| Our kitchen was big and
yellow. Mommy and I wanted a kitchen table to make things on. We
didn't have one, so we looked in the stores. It took a long time
to decide on the right one. We put up pretty curtains and, to pull
blinds up and down, little teakettles on cords that are made for
kitchen blindpulls and that were pretty. We also had Chinese prism
chimes to pull on the window facing the woods in back that we never
pull the shade down on. They tinkled when the breeze blew in.
I put my big carriage that I had when I was a baby under the
back window in my room. I had two pink blankets for my babies and
two pillows. I loved to take care of my dolls. I had lots of utensils
for washing them and brushes and combs for their hair. Lots of times,
if I had to stay home because I was sick, I washed their clothes.
It was cold water I washed in. I never liked hot water at all.
I felt better when I used cold water.
I combed my dolls' hair so much it always came off, especially
Wendy's hair which was real, and we had to glue it back on.
I liked combing Mommy's hair, too. It's long and curly and
thick.
I liked to dress up in Mommy's high heels and clothes, especially
in her silver fox fur piece Granddaddy gave her.
She had lots of hats that were very dressed-up hats. I loved
to put them on. They had pearls and feathers and sparkling rhinestones.
One day, I crawled around on the floor with the silver fox
pretending I was an animal. One day later on, Mommy saw the paws
coming off, and she was a little bit angry with me. But she knew
I didn't mean to hurt it. I was just playing a game.
She was sorry for me because when we moved there were no girls
near my age around except Kitty. Kitty came over to skate with me
after we moved. But Mommy was always afraid I'd fall. Kitty always
came every weekend morning with our postman, Mr. Wilkinson, on our
route. He was a very cheerful, very kind mailman.
I was sick a lot after we moved. The doctor thought it was
my tonsils.
We went to see different people who had little girls. Mrs.
Laird and the builder had a nice little girl. Mommy and I went to
see her, and they were very kind to us. They had collies for sale
in their home. We went to see them at Christmastime when there was
a beautiful tree in the living room.
Their home was further down in Loch Raven Valley, in Providence
Village. We lived at the top of the valley on Providence Road. There
was a little old white church at the end of the road. It's pretty
and very quiet-looking and peaceful.
We went to see Cynthia Neesemann. Her family lived next door
to Granddaddy and Mommy when she lived at the office at 122 West
Lee Street. Cynthia and I played together.
At Christmastime, I had my tonsils taken out. The doctor said
they were very bad. I had a big, big, enormous Christmas tree all
lit up with an angel on top. Mommy dragged it into the house. It
was too heavy for her to lift. But she made up her mind I would
have a real tree.
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