Our Museum

The more I run the American Doll and Toy Museum, the more I realize a lot of people of all ages have no clue what a museum is. “What is the purpose of this?” asked one woman in her seventies or early eighties. She grew up in our area, which has several museums besides ours, including The Putnam Museum, The German American Heritage Center, The Hauberg Indian Museum, and The Rock Island Historical Society, to name just a few. I don’t think she has been in any. She wanted to know if we bought and sold dolls and other things. No, I answered, we aren’t retail. Our purpose is to educate, and to tell the story of humanity through dolls and toys. Our collection represents Prehistory to the Present. Many of our artifacts also represent the ethnicities or our community. They tell the progress of immigration in our area. We also curate to preserve, even things no one else may want. We have several libraries of books about our objects, but also about them. Our best visitors are children twelve and under. They are fascinated by the antiques, and delight when they find something they recognize. They behave well, and aren’t jaded. Their favorite exhibits are Polly Pockets, My Little Pony, and Disney Princesses. I direct those who want to know more about to museums to the blog, “The Future of Museums.” My cousin who is a pastor, calls the museum a ministry for children, both because we try to preserve objects for posterity, but because we are dedicated to childhood and its pursuits, to a time more innocent than today. We a 501c not for profit; we do not make money in this venture, far from it. Dolls and toys are humanity’s historians. Dolls are often the only thing left to us from civilizations long gone from the earth, and are portraits of their creators. Brick and mortar museums exist to teach as well as entertain. There museums for kitchen utensils, washing machines, tractors, trucks, textiles and mores. What is our purpose? Come see us to find out, but if you have to ask, well . . .

We're just past Christmas, and what have I Done?

Memories assault us at Christmas, and the current year never seems to be as good as Christmas Past. I tried to honor those memories; I baked my mother's sweets, and other things, starting before Thanksgiving. Decorated sugar cookies, spanakopita, baklava, chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies. I took out ornaments out of starte from my grandmother's including a turkey family I painted, and home made ornamednts of tinsel, cloth, and bits of glass. I found a few things I did when I was eleven. Each year, I sitll send cards; this year, I sent a couple to old friends I'd not heard from in years, but who are close to my heart. Occasionally, I get a card or letter from someone I haven't heard from, and this is better than a present to me.

Record snow, injuries and illness stopped me from hitting all the after Xmas sales; of course, everyone starts before the holiday, even holding Xmas sales in some places at Halloween. I tried to paint and make a few ornaments, another tradition. Whenever possible, I listened to or played on the piano, Christmas songs and carols, espeically the Harry Simeone version of The Little Drummer boy. During our California Christmases, we may have had roses blooming, but the house smelled wonderful from all the baking going on, and the air was filled with carols, traditional carols, my all time favorites. 2024 has begun with crippling snow, and the usual sadness created by those we love dying before their time. I go into a kind of hibernation till late August brings the promise of turning leaves, cool crisp air, and hte rpomise of The Holidays.

Fall is Coming

Fall is Coming It’s in the air; even if it’s 90+ degrees, the breeze is cool, the days shorter. Some trees have already started changing leaf color, actually, some in August. Sumac changes even earlier. Halloween decorations are creeping onto store shelves, monsters lurk in every corner. I had my first pumpkin spice latte last week, and I’m seeing pumpkin bars, cookies, and gingerbread at the market.

It is an elegiac time; after all, things are dying. Yet, some things bloom, and reach their brightest hues. Acorns may fall, but they create oak trees in spring. Pumpkins are just now blooming and coming into their own. I actually have one little one already on the vine. Today, we buried a childhood friend. He and his brother were really my first friends, and our parents were friends and knew each other before we were born. I walked to the cemetery, so close to home was it, and I saw many other families I knew buried there. He lived a good life, but he was still so young, and had seen his own share of tragedies. It made me pensive, as all things fall seem to do. Soon, it will be time to run the furnace to check it out, to rake leaves, to have a sweater handy. Halloween, my favorite holiday will come. My Dad took us all out trick or treating, and my mom made costumes and cut out decorations for the picture window. We took country trips to look for pumpkins, gourds, and taffy apples. Our neighbors made popcorn balls for us, and cookies, and we had our own scary Halloween parties. The best of times.

Tornadoes and Troubles

Ten and a half hours later, power is restored. We dodged a bullet, and tried to have a good Easter later in the week.

American Doll and Toy Museum: Writers Beginnings

American Doll and Toy Museum: Writers Beginnings:   With 2023 comfortably entrenching itself into everyone’s lives, I find myself reminiscing about what made me begin writing. Two things use...

The Life of Objects; Their Importance to Us

Two things  struck me last week; one was the celebration of life for a friend of mine who loved dolls, rocks, books and writing.  She was a woman after my own heart.  The second thing was a documentary of objects recovered from 9/11 sites.

My friend Rochelle loved her antique dolls. They appeared at her visitation and later at her celebration of life.  Another friend was charged with selling them and they appeared at doll ;.  I bought many.They were all the more precious because they were hers.  I took home her original Shirley Temple, even though I had several.  I knew she loved Shirley Temple, and that doll presided at Rochelle's visitation.  

When I watched the 9/11 documentary, I was touched that its creators understood the importance of objects in our lives, especially when they evoke memories.  As one commentators put it, that's why we bring back souvenirs.  As i pointed out in something I wrote, objects can later help us to remember when our memories may start to die.

The Federal Rules of Evidence allow using objects to refresh a witness's recollection. Therapy for Alzheimer's patients often involves using objects.

Collecting things serves the same purpose, and also preserves objects for the future.

Here are some ideas from the 9/11 documentary:

• Objects preserve when memory fades
• It discussed "the human urge to hold on to objects to preserve the past and speak to the future"
• Objects are our bridge to the past.

For more see www.objectsandmemory.org

Flowers and Fall

Flowers and Fall