Nature, Animals, (Including One Amazing Spot!), Bakery Goodies, and a Few Dolls

  Ken and I have been going offfor our Fun Day lately, and trying to enjoy some nature.

  We visited this park a few weeks ago. 

  The idea was to let Ken cook out while enjoying the beauty of nature. Of course, by the time we got to the area where the park was, and stopped and grabbed some food for the picnic, as we were going from the store to the car, it began to POUR rain. So Ken couldn't cook out. Luckily I had bought things that didn't need cooking, like pasta salad, cheese, and cooked eggs with peppercinis, and Ken had bought potato salad. So we shared and survived, eating at the park from the relative dryness of our car. We had stopped at the Amish bakery that morning, so we even had dessert.

Finally got that nasty beard off Ken's face!

   The pictures above are from the gorge overlook. By the time we could look, Ken couldn't be bothered to get out of the car. I hobbled down myself and looked. 

  We went back last week too because we had seen some berries growing the week before. We wanted to see if they were ripe. We thought they were black raspberries, which Emma LOVES. And black raspberries are hard to find in stores and really expensive. The frozen ones I bought for Emma's bridal shower cake last summer cost $40! So we went to the park again, and a lot of them had ripened.

   It was really hot. The car air conditioner isn't working, so I wore my sun hat tightly on my head so we could have the windows down and I wouldn't be blinded by flying hair.

Tammy World wore her sun hat too.

My left arm got sunburned. (Don't ask me how I only sunburned one arm.) We had to beware of the poison ivy, which was everywhere, and the thorns, which were mostly in my arms.  But we picked a bunch of berries. More on that in a minute.

Tammy wanted to help. "But you didn't bring a basket."

"Not a problem."

   We still haven't taken the walk down to the other overlook point, because our leg/ankles/backs haven't been up to it! On this day my leg and feet were really bad by the time we finished picking berries and eating. Ken wasn't doing too great, but he did hobble over to the overlook point I had gone to the week before. Hopefully, if we go again, we'll both be in a fit state to walk down to the other point.  While we were in the park we saw a bunch of groundhogs, out eating in the grass. I saw a couple of chipmunks run across the road at different spots. Two little spotted fawns came out of the grass at the edge of the road through the park. They seemed to be alone. Then their mother stuck her head out and rounded them up and back into the bushes. Later, as we were leaving two more little fawns came out at a different spot, and then jumped back in. Probably the same misbehaving kids! As we were leaving, down the 2 mile road to the gorge overlook where we had been, I saw a deer up on the slope next to us. She started to run, and I was driving slowly, as the rules say. We traveled together until the deer, who had been going gradually higher and higher on the slope, disappeared over the top.  

  But the best thing happened on the way to Emma's to drop off the berries. Not only did we see a lot of deer, including this one that crossed the road ahead of us as we entered the edge of a tiny town. When we got up to where it had crossed, it was just standing in somebody's yard, eating.

But before that we saw the best thing ever. We were driving along on a country road. I saw something at the side of the road that looked strange. There were no cars behind me, so I slowed down. As we got very close I saw what it was, and started yelling, "Bald eagle! Bald eagle! Bald eagle! Bald eagle!" The bald eagle was at the edge of the road, eating a dead deer. It didn't take off until we were quite close. Then it lifted and flew off, across a field. I could see it's white tail very clearly. It flew across the field and landed on top of a dead tree. It was so cool!!! 

  I only had my phone, and it doesn't zoom in very well. It all happened so fast, I couldn't get a picture until it was on top of the tree. That made my day though!!

   So we dropped half of the berries off with Emma. She said they were blackberries. I have to admit, we tasted some as we were picking them, and some of them tasted like black raspberries, and some, the bigger ones, didn't. I assumed there were just two kinds of berries growing close together. 

  So, since Emma didn't approve the berries, we went this week to another park, where some ladies had told me years ago that that is where they pick black raspberries. But first we stopped at the bakery and got our cream filled thingies again. They are filled with real cream, which you don't get any more. Then we went to the Amish bin store for 25 cent day. It's a weird place for a bin store. It's in the country, back a gravel road. This is what was right behind where I parked.

  My phone camera didn't capture it, but the light hit that section of the field where the curved furrows are, making it lighter than the rest of the field, and all the colour was so bright and crisp.. All it needed was a yellow brick road.

  After that we went to the other park, and Ken cooked out in the light rain that kept coming and going. There were berries. We both tasted them, and agreed they tasted like black raspberries. Of course, we delivered them to Emma, and she later sent me a message and said they were also blackberries.

  After we left Emma's we went to a nearby town and had ice cream at the Indian ice cream place. (So, I guess we had kulfi, not ice cream.)

Ken had pistachio and mango, with something else in between. I forget what it was.

Falooda and another one. I had almost eaten all of by this point.

   From there we went to a small antique mall. I was determined to keep walking and get some exercise, because lately I have had so much pain and problem with my leg, knee, back, and feet, that I feel like I am fading away. When I'm home I do very little most of the time, because the pain is too much. I mowed the grass and spent the next two days letting my leg stop hurting beyond belief and start working properly again. If I'm home and I start hurting, I give in, and sit down, or lay down, depending on how bad my back hurts. I have been actually getting a little scared lately that I'll soon not be able to do anything. As I told Ken, in the antique place, the anticipation of what might be around the corner helps keep me going longer than I might otherwise. So I hobbled around the small antique mall.    After leaving there we went back through Emma's town on the way home, and stopped at another small antique mall. I did see a couple of things that might interest all of you. One was this doll.

  The tag says it's a 1966 Cintage P.M. Sales Peter Pan doll. The doll looks right, from what I see online, but not that outfit. I think that's homemade. The doll also reminds me of  a couple of dolls I posted a few years ago. That eye make-up is familiar. 

  I liked this doll, but I was good and left he there.

  In case you're wondering, she was $10.

  When we got home I was hurting so badly that I didn't know if I was going to make it through my shower. I took the next day to let the pain subside. I can't keep doing this though. I hope this leg thing changes soon. It's been on and off for years now, and it's only becoming more of a problem. The thing is, it can disappear just as quickly as it came.

  See you soon.

  

Doll-A-Day 2023 #242: Deanna Durbin

   Yesterday we saw some celebrity dolls. And recently you saw this picture. 

Today we're going to concentrate on another celebrity doll that was in that picture. She's Deanna Durbin. That's her on the far right. Deanna Durbin was a child actress and singer, who went on to a successful adult career. She's next to two other child stars: Shirley Temple to her immediate left, and Margaret O'Brian, to Shirley's immediate left.

Deanna Durbin was born Edna Mae Durbin, in Winnipeg Canada, in 1921. She was a singing prodigy and was taking voice lessons by the age of ten. She developed a perfect soprano voice, far beyond her years. She made her first film appearance was in the 1936  movie "Every Sunday". She and Judy Garland were cast in the movie together, as sort of a screen test, so the big wigs at MGM could decide which young singer/actress to keep. Garland was signed, but Durbin's contract option had expired by then. Instead she was signed by Universal, who renamed her Deanna.

  She made many musicals in the 1930's and '40's. Supposedly her movies were so successful that they saved Universal from bankruptcy. She was so popular that there were paper dolls and other products made with her name and image on them. Ideal made several Deanna Durbin dolls. 

You can see that the doll in blue and white still has it's original tag, with Durbin's picture on it.

  The doll is from 1938. She's 21 inches tall, and is wearing her original dress. The smaller doll to the left, in pink and purple, is also a Deanna Durbin doll. As was the practice at the time, the dolls would also have originally had a pin like this one.

The larger doll has six teeth and a felt tongue in her open mouth. Her eyes are sleep eyes with hair lashes.

 

This Deanna Durbin doll, (on the right), also by Ideal, from 1938, is a smaller size, but the dolls also came in several sizes, as large as 24 inches tall.

  The Deanna Durbin doll at the back, left, is very large.

   In 1936, at the age of 15, she auditioned to be the voice of Snow White. She didn't get the role, because Walt Disney thought her voice was 'too old'! It must have been pretty advanced, because that year she was also offered an audition by the Metropolitan Opera. She felt she needed more voice lessons and didn't accept. In 1938 she won a Juvenile Oscar. (You can read my post about Juvenile Oscars HERE. ) She wanted to make more serious movies as she grew older, btu the public preferred her in musicals. In 1946 she was the second highest paid woman in the country, after Bette Davis. She was married three times, and after marrying her third husband she retired in 1949, and moved to a farm in the countryside near Paris. She lived the rest of her life there, and died in 2013, at the age of 91.

  Those are today's doll. See you again tomorrow.

First Doll Show of 2022!

  Happy Place. Happy Place. Let's forget the world right now and be happy for a while.

  We recently had quite an ice storm. That was the week before this past week. It looked like this out our landing window.

All our bushes at the side of our house sagged into the street with the weight of the ice.

They also sagged over into our driveway so far the postal person didn't deliver for two days because they would have had to stoop under them to get to the mailbox.

 One trunk of the dogwood even fell over! Unfortunately it fell ONTO our glass patio table and a chair. Oddly enough, It doesn't seem to have caused any damage to the table! We may find that's not so when we try to move it. Fuzz imagined a scenario where we think all is well until we set food on the table this summer, and the whole thing shatters. Anyway, the whole town and far around had looked like a shimmering silver Winter Wonderland for the past few days...until last Sunday. The weather warmed up,  so you can guess what happened. I left a beautiful icy fantasyland Sunday morning to head for the first doll show of the year, and came home to a muddy old town. Here's what everything looked like as I left:

  Everything sparkled!

Grass, trees, and bushes were all covered in a shiny silver coating of ice.

Even the fields were a sparkling silver.

  I took these pictures n the way to the doll show. It was a great one, with plenty of great things and great deals! Here are some of the things I saw.

  Well the first thing I saw when I walked into the sales room was this table, and the little naked Tiny Betsy McCall. (On the upper tier, below the dolls in the white dresses.) She was only $40, and had red hair! That's a really good price for a Tiny Betsy McCall, (And I've been wanting a red haired Betsy), and it seemed to be mostly because she had a crack in her torso, which doesn't really bother me. But I thought,  'I've only just walked in, and I have the whole room to go. I'd better not spend that yet.'  This show had so many really interesting and nice dolls. And I brought less money than normal! I also spent part of what I had, buying dolls for other people! They're going to pay me back, but it meant I used a lot of my money for the day before I had barely gotten started. I couldn't pass up what I bought though. I'll explain that in future posts. Betsy was still there when I left, but I didn't have enough money left. 

  I really loved this American Character Whimsies doll, Tillie the Talker, but she was $50. She was all original and in great condition, and that's a good price, but that was too much for me.

  This guy was made by Rushton, who made the original 'Jill' doll that was used for Mrs. Beasley before Mattel made theirs.  I've seen pictures of him, but I'd never seen him in person.

They'd never make a doll that was smoking a cigar for kids these days!

  These cute, tiny babies may be perfume bottles. Any other ideas?

  I like the kid in the middle.

  Here's a bunch of pretty girls.

The girl bottom left looks happy, but her friend looks very suspicious. 

Here's a close up of the two small girls in the picture above. They were so small, and so cute, with such delicate dresses.

  These three were from Russia, but you can't hold that against them. Very colourful and cute.

  This set of mid century furniture is by Arco. I love that TV!

The dealer had the other lamp, but it was missing the base.

  This is a lion tamer and his lion, by Steiff. Why does his mustache grow out of the corners of his mouth?

I am getting a 1930's, sort of Mae West, thing from these ladies.

  I don't know if I've ever seen a real Blythe in person either. But there she was. That clear plastic box she's laying in made me think of a glass coffin! She was $325!

  This kid is Terri Lee's little baby sister. She had a rubbery texture, but she didn't look lumpy and mumpy like Terri Lee.

  This doll was made in France. She looked a little inexpensive, but I thought she was pretty.

  I found I kept getting drawn to Toni dolls. This one was gorgeous.

  Aw! Look at that baby! The girl with him has a nice head, but it doesn't look like it goes on that body. I mean, I'm sure it does, but it looks weird. The kid in pink is cute too.

This little guy has a wonderful coat. The dealer said she gave him the ship in a bottle she found somewhere, because he looked nautical. He looked good with it.

  The same dealer had this guy. He had no feet. He was a torso on a stick. She said he originally would have had a bellows of some kind under the 'dress', and when pushed upward it would have made a sound.

You can see him again below, with some other wonderful antique dolls

That dealer also had this strange looking kid. Guess what: it's a muff! It's for keeping your hands warm...and it has a head and strange bear limbs.

  More lovely girls.

Look at the personality in this kid. She looks like she's dancing too, which I'm sure was an accident of her placement. but I got a kick out of it.

I recognized this doll as a Roddy doll right away, because it' a bigger version of the one I have.

This doll was so beautiful. The colouring of her face and clothes, and her cute face really appealed to me.

I liked both of these. The little guy in the chair was so cute, and had very realistically painted lips and eyes.

He is a doll made by an artist named Dianne Dengel in 1989.  

This kid appealed to me as the type of doll I would have had as a kid. The green wings seemed to have been added later, and not original.

I liked this Klumpe lady, needle pointing.

This Italian lady was so pretty.

  This dealer had quite a range of Betsy McCall dolls. (The three on the right.) The kid in black is a reproduction Penny Bright.

Bitty Baby looked ready to sumo wrestle.

I think I showed you this girl in  a previous doll show post. She's Maggie by Madame Alexander.

Lots of pretty kids, including some Shirley Temples on the right.

What stands out in this picture is the angry kid in pink!

I think the girl in red and white is a Deanna Durbin. The baby on the right, in white, is a Dimples, I think.

  I don't know who this girl is, and neither did the dealer. Pretty though.

Another Toni that drew me in.

This doll in the flowered dress was on the same table. She seemed to be all original, and has red hair. The dealer didn't know who she was, and asked $15. I said yes, and then they seemed to realize something, and said, "oh well, she told you 15, so..." I think they realized she was worth more. Does anybody know who she is? If you do, leave a comment.

  These two ladies  were very different, but equally nice dolls. 

  So many beautiful dolls.

  Soon I'll show you what I bought. I will tell you I got something that I had really liked at a previous show, which, thank goodness, showed up again.

  I had also arranged to meet Barb from My Little Doll Corner while I was there, because I had promised her some Ever After High dolls. In the parking lot I remembered suddenly that we should take a picture together, like we did the last tie we met up at a doll show. (I guess I only posted a picture of Barb. She posted our picture together.

Barb, on the left, and me.

  So that was the first doll show of this year. If they are all like this I'll be happy...and broke.