Pamy's Place: Animal Dolls
...Sometimes the little girl stopped to talk to the neighbors. They were used to seeing her push her doll stroller with her animals.
“What have you got in the stroller today? Puppies or kittens?” asked the neighbor lady.
“Creamy, Gray Ghost, and Kitty Blue”, the little girl replied. She wished Mrs. Moore would remember their names. After all, they were more than just kittens; they were the little girl’s animal family...
Pamy Blaine writes about the things which are really important in this life.
“Now, I won’t take you to town if you get your dress all dirty!” the little girl said as she picked up the little cream colored kitten and placed her on the porch.
“Now, you sit right there while I get your sister ready,” the little girl ordered.
The kitten purred and licked her paws as she sat where the little girl had placed her on the porch.
The little girl began slipping a small dress her Momma had made for one of her dolls over the next kitten’s head. As she bent forward, her own red dress-up hat that was way too big slipped forward over her eyes. She pushed it back on top of her blond head and continued to button the kitten’s dress. The little girl had already dressed herself for the occasion in a purple dress from the dress-up box her mother had filled with dresses, hats, shoes, and purses for her to use for just such times as this.
It was strange how the kittens seemed quite content to be dressed up and groomed for the little girl’s trip to town. One of the kittens did keep jumping down but it didn’t run away as might be expected but seemed to enjoy the little girl’s attentiveness.
“Okay, let’s comb your hair,” the little girl said to the same little kitten that she had just dressed. She took a comb and wet it in a pan of water. The kitten shook its head when it felt a drip of water on its head. “Now, hold still,” the little girl ordered as she stroked the kitten’s head with the comb and then she carefully placed a bow between the ears of the kitten.
Finally all three of the little kittens were beautifully dressed with their hair combed and one kitten even wore a bonnet. The little girl placed them in the red doll stroller and the kittens sat there quietly because they had learned that jumping out would just earn them another trip back to the stroller. They had become indifferent to the whole procedure and even seemed to enjoy the ride. As the little girl started down the lane, two of the kittens curled up for a nap while the third peeked over the edge to see what new adventure might arise.
Sometimes the little girl stopped to talk to the neighbors. They were used to seeing her push her doll stroller with her animals.
“What have you got in the stroller today? Puppies or kittens?” asked the neighbor lady.
“Creamy, Gray Ghost, and Kitty Blue”, the little girl replied. She wished Mrs. Moore would remember their names. After all, they were more than just kittens; they were the little girl’s animal family.
“Ah, very pretty kittens. Well, it is a nice day for a stroll,” the neighbor smiled as she stepped back from peering into the stroller.
“Why do you play with animals instead of dolls?” Mrs. Moore asked.
“Oh, I play with dolls sometimes but Creamy, Gray Ghost, and Kitty Blue are real and not just pretend. They are my animal dolls,” the little girl replied matter-of-factly.
“After our stroll, we’ll have tea and toast,” the little girl announced over her shoulder as she passed by Mrs. Moore. “Kitty Blue is especially fond of toast with butter,” the little girl added.
After they returned home, the little girl pulled out an old egg crate and covered it with a tea towel. She began setting the table with fruit jar lids for plates and some tiny cups that her Mama allowed her to use for play. Next, the little girl took the kittens out of the stroller and placed them around the table in front of their plates.
Perhaps the reason the animals were so cooperative was because they looked forward to tea party time. Granted, they didn’t care much for tea but they did enjoy the toast. The little girl would put toast on their jar lid plates and she made sure that they minded their manners and stayed at their own places at the table.
The little girl enjoyed her playtime with her animal dolls and spent many a summer’s day playing with them.
As happens with all little girls, the little girl grew up. She became a Mother and then later, a Grandmother but she never gave up playing with animal dolls. The only difference is that she takes her grandchildren along with her now, that way the neighbors don’t think it quite so peculiar for a lone grandmother to be pushing a doll stroller down the street with dressed up animals inside of it. Little girls and Grandmothers have a lot in common when it comes to playing “dress up”.
You may have seen some of these Grandmothers together at community events, restaurants, and even parades. Some of them belong to groups or clubs that dress according to certain time periods in history such as the Old West or the Civil War. Some of them wear purple dresses and red hats and create a society all their own. I wonder if they allow strollers and animal dolls?
Pamela Perry Blaine
© August 12, 2010
http://blaines.us/PamyPlace.htm
Pray what needs prayin'
Say what needs sayin'
Cause we're only here for a little while.
-Billy Dean
