Today Keith and his helper whose name I do not know came to Houndstooth Hall. (ETA: I now know his name. It’s Jay.)
Where it started:
How it’s going:
The black plastic bag covering the hole in the kitchen ceiling is gone, and the job should be finished tomorrow. WOOHOO!
Meanwhile, I’ve been busy, too. Witness the closet doors in the guest room known as “Lynne’s room.”
And the wonders within. On the floor, from top to bottom are a bin of doll clothes; a bin of Monster High Dolls; a bin of Model Muse dolls; and on the bottom, a bin of doll furniture, vehicles, horses, and other marvelous things. Above them, the shelf is full of boxed dolls.
Like this:
And this:
More boxed dolls and doll cases on the shelves on the other side of the closet:
Little blue bin on the left has Monster High Doll accessories. Little blue bin on the right has “character” dolls–that is, dolls who I sometimes dress and pose to entertain and inspire me as I write the characters they represent. Those four small containers on top of that are Barbie and Ken accessories, mostly shoes. They have more shoes than Carrie Bradshaw, an outdated reference to Sex and the City. But probably not more shoes than Imelda Marcos, an outdated reference to the former First Lady of the Philippines who is now 91 years old.
The four orange bins on the bottom are full of individually wrapped dolls. Since I’ve been asked, the total number of dolls in that closet is 456 (edited: 459), acquired over 55 years. Considering that I’m 135 years old, it could be worse.
Here is a cute shot of a character doll who’s currently living in 1974 on paper.
I now know exactly what I have and have catalogued and photographed where everything is. It’s organized and at hand–no more asking Tom to bring bins from our outside storage room and searching for that ONE doll or ONE cape or tuxedo I need. I’m happy they’re inside, climate controlled, and flood resistant or at least easy to quickly move UP should the need arise. And there’s still room for Lynne or a guest to hang clothes and put shoes–and more room can be made by stacking the bins a little differently. But NO MORE shelf space. =)
Mostly I’m happy because the things that fill the Hall–among them, books, music, movies, dolls and a few other toys, stones and crystals, a bit of art, crafting supplies–all inspire me and nourish a nature that has yearned to create my entire life. I never wanted things for the sake of things; everything is a story or becomes one. I don’t know any other way to be and am grateful for everyone who’s encouraged and accepted me for who I am.