MY FURRY FRIEND FOR WARM HEART WEDNESDAY #15

It's time once again to share something that warms our hearts for Warm Heart Wednesday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."

My poor little Chloe.  She had some dental work done today.  Normally she's a very hyper little dog, but not today.

She just wants to be left alone to rest.  We picked her up at 4:30 and she's been resting in her cage ever since.  We feed her in the cage so she can't steal the cats' food, but she didn't eat and wasn't interested in coming out.  So, we're just leaving her alone.  She's had her pain meds and hopefully she'll be her active old self tomorrow.

While she was there they must have cleaned her eyes and ears because they were wet.  You can see it in this picture.  Poor baby.  She just looks kind of sad.  Whenever I look into those big brown eyes it warms my heart.

While Chloe was gone today I played with my dolls.  As you know, that's always a heart warmer for me. 

Over the weekend I set up a Saturday Morning breakfast scene with two new reproduction Vogue Ginny dolls.  These poor dolls were AOL for a while until my mailman tracked them down.  I think they must have been sitting in the wrong mailbox.

The doll on the right is wearing a pair of blue checked pajamas that I've had since childhood.  I found the matching pink checked pajamas on eBay.

Today we played clean up.

 

Now please head over to Jenny's blog for a list of this week's Warm Heart Wednesday participants. 

Thanks for visiting...

Memories for Warm Heart Wednesday #14

Welcome once again to Warm Heart Wednesday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  This is where we share a special moment that warmed our hearts.

My parents built their home in 1947.  It was  a tiny Cape Cod.  There was a living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and one bathroom.

The kitchen was very small.  It was too small for a table, so we had a counter with stools.  The kitchen was never updated and still looked pretty much the same in 2006 when my father finally sold the house.

I guess this picture was taken when I was around 5 or 6 years old.  My sister was two years older.

This past weekend I headed to the other side of Houston to one of my favorite antique malls.  That's when I spotted a Renwal plastic kitchen sink and refrigerator in 1:6 scale...perfect for my Vogue doll collection.

The sink reminded me so much of the sink in my parents' kitchen.  (I wish I had a picture of that sink!)  I googled the Renwal name and discovered some 1:12 dollhouse scale sinks, stoves, and refrigerators on eBay that looked very similar to the ones I bought in the 1:6 scale.  I gather they were originally made in the late 1940's - early 1950's.  There were none like mine on eBay.  I'm sure there must have originally been a stove too.  I decided I wanted my sink and refrigerator to be a little higher, so I added the black baseboards.

The inside of the refrigerator reminds me of my parents' original refrigerator in that home.  A tiny little freezer with an ice cube tray that slid out.

I would love to find the stove that went with this set.  I'm pretty sure it would look a lot like my parents' old stove.  It probably will be very difficult to find since I've never seen this set before.

This little toy set brings back many warm memories of a time long, long ago.

Please head over to Ms. Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.  Thank you for visiting...

Bronzed Baby Shoes For Warm Heart Wednesday #13

It's time again for Warm Heart Wednesday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  This is where we share something that warms our hearts.

This week I'm going to show you some of my bronzed baby shoe collection.  I'm on a mission to save these special mementos that end up in estate sales, flea markets, garage sales, or antique malls.  I just don't understand why someone didn't want them.  They never fail to warm my heart.

I'll save them as long as they aren't too expensive.  The most I've ever paid was $35 for bronzed cowboy boots, but this is Texas.  They might be less expensive in another state.

I don't understand why a relative didn't want to keep them.

The least I've ever paid is $3 at the First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas, but most are around $15-$20 or so.  I pass if they're too expensive.  The cowboy boots were the one exception.

The ones I find kind of funny are the baby shoes that come with ashtrays.  A rather strange combination by today's standards.  Often they'll be seen minus the glass ashtrays that have probably gotten broken over the years.

 The above shoe has a name plate.  It says, "RICHARD DELEON, SR., DECEMBER 26, 1935."  I find it kind of strange that the plate indicates this person was a SR.  That would mean he would have a child that would be a JR.  At least that's the way that kind of thing usually works.  Perhaps this shoe was bronzed after the person was grown with a child of his own?  I googled the name, but there are a bunch of people with the same name.

Perhaps someone can identify this cute little boy?

I took the picture out of the frame to see if there was anything written on the back and there wasn't.  He kind of reminds me of one of my sister's sons at that age.  Now why didn't someone keep this picture and the shoes?  Don't worry...he's not forgotten.  He sits on my bookshelf and warms my heart every day.

I kind of like this little girl's dress shoe.  I have the pair.   I think they're so sweet.

I believe these probably belonged to a little boy.  I have both of them.

This shoe was one of my mother's baby shoes.  My sister has the other one.

NOTE TO MY SONS:  After I'm gone if this shoe winds up in an estate sale or garage sale I will come back and haunt you.  Love, Mom

This was my most recent find and they're probably the oldest shoes.  I say that because of the buttons.

I have bronzed shoes scattered about my home.

I'm their caretaker.

Now please head over to Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.  Thanks for visiting.

Is Rudeness The New Norm?

Is rudeness the new norm?

I'm afraid so.

The world is changing and it's not just the rude behavior shown during the current Presidential election.  (Can you believe the insults and name calling that's now the norm in politics?)  Rudeness is all over the place.

I used to shop at Baybrook Mall in the Houston area.  It was a nice mall and you could walk around, window shop, talk to a friend, etc.  I was there every day because I walked for exercise before the mall opened and then would stay if I had any shopping to do.  Not anymore. 

You can no longer walk around in peace.  Some aggressive sales people man booths throughout the mall trying to lure you over to buy whatever junk they're selling.  They jump out and interrupt and are just plain rude.  Five or six years ago I wrote the mall off my list of places to shop.  I will go to the anchor stores, but I enter them from the parking lot and do not walk through the mall.  I've found other places to shop where I don't have to be harassed.

I'm amazed at the way people drive in Houston.  There is very little traffic enforcement in the area where I live.  People run red lights and cut each other off all the time.  When there's virtually no enforcement speed limits and traffic lights become mere suggestions.  Once again, rudeness is the norm.

A lot of rudeness today is fostered by social media.  It's just too easy for someone to sit somewhat anonymously at a keyboard and "tweet" insults or post them to a group site.  Then others feel the need to repeat what's said.  It's a vicious cycle.

At one time you could put your phone number on the National and state do not call lists and telemarketers would respect the list and not call.  Now those lists are almost meaningless.  People will call over and over again even if you don't answer.  They don't care if they're bothering you.  I love the way in Texas the politicians that wrote the Texas do not call list excluded themselves so they could call and annoy voters during elections.  It's unbelievable how many calls I get every time there's an election.  Voting early doesn't eliminate the calls.  Talk about rude.  I'd say I wouldn't vote for the rude ones, but that would eliminate virtually every candidate.

We've all been somewhere where someone had to talk on their phone at an inappropriate time.  Ever been in the restroom when the person in the next booth is talking a mile a minute on the phone?  Does anyone besides me think that's pretty rude?

Don't get me going again on football fans.  I wear earphones at Texans games and listen to the game on the radio.  It helps block out what nearby fans are yelling.

There is a plus to all this rudeness.  Now when someone is kind, considerate, and polite it's so much more meaningful.  Have you ever been waiting to pull out of a parking lot and suddenly someone stops and waves you on?  I always give them a big thank you wave.  Little things like that mean so much more now.

Children Teach Us Empathy For Warm Heart Wednesday #12

Better late than never!  It's Friday evening and I'm just getting my Warm Heart Wednesday post up.  Warm Heart Wednesday is sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  This is when we share something that warmed our hearts.

So much hoopla and excitement this week over Super Bowl 50.  We went out to dinner this week and the restaurant had a sign that said, "closing Sunday at 5 for the game."  It's like the whole country is going to come to a standstill.   I'll be one of the millions watching.

I really enjoy football.  I know I've said before how amazed I am at the way some fans react when their team falls behind.  I've seen it at Texans games.  They get mad and start piling out of the stadium, yell ugly things, etc.  It's just a game!  A form of entertainment...not life and death.

Last month the Minnesota Vikings were trailing by one point in a playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.  There wasn't much time left and Minnesota kicker Blair Walsh needed to kick a 27 yard field goal.  It should have been an easy kick, but he missed.  Many fans were outraged and lots of ugly things were said.

A first grade teacher noticed that the children in her class were saying things that they had heard at home like, "He should be fired!"  (I'm sure that's one of the milder things she heard.)  She decided to use this situation as a teachable moment.  The children were learning about empathy, so she had them write letters to Blair Walsh.  They did and he surprised them by visiting the class to thank them for their kindness.

I found the entire story heartwarming.  Some adults could learn from these first graders.

Now head over to Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.  Thank you for visiting and don't take Sunday's game too seriously.

Are You Burned Out Yet?

Have you been watching the Presidential debates?  Have you been following the various candidates on the political trail?  Are you burned out yet?  I hope not because I have another debate for you.  This one took place on Late Night with Stephen Cobert.

Mr. Cobert decided to moderate a debate between "Donald" and "Mr. Trump."  Decide for  yourself who wins.

The actual debate begins approximately 2 1/2 minutes into the video if you want to skip right to it.

I usually try and stay out of political discussions, but this debate was too good to pass up.

I consider politics a necessary evil in a Democracy.  More so this year than ever before.

Enjoy!