Round Robin Challenge: “Nostalgia”

I keep missing the challenges, but I caught an entry today early enough to jump on the bandwagon. Hope the Robins don't mind me crashing the party. I've had two distinct "nostalgic" moments this week. The first was when I came across some old photographs my mother sent me inside a card a year or so ago.

This is me, circa 1968 at Christmas (gotta love that my mom didn't take them to be developed until February). I was almost 3 years old. I love photos of Christmases past because that is about the only time you can view all a kid's favorite things in one place (before they get broken, left at a pal's or scattered to the 4 corners of the house.) I love toys. I've started various collections of things at various times, but in recent years I've just gotten practical. There's no more room here!

Check out my rocking horse! Or the cool desk with the chalk board top! How about my brand spankin new Raggey Ann and Andy dolls? My pink car with the surrey style roof (complete with blue fringe)? And what the heck is that thing I'm holding in the first photo...a Spelling Bee? Busy Bee? See-N-Say? I forget, but it was something like that. Point the bee at a letter, pull the cord, and you got very bee-like voice telling you the letter and a word that went with it.

Then there is my first baby doll with a real maple cradle and matching high chair. She had a bottle where the milk really vanished when you tipped it to her lips! I vividly remember how fascinated I was with that bottle. Where did the milk go?! And the baby doll would open/close her eyes and say MAMA when you tipped her. I thought it was funny to grab her by the ankle and let her body drop. That made her yell MAMA the loudest as I suspended her in mid-air. (OK, I wasn't a very good mama at age 3.)

My second moment of extreme nostalgia came yesterday when I saw a commercial on TV for TROLL dolls! I had no idea they were making a comeback! I had a couple of them back in the 70s. Goodness knows what ever happened to them. But I found them again in 1992 at, of all places, a gift shop that used to be located inside the AT&T complex in Bedminster, NJ.

I had just started working for the company, so naturally I had to get the Troll with the AT&T t-shirt on. The punk rocker Troll and the Ninja Troll were also must haves. My three hairy friends have spent the intervening years moving from desk to desk as I changed jobs and finally settled into a spot on my home office bookshelves where they've lived ever since. They always generated a lot of comments from co-workers and people just passing by. I've even had offers from people eager to buy them from me.

But my husband will tell you... I've always had a thing for scruffy looking guys with long, wild hair.




Check out other entries from this week's challenge:

Dorn
Through The Eyes Of The Beholder
http://journals.aol.com/dornbrau/ThroughtheEyesoftheBeholder/

Karen
Outpost Mâvarin POSTED!
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com/2006/09/round-robin-way-future-was.html

Chris
It's All About Me...I Think!
http://itsallaboutmeithink.blogspot.com/

Carly
Ellipsis...Suddenly Carly POSTED!
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com/

TJ
Every Picture Tells a Story
http://tjexpressions.blogspot.com/

Nancy
Nancy Luvs Pix
http://journals.aol.com/nhd106/Nancyluvspix/

Julie
Julie's Web Journal
http://www.barrettmanor.com/julie/journal.aspx

boliyou
Percolation
http://boliyou.blogspot.com/

AscenderRisesAbove
AscenderRisesAbove Studio Updates
http://ascenderrisesabove.blogspot.com/

Suzanne R
New Suzanne R's Life
http://newsuzannerslife.blogspot.com/

Steven
(sometimes)photoblog
http://sepintx.blogspot.com/

Gina
Gina's Space POSTED!
http://journals.aol.com/rbrown6172/Ginasspace/

Valorie
Retrospect USA POSTED!
http://journals.aol.com/redbird914/RetrospectUSA