Dolls

Heeee-Hawwww! I just love the gun on this cowgirl!

Today, the last day of the estate sale, I had to pick up a metal wardrobe that I purchased for $12.

Of course, one more look around what was left of the debris. Ugggh.

I can definitely call my weekend excursion, junkin'!

I know the ladies who owned this house-a mother and her daughter. The sad thing is that 35 years ago, this was one of the finer homes in my small town. The lady who owned the home owned the florist behind the house and it was a part of the estate.

The daughter had a stroke at an early age and resided at the nursing home where I was activity director. After 8 years, she returned home to be with her aging mother and I visited a few times. She showed me her dolls. She never married and was like a child who never grew up, I guess.

One last walk through and I remembered our last visit and the dolls. I didn't see them until today. They must have been under all the other junk. I guess no one else had heard the story behind them.
I only picked out a few. I thought of Pistol, packin'mama when I saw this one. Isn't that a song? Such a cutie, patootie! The pistol is made of cast iron. Her eyes open and close. I believe these dolls were called sleeper purse dolls in their day.

I had a doll like this as a child. We picked it up on our annual trip to the Great Smokey Mountains in Cherokee, North Carolina.

This is my favorite, a Holiday Fair Doll dated 1964. The tag says, "Spring Cherie, #D6/135B" whatever that means. I have some prints at the shop from the 60's-70's that resemble this doll that stands 15" on a wooden stand. With big eyes and a small mouth, she is soooo cute!

A girl never outgrows her love for a doll. I have to fight the urge to hold on to more things.