Tuesday, May 17, 2005

TOYS IN THE ATTIC

CAN YOU TELL THESE TOYS WERE LOVED?

I like to think that there are very few people who have moved as often as I have. If I am not at the top of the list, I am very close. Since leaving home at age 18, I have never lived longer than five years in any one spot. Since 1980 I have moved 19 times. Fort Wayne makes 20!

There are certain things that I have dragged around with me over the years. Such as Bridget's stuffed animals, Cabbage Patch Dolls, and her expansive Barbie doll collection. I do this for several reasons. The first, because I'm certain if she ever has a child, this baby Alphawoman will delight in Bridget's toy world. Secondly, because when I was a kid , all my beloved dolls were passed down to my younger sisters when I left for college. Not so much passed down, as a frenzied dismantling of my room occurred the moment I left! When I returned home the first time, those little rats had scribbled all over the faces of the ones I cherished! That will never happen to Bridget's dolls! Not while they are in my care!

I wandered upstairs into the attic this afternoon. I am beginning to organize for the inevitable. Going through the dolls was therapeutic. I am always transported to a place and time when Bridget was small and fast asleep with an "animal" held tightly in each arm. She named them "My Animals", or "Doggie".

My brother T. gave her the Cabbage patch premie doll when she was three. She called it "Baby" and  for many years every where she went Baby went too.. We were in Target one afternoon, she was in the buggy holding tight to Baby when a woman behind us commented (what is the matter with people?) how dirty Baby was. Bridget just hugged her tighter.

I took at good look at how grimy Baby was. I probably was silently relieved she was not referring to Bridget! Baby was a mess. I tossed her in the washing machine and laid her on the window sill to dry.

When Bridget realized what I had done she freaked! I had killed Baby. Bridget howled and carried on for what seemed an eternity.

It took awhile but she was able to grime up poor Baby back to normal. I never attempted to wash that doll again! Heck, I may even take her to bed with me tonight.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Down will fall baby, Mary and All!"   Anne

Anonymous said...

...sounds like a nice cuddle....moving is more emotional to me than it is physical, even though it's work!!...I have moved a few less times than you have..I leave a little piece of me behind everytime I go...E

Anonymous said...

Awww....  I love that picture!  Pamela

Anonymous said...

awwwwwwwww I remember gremlins Theyw re so cute i wanted one for real.

Anonymous said...

Those toys certainly look well-loved!  We have quite the collection of Barbies and stuffed animals around here too, although if we ever have to move I'd maybe think twice about what to do with them!

Anonymous said...

Ahh, we had Cabbage Patch dolls and we had birthday parties for them!
Marti

Anonymous said...

Oh man...my daughter's still firmly attached to her things...you just gave me a glimpse that one day she won't be! WAH!

Anonymous said...

All my toys were given away except for one: my Shirley Temple doll. That was my mother's favorite toy of mine. I saved so many of my son's toys but when I moved the last time I saved only the favorites. One of them is a little Fisher Price boy doll called Joey. I hope someday he has a child to play with him. :) Nelle

Anonymous said...

Pack 'em up and take 'em with you...if you don't take ANYthing else!  Lisa  :-]  http://journals.aol.com/mlraminiak/ComingtotermswithMiddleAge

Anonymous said...

You can't give those up!
xoxo

Anonymous said...

They look great!  JAE

Anonymous said...

They look wonderful, and yes loved!
My Mom has all my old dolls.
My Nancy Nurse, Chatty Cathy, Chrissy
doll,  even my baby Beans doll!
Connie

journals.aol.com/indigosunmoon/ThoughtSalad

Anonymous said...

Aww! look at the Gizmo with the satanic eyes! Cute!!!  And love the well loved Cabbage Patch dolly. I had a Koala just like that one too.

Anonymous said...

LOL at the dirty Baby story.

My move to L.A. will be my 14th. Wow! This is actually the first time I counted my moves. Sheesh!

(I'm glad it's not the 13th move.)

Anything turn up from the interview?

Anonymous said...

"well loved" is an understatement! LOL But Gizmo looks a little scary too!

~  www.jerseygirljournal.com  

Anonymous said...

What da helll happened to that poor gremlin. LMFGAO...

NJLB
http://journals.aol.com/njlittlebear/MyBigFatGeekLife

Anonymous said...

My daughter carried a blanket until it was ragged and tied together in knots to keep it from leaving pieces of itself everywhere she went. To wash it, I had to make sure she was gone for the day. I think she still has it hidden somewhere, where I can't get to it.
Jude
http://journals.aol.com/JMoranCoyle/MyWay

Anonymous said...

My son had a blanket that he treated the same way.  I could wash it when he was asleep.  I had made the blanket for him before he was born.  I was as sad as he was when the thing eventually disappeared into a tiny piece of rag.  Great Story.  Pennie

Anonymous said...

Lots of love in that picture!
Judith
http://journals.aol.com/jtuwliens/MirrorMirrorontheWall

Anonymous said...

I remember the gremlins and the cabbage patch dolls. Had to line up for a cabbage patch doll for my bratty niece. Went in the same mode when I moved to our new place. The memories attached to things I packed away in the storage shed had been brought back.

Anonymous said...

Just like when I replaced Erin Kate's filthy, decrepit PinkBunny with a new one. Hey, that cabbage patch doll sort of resembles Grampy Joe.

Anonymous said...

k.. this entry got to me. Awesome writing.

Oh I love your journal.... I can only read it when I know I can relax and sink into your world. If I haven't told you lately.. I'll tell you now....

You, my dear, totally ROCK.

~Jaime
JaimeChase.com

Anonymous said...

OMG you have the twin to our Tommy Neevle 1978.
I am laughing, those where the days.
             ~TJ~
Have a great day.
http://journals.aol.com/paisleyskys/PaisleySkys/

Anonymous said...

I love this entry, looks like some of my sister's things.  She got married this past week up in the town where the cabbage patch babies were born.

Derek
http://journals.aol.com/deveil/PictureoftheDay/

http://journals.aol.com/deveil/CelebrationofMyExhistance/

Anonymous said...

what a fabulous little entry.  fabulous.  
i hope you did take Baby to bed with you the night you wrote this.
when my precious niece (whom i love like a daughter) was little, she had a small white minimalist cloth doll she called Baby.  Baby went everywhere, always, with N.  As time went on, Baby got grubbier and grubbier.  People gave N a pink simulacrum of Baby, who became Pink Baby - in the meantime Baby had become Gray Baby;  washing her could never overcome the lovedirt completely.  N is 14 now, and still has both Babies.  she will probably secretly pack Gray Baby in her duffel bag when she goes to college.