Play Time

This week my post will once again be different from those of my fellow bloggers, since I managed to focus on the wrong topic two weeks ago. When I expounded about campfires and bonfires, I was supposed to post about childhood toys still in my possession. So that’s what I’m writing about today.

Until this past summer, I had only a few of my childhood toys. And frankly, they weren’t toys as much as they were treasures meant for displaying and admiring. The first is a doll that my uncle gave me when I was a baby. Uncle Yoshikazu was only eight years old when I was born, but somehow he saved up enough to purchase this lovely doll for me. I remember mom usually kept her in a glass-front cabinet in the living room. Once in awhile I was allowed to take her out and hold her carefully. Somehow, the tip of her nose was broken off and dad glued it back on. Otherwise, she’s still in great shape, since I also keep her in a glass case.

Mom often made beanbags with her fabric scraps. She can juggle three bean bags with one hand – I can’t do it with both hands! But I remember playing lots of games with them. I found these tucked away somewhere in mom’s house. I’ve made several beanbags myself, but mine don’t look quite as nice as the ones mom made. I guess I’m not that patient.

I had Barbie and Ken dolls as a pre-teen. I don’t remember playing with them as much as I remember using them for sewing practice. Maybe it’s because the other dolls in my house weren’t really playthings, but Barbie and Ken were actually models for my first sewing projects. My mom taught me to sew by purchasing patterns and showing me how to use them with scraps of fabric leftover from the dresses she made me. This summer, I found several of the dolls and cases of the clothes I made in my mom’s basement. I took them home and my youngest granddaughter now plays with them when she comes over. The Barbie dolls are in another case, but here’s an example of the clothes mom and I made.

I’ve always loved puzzle challenges, and was delighted when I found these slide puzzles. These were in mom’s house, but I noticed that some of the ones online are called Fifteen Puzzles. But these were from my own past, and it’s been fun working on these again – and watching the kids and grandkids try to solve them.

I mentioned previously that we’ve been clearing out my mom’s house to sell it. And I may have mentioned that my parents didn’t like the idea of throwing anything out. In the basement there was a huge lateral file cabinet with four large drawers. I had the job of emptying that out and it was like a trip back in time. The top drawer had seasonal decorations and knick-knacks, but in the other three I found lots of our old favorite toys and games.. Many went to mom’s great-grandkids, but a lot were donated. Still, it was fun to look at them and remember how much fun we had with them.

What treasures do you remember from your childhood?