Where have the days gone...

Where have the days gone??? It's been a while since I last blogged, but Dad comes over here to watch the White Sox on the computer most evenings and if I'm busy during the day I don't get online. I stayed up until 3:00 AM this morning trying to catch up on old E-mails and board posts.

The doll show last weekend was very nice. We had a long drive, but it was fun. I was exhausted on Sunday and Monday, but have since bounced back. I did get quite a bit of exercise in this past week. Between my exercise tape and walking three miles at the mall I thought I did pretty well. I hope to walk this evening in the park...if the rain holds off. Anyway, I didn't spend too much at the doll show. I got a AA teenage doll and a little no name doll wearing a Vogue repro Ginny dress. I passed on quite a few things. I saw some vintage Ginny Doll clothes, but I have a whole pile of clothes waiting to be washed and mended. Until I catch up I'm not spending any more. Here are my two doll show dolls (in the middle) surrounded by some of my past purchases.



I enjoy my dolls. They're a wonderful escape and bring me much joy. Of course, I have to put up with a lot of teasing by family members, but that's OK.

This past week Dad fell twice and has seemed so much more confused at times. I'm really concerned about what the future holds. We went out to lunch today to his favorite place, Red Lobster. He loves steamed lobsters and one of the waiters came over and made a big fuss over him. This waiter has waited on him in the past and my father enjoyed the special attention that he gave him. It's funny how something so simple can make a big difference in someone's day. I was grateful to that waiter for the kindness he showed to an old man.

Thursday...

I've made a lot of progress on the Car Hop outfit since last Saturday. I should be done shortly. Thank goodness. It ended up not being as bad as I thought.

On Saturday I'm going to a doll show in Austin with some friends. It's around a 3+ hour drive each way. I'm going to have to get up very, very early...GROAN. I am not a morning person. I also don't need to be spending money on dolls right now. I just got back from the Fire Flies Convention earlier this month and in July I go to Ohio for the Ginny Doll thing.

Tommorow I have to take Dad back to the hearing aid place. We were just there last Friday to have his aids checked, but he has since lost one of them. We've searched his apartment, laundry, etc., and this time it's gone for good. I'm afraid he might have thrown it away with the old battery. He's also lost two room keys in the last week. I feel very sorry for him. He realizes how confused and forgetful he is at times and it weighs heavily on him mind. I try and tell him that he's still doing pretty well for someone his age. I was recently reading that there's a very promising drug for Alzheimer's in drug trials right now. If things continue to go along well they think the FDA might fast track this drug and it will be available in about a year. I think that will be too late for Dad. His memory has been declining rapidly the last nine months. For a number of years it seemed to progress very slowly, but not anymore. Most of the time he's pretty happy. He has a girlfriend at the assisted living facility and enjoys his time with her. So, in spite of the difficulties I think he still has a good quality of life at 88 and I'm thankful for that and hope and pray he'll be around for a good long while.

Saturday...

Saturday...and I'm trying to tie up some loose ends. I go to a Ginny Doll get together in Ohio in July. Each year we have a theme. One year it was a mall at Christmas, another year a county fair, etc. This year it's a park in the 1950's. Each of us will contribute to the park and we also make little gifts for one another. It's a lot of fun, but it takes time to get ready. This year we're supposed to dress up like one of our Ginny Dolls in the 1950's. Well, I got this brain storm and decided to dress up as the Car Hop Ginny. I bought a pattern and the fabric months ago, but I'm just now starting to sew. Of course, I'm having trouble figuring the pattern out. If I ever get the collar on the shirt it will be a miracle. The directions might as well have been written in Greek. Perhaps it's because I haven't sewn anything like this since 8th grade Home Ec. back in the year of the flood. I decided to take a break and mess on the computer for a few minutes. I'm hoping the directions will make more sense after my break.

A friend sent me some links to other Blogs. This caught my eye. If you're feeling a little blah this is a great pick me up! I hope this works. It didn't appear correctly in the preview but I'm hoping everything will be OK when it's published.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=92c_1181837281

OK...I give up. Use the link above instead. For some reason the embed code for Blogs won't work.

Chatty Cathy Dolls...

I thought I'd post a picture of a couple of my Chatty Cathy Dolls. This picture was taken in the Springtime when the Bluebonnets were all in bloom. This is Texas at it's best. It almost makes up for no beautiful foliage in the Fall (which I miss terribly). I made the outfits that my Chattys are wearing.

Busy Day...

It was a busy day. Dad had a 12:30 appointment for an ultra-sound. That meant he'd miss lunch at assisted living, so I picked him up at 11:00 and we went to one of his favorite places for lunch. There are only two places he likes...Red Lobster and Ellie's. Ellie's is a Greek place in town and they serve lamb shanks which he enjoys. So, we went to Ellie's first, then the doctor's office for the ultra-sound, the bank for cash, the mall, and finally to the gas station for gas. Most of these places involved getting Dad in and out of the car. That's become quite a production. I usually end up dropping Dad at the door and parking the car. Then I have to reverse that procedure when we're leaving. Unfortunately, the automatic door lock on the passenger side of my car doesn't work, so I have to climb into the car on the driver's side and manually unlock the passenger door. Then I have to help Dad in (or out) and fold up the walker (or do the reverse) and put it in the car (or take it out). Of course, this part of Texas is hot and humid 99.9% of the time (or so it seems) and I was dripping wet with sweat. No kidding, it was running down my face. Don't get my wrong. I am so grateful that my Dad is still here and I'm able to spend time with him. It's just that I'm getting older myself and wearing out. By the time I got home I was exhausted.

The trip to the mall was to Godiva to get a box of milk chocolates for Amy. He called a little while ago and told me that he and Amy each had a piece this afternoon. They meet each day at 3:00 for the ice cream social and I guess that's when he gave her the candy. He really enjoys having a girl friend at 88. He's so happy. It even makes him forget that his beloved Chicago White Sox aren't doing very well this year. :)

Dad...

My Dad has lived near me in assisted living for just about a year now. He didn't want to move from NJ and assumed he'd hate assisted living, but was pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, his memory has gotten a lot worse and he recently had to have carotid artery surgery which ended up leading to a 2 1/2 week hospitalization. He's on the mend now and is going for physical therapy to help build up his strength. He now walks with a walker which may or may not be permanent. Here's a picture of my husband and Dad shortly before he was released from the hospital. In spite of everything he still looks pretty good for 88.

He's also fallen in love. Right before his hospitalization he asked Amy to marry him. She's 91. Her daughter objected and did not want her mother to marry, so there won't be a wedding. However, they're still a couple around the assisted living facility and spend time together. He enjoys sending her flowers. He does it the only way he knows how. He calls the florist in NJ where he still has an account and orders flowers for Amy here in Texas. Of course, there are florists right in town, but Dad always used the same florist in NJ and that's the only way he knows how to do it. That means it costs more, but I think it's important for him to be able to handle these things himself and it's gotten very difficult to teach him new things, so I don't say anything. His memory loss has already given his self esteem a blow and sending Amy flowers makes him feel so good. He told me last night that Amy likes milk chocolate, so I'm sure we'll be making a trip to Godiva shortly.

A Couple Of My Favorite Vintage Ginny Dolls...

And here's a photo of a couple of my favorite vintage Ginny Dolls.

Pictures...

I've had a request for photos. (Thank you, Loretta.) I find my doll hobby very relaxing...a real stress reliever. I enjoy setting my dolls up in scenes. Recently I saw somone refer to their scenes as vignettes. A fancy word for scenes, but sounds so much better. Here is one of my "vingnettes" from last Thanksgiving.

Sharing...

I've been following this website every spring for the last four or five years. A pair of Peregrine Falcons has been nesting on the top of an office building in Jersey City, NJ. There's a live webcam so you can follow all the action. This year there were four eggs, but only three hatched. Within the next two or three weeks they'll be learning to fly. They recently figured out how to leave the nest box, so they're not always in camera view. Be sure and read the Newbox News. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/peregrinecam/

Time To Update...

I can see where I need to update my profile. I'm a year older now and I don't want anyone accusing me of trying to make myself appear younger. I've also lost some elderly pets this past year and adopted a couple of new ones. OK...I'm on my way over to the profile area to make the necessary changes.

I see there's been some changes...

I see there's been some changes since my last visit many, many months ago. I guess Google now owns Blogger? Anyway, I'm all set up with my Google account and password. I'm posting this now to see if it works. :)