a picture before I sent Zoom on her way.

Recently I picked up an empty box to put things in while I was shopping at Sam's.  When I brought it home Zoom claimed it and Reid decided to modify the wording on the box.

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"J" as in Jello?? for ABC Wednesday

You'll quickly discover that I had no idea what to write about this week for the letter "J" for ABC Wednesday.  I've been tossing things around in my mind all week.  Finally, in desperation I decided to write about Jello.

I hate Jello.  I think it's disgusting.  I have no idea what it tastes like because I've never eaten plain old Jello.  I hate the way you can see through it.  I hate the way it wiggles.  As far as I know I have never eaten plain Jello unless my mother fed it to me when I was too young to remember.

I wouldn't even try a Jello salad.  You know how people put fruit in Jello and then pour it into a mold?  I wouldn't eat it even that way.  I realize this is probably a psychological thing with me, but I grew up in the 1950's when this kind of thing was served.

Did you know that there's even a Jello museum?  If you're ever in LeRoy, New York stop by for a visit...April through December.  You can learn the history of Jello.

I have to be perfectly honest here.  I know I'm a bit of a hypocrite, but there is a recipe that I love and raspberry Jello is one of the ingredients.  However, because of other ingredients it is not clear and it barely moves.  I got this recipe from a friend many years ago.  I call it Pink Salad.

You can see in the photo above how dense it is.  I can totally forget that there's Jello in there.

PINK STUFF

1 small can crushed pineapple
1 6 oz. Jello (I always use raspberry)
1 12 oz. Carton Cool Whip
2 c. buttermilk
½ - 1 cup chopped nuts

Combine undrained pineapple and Jello in small saucepan. Heat until Jello dissolves. Mix Cool Whip and buttermilk; add nuts. Stir in gelatin mixture, mixing thoroughly. Put in mold or long rectangular pan. Let set for 4 hours. (I do it overnight.) I find it helpful to spray the mold lightly with Pam…it comes out of the mold a lot easier. Serves: 12. (I use a wire whisk for mixing the ingredients together.)

You can make it look fancy by garnishing it with some fresh fruit.  I used a Tupperware mold that I've had since the year of the flood.

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"I" as in Hurricane Irma for ABC Wednesday

This is working out for me.  Lately the hurricanes are alphabetically keeping up with ABC Wednesday.  Unfortunately, this week Hurricane Irma is making "its" way through the Caribbean towards the United States and Florida.  As I type this post Irma is "pummeling" Turks and Caicos with category 5 winds.  That is an extremely strong hurricane.  I believe they said the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever.  So far at least 13 people have been killed.  I hate it when they say "so far" because that means they know there will be more.

 I am becoming a little paranoid about hurricanes this hurricane season.  They scare me.  I find myself watching the Weather Channel on TV for hours on end.  My favorite app on my cell phone right now is a hurricane app.  Hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th.  There is still a long ways to go.  I feel like I have to be on guard all the time because of where I live.  I've been in Texas for most of the last 36 years, but there have only been three hurricanes that impacted this area.  However, the Gulf Of Mexico is becoming warmer and they tell us the storms will become stronger as they head this way.

I've learned a few things in the last two weeks.  Since Hurricane Harvey hit Texas with massive flooding I will no longer complain about living in a two story house.  I really thought I made a mistake buying this house, but I've now decided that a two story home is the way to go in the Houston area.  When there's flooding most people with two story homes can safely go upstairs.  With a one story home  you don't have that option.

I've also learned how poor I am in geography.  I have to admit that I don't know as much as I should about the Caribbean.  Turks and Caicos?   I googled...it's a British overseas territory made up of 40 coral islands.  I'm learning.  I can't even begin to imagine what the wind and storm surge will do to those islands.

I've learned that there are some really dedicated meteorologists.  I don't always understand all the scientific stuff, but I do understand the warnings.

By the way, I referred to Hurricane Irma as an "it" because I heard a meteorologist say that they don't consider them male or female.  I was trying to be politically correct.   At one time all hurricanes had women's names, but they stopped that some years back.

This week my thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by Hurricane Irma.

I know I'm kind of late getting this post up.  To visit other ABC Wednesday participants click here.

"H" as in Hurricane Harvey for ABC Wednesday

I'm a little late for ABC Wednesday and almost didn't make it.  Living in Houston I thought "H" as in Hurricane Harvey was quite appropriate.  We haven't had cable so I didn't have Internet or TV.  Then today we got cable service back and an hour later the electricity went out again.  Earlier it had been out for 24 hours.  I'm hoping to get this up before anything goes out again.

Our home did not flood and I'm so grateful.  I am well aware that thousands and thousands of people weren't as fortunate.

I have never seen so much rain in my life!  I believe it was Saturday that I stayed up until 2:00 AM watching the water rise in front of the house.  Finally, the electricity went off and I went to bed.  It wasn't like I could do anything to stop the water anyway and it was already up to the front porch.  I took this picture with my phone as it was rising.  It was taken from the front porch and it's not very clear, but you'll get the idea.  That's a road not a lake.

We do not live that close to a creek or bayou so if we flooded it would be because the water couldn't drain off fast enough.  Houston is very flat and there is a lot of concrete which makes it bad any time there's a heavy rain...and this was no ordinary heavy rain.

When I came downstairs in the morning the floor was dry and the water had receded.  The heavy rain had let up for a while and we were spared. 

Without Internet and TV we were kind of isolated and didn't know too much about what the storm was doing.  My cell phone wasn't much help.  The Internet was very slow loading...if at all.  I did listen to the radio from time to time, but it's not quite the same.

My friend texted me some pictures of her home.  She's on the other side of Houston and about 35-40 miles from here.  She had three feet of water in her home and had to move upstairs.

This is her backyard.  Believe it or not there's a swimming pool under all that water.

I think she'll need a new car.

This is the view from her upstairs window.

I think with so many homes and buildings flooded it will take years for Houston to recover.  Many, many people have been rescued by boat.  Authorities asked for help and the public responded.  As I type this they are still pulling people from flooded homes.  I'm afraid the death toll will rise as the water goes down.

Today my son and I drove a few miles to the town where we used to live Friendswood, Texas.  The road was blocked by flood waters and we were forced to turn around.  I think it will be a while before the road is passable.  We saw a lot of abandoned cars that I assume are ruined.  I didn't think to take a picture of the cars because I was shocked at the scene.

We did go out on Monday when the rain let up and found an open grocery store.  We stood on line to get in and then were told that they had no refrigerated or frozen things because they had lost power for 9 hours and had to toss everything.

We drove around and found another grocery store that was open and stood on line again.  They limit how many can go in the store at one time.

Some shelves were bare, but we got what we needed.

And then we got on one of two lines.  Our line started in the back of the store by the dairy case.

We went all the way to the other side of the store and then towards the front.

It was actually very well organized.  When we got up by the registers there was someone who directed us where to go.  From the back of the store to the register it only took an hour.  Considering the number of people that was pretty good.

While we were shopping the heavy rains returned.  I was concerned that the road might flood, but we made it home!

We had all the necessities that we needed and decided we weren't going out again until the sun came out.

Today the sun came out and we went to Walmart for a prescription and stood in line again. I guess the stores all use the same crowd control system and it actually works quite well.

I guess this will be the new normal for a while.

I find myself shaking my head in disbelief all the time, but Harvey really did happen.  I think it took most people by surprise.  This storm developed so quickly.  I sure hope there won't be another hurricane this season, but hurricane season runs through November 1st.

Please keep Houston and everyone who has been affected by this tragedy in your prayers.

To visit other ABC Wednesday posts click here.  As long as the cable and electricity stays on I'll try and visit other "H" posts this week.

ABC Wednesday..."G" as in Grace

 Welcome to ABC Wednesday.  This week we are up to the letter "G" as in grace.

One of the definitions for grace is a short prayer or thankful phrase before or after eating.  In English reciting such a prayer is sometimes referred to as "saying grace."

I've always enjoyed the work of artist Norman Rockwell.  The above is one of my favorites.  It was  painted in 1951 for the cover of the Saturday Evening Post's November 24, 1951 issue.  It's called "Saying Grace."

This is a picture of our cat Grace.  She lived to be about 21 years old.

She literally arrived on our doorstep the night before Thanksgiving in 1993.  I had the front porch decorated with a life size scarecrow sitting on a bale of hay.  Grace was only a kitten and she apparently decided the scarecrow's lap looked comfortable and curled up and went to sleep.  My son's friend came to the front door and found her.  He brought her inside and we fed her.

The next day my husband went around the neighborhood asking if anyone had lost a kitten.  He was told that she belonged to some people on the next street, but they had gone away for Thanksgiving.  So, we kept her until they returned.  Only they didn't want her.  She had been hanging around their yard for a while and they had fed her, but really weren't interested in keeping her.  They said we could have her if we wanted...and the rest is history.

We decided to name her Grace because grace always comes before Thanksgiving Dinner.  She turned out to be one of the sweetest cats we've ever adopted.  She was never old until a week or so before she died.  Even as a senior citizen she would occasionally still play with a cat toy.  Because she was so old I had almost convinced myself that she would go on forever, but sadly we lost her on April 9, 2014.  I always said that Grace chose us.

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Speaking Out Against Hate

I was suppose to put up a post for ABC Wednesday this week, but with all that has been going on I just couldn't bring myself to write a light hearted post.  I hope to rejoin ABC Wednesday next week.

Yesterday morning I put on my "Virginia Is For Lovers" t-shirt.  It was not just by chance.  Yesterday was the memorial service for Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, VA.  At one time Virginia was my home and it was my way of remembering the sad event of this past Saturday ...as if I could ever forget.

For as long as I can remember we have never been without racism and hate in this country, but in recent times it was usually dormant. Hate minded people mostly confined their comments to the privacy of their own homes, in their own circle of like minded friends, and of course on the Internet. Every so often hatred would reel it's ugly head in an incident that couldn't be ignored.  Living in Texas one incident that always stands out in my mind was the 1998 dragging death of a black man by three white supremacists in Jasper, Texas.  He was dragged behind a pick up truck for three miles along an asphalt road.  He was alive and conscious for most of that horrific time.  I have never understood this degree of hate.  Hating someone just because of their skin color?  If you would like to learn more click here.

After the tragedy in Charlottesville President Trump showed his true colors when he was unable to outright denounce the white nationalists and neo-Nazis who showed up with one thing on their minds...violence and hatred. Many have come out and criticized his stand, but in my opinion they often haven't gone far enough.  Of course, the David Dukes of the world have praised and complimented him.  We better be prepared for more violence.  The haters now feel even more empowered.

After hearing from critics the President changed tactics and tried to imply that the tragedy in Charlottesville was all about Confederate statues.  Well, only in America do ancestors of slaves have to attend high schools with names like Robert E. Lee High and play in parks with statues of people  that fought to continue to treat their ancestors no better than animals. Yes, these statues are part of our history.  For now lets take the statues down and have meaningful dialogue about how to handle our painful past.  It's time.

I am old enough to remember the Civil Rights movement.  I was fortunate enough to have parents that would point out the injustices, violence, and hate.  From a very young age I knew that it was wrong.  If you are too young or don't remember please listen to Congressman John Lewis' "Note To Self" from the CBS Morning News.  If it doesn't bring tears to your eyes you might want to ask yourself why.

To further understand you might want to plan a visit to one of the Civil Rights Museums with your children and grandchildren.  We must try and stop this kind of hate from being passed on from one generation to the next.

I can no longer just look the other way.  I feel the need to speak out.  We are all God's children.  We need to pray for this President before his lack of impulse control, temper, hate, and fragile ego lead us down a path where we don't need to go.  This is a very sad time in America.

ABC Wednesday..."E" as in Mt. Etna

Welcome once again to ABC Wednesday and the letter "E" as in Mt. Etna.

Getting to the top of Mt. Etna was one of the things on the Bucket List that I did for the letter B.  Let me explain.

From December 1968 until May 1971 we lived in Sicily.  My husband was in the US Navy at the time.  One weekend a day trip was planned to the top of Mt. Etna.  Mt. Etna is Europe's largest active volcano.  A bunch of us from the base took a bus to the ski lodge on Mt. Etna.  It was June and we all wore light weight clothes.  We had been told to wear long pants and to bring a jacket in case we needed it.  I remember one lady had even worn sandals.  That was a big mistake!  When we got off the bus at the ski lodge it wasn't summer anymore...it was cold.  Fortunately, we were able to rent winter coats at the lodge.  Here we are before we got our rental coats.

 We were loaded onto smaller vehicles (probably 4 wheel drive) for the next part of the trip up the mountain.  All of a sudden they stopped and we were told we'd have to climb the rest of the way.  It was freezing cold and there was an ice storm.  I've never been so cold in my life.

This wasn't really mountain climbing like you see them do on Mt. Everest.  No ropes or anything.  It was more like climbing up a steep hill.  Some months before man had walked on the moon for the very first time and up there Mt. Etna kind of reminded me of the moon.  No vegetation and black lava dust on the ground.

Our group was really not prepared.  Although Mt. Etna's elevation is only 10,991 feet a couple of people had to stop to catch their breath.  (These are old slides that were scanned.)

Here is our group of friends...

At the time I was about 6 months pregnant.  I kept slipping and falling on the icy ground (everyone was falling) and the weather was worse the higher we went.  I knew if something happened I'd have to get off the mountain, back to the base, and on a plane to Naples where the Naval Hospital was located.  I decided it wasn't worth the risk.  Reluctantly, I had a guide help me back down to the vehicle where I waited for everyone else.  I knew at the time I would regret not making it to the very top, but also knew in my heart I was doing the right thing.

My husband later told me that if I had just climbed for five more minutes I would have been at the top.  He told me that they held their hands over the top and could feel the warmth.  Here's a slide that he took at the top of Mt. Etna.

They didn't stay up there very long.  Soon they joined me in the vehicle and we rode back down to the ski lodge for lunch.  That's me on the right with the bottle of brandy.  Believe me...we all needed it!  (Back then no one said anything about not drinking during pregnancy.)

I had a healthy baby boy that October, but I've always regretted not making it to the very top.  I always thought that someday we might go back to Sicily, but my husband died and I've gotten older so making that trip is kind of doubtful now.  It's on my Bucket List, but really more of a dream.

As long as we lived there I would watch Mt. Etna smoking.  Here's the view from our apartment in Catania...

and when we moved onto the base the view from our street...

You can't really see the smoke in these old slides, but it always seemed to be smoking.  There were small eruptions while we lived in Sicily.

Last March a group of tourists were up on top of Mt. Etna when it suddenly erupted throwing hot lava into the air.  People had to run for their lives and some were injured.

Now I'm wondering if they even allow people to go to the very top any more.

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ABC Wednesday..."D" as in Crazy Doll Lady??

Welcome to ABC Wednesday and "D" as in Crazy Doll Lady???

Yes, I know I asked you last week if I was perhaps a Crazy Cat Lady.  Now I'd like to know if I'm a Crazy Doll Lady too?  Anyone that's ever stumbled upon my blog know that doll collecting and "playing" is another passion of mine.

I mostly collect the dolls I grew up playing with in the 1950's...the Vogue Company Dolls that were originally made in Medford, MA.  This is my childhood Vogue Ginny doll.  She's the only one that survived my childhood and she's a 1954 painted lash walker.  She's wearing one of the outfits from my childhood too.  She originally had a flip style hairdo which I cut as a child.  I was able to find a replacement wig on eBay and now she has braids.

There are all kinds of collectors.  Many collect what's called the "mint in box" dolls and they can run anywhere from the hundreds to the thousands.  That's not me.  I don't want a doll that has to stay in a box and sit on a shelf.  I'm glad that there are collectors that preserve these dolls, but I want to "play" with my dolls and not be afraid to touch them.

I buy what a friend calls "the previously loved" dolls.  Over the years I've learned to restring them...

and wash and set their hair.

I also collect other Vogue Dolls and some of their friends.  I have quite a few reproduction Vogue Company Dolls that were made up until 2011 or so.

What I really enjoy is setting them up in scenes.  It's fun finding or creating all the accessories for the scenes.  I recently worked on a couple of school scenes.

Recently I was asked how many dolls I owned.  I had never counted and assumed around 100.  I started counting and stopped at 260.  I'm now assuming I have around 300 dolls.  I was a little shocked and probably won't be buying many more.  I do try and keep my dolls set up permanently in scenes or on shelves.  I'm fortunate to have a room just for my dolls.

If you do a google search for "doll hoarding" you'll find this...

I do think there's a fine line between collecting something and hoarding it.  I like to think I haven't crossed that line yet.  This is probably true of most hobbies whether it's baseball cards, comics, etc.

Besides, my love of dolls goes back many years.  I started at a very young age.

That love grew throughout my childhood.

I'm 71 now.  What do you think?  Have I crossed the line yet?

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