Cheetah

picture courtesy of dailymail/uk

Cheetah, the famous chimp from the Tarzan movies has died at the age of 80.

He outlived his co-stars, Johnny Weismuller who died in 1984, age 79 and Maureen O'Sullivan who passed away in 1998 at the age of 87.

Cheetah died at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Florida. He came to the sanctuary from the Weissmuller estate around 1960.

His keepers from Suncoast said he was a compassionate animal in tune with human feelings, tho if he didn't like something or someone he would throw his poop.  He could throw 30 ft. He also finger painted and the sanctuary would sell his paintings.

The Tarzan books did not have a chimp in them but the movies did, which is totally hollywood :)

Cheetah died of kidney failure on christmas eve. What a great chimp he was, I always loved those movies because of him. Thanks for the entertainment, Cheetah.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Here in Colorado Springs Colorado, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has the Electric Safari during this time of year. It is a light event and very beautiful.

This year, they set aside one evening for The Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind and their families. The zoo had volunteers from the Access 2 Sign Language and a zookeeper who signs. Santa was there signing also :)

It was a beautiful and touching nite that the zoo did for these children.  I am so thankful to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for giving such a wonderful gift to these children during the holiday season.

It gives me hope that there are still people here with loving and giving hearts.  People who still care about children that cannot hear or see because children, no matter what, love Christmas.  This made Christmas special for them this year!

Thank You, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo!

Royal Ballet

We've been fighting off the flu but it finally got us. It is on the run and after dinner last night we settled in and watched 'Kung Fu Panda 2' and finished off the night with The Royal Ballet doing 'The Nutcracker'.

The movie was fantastic and spoke more to me then it would to others because of life experiences but if you liked the first one you will enjoy the second.

And of course, The Royal Ballet always does a beautiful job. There is nothing better for the soul then The Royal Ballet performing. The sets are awesome and the performers are astounding.

Have a good week end everyone :)

Uncommon Knowledge

A few days ago I did a post on Judy Lewis, daughter of Clark Gable and Loretta Young.

She wrote a book called "Uncommon Knowledge", so I thought I would go to Amazon.com and see if it was available for Kindle. Its not, but what I found shocked me.  The book is a collector's item which means it is expensive. The cheapest one is $202.00, the highest is $999.00.  That's to rich for my blood,lol.

Thankfully, people wrote reviews on it (and I'm thinking they got the book when it first came out). Anyway, I got the jest of the book from the reviews. Maybe, the price will come down and maybe I'll get one.

There was one review that shared how Mr. Lewis, the man Loretta Young married, would tell his sons that Judy was 'not one of them'

That opened up an old wound for me because my foster mother Louise, was always saying that about me. I remember when they got a movie camera, whenever it was brought out Louise would tell me to go to my room because 'I was not one of them'.

Old wounds die hard and some never heal. Reading this book would problay open more old wounds and its a good thing I won't be reading it. But, for others who are collectors, it would be a good book for their collection.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, let us remember those who served :)

The Puchbowl, National Cemetery of the Pacific:

Jan 4, 1949 the remains of soldiers from around the Pacific Theater-including Wake Island and Japanese POW camps were transported to Hawaii for final interment.

The cemetery opened to the public on July 19, 1949 with services for 5 war dead-an unkown serviceman, 2 Marines, an Army Lieutenant and one civilian-noted war correspondent Ernie Pyle.

Eventually, over 13,000 soldiers and sailors who died in WWII would be laid to rest in The Punchbowl.

Funeral Today For Judy Lewis Daughter of Loretta Young

pictures courtesy of dailymail/uk

The daughter of Loretta Young and Clark Gable passed away on Nov. 24, 2011 of cancer but her funeral is today.

Born Judith Young in Los Angeles, Calif on Nov 6, 1935, Judy found out who her father was the night before she got married. She wrote her life story, the book is called "Uncommon Knowledge".

Judy was an actress, producer,author and psychotherapist. She appeared on General Hospital, Secert Storm, Brighter Day and The Doctors. She wrote for Search For Tomorrow and produced Another World. She was a licensed family and child counselor.

She was divorced and had one daughter, Maria and two grandchildren.

New Picture

We went to Olin Mills and had our pictures done. So, here we are :)

My hair has turned grey and this is the first pro photo done. Tho, the years are slipping by I still feel like a 2 year old in my heart :)

Surprise!

picture courtesy of Disney

We got another small job, so we are in the office for a day till a bigger one comes :)

We are thankful for the small and large jobs :)

We spent our off time cleaning up the leaves from the front yard, six bags worth. Our ash tree has a lot of leaves, its beautiful but cleaning up the leaves makes a busy day for us :)

I've been reading Bambi Venatucci's book "Take my Hand". It transported me back to the time I spent at The Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. Good and bad things, as always with memories.

I leave you with a magical picture of Snow White and we can say together "don't eat the apple" :)

take care

Things about Colorado

We get a magazine from the Colorado Sheriffs every month. It is fascinating.

This month they did a 2 page article on Colorado's symbols and emblems. I will be sharing each day on a different one.

You would think that I would know all this stuff, a few things I did but not all of it.

Today is about the state flag:

The flag was designed by Andrew Carlisle Johnson. By an act of the General Assembly, it was adopted on June 5, 1911. The act was amended in 1929 & 1964.

The flag is to be used on all occasions when the state is officially and publicly represented.

All citizens have the privilege to use the flag on occasions as they deem fit and appropriate. Laws pertaining to the use of our national flag are also applicable to our state flag.

1929 the General Assembly stipulated the precise colors of red and blue as the same as the national flag.

Neat, so that's it for our flag. Of course, you know me, my brain starts turning and I wonder, 'why does each state have their own flag' :)

Bambi Venetucci

picture courtesy of Fountain Valley News


Yesterday, I re-posted the story of Nick Venetucci, the Pumpkin Man. Today, I thought I would share about Bambi, his wife.

Since birth Bambi has been blind. She attended the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind as a student, then became a teacher for the school as an adult and before marrying Nick.

She still lives in Fountain, Colorado. She was the guest speaker at the senior fellowship group of Faith Lutheran Church in Feb 2011. She had her audience rolling with laughter as she shared the funny parts of her life story.

Bambi wrote her life story and it was published in 1996. It's called "Dammi La Mano - Give Me Your Hand" by Bambina Marcantino Venetucci. And yes, it is in English.

Her life was not an easy one but she faced it with courage. Her book is a good read :)

Bambi and Nick were famous here in Colorado Springs and beyond because of their pumpkin give away each year in October. Bambi's beautiful and giving heart matched her husbands. And just as Nick is remembered in October, so is she.

The Pumpkin Man

This is a re post from 2009, a tribute to Nick Venetucci

Fred Darpino did the sculptures of Nick Venetucci and these are his pictures. The sculpture stands in front of the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum.

Nick Venetucci was a hero to hundreds of kids in Colorado Springs. It was a sad day on September 7, 2004 when Nick passed away at the age of 93. To all of us, he was known as The Pumpkin Man and goodness lived in his heart and soul.

As a boy Nick dreamed of becoming a pro baseball player, he even made it to the New York Yankee's farm system as a catcher. But, in the 1930's he came home to Fountain, Colorado to tend the family farm. (Fountain is on the outskirts of Colorado Springs and you have to know when one ends and one begins because it all blends together).

 

 

Nick became a farmer of corn, alfalfa, asparagus and pumpkins. He married a wonderful woman and teacher from the Colorado Springs Deaf and Blind school by the name of Bambi, who was blind. In 1951, Nick was driving down the road with a truck full of pumpkins, he noticed that kids would watch with eyes glued to the truck. So, he stopped and gave every kid a pumpkin that walked down that road.

The next year, a teacher asked if she could bring her kids to his farm to see a pumpkin patch. He said yes and gave each child a pumpkin. And thus a tradition was born, every year school buses loaded with children would come and pick out and a pumpkin. Parents would bring their kids and they could pick out a pumpkin. Nick was crowned the Pumpkin Man from that day on and every child in Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas loved him.

Lisa Gazarek was 4 years old and attended the Deaf and Blind School when she went to the Venetucci farm. Bambi was her teacher, Nick lifted Lisa up over the fence so she could see what a pig looked like. In her tribute to Nick, she recalled that time and said Nick had "gentle larger then life hands".

Nick and Bambi had no kids of their own but they had a town of children and their children and their children and their children that loved them. Nick was their hero and the goodness of his heart made Halloween a special time.

When Nick died he left his farm to the Pikes Peak Community Foundation. They still have and grow pumpkins. And children still come to pick a pumpkin.

Elementary children started a fund to have a statue done of Nick, the pictures are of the statue that was done.

And every year we think of Nick and the goodness of his heart. We miss you Pumpkin Man but you are in our hearts forever and every time we see a pumpkin.

The Grand Dame

I have waited awhile to comment on this but you knew that I would at some time.

The Grand Dame has a new owner and I know that he will be good to her. She will retain her president, who is a good man and she has flourished under his care. Tho, I can say that I have not enjoyed the changes to her during the Gaylord ownership but we all, as we get older, have to do things to keep up our appearances. The Grand Dame is no different.

She has sat overlooking her domain with quiet dignity.  She has welcomed all who have taken shelter under her wings. She has given nourishment to the body and souls of all that have sought her out.  Her calmness and beauty added to their stay.

And under her new owner she will continue to do so. I love The Grand Dame and will always love her. She is a part of my soul, I feel her heartbeat everytime I visit her. And I will continue to do so.

I know Mr. Anschutz will take good care of this jewel and I wish The Grand Dame the very best under his ownership.

Exploring The Past

I was reading the newspaper the other day and saw an older house for sale. The paper had done an article about it and said that one of the owners of the house had been friends of my dad. Soooo, I had to research it.

The house is at 1830 Wood Ave (it is beautiful and selling for 1.1 million) The article said Berne & Portia Hopkins were friends of my dad, they might have been but Portia never lived in that house. This is what I found out:

Berne Hopkins was married to Isabel in 1908, they had one son by the name of Winchester. Berne made his millions in oil but started out in the railroad. They bought the house on Wood Ave in 1915.

By 1923 Isabel has filed for a separation, which she  got $600,000. That was a LOT of money back then. The gazette paper printed that Berne married Portia in 1924, there are even pictures. Butttt, Berne & Portia's marriage certificate says they were married April 16, 1927 in St. Louis, Missouri.

See, that's what I like about our newspaper, they can predict the future and even include pictures, lol.

The house on Wood Ave was sold in 1923 to William Ehlers. Isabel disappers from the pages of history. Berne, in 1923, has bought a farm in Iowa, the name of it is Ben Marks Farm. He has announced that he will be living there.

By 1925, Berne and Portia are living in St. Louis. Berne owns, what is called, Family Hotels on Armour Blvd., its what we call an apartment complex now. It has become part of the historic district in St. Louis but is not called Family Hotels, its called Pre World War ll apartments.

The last I find of Berne is from the gazette paper in 1956, saying he has passed away. I do not know what became of Portia.

The house by the way, was sold to Don Alexander in 1938. He is another colorful person in Colorado Springs history but that is another story.

Al Davis Owner of the Oakland Raiders

Picture courtesy of Raider.com

The Autumn Wind is a Raider and on Saturday it whisked the owner of our team to the heavens.

Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, died at his home Saturday, Oct. 8th. He was 82.

Mr. Davis was a great man who had a great love for football and its players. He was the first NFL owner who hired a black quarterback, a black coach, a latino coach and a woman as CEO.

He had vision for the game and as he told Coach Jackson "believe in the players not in the play" sums up how he looked at football.

Al Davis had a big heart and he will be missed. My husband (who has been a Raider fan since his teens)
and I send out our condolences to Al's wife, Carol and her son, Mark.

A Light has gone out in Oakland but the Flame lives on. Rest in Peace Al and thank you for giving us the greatest football memories of all time.

Anniversary

We had our 18th wedding anniversary last Sunday. It was a great day. Our NFL team won and we had a wonderful steak dinner.

Here's to many more :)

Pics From Denver Post

I bought these photos of my dad from the Denver Post. The first one was taken in 1956 or 1957. Herschel Schooley, my dad and the little girl is Diana Sandefer. The Sandefer family knew my mother. Diana passed away about 5 years ago.

The second picture is my dad, unkown girl and Mayor George Birdsall. It was taken in 1943, the last year George was mayor of our city. I thought maybe the little girl was my sister Jinx but she looks a little to young. Jinx was 12 in 1943, I don't think this little girl looks like a 12 year old. I could be wrong. I don't know what my sister looked like when she was younger and no one is left alive who could tell me if this is her or not. And of course, I have no pictures of my sister when she was younger. I did an update on this post in Feb. The girl that I thought might be Jinx is none other then Shirley Temple at around the age of 12 or older, Shirley was born in 1932 so that makes this picture around 1944. My dad looks real good for being dead since 1939, lol. Another piece of proof that Spencer Penrose did not die in 1939!

Both of these pictures were taken at the rodeo here in Colorado Springs.

It is wonderful to have a picture of my dad in 1956. I look at it and its like he's here with me now. Its a nice feeling :)

45 Years Ago

Air Force pilot, Col. Leo "Sid" Boston came home yesterday. Its been 45 years.

Born in Canon City, Colo., Sid joined the Air Force right after college. He married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy. They had 3 children.

Sid was assigned to Air Defense Command. For the 'Nam war he was a A-1 pilot. His mission was to locate downed Air Force comrades, use bombs, rockets and gunfire to keep them safe till help arrived.

In 1966, this was the mission he was on when he went down in the dense jungle near Black River in Son La Province. He joined the MIA's.

By 1978, the gov't told his family he was presumed dead. They wept.

Dorothy spent years calling politicians and generals to bring her husband home. She fought till the day she died in 1988.

In the 1990s American military teams were allowed to return to North Vietnam to hunt for our MIA's. Villagers in Son La told them of a 1966 crash, remains were recovered but we did not have the technology to assess tiny amounts of DNA present in the remains.

This spring, new scientific methods were used and the Pentagon announced that Col. Leo "Sid" Boston had been found.

On Friday, a hearse carrying his remains drove past lines of saluting basic cadets before he was laid to rest, next to Dorothy, in the Air Force Academy cemetery that hold so many of our Air Force legends.

Sid's mother, granddaughter and great granddaughter were there. Sid's mother received the flag honoring her son.

Welcome home, Sid.

Full Moon Tonite

Tonite there will be a full moon. Most people think of werewolves with the full moon or the Twilight sagas or Lon Chaney Jr who played Wolf Man.

I think of Lon Chaney Sr, the man of a 1,000 faces who never played a werewolf but he did play a hunchback.

Lon Chaney Sr was born in good ole Colorado Springs in 1883. His grandfather started the Colo. School for the Education of Mutes, now known as The Colo School for the Deaf & Blind. And as you all know, I have a deep love for the Colo. School for the Deaf & Blind :)

Lon's parents met at this school, they were deaf. He would pantomime for his parents, this was the ground work for his acting. He became a great actor.

Keep Moving Forward

I have a favorite movie that I watch, Walt Disney's "Meet The Robinsons". The phrase "keep moving forward" is thru out the movie.

And so true of life, no matter what we encounter we just need to keep moving forward. That's how the battles of life are won.

take care everyone :)

Playing For Change New CD

Playing For Change has a new CD/DVD out and of course, it is very good. They have my favorite song by John Lennon on it "Imagine" & a wonderful song called "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley & "Music Is My Ammunition" by Mermans Kenkosenki-Greg Johnson.

Great music!!!!

Pikes Peak Highlanders

picture courtesy of Pikes Peak Highlanders


We met a wonderful person today, Bonifacio Duran. He's the shortest person in the picture above. Boni is a member of the Pikes Peak Highlanders and a delightful person.

The Highlanders were founded here in Colorado Springs in 1985 by Royal Canadian Air Force (RACF) Major Bob Tracy. We have always been proud and honored that the Royal Canadian Air Force is a part of Norad here in the Springs.

What I didn't know was that we have the pipes, drums and color guard of the Highlanders.

The pipers wear the Prince Charles Edward Stewart tartan and the drummers wear the legendary tartan of the 1st BN Black Watch.

They have recorded a cd which will be available July 1st. If you want to know more about the Pikes Peak Highlanders here is a link to their website  www.pikespeakhighlanders.org

It made our day meeting Boni :)

First National Forest Campground

picture courtesy of R. Scott Rappold

The first national forest campground is Squirrel Creek Canyon in the Wet Mountains here in good ole Colorado. It was done in 1919 by the U.S. Forest Service but alas, it no longer exists due to a flood in 1947. But, you can camp at the Davenport Campground which is on higher ground and was remodeled to resemble a 1920's camping experience.

America got into the great outdoors due to 'The Progressive Movement' and Theodore Roosevelt.

We have a lot of places here in Colorado for people to camp and enjoy our forests. I found it fascinating that it all started back in 1919.

When you look at America, each state has a wonderful history to explore. Here in Colorado part of ours is the forest, to walk among nature and bask in her beauty is a thrill.

Huguette Clark Gower

picture courtesy of msnbc


Huguette Clark Gower passed away at the age of 104. She was the daughter of Senator William A. Clark of Montana (the quote he is most famous for is : "I never met a man I couldn't buy")


Huguette was born June 9, 1906 in Paris, France. Her mother, Anna Eugenia La Chapelle was the senators second wife. She was his ward and he married her after his 1st wife passed away. She was 26 and he was in his 60's. Huguette was their second daughter, her sister passed away at the age of 17 from a sickness. Huguette's half brothers and sisters passed away by 1939. Her father had passed away in 1925.


Huguette was married once, briefly. The above picture is the last known picture taken of her. It was taken in Reno, Nev after her divorce.


She lived in New York with her mother, her mother passed away in 1963 living her the sole heir to her father's vast estate. She was said to be very shy and this is why she was seldom seen. By the 1980's she checked into a New York Hospital, even though she was not sick. It is said she refused to see anyone but her sect. (who passed away a few years ago). She talked to her lawyer by phone only and it is said that he has never met her face to face.


A few years ago, the caretakers of her properties got concerned because they had not seen her. Her great,great,great nieces and nephews were concerned because they were told she did not want to see them. Now, she has passed away. I wonder if they will be able to see her now?

She was a doll collector, like I am. My question is, how did she add to her collection? The internet or did she go to auctions and no one knew who she was? Her life seems to be a mystery and may stay that way.


The lawyers are under investigation into her affairs. Heaven knows what they will find.


take care everyone and a reminder, blogger still has not fixed the problem of me being able to answer any comments. So all answered comments will be posted here.

Update: 12/26/2011

I always wait awhile to do updates, so I waited after I read about Huguette's funeral. No one got to see her body except the funeral home. She was cremated and put in the family crypt asap, which makes me think that maybe she had died long before this.

I also wanted to wait to share that I met Huguette when I was a small girl. She came to my foster home (the Baber's) in Denver. Bill Tutt was with her. I do not know if my family (the Penrose's) were related to her but I do know she knew my dad. All I know is she wanted to help me and Tutt let her know if she did there would be bad repurcussions. And if you have read any of my posts about my life then you know that no one helped me.

We Are Video Gamers

My husband and I are huge video gamers. Our latest one is Lego's Pirates of the Caribbean. Johnny Depp as a lego character is just plain funny. We love it, of course Johnny Depp is one of our fav actors. We don't like everything he does but we do enjoy most of what he does. As an actor, he is very talented.

take care everyone

Thought For The Day - Mary Engelbreit

Plant seeds of kindness

And Harvest Happy Hearts :)

Thought For The Day by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nothing external to you

has any power over you

DVD Sales Are Down

DVD sells are down, duh. Who in their right mind is going to buy any of the stupid movies they are making now.


We have a huge DVD collection, the new ones we bought: 'The King's Speech' (most excellent), 'Harry Potter' (the latest one), 'Chronicles of Narnia' (the latest one), 'Toy Story' (the latest one), 'Fair Game' (excellent).


What we didn't buy but saw: "Gulliver's Travels' (boo), 'The Green Hornet' (don't even bother seeing this one especially if you were a green hornet fan), Megamind (phooey), 'How Do You Know' (this was so bad I can't remember what its about), 'Little Fockers' (loved the first 2 but not this one).


If they want dvd sales to go up then they need to make good movies. I am sick of seeing people throw up in movies! That is not funny and guess what movie makers the 13 year olds that you are targeting are now older and they don't like. The new 13 year olds don't want it either so get a clue and stop putting in the throw up scenes. Its stupid!


To make a good movie you have to have a good story. Not a bad remake of a good story. Hollywood is going down faster then the Titanic, who would have thought this would happen.


Take care and have a nice week end

Thought For The Day by Will Rogers

"If dogs don't go to heaven, I want to go where they go"

I think this applies to kitty's also :)

Looking For A New Eye Doc

I have been going to the same eye office for the past 11 years. I used to have a wonderful eye doctor but he moved on to better things but I stayed with the same office even tho I didn't really like the other doctors. But the last time I went, the doctor insulted me. I won't go into exact words but he said he would need a new chair after I sat down in his. There was more said then this but to let you know I am not overweight, I have put on a few pounds but not enough to be subjected to his rudeness. Then when his nurse had my glasses ready, she made a rude remark about not having a chair big enough for me to sit down in. That was it, my hubby made a rude remark back which made her turn red and shut up. We are never going back. Things like this is not new to me, here in Colorado Springs where the Tutts, my and my father's arch enemies, run things I have been subjected to this all of my life. Most of the time, I let it roll off my back knowing these people are in the Tutts pocket. In fact, I heard the Tutts pay these people to harass me. Gee, wonder what the Tutts are afraid of, maybe the TRUTH, lol. Anyway, I will find a new doc. I'm always on the road to better things :) Take care :)

Fair Game

We watched the movie 'Fair Game' last night. This is a must see, people!!!! You will see the inner workings of the CIA and why this organization should be shut down. You will also see why ALL Republicans should not be voted into ANY positions. You will see how Bush & Cheney abused the power given to them, dancing to the tune of their puppet masters. The only thing we do not see is Bush & Cheney's masters. These are the people we need to find and take away their power. And I don't mean the corp.'s , I mean real names, real people. And if you don't think that this kind of thing can't touch you, YOU ARE WRONG. IT CAN AND IT WILL. They haven't touched your S.S. yet but the next thing they will come up with is eliminating anyone over 62. Logans Run maybe in our future, think about it! When you watch this movie pay attention to the tactics they use against Valerie & her husband. The first one is to make everyone believe they are liars. This is always the first step, the rest of the steps depend on the person. Disinformation is always there and basically that is just lying about the other person. It comes in ALL forms from being gay, pedophile,mentally retarded, a loner to name just a few. Heck, they may even use all of them and its to get YOU to disbelieve every word that comes out of that person's mouth. Because if you disbelieve then the puppet masters don't have anything to fear. They have used fear against us all of our lives, its time to turn the tables and put fear into their hearts. Be smart, use that God given brain of yours and send the disinformation highway back where it belongs! And now, I will step down from my soap box and bid you all a wonderful week end!

After The Civil War

My hometown, Colorado Springs, was not founded till after the Civil War. General Palmer and his wife Queenie founded it and the General was a Union General. But, a man here in our city has documents that talk about Rebel soldiers coming into this town and they had to be dealt with. He only gave a sneak preview of what he has written, so I will be looking forward to it when he shares all. There was also something about Texans coming in to steal gold from our fair city. So, this is going to be a great read. I'll keep you posted.

Effanbee's Katie

This is one of my favorite dolls, this is 'Winter Wishes Katie' and I sold my last one. Last week I was thinking of putting her into my own collection. She was in my store (http://thelittledame.ecrater.com) for a year and a half, so I thought after that long I would give it another week and if she didn't sell I would add her to my collection of dolls. But, someone bought her today and now she is off to her new home.

Beautiful doll isn't she, Effanbee no longer makes her, she was archived in 2007 and sculpted by reowned artist Ann Timmerman. I do not have the gift of making a beautiful doll but I'm glad there are people out there that do, so the rest of us can enjoy their beauty.

Have a good day :)

Aunt Margery

Have you ever seen such beauty and grace? This is my Aunt Margery. She was once engaged to a Lord, he broke off the engagement after my mother tried to steal him away from Margery. He would have nothing to do with either one of them. My aunt was heartbroken but was soothed by her father's doctor, who she married a year later.

The Lord married someone else and went to war, where he was killed in action. My aunt lived happily with her doctor, assisting him. They were married 17 years, then death claimed her.

My mother had a very small regret for interfering in her sister's life. My mother was a selfish, lover of herself person till the day she died. Now you know why I don't talk about her much.

But, despite her sister, my aunt had a good life.

Thought For The Day

Cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind, and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity Joseph Addison and my personal thought for the day is: if the Republicans want to axe S.S., then I want ALL the money back that I put into it!

Casa Encantada

I would like to introduce Marilee, my father in law, my mother in law and Charles. My hubby was suppose to be in this but all I got was his pants. My camera sucks, I have to guess when I take a picture because you can't see the screen in the sunlight. Who says technology is great, sometimes it sucks,lol.

Anywho, Charles and Marilee run a bed and breakfast in Hotchkiss, Colorado. It's a great place and here is the link to it www.casaencantrada@bb.com

The website tells it all and has great pictures. Charles also takes people flyfishing, click on that link in their website because he goes all over the world and he is great as a guide. He has taken President Jimmy Carter and Joe Cochran to name a few people, flyfishing.

Charles and Marilee are warm wonderful people with great sense of humors. It was the first time I had met them but my husband has known them since he was 11. We had a great time :)

Celebrating Hubby's 50th Birthday

This is Grand Mesa, every morning when my hubby woke up, this is what he saw from Redlands Mesa where he lived

My hubby would wait for the school bus here at the end of the driveway

My husband and his mother

My father in law, my husband and family friend Marilee

My husband standing in front of the Welcome sign at Charles' and Marilee's Bed and Breakfast. I will be sharing more on Charles & Marilee's Bed and Breakfast. They are wonderful people and my husband has known them since he was 11.

Elizabeth Taylor Passes Away

pictures courtesy of BBC

Elizabeth Taylor has passed away at the age of 79. She was born in London in 1932 to American parents. They moved from England to L.A., Calif. when WWII broke out. She started acting at the age of 12. She married 7 times and had 4 children, 10 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. She had a wonderful acting career. In 1999 the Queen of England bestowed on her the title of 'Dame'. Elizabeth did a lot of charity work the last years of her life. The light of her candle will continue on.

Ice Skating

The Broadmoor Ice Skating Club had a fund raiser this week end. Peggy Fleming and her hubby were there, Peggy was a student at the ice skating school here, her father drove the Zamboni at what used to be called the Ice Palace at the Broadmoor.



I have sour grapes about this club, my half sister Jinx was a fantastic skater. In fact, she performed for the Ice Capades but nothing is every said about her. Such is life.



I had my own spell with ice skating, my foster mother Louise wanted me to go to the ice skating school, her husband said no, that the Tutts had given orders that I was NEVER to go to the Broadmoor. So, Louise decided to teach me herself. I HATED it, I froze to death but Louise would have been a great stage mother, she was ruthless. Finally she had Jinx come to watch me. I struggled and I was not that good. I didn't like ice skating, it was to cold. Jinx said I should find something else and I agreed (lol). Louise was not happy, her motive behind all this was to get rid of me. Poor woman, that was not to be. I don't know why my sister didn't take me home with her then.



It had been planned that I would live with my sister when my dad was gone but something happened between her and my dad. My dad changed his mind for reasons unkown to me. Too bad, it would have been a good life.


I haven't put on a pair of ice skates since then and my ankles said thank you :)

Ulysses S. Grant V dies at 90

The last great grandson of the Union commander in the Civil War has died in Battlefield, Missouri. Ulysses the 5th died at his home, he was 90.




He was known as the family historian who had a large collection of artifacts related to his famous great grandfather.




Ulysses the 5th had spent most of his life as an avocado grower in California but had moved to Springfield, Missouri to be near his family.





One of his 11 grandchildren bears the name Ulysses S. Grant the 6th

E.K. Gaylord

picture courtesy of Historical Society of Oklahoma

This is a picture of E.K. Gaylord, he was a fascinating man and you can read about him by googleing his name. He lived to be 101 years old, I met him when I was 3 and that is what I'm sharing about.

My father and I were in the lobby of his hotel when Mr. Gaylord came out of the elevator. He was as tall as my daddy and I liked him at first glance. Mr. Gaylord came towards us and said to my father,"I didn't know you had grandchildren." I giggled, my father replied, "This is my daughterand I wanted you to meet her." Mr. Gaylord looked a little shocked.

My father looked down at me and told me to wait, he had business to discuss with Mr. Gaylord. They walked a few feet away, talked, then shook hands. When my father came back to my side, he said to me, "This is the man I am selling the hotel to. If something happens and I am unable to do that, I want you to sell it to him. Don't fight him on anything, I have given him my word. Do you understand?" I nodded yes. "Good," my father went on, "I have also told him, that you are to be given a home here at the hotel anytime you need it." At the time I did not see the reason behind this, I would always be with my father was my thinking.

Mr. Gaylord lived to be 101, he never saw my father's words carried out. My father's hotel would be sold to his son long after he died. Mr. Gaylord was told that I had died. It's a shame he never got to be the owner, it was a dream of his my father told me.

And I will always remember the tall thin man who was so nice.

Another Doll Finds A New Home

This is Barbie/Fern from Charlotte's Web. She is from the "When I Read I Dream" series. Isn't she the cutest thing, that's Wilbur the pig with her. I sold her today.

So, off she goes to a collectors home. I love all the dolls I sell. When I first started my store, The Little Dame http://thelittledame.ecrater.com I was told to only sell the dolls that I would want in my collection. And that is what I have done.

I have really enjoyed it. Take care, everyone

Tribal Paths

picture courtesy of Colorado Historical Society www.coloradohistory.org

Ever so often, I goggle the museums here to see if anything new is around. The Colorado Historical Society has a new on line exhibit called "Tribal Paths"

Click the link above to go to it if you want.

Tribal Paths tells the story of the Colorado Indians from 1500 to present. As of today 24,000 Indians make Colorado their home.

Every Memorial Day the Ute tribe honors their veterans, active duty and fallen heros with the Walk of the Warriors in Ignacio, Colorado.

I am very proud of the Historical Society for doing this exhibit and I love the name of it. I hope you enjoy it too.

Black History Month - Barney L. Ford

article is from The Denver Post - 1906

Barney L. Ford was born a slave in Virginia, his freedom was established when he was sent on a business trip to Ill. by his master.

Once in Ill., he was informed that he stood on free soil and was a free man. He never returned to Dixie.

He learned the barber trade in Chicago, engaged in business in Centtral America, was a steward in the Vanderbuilt household and was in the hotel business in Virginia.

He came to Denver, Colorado in 1860 and had various enterprises. Hotel's were his specialties.

In 1867 he built the Ford House at Cheyenne and the Inter Ocean Hotel in Denver on 16th and Blake Street.

He served on the Colorado State Legislature. He passed away in 1906 as a wealthy man.

Discovery

pictures of Shirley Temple courtesy of Shirley Temple website

In January, I shared photos that I had gotten from the Denver Post of my dad. The first photo you see is one those photos. I shared that I thought maybe the little girl was my sister Jinx but I wasn't sure who she was.

I thought about this picture and finally last night, it came to me. I did research and sure enough, the girl who is around 12 is none other than Shirley Temple.

Shirley Temple started acting in 1932 at the age of 3, she retired from show business in 1950 at the age of 21. The picture of her in the tux was her last picture for Century 21.

I love discoveries :)

Jury Duty & Other Things

First, I want to start out with sympathy to all the families that were unjustly hurt by yesterday's shooting. The congresswoman is doing much better today, thank goodness. And I am sick and tired of the 'CIA terminology' that the gunman was a loner. There is no such thing in today's society, so quit printing that BS. We don't buy it anymore, we are not the sheep you think we are. And that is all I'm saying on that subject.





Next, we are looking for a new house. We have found an area we like here in the springs. The houses are bigger and the lots make it where your neighbor is a little further away. But, the prices are higher then we want to pay. So, we will keep looking in that area till a home comes up with a better price. We would just like to have more room and be in a neighborhood that's more our speed.





It is snowing here today and the boys are really bummed. They look like they just lost their best friend and I feel that to them, the sun is their best friend :)






My husband has jury duty this Tuesday, his stress level has hit an all time high because of it. He has had 2 hypoglycemic attacks since Thursday. He almost passed out at the store on Thursday, I was able to get him to the car and have him eat some cheese and crackers with a soda. He needs to eat at least 5 times a day (small snacks in between meals) to keep from an attack. You can't do that in a courthouse. I don't know what I'm going to do. I will be going with him, I'll be taking a banana with me to give to him at 10:00 (I hope they let me bring it in), then we'll get lunch and I'll buy something to give to him at 2:00. I am hoping with all my heart that we will not be there that long but you never know. My stress is raising and I'm trying to keep it in check so I can help him. Today, I'm having him rest. Thank goodness there is football on :)





So, thats it for my little corner of the world. Hope all of you are doing well

American Girl Archiving Felicity & Elizabeth

pictures courtesy of American Girl

American Girl is one of my favorite doll stores and they are archiving Felicity & Elizabeth. These two dolls are the colonial dolls that they make. Now, they will become collector dolls because they will no longer be made.

American Girl dolls used to cost $95 but they raised the price at the beginning of the year to $100. These two dolls will increase in price because of being archived, American Girl will sell them till there are no more. Which I heard they have already sold out. I'm still going to give the store here in Colorado a call to see if they have any left.

take care everyone :)

Busy, Busy, Busy

My little doll store has been busy today. I sold my last American Girl Samantha Doll. It was the 1st time I had a used doll in my store, I usually don't do used items. But, I love the Samantha doll and I had to make sure she got a good home.

So, tomorrow she is off to her new owner. I've sold a lot today and been busy getting things out. I had a new customer from Hawaii. I've never sold to anyone in Hawaii or Alaska, so this will be a 1st for me.

So, off I go just wanted to say hi to everyone and let ya know I'm still here :)