This blog will help you turn memories into meaningful stories for your family. We will sample three techniques to show how to take life experiences and create a memoir to record these events. By the end of this session, we will have drafted an introduction and outline to help them produce personal stories cherished by your family for generations to come.
Helen and Teacher
The Story of my Life
Thursday, August 13, 2020
American Doll and Toy Museum: Mechanical Musings; Early Automatons and Mechanica...
American Doll and Toy Museum: Mechanical Musings; Early Automatons and Mechanica...: Mechanical Musings; Early Automatons and Mechanical Dolls When I wrote With Love from Tin Lizzie: A History of Metal Dolls . . . I s...
Saturday, June 20, 2020
American Doll and Toy Museum: The Dolls are Moving soon to their Forever Home!
American Doll and Toy Museum: The Dolls are Moving soon to their Forever Home!: The Dolls are Moving soon to their Forever Home! It’s happening; the citizens of American Doll & Toy Museum are moving to thei...
Saturday, June 13, 2020
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: World Doll Day!
Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: World Doll Day!: Once again we celebrate this notable day in doll collecting. How did you spend your day? I checked on American Doll & Toy Museum; we a...
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
We are all Essential
All Business are Essential
Let me remind us all that the First Amendment and The
Constitution are still vital and in effect. While we’re at it, let’s all review The
Supremacy Clause, as well. Having
written all that, I’m writing on a blog that not many read. I don’t and won’t read an self righteous crap
spewed out by self righteous lemmings.
We survive in this insanity, my family and I, but for how
long? I began a small business November
30th, and our income is very, very modest. I have really no other income of my own, just
savings, and they are modest. We have
been shut down; non profit educational museums are not essential, declaims our
governor, a billionaire who runs a hotel chain with dozens of houses of his
own. Of course, at one point he deemed
his toilets were not essential, so there you are.
My husband has been deemed “essential”, so he can work. My son can do curbside deliveries at his work
place, but he works in a different state. We also are caregivers for an elderly
relative who lives with us. I’ve been a
caregiver of some kind for over 14 years. For two years, I was my dad’s caregiver,
during his last illness. I did it while
I also dealt with my uncle in California .
We had simultaneous nightmares. Please, as someone who did a lot of malpractice
cases in her former life, and who watched her family suffered horridly because
of medical incompetence, don’t ask me to praise health care. My
family is military on both sides; everyone one knew in each war what he was
getting into. Same for those in health
care, the new CYA, damned with the patient, especially the elderly. We knew in law, teaching, and small business
what we were getting into. Yet, all of
what we do builds our economy; we all contribute. We are all essential. I’ve read everything, talked to scientists,
listened to doctors, you name it.
The fact remains is, we may all well lose everything, and
not to a virus. The fact also remains
that we in service professions, medical, firefighting, criminal justice, law, counseling,
teaching, need to get over ourselves and realize that while we provide a
service, while we may risk our lives, safety, and livelihood, we also profit
over other people’s misery. Sometimes,
with all good intentions, we make that misery worse. I saw that with Bad Sam, where my uncle died
because of a blotched procedure, one of many. The last one I was against, and it was a
surgical procedure performed by an osteopath, not an MD. When I protested, one, a two bit,
two day resident, threatened me, and got in bed with a bogus social worker. Hippa was violated, and my uncle died. We were all kept in the dark. It was close to two years ago, and I should
let it go, but I’ve almost no one left in my family, now.
The fact also remains that no one is perfect, but some of us
are arrogant enough to think we are. I don’t’
want to say money is the root of all good, like Ayn Rand, but I am deadline
driven, and I need dates and structure. When
will this self imposed misery end?
I keep busy; I write everyday, handle the household
financial affairs, take care of my aunt, manage her caregivers, watchover my
museum and maintain its collections, read, cook, really what I did before,
except now, I’m told where I can and can’t go. I don’t’ like that. We are being treated like dictatorship, like
the one’s my family survived in Europe during
World War II, the Fascists, Nazis, and Communists.
I respect authority, but group punishment never works. Do the numbers, straighten out the stimulus
packages and grants no one seems to be getting. Populations descending into tyranny and poverty
only breed more illness and secrecy. Use
the drugs we have; SARS was worse, we made it through. Reform the health care system and try to
follow HIPPAA.
Above all, try to keep your sanity. These are my opinions; please don’t virtually
rant because I’ll just block and delete. No comments needed, be safe, but please let’s
go back to common sense caution and not lionize certain people for doing their
jobs.
Friday, April 17, 2020
House Arrest
Well, still under house arrest/siege. It’s hard to be optimistic, though it could
be much, much worse. How do all of you,
dear readers, keep busy in all this madness?
Here’s a link from Healthline, for whoever cares. SARS and other things seem to have higher
death rates, though I don’t get what the article means by SARS killed more
people, but Corona Virus has a higher death rate. What? https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-deadly-is-the-coronavirus-compared-to-past-outbreaks
As for me, I’m always busy, but it was nice having places to
go. Even the option of having places to
go when I couldn’t get somewhere. I’m dragging out the shattered dolls and
putting them back together. I’m becoming
an expert on super glues. I’m planning
elaborate doll costumes, and making doll hats, rearranging the museum, and
cleaning. We’re still working on getting
our larger building, and that will require monumental moving and packing.
![]() |
| Library of our favorite restaurant. I was able to buy one of their books before it was all demolished. |
Money worries all of us.
No stimulus this way, and I’m a small, brand new nonprofit
business. Oh well.
It has snowed twice this week, then the weather soars to
above 60. It was 80 degrees last
week. It’s good writing weather, and I’m
trying. Mainly short stories and one
novel I’d like to finish in all this.
The doll houses re getting overhauls, too. Fairy gardens are under way. If the grocery stores have flowers, then I
can get some. The TP and cleaners
shortage is slowly going away, too.
Finally. I got stuck at the
grocery store and had to back my way out of the parking lot; the usual outlet
was closed because the green house was going up. Driving is an adventure. People act as if they flunked drivers ed these
days. Someone with a “BabyAnn” license
place forced me out of my lane, no signal, of course. She then honked about half a mile, and was
trying to get my attention in the rearview mirror, gesturing madly for me to
look at her. Shouldn’t she be looking at
the road? Obviously she has trouble with
turn lanes and street signs.
![]() |
| Where my Memories are Now |
I should start a journal of my plague year. Read DeFoe; he was also right about
everything.
So, keep being brave.
This has to end. And if you have
been branded nonessential, as I have, take heart. Every business is essential, safety issues
notwithstanding. This will end, and
we’ll get through it. And, we will prosper
once more. Be safe, be well. Try to keep your sanity. I also love puzzles, needlework, any craft,
drawing, word search, and reading, any reading.
Of course, I have you my readers, and my blogging.
![]() |
| Places seen and gone |
![]() |
| Pansies |
![]() |
| Mom, Dad, Killer, 1985 |
![]() |
| Our Beautiful California Home |
![]() |
| Santa Barbara |
I also do something I learned from my friend Violet, who was also a doll artist. In her 90s, with a clear mind, still ambulatory, she was forced into a home, after being pressured in her 80s to go to assisted leaving. She said each day she focused on a happy memory from earlier years. I do that a lot. Trips with my folks, holidays, Disneyland, Williamsburg. School breaks when my mom and I would clean the house top to bottom, then have plans for birthday parties. We picked fresh flowers, made decorations. Took off for lunch at favorite places like McCabes Dept. Store. Riding my bike, taking walks with my dogs, and my folks, swimming outdoors, so much we used to do. Those memories sustain me, those and more. Find yours and draw strength.
God bless.
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: The Class that Began this Blog
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: The Class that Began this Blog: These are my lesson plans that started this blog: B. The Brontës, Rebel Angels of the House Ellen M. Tsagaris, J.D., Ph.D. Wee...
Monday, March 30, 2020
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Pym and Covid-19
Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Pym and Covid-19: I have to wonder how Pym would have handled self isolation and the Corona Virus. I'm sure she would have taken to her pen and shared he...
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