STAYCATION 2018, DAY 4 (WEDNESDAY)

The mailman knocked on the door with a shoebox-sized parcel this forenoon. Bitty Baby wasn’t due until tomorrow. Dare I hope? Yes! It IS Bitty Baby. Now, this is what I call a staycation gift, and believe me – I’ll spare you the details, but I deserve this and just about anything else I want!

“Doll could use a good cleaning,” said the seller’s description, and she didn’t misrepresent. That’s okay. The price was right, and I enjoy rescuing dolls. This Bitty Baby’s vinyl skin is badly stained and shows other signs that she was at one time some little girl’s favorite. On the back of her neck are the words, “Pleasant Company,” which means she was probably manufactured in the ‘90s.

I just don’t understand how it is that dolls get stained with markers and such, but apparently it happens to many because advice for removal abounds online. One blogger wrote that little girls try to tattoo their dolls or that dolls are sometimes sabotaged by a brother. The recommendation for treatment is to apply acne medication (10% benzoyle peroxide). I’ve tried this method before, and to be frank, I have my doubts, but those who write tutorials insist that it’s just a matter of patiently persisting – a day, a week, even a month. This time I followed the directive to wrap the affected limb in plastic kitchen wrap, thus keeping it moist. Apparently sunlight and/or warmth will speed the healing process, so I put Bitty Baby outside in the sun. When I brought her in this evening, I was gratified to see that the horrible blue spot had faded considerably. We will repeat the treatment again tomorrow.

 

And yes, you are without your doll while she’s in treatment.

It was during last year’s staycation that I bought a tube of benzoyle peroxide to treat one of my dolls, and I had the tube by the kitchen sink. Long story short, I confused it with the dogs’ toothpaste and brushed their teeth with it for several days. Even so, they showed up eagerly and tolerated the brushing so that they might have their treat.

The three of us took a neighborhood walk this morning, but Bess and I left Nellie napping when it was time for the afternoon walk. It was 90 degrees, so we hadn’t gone far when I suggested we turn back. Bess didn’t argue.

Mike called this evening from New Mexico. All is well except that he can’t find something called a “snap jack,” which is probably this year’s offering to the great god of geocaching. It’s something every year. KW