Doll-A-Day 2019 #283: What I Did on my Vacation and Cricket

  Yesterday we had a cookout with Emma and her boyfriend. We also played Cards Against Humanity, and Emma went with me to buy something for Ivy's room makeover. (I know Ivy doesn't read this,but I'm not going to say what it is,just in case.) Anyway, because of all that, I didn't have time to do a vacation post. We're almost finished with those though. Today we're going to hear about more of the vacation and see a doll I bought while we were traveling.
  We arrived back at Lori's on Saturday morning,to spend the day with her. We had a nice leisurely day. She drove us around and showed us some of the countryside, the town where she lives, and the nearby town.

A cotton field.

Another cotton field.

  We had lunch at a Chinese buffet,which the two meat eaters thought was extra good, because they had what they considered to be some good shrimp and things. To me it was just the same old Chinese buffet though. Then we stopped in at an antique store, where I bought the Belle I showed you a few days ago. I bought a few other things too,including something for Lori's birthday,which I wrapped and left with her. Her birthday is this month. I took another present for her to open on Christmas. The main gift was supposed to be that disaster of a sign I told you about. I wanted her to have something to open on the days though. I wanted to get her something else before we left,but as usual I thought of it too late and spent all my time making that dumb sign,(which I also thought of too late.) So when she spotted something she really liked at the antique store, I bought it for her,and hoped she wouldn't see it. I'm positive she doesn't read this blog either,but I'm still not going to take the chance she'll find out by mentioning what it is.
  From there we stopped at a Goodwill. My intention on vacation had been to stop at a thrift store or antique or junk shop whenever we passed one and the whim took me. But having to be a certain place at a certain time for various things meant I hadn't really had the opportunity to do that much at all. I bought a small vintage picture frame that matches one I already have, and this:

We actually traveled on the famous Route 66 later on our trip for a short way,so this ended up being fitting.
  I was still having back problems. I think it was Saturday night that I ended up having to pick Lori up to fix my back. Let me explain. When my back is causing a lot of pain, I usually pick Ken up. It stretches out the muscles or something. In any case, sometimes it takes the pain away completely. Sometimes all it can do is help a little. I think it's something along the lines of the traction I was put into in physical therapy years and years ago. (I was literally put on 'the rack'. I was strapped onto this thing which pulled me and then released,in turn, for about a half an hour. It was automatic, so once they strapped me in, everybody left,while  I was electronically stretched. I was so small at the time,when I was 26, that the harness type straps couldn't be adjusted small enough and they had to stuff it with rolled up washcloths to get it anywhere near tight enough. The bad part was,I always had the rack right after my warm ultrasound massage,which made me sleepy. So I'd be needing to yawn just when the thing stretched and got so tight I couldn't draw a deep enough breath to yawn. And of course, there was no one around to yell to to ask if they could stop it just for a second so I could yawn.You know what it's like when you need..HAVE, to yawn,and can't? It's torture. So the 'rack' really was a torture device for me!) As I was saying, I have Ken stand behind me with his arms over my shoulders and just be dead weight. Then I bend over and lift him up. Sometimes I do knee bends while he's hanging there. I have tried picking the kids up, but they aren't heavy enough to do any good. I would have lifted Ken that night, but he was in the shower or had gone to bed. It did help a lot at the time, but the effect wore off quickly. Of course it freaked Lori out because she apparently didn't think I could hold her up, and she kept saying, "I'm going to squash you!"
  The next day we had a day out with Lori at a barbecue place which also had seafood,because Ken wanted to try the Georgia barbecue. He took some pictures of Lori and me,which I am very disappointed to say don't exist,because he was still having trouble with the camera. We still don't know if it was the camera or the memory card. We lost pictures from Epcot and all the pictures of Lori and me that day.
  Lori had to go to work the next day,so I got up and hung out with her while she got ready and ate her breakfast. After she left for work I went back to bed for a while, because I was still very tired. Later Ken and I got up,packed up the car,and stripped our bed and bathroom and put everything in the washing machine,and emptied our trash,all so Lori wouldn't have any extra work. Then we started to leave, but got sidetracked taking pictures of Lori's driveway, and picking up giant pine cones there.

Lori's driveway.

  We finally took off though. Of course, we only got literally around the corner before we stopped to take more pictures! There was another cotton field. To Northerners it's a pretty amazing sight. This one wasn't exactly amazing because it had been harvested already. What was impressive were the giant bales of cotton. We're used to giant bales of hay in Ohio, but not giant bales of cotton.

And I do mean giant.

 

  We stopped in the town of Plains,home of Jimmy Carter. Just outside Plains is the Welcome Center and the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail.

I forgot to mention that Tammy lost her bag of clothes after the first day at Disney. That's why she wore the same outfit two days in a row there. Luckily I found it earlier on this day. She was beginning to smell...

 

   These guys joined us. Sorry guys, no bread!

  In Plains  we weren't in time to tour the Carter family home,which I would have loved to because it's set up like a 1937 house. We did tour President Carter's old school though.

    I think I found my calling.
 

  The next day we went through the Smokey Mountains again.

 

 
  We stopped at  a grocery store later in the day,because Ken was going to buy some ice. Well, Ken in a grocery store is going to take a while. I waited in the car for him and was getting more and more ticked off that he was using up our whole day in the grocery store. But then he showed up,with a dozen roses! I couldn't yell at him!

  As I said,my intention originally had been to stop at any antique store or thrift shop I came to if the whim struck me. On the way home I was determined to fit more of that in. What I was really looking for was a junk shop. Those are far more interesting, (and affordable!), than antique stores. I still only got to stop at a couple of antique stores on the way home. But one was a wonderful junk antique store. We came across it in the middle of nowhere on our last day before home. As I walked in the door I saw a basket of vintage dolls just by the door. I bought 3,which we'll be seeing in the next couple of days. Today were going to look at this one. She's Cricket.

Cricket was made by American Character. She's Tressy's sister. You can read  my post on the history of Cricket and see my other Cricket doll HERE.

This poor girl is was a mess. 

Her hair is a bit thin.

She doesn't have her 'grow hair'  hair.

In fact, she's missing her grow hair button too, which should be in her stomach.It's for pulling the hair back in once it's been stretched out,and when held in, allows the hair to be pulled out. This one has left.

But her worst problem is her hip. 

Her leg has been nailed on! With an actual nail! The nail is about 2 inches long. I took it out, and the leg actually snapped back in fine. It's a little loose, but it really didn't need a nail!

She has bendy legs

I asked how much she was with her messed up leg and belly hole,and the lady gave her to me!

   I gave her a bath and a hair washing,and put her in an actual Cricket dress called Sweet Treat, which is also TLC. She looks so much better.

  She could still use a little fine tuning,especially a baking soda scrub on her legs and face. She's much better though.
  That's the doll for today. See you again tomorrow, when we'll see another doll I got at that junk/antique store.