Clovia Wallet of "Gasoline Alley" turns Fifty-Nine

I was still a little girl in 1949. One of America's favorite comic strips at that time was Gasoline Alley. In May of that year Clovia Wallet was born to Skeezix and Nina, characters in the funnies. The birth of the red-headed baby was much heralded and there was even a contest to name her. The comic strip was so popular that the baby became instantly well-known. I believe it was Ideal that created a special baby doll named Clovia.

It must have been 1950 when I received my Clovia doll. I may have had dolls before this one but Clovia is the first one I remember. She had "real" red hair which soon became unruly. My solution? Take a pair of Mom's scissors and begin whacking. Of course, this made matters worse and Clovia soon became bald on the back of her head. I didn't mind. I loved my doll.

I find it rather surprising that this doll is relatively unknown. I've tried to google information on the Clovia doll but have not come up with more than this link. (This is where I found the photo). The only other place I've seen mention of the Clovia doll is in the October 19, 1953 edition of Life magazine. Clovia was mentioned in an article that featured comic strip dolls.

I've asked at a couple doll shows, too, but nobody seems to know much about Clovia. I would love to once more own a Clovia doll. However, this doll had a rubber body, and I'm guessing its rubber body has long since gone bad. So any such dolls still in existence may not be in great shape.

Clovia Wallet of Gasoline Alley fame would be 59 years old on May 15. And if you've been doing the math, you will know I'm a bit older, she said with a smile.
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Debit Card Fraud Hits Home

The identity thieves must be out in full force. Last week I helped one relative change their checking account at their bank because some thief had accessed the account on a monthly basis for quite some time. This week OUR checking account had an unauthorized electronic withdrawal.

Our bank was extremely helpful, walking us through the process of setting up a new account (with new account number) and helping us change all of our authorized bill-payments to utilities, insurance companies, mortgage, etc., to our new account. They will continue to monitor our account until all is well again.

The bank told us that Our Problem began when we used a debit card at a local restaurant. Someone associated with the restaurant stole debit card numbers of the customers and sold them to a Scoundrel who began drawing money from people's checking accounts. You can read about this local scam here.

Surprisingly, someone can easily steal your money. But more surprisingly, the bank cannot tell you WHICH restaurant was associated with the theft, nor WHO the person was who actually got your money. This has to do with our "privacy laws". Now how intelligent is that? Someone steals money from me and I am not allowed to know who it is?

The electronic withdrawal that was listed on our statement did have a (flaky) name and a phone number. The phone is answered with an answering machine which suggests we visit their website. The website, of course, turns out to be fake. No contact info there. Nothing. Nada.

My advice to everyone! Check your bank statements (and your credit card statements) on a monthly basis. If you don't recognize an item, find the toll-free number on the statement and double-check with the bank or your credit card company.

Credit card companies generally (perhaps not always, depending on the card company) are liable for unauthorized use.

The bank, however, is an entirely different matter. They may refund you any loss that you report within sixty days. But they may not always be as helpful as our bank was in remedying the situation so that the Crook can't dig into our bank account again and again and again. (Ours was accessed twice by this Crook!)

And if you don't bother to review your bank statements on a regular basis, and suddenly find that some Crook has been digging into your account for two years, just consider the money a total loss. But don't give up without first writing a letter to the fraud department at your bank and reporting your loss to your State Attorney General's office.
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I Feel As If I'm Living "Laurel and Hardy"

As children growing up in the Fifties and Sixties, one of our favorite Saturday morning television shows (you do remember black and white TV, don't you?) was a comedy series by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. They appeared in 106 films from 1919 to 1951. The slapstick comedy was hilariously funny.

Other favorites were Bugs Bunny, The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Zorro, Hopalong Cassidy, Lash LaRue, Sky King, Lassie, Yosemite Sam, etc. The westerns, especially, always had a moral lesson. Good wins. Bad does not win.

When we got our first television in about 1952 we could get only two stations. One station was in a city 35 miles north of us. The other was in a larger city to the south of us. A tall pole was installed outside the living room window and an antenna placed atop the pole. Metal twiggy arms on the post were aimed at either city. Two sets of wires attached to the antenna ran down the pole and were slipped through the wooden frame of the window where they were then attached to the TV. The TV had a switch on the back. If we were watching the station from one city an and wished to watch the other, we had to change the channel AND flip the switch at the back of the TV.

Initially the TV stations broadcast only certain hours of the day, not beginning until late afternoon...about the time we returned home from school. Eventually Saturday morning was filled up with children's programming including all of the above. The good thing about television in those days was that each and every child's program had a moral, a lesson.

This past month I've been tending to a relative who has had serious surgery. We've made multiple trips to the hospital 65 miles away. We've hit the local outpatient a couple times. I've dressed surgical incisions more times than I care to count. Not being a "real nurse" I've been apprehensive at times, both to the patient's recovery rate and to my own caretaking skills. Thank God for Home Health Nurses who have been so helpful.

Yesterday we had a followup with the doc. While we were waiting in the examining room I turned to the patient (who as a child was an avid fan of Laurel and Hardy) and quoted Oliver Hardy's famous oft-quoted line, "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into." And we laughed, remembering again those hilarious characters of black and white movies.

The news was good. The doctor was happy with the incisions. Things are progressing. We go back in two weeks to remove 65 staples (plus or minus). Both the patient and I were greatly encouraged, even though we have a long month ahead of us for further treatment.

God is good.
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P.S. Blog reader Cat comments that Ray Bradbury wrote a short story around Laurel and Hardy. Thanks, Cat. I had never read that, but thanks to Google I was able to find a condensed version of it here.

Eastern Redbud - Glorious in Spring

We've moved four times over the past twenty years. At three of those homes I planted an Eastern Redbud because I love its conspicuous spring color. Some describe it as 'purplish-pink'. I am more inclined to call it a 'fluorescent pink'.

When the blossoms appear (they appear all along each branch) they are initially a dark purplish pink. Or perhaps it is a pinkish-purple. As they begin to open the color lightens and from a distance they almost glow.

The Redbud is a rather small tree and is therefore perfect for a spot near the deck. My neighbor likes it, too. Our homes are very close together and the Redbud stands where she can see it from her patio. She says, "I've always wanted a Redbud and now I've got one." She's a sweet lady and I love having her for a neighbor.

The Latin name for this tree is Cercis canadensis. And no, I'm not a gardening expert ... I looked it up on google (big grin).
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Spring is Sprung. Or Daffodils and Asparagus. Or I Finally Had Time to Look Over My SPRING Backyard

Whew! This has been a hectic month. Dealing with hospitalization of a family member as well a lot of paperwork. Right now I'm the chief cook, bottle washer, and unregistered nurse. It's been a busy time and a lot of running and fetching. But I don't mind. I love this person!

Last evening, though, I had time to check out the daffodils and the asparagus. Daffs are a wonderful perennial bulb that multiply each year. They cheer me. And asparagus! This is the third year for the plants and I'm anticipating yummy meals for the next several weeks.

The deck? We designed it ourselves and a friend built it for us late last fall just in time for winter! So this is the first we have actually had opportunity to sit and enjoy.

Our small backyard is perfect for the two of us. Mowing takes all of 15 minutes (front and back yards). The flower beds allow me space to have a variety of perennials. They require a bit of spring cleanup but once that is done, they are good for the summer. And we have a couple raised beds for veggies. Yep. Just right. I like our home.
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The Recurring Dream I Used to Enjoy the Most!

Its been years since I dreamt this one. I used to dream that I could fly. Yep! Fly! Not very high, but I could fly. In the dream this is how I did it. I would sit on the floor with my legs folded cross-legged under me, put my hands down and push down without actually touching the floor. If I balanced just right I could hover about a foot above the floor. Then if I moved just right I could move forward, backward, sideways, always remaining in that sitting position with my legs folded in front of me. And if I REALLY had my balance just perfect I could hover up to the ceiling and carefully zoom around the room. The dream was so vivid that I almost believed it ... that in my waking moments I could really do this! I really miss that dream!
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STOP STOP STOP

The Illinois DOT has no sense of humor. However, Oak Lawn's Mayor Dave Heilmann certainly does. I like his quirky inventive approach to solving a problem. IDOT disagrees and has required the city of Oak Lawn to take down the secondary octagons. Too bad!

Perhaps they should have allowed the city to at least keep the "Billion Dollar Fine" sign. Think of the civic improvements one single fine could cover! What a loss of potential revenue! It's sad that state and federal regulations can prevent a city from collecting such a tidy sum! Shame on IDOT!

And how about that "Stop right there, Pilgrim!" Can't you hear John Wayne's gravelly drawl? Maybe IDOT decided Illinois is just not far enough west to be considered so "western".

Meanwhile, In the Naaaame of Love, Stop and Smell the Roses. Life is short. And tomorrow it will be shorter yet.

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