Phones Used to Just Be Phones

When my parents moved many years ago to be closer to us my Daddy cut the cord to his old rotary phone and brought it with him. I found it packed away in an old chest after they passed away. And I still have that old black phone.

In my childhood home it had a special niche in between the studs in the hallway, framed nicely in fancy molding with a place underneath for the phone book. When I was little, our phone "number" was STATE with a few numbers after it. Sometime during my teens it changed to being all numbers, but it was still dialed - finger stuck in the appropriate hole and pulled clockwise all the way around to the metal stop at the end.

I don't remember us ever having a party line, but I knew people who did. They each had a special ring, so they knew when the call was for them. But it was easy enough to pick up the phone and listen in or join in with the conversation of another party line member. Some had 2 party and others 4 party lines.

I have a vague memory of my grandmother using a phone in Chicago without dialing - she picked it up and told the operator the number she wanted to reach. She was blind in later years, so it may be that it was a regular rotary phone that she could not use easily.

Way back then phones were just phones. They didn't DO anything else. My, how things have changed. I remember distinctly the first time I ever saw a portable phone. We were in Radio Shack, and this man was at the counter purchasing a phone he could carry around with him!! We were amazed! As I recall it was a little smaller than a loaf of bread and came in a carrying bag with a shoulder strap. And I think it sold for around a thousand dollars!

Now phones are like cyborg extensions of many people's bodies - either with a Bluetooth ear piece or grasped tightly in their hand all day long. And they're not just phones any more, either. With cameras and internet connections it seems they can do anything the heart desires.

They carry people's lives - photos, credit cards, games, music, movies, work product, heart monitor, you name it - you can have it - there's an app for that.

My hubby and I are luddites when it comes to cell phones. He has a flip, because he kept butt dialing me. I have a touch screen one, but I barely know how to text on it. I'm really good with computers, but phones? not hardly. And I'd just soon keep it that way.

I guess my age is showing LOL.

Memories of Benjamin's Old Garbage Can Chicken Rabbit

Our main focus on the internet for many years has been to help people find cherished plush lovies. We sell soft toys on our own Dirty Butter Plush Animal Shoppe and run our free Plush Memories Lost Toy Search Service Facebook Group.

We have read thousands of stories from people searching for a reincarnation of their childhood beloved toy. Benjamin would appreciate your help in finding another one of these yellow and white rabbits probably from the 70's or 80's.

Benjamin's Old Garbage Can Chicken Rabbit

When I was 2 I lived in Pensacola with my grandparents while I was very sick (1982-84). One day my aunt Becca brought this little dude home for me. She found him in a garbage can at KFC covered in the worst of the worst. She washed him up, and he was good as new. I fell madly in love with him, and to this day I guard him with my life. Now he is my son's, and my son is crazy about him.

This rabbit has been all over the world with me. Virginia twice, Alabama twice, Germany and ...all over Europe. I never left home without him, even up until I was 9, I carried this little guy on hikes, played in the forests with him, and rode my bike with him belted somewhere to me. 
 

At one point when I was in second grade, I lost him on a Boy Scouts trip, I was devastated for months. I searched Maxwell Air Force Base on my bike for weeks searching for him. I could not sleep knowing he was out in the rain and cold without me. 2 years went by, and I moved to Germany(89-94), certain I would never see him again.

A year after arriving in Germany I joined the Cub Scouts and another camping trip was planned. Late that night, I crawled into my sleeping bag, and I felt something brushing my foot, I dove to the bottom of the sleeping bag to find him, 2 years later. He had been at the bottom of the sleeping bag, and when I rolled it up the next day, I had forgotten he had been there. 2 years .....

I did not let go of him at all that trip, 4th grade or not, I did not care at all. I had rescued my friend. I felt like I had saved the POW from the prison, Mario freed the Princess, and she was not in another castle, Zelda got the tri-force, etc.

I guard him with my life now, just shy of breaking into a brawl when someone jokes around with him in the wrong way. It is a war crime to offend my rabbit in my household. He is my rabbit, and I, 33 years old, will walk straight into the mouth of a dragon, and walk right down its throat to get him.... again, if I had too. If a fire breaks out in the house, forget the awards, forget the records, get the family and the rabbit and bolt.

He represents a bookmark of all the stories of my life. He was there on the long walks and playing in the mud, cold snowy days, when I was sick, etc. He is something that holds those memories for me. He holds those for me when I can't remember all the details, when my memory slips me, I can recall bringing him on that trip and it all comes back.

I want to know more about him, and if there are more. My son claims ownership of him now, but I wouldn't mind having another one.

This old, garbage can, chicken rabbit, he is my friend.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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If you can help Benjamin find a twin of his special rabbit friend, so his son does not destroy his garbage can chicken rabbit, please comment on our Plushmemories Facebook group! His name links to his post on our Facebook group where our Fabulous Finders search the internet, thrift stores, and yard sales to reunite people with their special childhood pals.

If you can't help Benjamin, please take a look around our Facebook group anyway. There are plenty of other people who have asked for help finding their special lovie. Who knows - you may have one in the bottom of a storage box, lonely and ready to be loved again!

Clean Water Memories

When our children were little I used to walk with them down to Pump House, to the overflow of the spring that provides our town with drinking water. We'd take the dog along, and I'd let them wade around in the cold spring water to their hearts content. I didn't need to worry about snakes with the dog splashing around with them. They would pick watercress to use in salads, try to catch the minnows and frogs, and marvel at the Water Boatmen and Dragonflies.

Thanks to homeland security concerns, the pump house and spring have been fenced off for some years now, and the old pier we used to walk out on is long gone. But you can still hear kids laughing and playing in the creek behind our house in the Summer.

Sometimes their friends would invite them to go swimming in nearby Lake Logan Martin, which is fed by the Coosa River. They would get mad, because I wouldn't let them go. I knew that the e-coli count was high. Even back then it was polluted.

Today, Logan Martin and the Coosa River are favorite haunts of plenty of water sports enthusiasts. And plenty of fishing is done, but very few people eat the fish they catch in the Coosa. It's just way too polluted to be safe.

Hubby and I belong to the Coosa River Keepers, a non-profit organization whose goal is to clean up the Coosa River and restore it to a living river. You can help the River Keepers win a cash prize by voting and giving 5 stars for this short video in which a long time resident of our town recounts her childhood memories of the Coosa River.

I urge you to find a local group working to protect a habitat near you.

Veteran's Day Parade in Birmingham, Alabama

Hubby had a great idea the other day. We're planning on going to the Veteran's Day Parade in Birmingham this year. We both have fond childhood memories of those parades...well, at least I do. Hubby remembers marching with the ROTC in this long parade when he was in high school...not really a fond memory.

I just remember going to watch it year after year, mostly with my Daddy. School let out half day back then, so children could see it. They're out the whole day now. It is a BIG DEAL in B'ham, since ours is the oldest Veteran's Day Parade in the USA. Daddy would get off work, because the parade route blocked off his downtown office building, so I remember him taking me. I don't have any specific memories of what I saw, but I sure do remember how freezing cold it was as a child and how excited I always was. Now I know I will bundle up to be outside tomorrow, but hubby will be in short sleeves. It just hasn't been really cold here yet. And I'm excited about the thought of going, too.

I'm proud of the fact that Birmingham makes such a production of this parade, because our Veterans sure deserve all the recognition we can give them. So, even if you don't go to a parade tomorrow, I hope you find a Veteran to thank or some way to show your appreciation.

FOUND - INFORMATION about POSSIBLE JEWEL TEA COMPANY Premium TEA POT

A collector named Dottie was nice enough to let us know that Joan's tea pot was probably made around 1900 and would be worth about $150, if it's in good condition.

Joan writes:

I have a brown ceramic tea pot with , I think, pewter trim. I thought my grandmother got it as a premium from the Jewel Tea Co.
The tea pot stands about 6 1/2 inches tall. It has a rather ornate pewter spout, with attached lid and handle. It is chocolate brown with speckles in it. On the bottom it is stamped "Manning Quality Bowman, Meriden,Conn.08273".

I had another one, which was slightly large, probably about 7 1/2 inches tall. I took it to an antique shop on consignment, and it went out of business, and I never saw it again.

Any info would be appreciated.

If you can help Joan with more information about her teapot, please Contact Us or Comment below, using POST CODE #020209-1 in your comment.

Remembering the March of Dimes ...

When I was a child polio was a horrible, terrible, fearful disease and no one knew how to keep from catching it!! It was 1949 when I started Elementary School, and I distinctly remember the little cards (there's one on eBay right now, if you're interested) we all had that we saved our dimes in. Each half circle slot held a shiny dime, and when the card was full, we turned in our contribution to finding the cause and cure of this unspeakably menacing illness. I still remember how proud I was to participate in that grassroots campaign to eradicate polio.

Millions of children and adults filled up those little cards, and The March of Dimes succeeded!! In 1955 Jonas Salk and his team found a way to vaccinate people to prevent this tragic disease.

Today's charities collect huge sums through telethons and receive large checks from corporations and foundations. But polio was defeated one dime at a time.

We do make a difference. Each of us makes choices in how to use our time and money that can help or harm humanity. I don't need to pray to God to open our eyes to what each one of us can do to help someone else. That is and always has been His Will. Rather, I pray that we would not blind ourselves by the fast paced, self centered lives we lead - that we each will have eyes that see and ears that hear.

Only God knows just what we could do if we all worked for the good of others!

Searching - INFORMATION Jewel Tea CREAM WOODEN CANISTER with BLACK HANDLES

I have had things on eBay in the past. My name is glassy-chic.


I am not looking for the piece, I have the piece. I am 71 years old, and it was my grandmother's. I have tried to search it, and I don't see anything like it. I don't even know what it is called, but I know that my grandmother had flour in it..

Thank you,

Shirley
If you can help Shirley with information about her antique wooden flower canister please Contact Us, including Post Code #031009-1 in your reply.

I Hope the British Use Good Judgement!!

The Olympics are over and for the first time that I can remember I did not watch the closing ceremony with any real interest. It was on, but I was working on the computer and glancing up from time to time. Every time they showed people singing I couldn't help but wonder if those were the voices we were hearing or not. The incident with the little girls really soured me.

I was so tired of watching swimming and volley ball that I don't really feel like I saw the Olympics this time. I enjoy watching the track sports most of all and would love to have seen the Decathalon, plus we did not get to see the basketball games, either. Of course we are in the minority in this country, because we do not have cable or satellite TV. We couldn't even get it using our new HD cable box, because the one station that we can't pick up on HD is the one that carried the Olympics.

So I look forward to the British Olympics. I will be surprised if the British attempt any kind of an extravaganza on the scale the Chinese chose to present. Whatever England does, you can be sure it will not be at the expense of the rest of the country the way the Chinese outside of Beijing were shortchanged. There was even one report that outlying areas were low on drinking water because so much was being funneled to Beijing.

One of the "fluff pieces" we did see was about what has happened in Athens to all the Olympic venues, and it was very discouraging to see so many buildings and complexes in total ruin, covered with graffiti, and fenced off.

It's kind of like children's birthday parties. When our children were little we had a few playmates over for ice cream and cupcakes, lit the candles and made a wish, and that was about it. We didn't have to try to out do our children's friends' last birthday parties. Now I see youngsters being let off at the skating rink in a limo for their party. Oneupmanship can be a very self defeating upward spiral that eventually has a downward spiral. Makes me think of the song Is That All There IS?

So I enjoyed the Olympics, but was also saddened by them this year. Do it right in 2010, Great Britain. It's about the Olympians!!

CHILDREN ARE NOT PERFECT!!!!

Ok, I thoroughly enjoyed the Olympics opening ceremony, as I always have. Some of the synchronized parts involving such huge numbers of Chinese was truly amazing, although at a few spots I did get a horrible flashback to the Berlin Olympics. Maybe I'm the only person who even thought about that, but such perfection in such large numbers of people makes it hard to understand a society where the individual is subordinate to the common good.

That's why I am so disappointed, no OUTRAGED, although frankly not surprised, to read this morning that the precious little girl, with the crystal clear voice, was NOT SINGING the Chinese National Anthem!!

It has been revealed that the child who REALLY sang was not considered cute enough ... that she did not portray the proper image of the Chinese people at what they considered to be the most important part of the ceremony ... when the Chinese flag was brought into the stadium.

So, all those perfectly performing thousands, acting with one mind .....


And then one little girl, singled out ... alone in the spotlight ... and IT WAS FAKE!!!!

Yes, I think China DID "portray the proper image of the Chinese people"!!!!

But the message that was sent to the inner core of YANG PEIYI, the little girl who REALLY sang?? I don't care how indoctrinated they are, that child is hurt. She may never say or do anything to show it, but there is a part of her self image that will never be the same!

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you know that I don't normally deviate from talking about my own childhood memories, but I just couldn't help myself this morning.

Family Memories Carnival Coming April 28

I'm hosting the BLOG VILLAGE Quarterly Carnival focusing on FAMILY MEMORIES! It certainly seems like an appropriate topic for this blog.

So, how about sharing stories of your childhood, or maybe how you met your spouse. Does your family have special bonding rituals? Do you have some "strange" family members who help to make your family unique? How about sharing lessons you've learned from past generations. Are you into genealogy? Does your family story include adoption, blended families, or divorce? You name it - if it has to do with your family, past or present, we'd love for you to share.

You can click the banner to ENTER. Feel free to copy for your blog!

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DEADLINE April 25 midnight
Will be online here on April 28th.
RULES:

1. Blog MUST belong EITHER to a BLOG VILLAGE member OR link directly TO a BLOG VILLAGE Blog.

2. Only 1 entry per blog.

3. Only English language posts will be accepted.

4. No posts with titles, or with pictures, containing profanity, or of a sexual or suggestive nature, will be accepted.

5. Choose MEMBER or GUEST from the Categories, and put the required information in the REMARKS.

GUESTS of Villagers must submit the URL of the BLOG VILLAGE blog they are linked TO for your entry to be eligible for consideration.

VILLAGERS need to enter their MEMBER NUMBER in the REMARKS.

Daddy's Car is on eBay this Week

I did it. I finally bit the bullet and put the ad for Daddy's car on eBay for this week. I had so hoped that someone local would buy it, but we don't live in an affluent area, and all that most people saw was an old car. Those who did appreciate what a unique automobile it is can't afford it. So, after having it on Craigslist for a week with no inquiries, it was time to try eBay. After all, we have a Feedback rating of 1187 there, and an excellent reputation.

I don't like the format that eBay uses for selling automobiles at all, and really do think my own website presentation of Daddy's car is a thousand times better. But, it's a matter of getting the right person to see it.

I put the ad together and then spent about a half hour talking myself into and out of and then into pushing the button to submit it. There's no doubt about it. It has been so much harder for me to give up that car than I would ever have anticipated. Much, much harder than the house, since one of our daughters bought it.

You might wonder why I chose to put a photo of the engine on this post. If you have ever taken the time to look at some of the listings on eBay for vintage cars, you would know that most of the time they look like rusty pieces of junk, unless someone has already restored it and is selling it for up in the 20 and 30 thousand dollar range, with some much higher than that.

The contrast between the way Daddy took care of this engine and the way most of the other engines look that are up for bid is dramatic.

So, I really do hope it sells this week. If it doesn't I'll have to go through that emotional struggle again deciding to re-list it or not.

Finally Getting Serious about Selling Daddy's Car

Back some time ago I wrote about getting Daddy's car back in running condition and putting it out in the yard with a FOR SALE sign on it. We posted a FIRM price on it, so we would not be bothered by lots of local folks thinking it might be a $500 car. We have had plenty of people stop, a few who sounded like they would be back with the money almost immediately, a couple who seemed to really appreciate what a gem it is, and some who wanted to customize it and ruin it, as far as I was concerned.

None of the local people who had always said they wanted to buy it when Daddy died have shown any interest in doing so. Wishful thinking.

So, since we will be having a big Yard/Estate Sale next month some time, it seems like it is time to start really trying to sell the car. We still have not put it in the paper, because I just wasn't as ready to part with it as I thought I was. I finally took lots of pictures of it this week. I couldn't resist giving the trunk a parting caress as I came back in the house. It's almost like saying goodbye to Daddy all over again. I have been working the last couple of days on putting up a website about the car, so I am coming to terms with the fact that we really are going to sell it.

It was sad and fun at the same time for me to go back and re-read all of the posts I wrote about some of Daddy's cars, starting with his first automobile in 1914 up to this, his last one, and I put the link to this post in the sales page, so collectors and those who enjoy nostalgia could enjoy reading them, too.

9 Year Old Driver! Vintage Auto Memories Part I

First Driver's License - Vintage Auto Memories Part II

Life Before the Bottom Fell Out - Automobile Memories Part IV

Just Married - Automobile Memories Part V

Daddy's Idea of a Vacation

Burma Shave, Stuckeys & Hand Surfing Memories

The Year Daddy Hated to Drive to Chicago

1969 Chevrolet Caprice - His Last Automobile

Selling Daddy's Car

I am glad I decided to make the website, as I posted almost 60 photos, so I will always be able to revisit it any time I want to, for as long as I want to.

It may have a new owner sometime in the future, but it will always be "Daddy's Car."

My First Presidential Election - The Man with a Hole in His Shoe

Photographer William M. Gallagher won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for this photograph of Stevenson on the campaign trail in 1952. The image of the "Man with a Hole in his Shoe" remained with Stevenson and served as a symbol of his efforts during the 1956 presidential campaign.

copied from the Princeton University Library

This 1952 election is the first one that I was old enough to get interested in, plus that's about when we got our first television. That year Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon won over Adlai Stevenson and John Sparkman, from my own state - Alabama. We learned about the democratic process in school that year, and our teacher made it all fun, mock election and all. Of course, those were the days when the national conventions were really interesting, as there were sometimes many, many ballots of delegates before the Republican and Democratic candidates were chosen.

Obviously, there is no way that the Republican convention will be like that, but it is possible that the Democratic Convention could be very interesting this time, particularly since the Democrats have what they call Super Delegates. These power brokers are not committed to any candidate, which can make for an interesting convention.

Now add in the Ralph Nader Green Party candidacy, a situation that many Democrats believe cost Al Gore the election last time, and we could be in for some great convention watching.

And it's been a long time since I watched either convention, because they have been very boring to me for years. Just like some folks enjoy a stock car race more if there are lots of wrecks, I think I will enjoy the Democratic Convention more if there is some drama in the candidate selection process. Talk about Reality TV!!!

SANTA .... He's EVERYWHERE!!

We have always had a lot of fun finding unusual items at Estate Sales on our Friday Date Day, but this little Santa decoration caught my eye, and the more we looked at it, the more unusual it appeared. If you click on the picture, you will see that all of the dolls in Santa's stockings have sad faces! Doesn't that seem strange to you?

So, it's not surprising that it was a Santa collector who bought him from us on eBay. I struck up a conversation with Brian, and asked him if I could share some of the pictures of his collection that he sent to me. He plans to write a book about Santa collecting, and it looks like he has plenty to write about!

Tommee Tippee Memories

Sometimes we find old things at Estate Sales that just flood my thoughts with childhood memories. One such item we found not long ago was a Tommee Tippee set of an old food dish and child's drinking cup. They were definitely used a lot, and this cup does not have the sippy lid, but the old decals with the teddy bear were enough to send me into a nostalgic reverie. I used the weighted round bottom double handle cups with our own children, but this set is quite possibly from when I was a small child, and could very well have been like a set that I would have used.

I tried hunting down some history on the Westland Plastics Co. that made these way back when, but had no luck. Most of the weighted vintage cups that I could find on the Internet were assumed by the sellers to be from the 50's, but my immediate nostalgic reaction to this set would place it in the early 40's.

So, does this set look familiar to you? Can you help me place an age on them? I'd love to hear your stories about how old things like this can evoke powerful memories.

Parents Shouldn't Have to Bury Their Children

I've heard that expression all my life, and DH and I have been fortunate, in that our children and grandchildren are all healthy and safe tonight. But I know people who have dealt with the death of a child. There's nothing that can be said at those kinds of funerals that can help in the least.

That's why this request on our Plush Memories Lost Toy Search Service blog is so heart wrenching. Please help this family find copies of BINGO.

Stop Abuse Now!

Today is the day that bloggers all over the world are writing about Abuse. Thinking about all the different kinds of abuse there are is simply overwhelming.

Things were so much simpler when I was a little girl. Families consisted of a Mama and a Daddy, with Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles living nearby for many of us. People who got divorced were uncommon enough to be talked about in whispers. Not that our world was perfect in the good old days. We had our scary times, like learning how to duck under a school desk during an Atomic Attack drill. Our larger world was ruled by the Cold War, fear of polio, and the turmoil of the Civil Rights Movement.

But it was different at home. I was safe, and I knew it.

This post is for all those precious children who do not know what that feels like. They come home from school to hear their parents fighting over next to nothing. They cringe when a family member comes near, because they don't want to be touched or beaten again. We played Hide and Go Seek. Now, so many little children just hide and pray that no one finds them.

Let us do what needs to be done, so they can feel safe in their own homes. Let them be children.

This post is one of several hundred about Abuse of all kinds you can readhere.

I Just Discovered Freecycle!!

I have just recently discovered the FreeCycle network, and wanted to pass this information along to all of you. If you check the main site you can look for a FreeCycle group that is close to you. I ended up joining 4, I think. I opted to get individual emails, but you can have it sent as a digest, if you don't want your mailbox filled with all the posts.

And what, you ask, is FreeCycle?? It's a place to post items you want to GIVE away, not sell. And it's a place to ASK for stuff you need. So far, I've only been reading, rather than asking or taking, but I find the whole process fascinating. And I do intend to get involved, once I can get myself off my duff and do some serious house uncluttering. You are expected to offer more to Give than to Ask, as that's what keeps it going.

I did answer a request from a lady looking for a cpap machine, with several links to places that sell them at discount online. But she wrote back that someone had already given her one. Considering how much trouble I'm having getting used to my brand new cpap machine, I can imagine lots of people have one they are not using.

It is heartwarming to see that there are so many people with such a spirit of generosity, and also a desire to keep "things" out of our landfills. This is even better recycling than taking things to the Thrift Store!

Although the stuff is not free on Craigslist, we have just recently gotten one of these for our area, so now I try to check there if I need to buy something. The advantage in this is that there is no advertising cost, and the items will be local. This saves all the shipping/handling cost of buying online, and does provide another opportunity to reuse something that someone else is no longer needing.

I remember as a child that all of my hand me downs went to a distant cousin of mine, who lived out in the country. They still used an outhouse, which meant that they were dirt poor as far as I was concerned, and I always was glad to give her my old toys and books. We didn't have any other children in the family to pass our girl's things along to, so their hand me downs always ended up being given to the Thrift Store. I doubt if that was nearly the lesson in generosity for them, compared to actually seeing or knowing the person who would receive the outgrown lovies, as I had been able to do.

FreeCycle would definitely be an easy way to teach today's children the satisfaction of being generous, plus the importance of using our resources wisely. And buying second hand, either at the Thrift Store or from a place like Craigslist, might be a good way to combat the pervasive materialistic attitude of so many of today's youth. And, if we teach our children how to be good stewards of their possessions, we will be more likely to bring up a generation that values living green.

So why not check out the FreeCycle network in your neck of the woods. You might be surprised to find one nearby. Then get busy sending all that stuff you don't use any longer to someone who can make good use of it. It's a Win-Win-Win situation. Win for you - less junk at your house. Win for them - getting something they need for free. And Win for the environment - one less item ending up in a landfill.

Do You Believe There's Only ONE Person for Each of Us??

My wonderful hubby and I have been head over heels in love with each other since 1960. I would hate to think that there is only one perfect mate for each of us, what with all the divorced people, widowed and such, out there searching, but, in my case, I think I found him!!

And why, do you ask (you ARE asking, aren't you?) did I come up with that to blog about today? One of my blogs is a lost toy search service, as part of our Plush Animal Shoppe. We get lots of stories from parents looking for a toy that their child is just heart sick without. Sometimes we can help them, and sometimes we can't.

But I've been writing back and for to a young fellow the last few days who has one of the most heart wrenching stories of any we have ever published. With that said, here is his story, in its entirety.

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Greg is not the only one looking for this particular elephant. Try as I might, I haven't been able to locate one, or even a picture of one. He posted this heart wrenching story as a comment on a previous search request here on Plush Memories, but I just couldn't leave such a story buried in the comments!

This must have been some Elephant! My wonderful girlfriend, and soul mate, told me stories about her Elephant (which is identical to the one you're looking for) She got hers from her father as she was torn from him arms in Saudi Arabia (she's American) Her and her mother spent some time in Saudi custody before the American Embassy stepped in and had them sent back to America. The trauma was too much for her mother and my girlfriend was eventually put into an orphanage where she was separated from the only thing she had left to remember her family (her elephant). She got a letter when she was 15 telling her that her father in Saudi desperately wanted to come to her, but was killed in the process.

She cries when she talks about it, and she's pretty much come to terms with the fact that she'll never see him or her elephant again. If I can find an elephant like this one, my plan is to tie an engagement ring on a ribbon around it's neck and give it to her. It's very symbolic of "family" to her and I think would be the perfect way to tell her I want to spend forever with her and start a family with her. If anyone can help me locate this elephant it could help a beautiful young girl get some closure to a horrible childhood, and could help me give her a feeling of security for the future! Please help!

The elephant was yellow, had pink inside the ears, sang "You Are My Sunshine," and the head softly moved while it was playing. I believe it was made by Eden. Thank you so very much!

If you can help Greg find this oh so special musical elephant, please Contact Us, including #081607-1 in the subject, or Comment Here.

Searching for a toy - Originally posted 08/16/2007

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He wrote me today to thank me for making the extra post about his search, and that's what got me to thinking about how great a marriage my DH and I have, and how much I would love to help this young fellow pop the question with this Sunshine Elephant!!

Thank you so much Rosemary! Everything about this relationship has been very unexplained, how we came together, etc. We are both from very different backgrounds but I have fallen for her and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for her. :) As they say "there is one girl for every boy" We were lucky enough to find each other. Thanks again Rosemary. Bless your soul.

I've posted lots of sweet stories, but I can't say that I've had another one that touched me so much personally. Please pass this request link along on your blog, and let's see if we can make his dream of proposing to his "perfect girl" come true.

Washing Day Memories

Here's another vintage item we found at an Estate Sale that I bet you haven't seen in a long time, if ever. This one sold very quickly on eBay, and the buyer was tickled to get it.

For those of us old enough to remember, this quaint clothespin bag may bring back memories of the wonderful smell of sun dried sheets. I remember putting the wet clothes on the clothesline being one of my chores at home. It was a struggle for me to lift the wet sheets up and get them pinned up, without dragging them on the grass. The sun did a great job of naturally bleaching out all the whites, but the colored clothes suffered in the sun.

Of course, back then, everything was cotton, and had to be ironed. That was the horrible part of the chore. We had a maid, so I didn't have to do that part, and I remember being very glad that Mama didn't make me do it.

I was very glad when we got our first clothes dryer, and I wouldn't want to go back to all that washing day routine, but I'll have to admit that I do miss the sun dried smell.