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The Christmas of 1968 was likely the one I shall ever remember as being my favourite Christmas, as a child. My sister and I would always be awake before anyone else. We would run from room to room urging everyone to get up. It's Christmas!! And we would be eager and excited to run to the gift-laden tree, but holding back just a little...just enough to prolong our excitement for just a little bit longer. On that Christmas, as I entered our living room, anxious and curious, I beheld one of the most breathtaking sights a little girl could ever want to see.
A beautiful dollhouse sat under our tree, completely furnished. I learned that my Dad had lovingly built that house for me, a one story house with three rooms..a living room, bedroom, and kitchen. The house was white with blue trim. Real curtains hung in its windows. And tiny, wooden, upholstered furniture was arranged pleasingly in each room. Though it was a simple structure, to me it was the most beautiful house I had ever seen.
The following day, December 26, was my eleventh birthday. From my parents I received tiny, electric lamps for my dollhouse...lamps that actually worked. But best of all, I received a little family to inhabit my dollhouse. A Dad, a Mom, and a little boy and girl. I was to spend endless hours at play with my dollhouse. I treasured every moment while playing. I would weave such wonderful, exciting adventures for my little doll family. Their's was always a very happy existence, as my life is now...
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I no longer have the little house my Dad built for me. I had kept it for years, indeed I did not relinquish it until I was in my late twenties, and only then because I had nowhere to store it. I did keep all of the furniture. It was when I gave up that precious dollhouse that I decided I would one day build a grand dollhouse on my own. The idea completely appealed to me. I had a dream. I still have that dream, for I have not yet built the house. And my reasons for not embarking on that marvelous dream as yet have everything to do with time, or the lack of it. It has always been my endeavour to begin the creation of my own, beautiful, dollhouse when my children have all grown. Then, I shall have all the time in the world to devote to planning, building, and decorating my dream dollhouse.
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For many years I have been adding to my original collection of dollhouse furniture. I do not go out in search of pieces of furniture to fill each room of my dream house. I happen upon them. I have found some very exquisite pieces. The scale is one inch equals one foot. I have an absolutely beautiful cherrywood dining room suite. The seats are upholstered in a rich burgundy jewel tone velvet. I was lucky enough to discover a sweet little silver tea service to one day set out on the sideboard of the dining suite. And a tiny little silver candelabra, too. A lovely, emerald green velvet divan trimmed in mahogany will be a part of the livingroom decor, flanked by two ivory damask wing chairs. And fireplaces for both the living and dining areas. I even spent many hours stitching tiny needlepoint pictures to adorn the walls of my dream house, which I shall eventually frame. But I think my favourite item would have to be a beautiful, intricate secretary desk, its little drawers fitted with tiny, brass hardware. Many, many little treasures are packed away in boxes in my basement, awaiting their own personal spot inside the dollhouse of my dreams. It makes me smile when I think of the fun I shall have, choosing wallpaper, window treatments, and paint for my little dreamhouse. And, of course, the decor shall be a mixture of victorian and country flavours. I await, anxiously, the day I begin construction of that house. But I can wait. I can wait. For I know that when that day comes, my children shall be grown...
Those of you who either know me, or have been wandering through my haven, know that I dream of shedding my inhibitions one day, to sing on a stage for my Dad. Or in front of anyone who wishes to listen, but mainly for my Dad. My Dad was always the driving force behind my desire to sing. As a young girl, we seemed always to have visitors coming and going. And invariably, Dad would call out to me to come and sing a song for everyone. He loved to hear me sing "Old Paint"..still does. And ohh, how I loved to oblige! I adored the attention I received, and the applause afterward. I received my first tape recorder when I was about eleven. I would tape and re-tape myself singing, for hours. I never tired of it. I loved all of the 'new' songs, the new music at the time. But I always had a special place in my heart, and still do, for the music that Dad loved singing and listening to. 'Old Country', I guess one would call it. Jim Reeves, Hank Williams, Chet Atkins, Johnny Horton, Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash, all could be heard in our house at any given time. And, of course, we had only records at the time. Dad played them so often that they all had their share of scratches. I can still hear the songs, scratches and all.. I have just to watch a commercial advertising tapes or cds for either of those various artists, and tears fill my eyes, sweet memories of my childhood flooding my mind. My Dad's favourite song, I think, would have to be "Wildwood Flower". I even tried learning how to play it on the guitar, but I never did really learn the guitar very well, (it hurt my fingers so!), however, I could pick out the tune fairly well. I would sit there with the guitar, picking out the tune, and Dad would sing along with me, in his soft, tender voice. Ohhh, I have such fond memories of those times.. One day, yes...one day I shall stand upon a stage, my Dad seated at a table right in front of that stage, and I shall sing, loud and clear, perhaps playing my guitar..."Roses so red and the lillies so fair...gone and neglected, his pale wildwood flower..."
My family visited relatives in Long Island, New York during the summer of my twelfth year. I loved that vacation most of all because my uncle had a sound system in his basement, complete with recording facilities. My uncle has a wonderful singing voice, and, in fact, once shared accomodations with Harry Belafonte! I wiled away many hours during that vacation, recording myself, in style! I had all but forgotten about that summer until my parents returned from a visit to Long Island a few years ago and presented me with a cassette tape which my uncle had given them for me. It was filled with all the songs I had taped that year, when I was twelve years old. I would like to share with you a part of one of those songs, Rose Garden, which I must have really loved, as it appears on the cassette three times! The quality of the sound is poor, as it is an old tape, so feel free to delete it from your hard drive after listening. Remember, I was only twelve...smile..
 Rose Garden
I could sing you a tune and promise you the moon
But if that's what it takes to hold you, I'd just as soon let you go
But there's one thing I want you to know
You'd better look before you leap, still waters run deep
And there won't always be someone there to pull you out
And you know what I'm talkin' about
So smile for a while and let's be jolly
Love shouldn't be so melancholy
Come along and share the good times while we can
I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine, there's gotta be a little rain sometimes..
The song you are listening to is entitled "I Have A Dream" by Abba. I felt it was a very appropriate tune for this page. I have included the lyrics below, and for those who wish to download the midi file, here it is, I Have A Dream �Do enjoy...
I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
Abba
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�This background set I have entitled "Fluttergem". It will be featured, along with several other background sets which I have created, very shortly.
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