I mowed yesterday – all of the front lawn and up the hill to the secret garden. It felt great to get some exercise. But then I did some weed whacking (more of that this morning.) I probably should have stopped at the mowing. Anyway, long story short, I took a long nap in the afternoon, slept well last night, and feel great this morning. I’m going to do a bit more weed trimming this morning before the predicted rain comes this afternoon.

But it sure looks nice out there. With these hot and humid days (more predicted for Sunday though Wednesday) we have to grab whatever pockets of sane temperatures there are and do some work.

Meanwhile, in the midst of political insanity, I do what I always do; find moments to escape inside the covers of a book, or put together a puzzle, or play with my dolls. A troll who appeared on the blog the other day when I referenced he-who-shall-not-be named said something they hoped was disparaging: “an older woman who plays with dolls.”

Of course, it wasn’t at all disparaging! It was a compliment. I seek joy. I don’t always find it when I need it, but I usually do. I have never lost the playful, imaginative girl I was. She’s still here, always with me, always ready to create, always ready to play.

Here we have two playful things that delighted me this week:

This jigsaw puzzle from Shakespeare and Company in Paris. I follow the store on IG and the minute I saw it, I had to place an order. It’s so whimsical! Animals and birds are everywhere, perusing the books that are displayed inside and outside the shop. If you can zoom in on this, you should. It’s absolutely delightful. Note the little mice in the lower right hand corner with their own mini displays of books.

Shakespeare and Company in Paris and John Sandoe in London are my favorite bookstores. I wish I could teleport to them right now.

And then I pulled this girl off the shelf, where she’s usually sitting next to Pru.

She and Bertie are about to set off on a walk.

Lily is what is called a BJD (ball jointed doll) and there’s a whole world of them out there, small and large, realistic and fantastical. There are collectors who only collect BJDs. They’re usually made in resin and made in small quantities because they have to be hand assembled and strung. This is usually done by the designer. The designer in this case is Eat Zongzi, who lives in China. She does lovely work. Anyway, Lily is probably about 6 inches tall and she stands on her own and I sometimes forget what a great little doll she is to have by my side. She’s sturdy, as well.

She has little teeth!

Her sister, also made by Eat Zongzi, was Wren. Last year when we needed some money, I sold her to a doll collector friend, who told me if I ever wanted her back, she would sell her to me. She’s a lovely person. At the end of 2023, I was really missing her and asked Tania if I could buy her back. Of course, she said, but she had to be honest; her cat had just knocked some of the dolls from the shelf and one of Wren’s fingers broke off. Tania was going to order a new body from China and hoped it would be in the USA by February or March, but so far…nothing. If the delay goes on much longer, I may buy her, missing finger and all.

Just to remind you, here she is:

I really miss her.

Okay, my friends. See you tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.