Button Sunday and Song Challenge, Day 10

Hope everyone remembered to set their clocks forward last night before bed. Today’s song challenge is “a song that makes you sad.” For me, “Time in a Bottle” is a song many people call romantic, but I’ve always heard it as sad, so that’s how it makes me feel.


Yesterday, we had to say goodbye to Debby’s Stewie, who just a few days ago celebrated his seventeenth birthday. He’s had health issues the last few months and among other things, struggled with his appetite. Today, the staff at Gulf Coast offered him a little feast of birthday cake and ice cream, among other goodies, and he loved the bacon. It was already gone from his tray in this photo! He also enjoyed a bit of the birthday cake and ice cream and ate all the Cheetos before his gentle, loving goodbye. Debby’s going to miss the dog she called “the little Frenchman” so much.

Stewie was originally her grandchildren’s dog. When they had to give him up, she invited him to live with her. He and her big black lab Harley became good friends. Harley died in 2019, also on March 9. Now they’re together again.


We may not be able to save time in a bottle, but it has no power over the bonds of love.

Song Challenge: Day 2

Delta and Anime are waiting for a call from the 1980s.

An ear worm has been on my mind for a few days, since I used the music on an Instagram post with that photo and caption. From 1982, when phone calls were still a dime, I bring you Tommy Tutone.

Here are all 30 days of challenges if you want to play along somewhere or in my comments with a song title containing numbers.

Late but sweet

Yes, it’s been two weeks since Valentine’s Day. Yes, I understand the perspective that it’s a manufactured holiday meant to make people spend money on flowers and candy and jewelry and dining out and trips, etc. And it makes some people feel lonely and alone, or resentful for being expected to feel lonely and alone, when they are actually quite content with their lives. So here’s a message from the bottom of my heart–or the bottom of my Hershey’s Kisses.

Love is love. Celebrate it any day or every day with friends, family members, family pets, and romantic partners. Or just celebrate because Snoopy was created, and he’s amazing.

Photo Friday, No. 896

Current Photo Friday theme: Pandemic

On the Photo Friday site, when they gave the theme, they asked these questions: What subjects captivated your attention? Did the pandemic influence your photography?

Below is why I chose a current “selfie” as my photo.

The pandemic made my world smaller. Prior to the shutdown, I had a career that kept me busy 10 to 14 hours a day. Part of my volunteer work for that organization involved shooting photos of rescued dogs, cats, the occasional pig, and a few other surprising creatures, three times a week. I had plans to transition out of my volunteer photography for them so I could travel more in 2020. But early in the year, the organization laid off a majority of the staff, including me, because of the pandemic. Like many others, I quarantined. I didn’t travel. I adjusted to life without the income from the paying part of my job and without the coworkers who inspired me. My world became what was around me, so that’s what I photographed: my home, family who lives on the same property, and our dogs. I found ways to photograph my hobbies (collecting dolls, listening to music, reading, journaling, painting, homemaking, blogging), and my passion: writing fiction.

When the pandemic shifted in 2021 and the world began opening up, other than seeing more friends, not a lot changed because I decided to retire. I still don’t travel. I haven’t been bothered by the slow march of lines up and down and across my face. I didn’t care when my hair, that for twenty years had its roots colored brunette, and later to strands of brunette and blonde, became gray and white during the pandemic. I’m grateful to be here and for all that I have. I try to adapt to and deal with the challenges. I still mostly photograph what’s around me.

They got a name for the winners in the world


Delta, side-eyeing me and speaking for the pack: “We will not be moving from the heater or taking questions at this time.” I think Delta has recently been reading over my shoulder while I was writing.

Below is my writing playlist for the day, and Steely Dan had me so mellow that I might as well have been stoned. Gwen Stefani got me back to the manuscript! The Steely Dan shown here is a collection, but I’m very sure that a million years later, if someone brought in the albums Can’t Buy A Thrill or Aja, I’d be able to sing along, every word to every song. Music memory’s a funny thing.


Smashing Pumpkins, 2-CD set, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness; Steely Dan, The Definitive Collection; Gwen Stefani, Love, Angel, Music, Baby.

So much good music, but school loyalty mandates that I link to the tune I’ve chosen. Roll Tide, and we’ll miss you, Coach Saban. I was there for some of the Bear Bryant years, and you, too, became a coaching legend. Tip of the houndstooth hat to you.

Midweek

Nothing clever to say, no anecdotes, no reminiscences. Very little writing done, but I tried. Replaced a couple of small broken kitchen appliances. Was VERY happy our frozen hot water line thawed with no damages that Tom can find. The cold has abated somewhat.

Dogs just wanna get warm.

Or watch TV with Tom.

Happy birthday to somebody I still like to think about and remember. Something you once said to me is engraved on my heart in a way that will always delight me. Also, you had a nickname for me, and I may let one of my characters use it for another character.

Happy Caturday!


I don’t have cats, but in solidarity with those who do, I thought I’d dedicate part of today’s post to cats. Mainly because Debby gave me this cool Haunted Cat Tarot deck for Christmas. Any particular card you’d like to see?

When I took her to an appointment earlier in the week, I took this coloring book with me.

I’d already torn a page out of it at some point, and I decided to color that one. But I wasn’t sure how to color it, so I looked up various wild cats and found this one to inspire me.

Here’s how it turned out.

What I do have is dogs. The other day, after a frantic round of digging, which she isn’t supposed to do, Delta apparently found somebody’s last marble.

It’s all cleaned up and put with the other marbles now.


Meanwhile, Anime had dental surgery yesterday morning, and she’s had a miserable two days. She started drinking water again sometime around noon today, and this evening, she took some meatballs (canned dog food rolled around her regular meds and her pain med). She’s finally stopped dripping blood from her mouth and is overall a lot more comfortable tonight. Through it all, she’s been very sweet and stoic, so clearly it wasn’t her last marble Delta found.


The tree has been stripped and all the ornaments and decorations have been put away.

Except we have to find the bin that has the box that my vintage Holt Howard angel goes in. Meanwhile, I posed her with an appropriate old Southern novel that I haven’t read in decades and probably should read again.

Sometimes when I get really busy, I forget to eat. When tonight’s light meal of a BLT, half an apple, and some potato chips seemed ridiculously good, it occurred to me that I’d only eaten yogurt with the water and coffee I drank today. It was a good sandwich, though.

A chilled out hump day

Had another bout of insomnia last night but still woke up early. I took a nap later, and this always interferes with any plans I might have made for the day that require focus. Did a little more toward Christmas un-decorating, spent time outside with the dogs and cleaning their “gifts” out of the backyard (tomorrow being trash day), and then I decided to try to identify the other three new-to-me dolls that came via Lynne.

Don’t know if it’s my tired brain, but I can’t say I’m confident about who the dolls are. I have some queries out to other doll collectors on Flickr, but in the meantime, here’s a fun photo I shot of them.


Ken has what’s often called the “Alan face mold,” it having been used first for friend doll Alan, maybe in 1990, and later used for around twenty-six Ken dolls (several of which I own). Then a modified version was used for another nineteen dolls (and yep, I own some of them, too).

The doll’s head doesn’t fit comfortably on the articulated body, and if this hadn’t come from a child’s collection, I’d think it was a collector-modified doll. However, there was in fact a doll that both had this head mold and posable arms and legs, and that’s the 1994 Hot Skatin’ Ken. The year fits, so I’ll accept Hot Skatin’ Ken for him. I kind of wish I had his original outfit. I’ve dressed him in some nice jeans, a pair of white sneakers, and a shirt I made. Looks like he and his friends are going to a block party where he’ll be forced to play guitar. I wonder if he plays as well as he skates.


Right now, my best guesses on these two are (white earrings) 1996 Valentine Fun Barbie or 1997 Shopping Time Walmart Special Barbie, and (red earrings) 1996 Valentine Romance Barbie. I cleaned up their hair disasters with a shampoo and conditioner, took the hair shears to some of the frizz and messy ends, and, as shown in the top photo, found clothes for them from the Doll Closet. Those are Mattel 1962 Fashion Pak gathered skirts. I guess the Barbies wanted to go a little retro. Then they sassed up their looks with a couple of midriff-baring tops and cute heels. They’re taking little dog Chicago with them so he can sing along with Skatin’ Ken.

What a party!

Workin’ Out


From the four new-to-me dolls from Margret, via Lynne, I knew the Teresa doll (left) would be the easiest for me to identify if the earrings were original to her and especially because her body type is articulated, usually only done for a limited number of dolls. I was right; I found her immediately, Mattel’s 1996 Workin’ Out Teresa doll.


Here’s her description: Teresa has a pair of orange button earrings, an orange work-out outfit, a pair of white leg warmers, a pair of orange shoes with suction cups, and included are a standard-size music cassette, a doll-sized cassette player with headphones, barbells, and a bottle of water.


What I really hoped was that the similar pink earrings on the articulated Barbie next to her in the photo meant she was also a Workin’ Out doll, and again, the answer is yes. One was made in Malaysia and one in China, both with 1993 articulated body types, and Barbie’s description matches Teresa’s, except she’s in pink.

 


Their hair was a hot mess. I didn’t get a photo of Teresa’s before I brushed out the tangles, cleaned it, added a bit of Volks Water Wax, and banded it, but here’s how Barbie’s hair looked before. These are dolls that were played with, the very best kind for doll rescuers like me. Perfect dolls come new in the box, and they’re great (you know I love them because I have SO MANY), but there’s something heartwarming about getting dolls that were an important part of someone’s childhood. There’s a reason people cry at the Toy Story movies. Whether or not we held on to the toys we cherished, they remain special in our memories, and I treat other people’s dolls with an awareness of that.

Along with the hair wax, I broke out the other doll haircare stuff (Barbie’s split ends needed a tiny bit of trimming).

Here’s how their hair looks now. Shiny!

Since they’re sporty girls, I dressed them appropriately from the Barbie wardrobe room (i.e., the closet in the guest room, aka Lynne’s Room).

I have no shoes that will go on these dolls’ flat feet. I found their original suction-cup shoes online and they’ll be here next week, and also a couple of pairs of sandals they can probably wear. If not, the sandals will fit the doll who is now shoeless thanks to Jack.

I am a big fan of the Grady Goat Foundation and all the work they do. I’ll probably share this photo on my Instagram account so I can tag them, because clearly these new dolls are ready for GOAT YOGA!