Author: Becky

Tiny Tuesday!

Post-holiday, as things around Houndstooth Hall begin to get back to normal, it’s time to put away all the Christmas decorations. I’ll start today, but I have no deadline, no pressure.

Usually, at the beginning of the holiday season, one of the first photos I blog is my annual Wallace silver (plated) sleigh bell purchase.


I did get one this year, but I ordered it later than usual, which meant Tom hung the garland later than usual, and I forgot to photograph it before it went up.


It’s always a happy part of our decorations.

This collection began when I received my first sleigh bell from an employer in 1992. The tradition continued through 1995, but I was laid off in ’96. Amy still worked there, and she gave me her sleigh bell that Christmas. Beginning in 1997, I purchased each year’s sleigh bell myself. One year, I decided to find and purchase a previously-owned sleigh bell for 1988, the year Tom and I married.

This year, I found an online seller who had other years’ sleigh bells at a reasonable price. So I treated myself.


Those are the sleigh bells from 1989, 1990, and 1991. This means I now have a sleigh bell from every year we’ve been married, plus one duplicate year from Laura and Jess.

I don’t have any desire to collect back to 1971, the year this series began. Much as I love them, the collection isn’t about the sleigh bells as much as about our years together, our friends and family through the years, and the changes that have shaped our lives. I’ll continue the tradition to celebrate all those things, people, and dogs in future years.

ETA: Just got them off the garland and shot all 36 that were up. This year, some of them are definitely going to need polishing before being returned to storage.

Final ETA: Post-cleaning and polishing all 37. They are so shiny!

Mood: Monday

Photo of art previously posted here was of Peace and Love,, acrylic, chalk, Posca ink, mixed media, 2021 by artist Art Sand, diminutive of the name Sandrine.

Happy New Year! January 1 is the World Day of Peace. It seems that every day, I think of, long for, wonder about peace.

It’s commonly said that we’ve never had peace on this planet and never will have. To be informed is to be confronted with constant reminders of violence, unspeakable horrors, and unimaginable cruelty. Though we can find other stories about or personally know people who make positive differences, those often seem insignificant in the face of suffering on what seems like a limitless scale. It can all be overwhelming and numbing.

What do we do? How do we make peace? Keep peace? Encourage peace? Quick, easy answers frequently come from sources whose own lives and time are anything but peaceful. Often their motives are far afield of peace, maybe summarized in words like greed and power; control and manipulation; “winning,” whatever the cost.

I wish I had the infinite answers tailored to all of our unique challenges. I don’t even have the answers for all of my own. I would posit that keeping and making peace in our lives requires mindfulness. Attention. Awareness. Honesty with ourselves. Mental, emotional, and physical effort. To identify where things go off the rails and examine how our habits, personalities, and ego may contribute to robbing our days, homes, families, friends, jobs, and hobbies of peace. What things can we control, modify, or change? What things should we walk away from?

A few things I think about in my own life: When do I need to say no? To not think I must provide an answer to every question? To make more room for stillness and less room for busy-ness and distractions? To mind my own business more and other people’s less? To watch for a subtle shift from coping mechanisms like humor and storytelling to more harmful actions (e.g., belittling, criticizing, judging, mocking)? To recognize when people are directing those things at me (or even to the world at large) and to find the healthiest reactions and choices for my inner and outer peace.

Such a simple yet complex word: Peace.

Gun violence

In many cases on this blog, I’ve gone back through the years to post details of mass shootings in schools, places of worship, and other public locations in the U.S. I’ve tried to provide names of those involved (excluding the perpetrators), because I think it’s important that we recognize and remember those whose lives were cut short by gun violence in mass events.

It’s not only daunting to do the research, it takes an emotional toll on me. I greatly admire tireless gun reform advocates like Gabby Giffords, concerned citizens, parents, and former students who constantly push for awareness and real efforts to address this problem.

Here’s a look back at statistics from 2023 with only the barest of details and limited to schools and places of worship.

I got that information from a Wikipedia site that includes a much longer and more detailed chart you can review on that page, which details mass shootings at places along with schools and churches, including residences, public areas, and businesses. A total of 754 people were killed and 2,443 other people were injured in 604 shootings.

It’s overwhelming.

To pretend we don’t have an epidemic of gun violence in this country is the worst kind of hubris.

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!

Last full moon of the year


Was able to catch a shot of this month’s Cold Full Moon in Cancer, the last full moon of the year. Here’s some of a “Today Show” article by Lisa Stardust on what that might mean to your sign.

The last moon of 2023 presents an opportunity for emotional release as we enter the new year. Here’s what to know.

Within the astrological practice of moon mapping, full moons are known as being times of rest and release. But they also take on the flavor of other cosmic happenings.

With Jupiter retrograde in Taurus and Saturn in Pisces present, we can confront and resolve any lingering resentments and embrace resolutions to such matters.

The day before, Venus in Scorpio will aspect Neptune in Pisces, allowing us to embrace our innermost desires. The same day, Mars in Sagittarius will aspect the nodes of destiny, leading us to make choices that will improve our lives.

While Mercury’s square to Neptune in Pisces, combined with its connection to Mars, on Dec. 27 may cause confusion, the alliance between the sun in Capricorn and Jupiter retrograde gives us the strength and determination to move forward towards what brings us joy.

Behind the cut you can read how this full moon might affect your sign.

Continue reading “Last full moon of the year”

Just Jack, being himself


Christmas Eve, while Tom and I were busy in different parts of the house, this little miscreant realized a dining room chair pulled out from the table was a perfect opportunity, and he always has motive. A few minutes later, Tom spotted him on the couch in the office with foil near his mouth. The kind of foil that would be on Hershey’s Chocolate Bells if the chocolate bells weren’t in Jack’s stomach (along with the rest of the foil). First Tom induced regurgitation of chocolate, then he called the emergency vet (because it’s always at night and most certainly a weekend, and BONUS points if it’s Christmas Eve).

But they were helpful and advised us to first call the ASPCA Poison Control Hotline and get a case number started and after the hotline had all the details, they’d advise on whether Jack needed to go to the ER.

Tom gave all the info to a really great staffer; we were told what to do over the next few hours and what to watch for; and the end of the story is that Jack was fine, and we just lost sleep and peace of mind for about twelve hours. Foolish dog.


Today, I spent a lot of time updating my doll inventory in this Moleskine. It can be a laborious process, because though I do try to photograph any dolls as they come in, I don’t always get all their details down (the model of doll, the year released, the source of the doll, etc.). Since more dolls came to me at Christmas, I knew I should put aside some time and get things up to date. I photographed new dolls since my last inventory push (I think in July?), then I printed black-and-white photos of everything new and added their details to the inventory.

During that process, my laptop and printer stopped communicating, and at one point, Tom and I were both in the office trying to figure it out. When I returned to the sanctuary to get back on my laptop, Jack had maneuvered his way through the gate, where he was next to a doll. A new doll. A cute little teenage doll with flat feet who was wearing a cute pair of pink sandals. Was wearing, because one of the sandals is missing. Again, Jack is back to going outside on a leash with a flashlight on him tonight and into tomorrow, until we see that mangled pink sandal and know he’s okay.

I finally finished updating the doll inventory, despite leaving one out and having to print it and the printer being difficult again. Then I was putting everything away and promising I would not publish the total number of dolls I have (and a certain family member who lives far away and I talked for over an hour today on the phone, and she said IT’S FINE, I’M FINE) when I noticed a shallow container about twice the width of a shoebox and wondered, What the heck is in that?

Well, here is what was in that: uncounted, unphotographed, unresearched.

Lynne rescued these from her friend Margret, whose children had outgrown them, and brought them to me a few weeks back (along with another red Barbie car like the one Nurse Lisa gave me years ago, and maybe something else, I can’t remember, I’m tired). The dolls are a mess because they’ve been loved, and all dolls are welcome here. They’ll get cleaned up and their hair groomed. Their faces are all familiar to me, and despite not knowing their original fashions while in the box, I’ll have a relatively easy time connecting them to their decade and possibly exact year. That middle doll is almost certainly Barbie’s friend Teresa, and she’s missing half an arm, bless her heart, and the Ken head I’ll have no trouble identifying, but it’s very unlikely that’s his original body.

This is actually a fun part of dolls, figuring out who they are. They’ll continue to be loved here. And kept away from Jack.

Tiny Tuesday!

After hearing some other people’s nightmarish travel stories, I’m very glad we were all safe and sound at Houndstooth Hall yesterday. We had a quiet dinner, a frenzy of gift opening, and some fun surprises all around.

Here are a couple of small things that will make for good times and convenience.

Tom got me a Barbie coloring book. This will be a lot of fun.

I have a portable pencil carrier given to me by Lindsey and Rhonda a few years back. It has often been a lifesaver when I have long wait times for appointments–my own and those of other people I’ve driven places.

Debby found me an additional pencil case, this one with a capacity for more pencils.

I was able to empty several unopened boxes of pencils that have been waiting in the wings for empty slots to come open. You’ll also see a lot of very used pencils here that I replaced in the other portable case.

Lots of room for more!

In the last section, I’ve put some neons, some flesh colors, some white/gray/black, and a set of glowy pencils. Those white sticks are extra erasers that can be used in the red eraser holder pictured.

Great creativity comes in small packages. =)

Mood: Monday

This painting is in the public domain.

The End of Dinner
oil on canvas, 1913
Jules Alexandre Grün, France

This painting appealed to me, because I never went to the beginning of a party that looked this alluring, and this is the end of one. We can all magically imagine ourselves into better places, better times, better company. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whether this is one of the good years or one of the hard ones, I hope you know you’re an essential and loved part of someone’s world, even when it doesn’t seem that way. Be gentle to yourself.

Our Christmas dinner and opening of gifts happens tonight. It’s also Tom’s birthday. Here are a couple of shots of the tables, ready for the festivities.