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Saturday, October 11, 2025

They love you and they dump you

Another birthday has come and gone.  I'm 38 now, turned 38 on October 6th.  For gifts I received a set of I Survived... books, an anthology of Ray Bradbury stories, a birthday box of stuff, and the news that the twelve-year EF5 drought has been broken.  Tim Marshall and the other big guns utilized forensic methods to determine that this tornado was indeed at the top tier of strength, meaning that this is
A)  The U.S.'s first EF5 since 2013, when Moore, Oklahoma got hit the third time, and
B)  North Dakota's first F5/EF5 since 1957, when Fargo got hit.

The past few days since have been...well, I won't say they were hell, but they've been about fifty shades of crazy.  Some of the people I meet are crazier than sh!thouse rats.  Nice, but incredibly crazy.  I don't want to go into more detail than that, but take my word, it's been nuts.  And then...oh, dare I say it!  John Lodge, the bassist for the Moody Blues and my favorite member of the Moodies, died.  I mean, the guy was 82 and had had at least one stroke in the past couple'a years, but it was still quite a shock.  I told Mama (semi-joking) that I needed to put on my ashes and sackcloth.  So John, if you can hear me, thank you very, very much for the music.  You wrote some of my favorite Moody Blues songs, and I look forward to the day I can thank you in person.  Nineteen people also died in a factory explosion over in Tennessee, and a kid in Fayetteville, Arkansas turned up with whooping cough, a disease that can be controlled with vaccinations.  If you're pro-vax, better get a booster if you haven't done so.  Hopefully my sister will.

So yeah, it's been an interesting week.  On the eighth the aforementioned birthday box from Treesa turned up in the mail, and I'm working on an extensive post about that, but today I want to focus on just one item.  It's this little girl.
That, kids, is a Wellie Wisher.  I have Camille, and now I have this Willa, who has a serious chop to her locks.  I would say that this was a salvation haircut, done because Willa's hair was irreparably mangled (kids can do that), but it's incredibly even all the way around.
Kinda reminds me of Crissy's foundation hair.  I got strong Homeward Bound vibes looking at Willa, particularly that scene where Chance accuses humans of being untrustworthy.  "They love you and they dump you," were his exact words, which sadly ring true for many pets.  In Willa's case I got the same vibe; someone bothered to cut her hair and make her look nice, and yet she ended up dumped at a secondhand store.  My gain, though!  Despite the lock chop and abandonment Willa smiles, and dang, do I love these Wellie Wisher faces!
Treesa correctly assumed that since I love red hair and freckles I'd love this doll.  Indeed, the only reason why I initially chose Camille over Willa was because I liked Camille's blue and green meet outfit better.  Camille, of course, is delighted to see her friend.
I think I got two that share a head!
Now...with her haircut Willa looks pretty different than she normally would, more grown up.  So I ask y'all:  should I keep the name "Willa," or should I change it to something else?  Since her haircut sets her apart from other Willa dolls I think this little gal might need a special new name or nickname.  But at the same time I like "Willa."  So I turn it over to y'all.

And now I'm going on a Moody Blues bender; "Steppin' in a Slide Zone" is calling my name!  John Lodge let it all hang out for that one.

All of my love,
RagingMoon1987

8 comments:

  1. Since you like the name Willa but think your doll might need a new name to set her apart, you could consider naming her some variant or Willa, like Willow or Wilhelmina, or Wilma if you like The Flintstones vibes. You could even consider Billie, which is a feminine form of William.
    Signed, Treesa

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    1. I like Billie! I could tell everyone I named her after Billie Piper.

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  2. When it comes to this doll's haircut, I can't help wondering if her hair was professionally cut so that she would more closely resemble the child she was given to. I know that some of the larger, brick-and-mortar American Girl stores had American Girl Doll Salons, where dolls could be brought to have their hair cut and/or styled and their ears pierced.
    Signed, Treesa

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    1. I didn't know they'd give dolls haircuts! That certainly would explain things. She's very cute, regardless.

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  3. You could toss a middle name in there. Willa Mae, Willa Ann....

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    1. That's a good idea too. Y'all are giving me some good ones.

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  4. Belated happy birthday! I didn't know when your birthday was. When I read about John Lodge I thought of you. If I had you on Facebook I would have sent you a message. Willa looks nice with her haircut. She's my favourite Wellie Wisher. I did finally get one, but she doesn't have her boots, which I love. I haven't even found her any clothes yet either. At least your girl isn't a nudist!

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    1. LOL, I'd have fixed that if she were. No doll of mine stays nekkid for long. Yeah, my birthday is October 6th, and I share it with my mom and a friend at the library. It was nice and quiet until I read the headline about the tornado being upgraded. Then there was a very loud "WOW, NO WAY!!!"

      Yes, the news about John Lodge was quite the shock, and to make matters worse I was at work when I found out. Poor Justin, I wonder how it feels being the last one left?

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