Kerry ~ The Doll

Today I"m going to tell you about the doll in yesterday's post:

This is Kerry, an 18 inch doll, manufactured by the Ideal Toy Co. in 1970. If you grew up at that time, chances are you had one of the dolls. Their main feature was the ability to grow their hair. Notice how long her hair is in the picture above.
There is a knob on her back, which when turned, makes her hair grow shorter,

and to lengthen the hair, pull the ponytail to make it the length you want it to be.

This doll belongs to my youngest daughter.

The first doll in the series was Crissy, made in 1969, followed by her cousin Velvet (16 inches tall) and Kerry in 1970. The other two daughters had these dolls, and we have them also.

We made lots of pretty clothes for them; bell bottom pants, long skirts, pant suits, shawls, mostly made from double knits since that was the fabric of choice in those days. They were a lot easier to sew for than Barbie dolls because of their larger size. I think the red dress was the one Crissy was wearing when we got her, and Kerry is wearing her original outfit and shoes in the first photo.

So, do you remember these dolls? Did you have one? I'd like to know about them.

Charlotte

March ~~ Little Quilt

The little quilt for March is a log cabin design, set together in the "fields and furrows" layout, which is probably the most simple way to join the blocks.

Quilt size ~ 15 1/2 inches square

Block size ~ 3 inches square

Log size ~ 1/2 inch

Fabrics ~ mostly cottons, soft pastels; lining and binding are a soft lilac color

Method of construction ~ paper pieced on machine, hand quilted

We'll talk about the doll tomorrow.

Enjoy, Charlotte

Prescribed Fire/Controlled Burning

This week, the forestry service has been conducting controlled burning, or prescribed fire in the Ozarks forests. There are around 300,000 acres burned under control in Arkansas each year. The wind has carried the smoke toward us, making the skies gray, the air filled with the smell of burning brush, and the sun took on a brilliant red color at sunset. Even the sunlight coming through the windows looked brown on the floor.I think anyone with breathing problems would have to stay inside. By the burning of brush, vines, leaves, and excess logging debris, the threat of severe fires, that kill valuable trees or pose a threat to personal property or human safety, is reduced. Wildlife habitat is improved by increasing the food supply of fruits, nuts, and grasses. When small, low-value trees are removed, plant competition and forest floor litter are reduced, allowing for better germination of seeds. The values of recreational activities, hunting, hiking, and wildlife viewing, are increased.

Fire always scares me, but if it's controlled, it can be a good thing.
Have a safe, happy weekend,

Charlotte

My Attempt at Becoming a Movie Star

Do you watch movie stars on the red carpet to catch a glimpse of their dazzling gowns and shiny jewelry? I'm not much interested in that sort of thing; somehow I don't think I'd get very far in a dress with a long tail dragging behind me; neither would I want that kind of life.

When my first grade teacher made her way around the room, asking each child what he or she wanted to be when they grew up, I had no idea how to answer; when she gave me some suggestions, and a movie star was one of them, I said "yes" that's what I wanted to be. There had been very few times in my life when I had even seen a movie; maybe a western film on a Saturday afternoon, while we waited for Daddy to get off work at the cream station. Most likely there weren't glamorous women in those.

There was a picture of a pretty woman in a magazine I had seen and someone said she was probably a movie star. The thing that caught my attention in the picture was a beautiful brooch, or pin, she was wearing; diamonds, someone guessed, and the movie star was wearing it right . on . her . skin! This fascinated me!

Now sometime earlier, Daddy had brought home some things from Aunt Rhody's and there was a pretty pin included. (Uh-oh! You're getting ahead of me!) It looked like a diamond pin to me, but since it had a tight clasp with a prong on the back Mama thought it must have come off of a hat band or coat lapel. My mind raced whenever I made a connection between this pin and the one in the picture; I could wear this pin and be a movie star!

I pinched up a little spot of skin on the left side of my chest, hers was on the left side, and carefully put the pin over it and released the clasp. The sharp prong on the clasp dug into the tender flesh and pain radiated from the prick it made. It had to come off! But how could I opened the clasp without making things worse? Mama heard my squeals of pain and released the clasp. I didn't care to be a movie star anymore!

Maybe this is why I'm not symmetrical!

You know, I still wonder how the pin was attached to the woman!

Hope you've had a good day!

Charlotte

Spring Flower

One of the first of my spring flowers to bloom is this little yellow crocus, barely noticeable among dead leaves and iris fronds. About twenty four years ago, my oldest daughter planted some crocus bulbs on her grandmother's (my mother's) grave. When it comes time for the cemetery to be mowed, the flower will have died down, allowing it to appear again the next year. I think Mama would be glad it's there; she loved real flowers.

Charlotte

To Explain Some Things,

regarding yesterday's post about the chickens: It seems I didn't do a very good job explaining that we don't grow the chickens for ourselves, but rather we are in a contract with Tyson Foods; the poultry industry is the main farm operation in our county, with many growers just like us. With the help of these pictures maybe it will be clearer:

Each farm provides their own houses, electricity, fuel, and water, and is responsible for good litter management and taking care of the chickens. We aren't considered Tyson empolyees; we just grow the chickens for them. We have four houses; this one is 400 feet long by 40 feet wide and can hold up to 21,000 chickens. Tyson Foods places baby chickens in the houses and brings feed for them.

On delivery day, the chickens are brought to the farm, from the hatchery, in trucks like these.
They are taken into the houses (as shown in yesterday's post) in boxes containing 100 chicks each.

In about a week the chickens are already beginning to get feathers,

and by seven weeks they can weigh almost seven pounds average.

At this age, Tyson Foods sends out a crew to catch the chickens,

and off they go to the processing plant and then to market. We get about two-three weeks to get the houses ready for another batch, and the whole thing starts over. Usually we will grow six batches a year, somewhere around 420,000 chickens, just from our farm alone. But it takes a lot to feed the world now. No longer can people just raise a few chickens in their backyard and provide food for this vast population.

I hope this has helped; now when you have delicious, golden fried chickn, think of me.

Smiles, Charlotte

Baby Chickens

O.k., so we're starting over again; new baby chickens, little yellow balls of fluff and little bright eyes. Even after almost forty years of growing chickens, the babies are still cute to me. This picture shows the way they are taken into the houses; 100 chicks in each of these boxes, and that's only for half of one house, and only the first of four houses, for a total of 68,000 chirping babies. We take each box and dump the chicks out between the feed and water lines.

In just a matter of minutes they begin to eat and drink; by morning they will be scattered.

It's not a glamorous life, but it's my life, and this must be my calling, working to help feed the world.
Charlotte