Decisions, decisions

C'mon, if y'all saw the forecast then you probably knew I'd post tonight.  The weather is once again very bad, and Ryan Hall says the Missouri storms are in the best environment for tornadoes.  Here's what the radar looks like, without warnings and with.

Under normal circumstances the southernmost storm would be what's bothering me, but these storms have some southern motion in them, and that storm is dipping into Arkansas.  No, the one near Poplar Bluff is the one I'm giving the side eye.  If it keeps hooking south then it'll hit us.

As always, I spent a fair amount of time deciding who to grab, since I've got plenty of nice dolls.  Some are gifts, some are one of a kind, and some I just love.  In the end I've chosen to pack light tonight, just The Doll Who Shall Not Be Named and Rita Cheryl. 

I may pick someone else at random if I need to run for it.  Mia is small enuff...no, Rita Cheryl says she'll go Talky Tina on me if I don't bring Ginger.

I understand, Rita Cheryl.  I'm worried about my cats; they panic if they're caged, and I simply can't chase down six cats in the six-to-ten minutes of lead time that a tornado might give.  My dogs, on the other hand...they have a nice cage.

As to my friends in Ohio, y'all keep a sharp lookout as y'all might get hit by a squall line.  Squall lines produce nasty straight winds and can do some serious damage.   Love y'all!

Stormy love,

RagingMoon1987 

It's comin'!!!

Tornado Season 2026 is off to a strong start.  So far the worst of it has been to our west and way north, but tonight it's the Bootheel's turn.  Here's what we're facing, without the warning boxes and with.

The tornado-warned storm will probably go just to our south, just like it did exactly one year ago tonight.

Now, because I always grab at least one doll, here's my severe crew.  I've gone with a different tack this year.

In the black bag is The Doll Who Shall Not Be Named.  Then from left, a very sleepy Martina, Alexandria Florida, and Mia.  All gifts ( I consider Martina a gift, Tam), all favorites of mine.  Even Alex's dress is a gift.

Y'all batten down the hatches!  This storm system stretches from Chicago to Louisiana, so you'll all likely get at least some rain.  And with that, our sirens are going off.  We are now under a tornado warning. 

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Coming soon to a blog near you

The 2026 Atlantic hurricane list is up, and probably has been for some time.  There are some doozies this year.

Bertha.  I think I hate that name more than just about any of 'em.  But if she becomes a major hurricane that'll mean that a new girl joins my Cabbage Patch with that name.  I've already done it thrice, with Beryl June and Idalia Gale...

...and with Alice Helene. 

For the record, I also hate the name "Beryl," LOL.  And if I insulted the name of anyone's relative, my great-grandmother went by the name "Maud," and I loathe that name too.  Her first name was "Anna," so why she went by the name "Maud" was anyone's guess.

Regarding predictions for the hurricane season, the summer is expected to be an El Nino summer, so hurricane season may not be very active.  If we do have any names retired, I predict that it'll either be one of the fancy ones (Gonzalo or Isaias, for example) or one of the basic ones (like Kyle or Sally).  We'll see.

Breezy love,

RagingMoon1987 

I spoke too soon!

Remember how the other day I said I felt better after a long period of feeling not so great?  Well!  Guess who caught a stupid cold???  Yep, Mama and I both did.  Thank God my boss called off work due to the snow.  Thank God for Sunny D, flannel pajamas, and a warm house.  Oh, and Rubia Emilia.  She's keeping me company as I ride this out.

Candela Laura may have been unseated as my favorite Cabbage Patch Kid.  We'll have to see who's cuter with their pacifier in place.

Y'all stay safe, stay warm, and stay well out there!  It's not gonna get above freezing for at least a week!

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Time to gripe: two more days...

Two more days of this crap. 

All my weather apps swear that a front will be passing through on Tuesday night, bringing rain chances and a steady cooldown.  I just hope this forecast doesn't end up like the ones in hell.

Sorry, I just had to vent.  Heat puts me in a foul mood, and the A/C isn't helping much.  It'll run for about an hour and a half before puking out, and then Yours Truly has to be the one to fix it because it hurts Mama to move and because Uncle Man-Child is is too stupid.  It needs to be reset and turned back on, that's all, but doing that over and over gets old.

ALICE UPDATE:  I think the only one enjoying the heat is Alice.  She's been hanging out in her web, likely waiting for mosquitoes. 

Of course she booked it when she saw me.  I think she may be gravid again, by the way; I'll be on the lookout for Brood IV.

Stay cool out there!  I know I'm not the only one having to put up with this crap!  I have a Dawn post in the making so that's some good news, I s'pose.

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Cruel summer

The city is crowded, my friends are away and I'm on my own
It's too hot to handle so I gotta get up and go
--Bananarama, "Cruel Summer"

Get up and go, don't I wish!  During past hot spells I'd take my dolls out despite the heat and take pictures of them reacting to the weather.  Did that twice during Barbie Summer, in fact; posts are here and here.  But I'm not limber enuff for outdoor photography anymore and Mia is stuck on the couch, though that doesn't look like it's bugging her much.

Nothing, repeat, NOTHING bothers Mia.

Yep, it's h-o-t HOT here in Missouri again, and it's the same way for a large chunk of the country.  I've even heard that a couple'a sites in southern Canada are reporting temperatures in the nineties.  For the past two weeks our weather headlines have looked like this.

Here's what our temperatures looked like yesterday afternoon.  94 degrees with a heat index of 109.

Granted, I've seen heat indices that were worse, but it's still pretty miserable outside.  My dogs don't tarry when I take 'em out, and neither do I, for that matter!  The temps have been that way since last Friday, and they're gonna stay that way until at least next Thursday.

Sometimes that forecast shows rain for Thursday and sometimes it doesn't, so we'll see.

Sweeping change of subject now, on Wednesday when I went home to check on the dogs (I do that in the middle of the day) I found this gargantuan egg sac under our wall-mount mailbox.  It's about the size of my thumbnail.

The resulting spiderlings.  Spiders are cold-blooded like reptiles are, so these kids are loving the heat.

Guess what kind of spiders they turned out to be, though?  Y'all might be able to see the tiny hourglasses on their bellies.  Yep, I'm pretty sure that this is what baby black widow spiders look like!  I didn't kill them and I told Mama and Uncle Man-Child to leave them alone, but we'll be keeping a sharp lookout for big ones.  Can y'all imagine how big Mama Spider must've been to lay an egg sac like that???  Pretty wild.

EDIT, 7/25/25:  I saw Mama Spider when I came home from work.  I didn't get a picture because she hid when she saw me coming, but she is indeed a black widow.  She's about the size of a garbanzo bean, very beautiful, and very spry.  I begged Mama and Uncle Man-Child to leave her be, but Uncle Man-Child never does as he's told.  I pray he never sees Mama Spider or she'll probably be toast.  I'd always read though that black widow spiders are shy and prefer to hide from humans, and now I know it's true.

Cheers and spider bites,
RagingMoon1987

Like Ryan Hall always says...

..."Don't be scared, be prepared!"  Of course when some poor town is about to get creamed by an EF4 tornado Ryan's not that chill (Mayfield), but the advice is still good.  Prepare for a catastrophe as best you can, and don't freak out unless it actually happens.  I can only presume that the New York State Department of Emergency Services is trying to get the attention of children in light of the Texas floods, but their campaign for catching girls' attention is...pretty darn clever.  They're using stock images of the various American Girls, and the items they'll need for various emergencies.  Nanea...I think this one's funny because Nanea is a historical, but Nanea is gearing up for a heatwave, kinda like the one we had in Missouri during Barbie Summer.

I dunno about y'all, but I think the best way to combat a heatwave is to stay inside as much as you can.  If you've got functioning AC, that is.  Also, what's that rubber duckie for?  I like rubber duckies, but do any of y'all know what that is?

JLY #112 is gearing up for a thunderstorm, something that we here in the Midwest have to do often.

She's got just about everything she needs, except for a can opener for that canned food.  Believe it or not, when I was in kindergarten I had a calendar from the Weather Channel that had the most epic tornado photographs you ever saw (yep, I was in kindergarten and had a tornado calendar!), and in the back they included some advice for putting together a survival kit for a storm or a tornado.  For the canned goods they included the advice "Don't forget the can opener!"  As long as #112 remembers to grab that she should be good to go.

Lila has her flood gear. 

This is a regular flood we're talking about, one that everyone could see coming like the one my neck of the woods had in 2011.  In a flash flood Lila's umbrella and boots sadly won't cut it.  Still, Lila is about as ready for excessive rain and the accompanying power outages as she'll ever be, except maybe for that cute little car.  Even then if there are roads that aren't flooded she can use that to evacuate, so it's all good.

Summer's disaster is an interesting one, one that I've only experienced once.  She's facing a power outage.

I'd include some caveats with this one.  If it's winter, add a heavy coat and some blankets.  If it's summer, add some of the stuff Nanea's got.  And if you live in a city, arm yourself!  Riots have been known to accompany power outages.

Lastly, one of my favorite Truly Me dolls, JLY #101, is making sure her critter is cared for.

Oh yes, I can relate to this one.  As I've stated before, Malden, Missouri is located on a very busy rail line, and downtown is a VERY sharp curve.  Trains have to slow way down to negotiate this curve, and...well, research Lac-Megantic, Quebec and you'll understand why I often give freight trains the side-eye.  As for pets, I've got six cats, two dogs, and a parakeet, and in the event of an evacuation the car's gonna be like Noah's ark on wheels.  But ANYWAY, #101 has what she needs, including medicine and toys, and that all-important ID.  Also note that Ms. Whiskers apparently pees in a heart-shaped puddle, LOL.

I don't know if New York State's efforts are gonna be successful at grabbing the attention of children, but dolly lovers of both genders will definitely take heed.  And let's be honest, lots of girls like dolls, so they'll likely take heed too.  So it looks like the state's emergency department is on the right track here.

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Fayetteville under siege

For the uninitiated, Fayetteville, Arkansas is where my sister and brother-in-law live and work.  This drama started shortly after 6:30 local time, with this hideous radar.  Both of the red polygons in this screenshot had confirmed tornadoes. 

The northern storm prompted this headline, which did not fill Mama or me with enthusiasm. 

My fur niece Louise gave zero effs.  My sister says Louise hates bad weather, but here she's chill...unlike the TV!

More Louise.  Y'all wouldn't know that she's really a psycho.

A very loved psycho, though!  She may not like me, but I like her!  

Not long after sending that picture Sister told Mama that they were crating Louise and making for University of Arkansas campus (after Louise finished taking a dump, LOL).  That's better shelter than the second-floor apartment where they live.  Apartment buildings are not the safest places to ride out tornadoes.  And right as we were receiving word that they'd arrived at campus, we get THIS headline.  Storm was headed right for campus. 

Sister says that the campus has a shelter, and that's where they hid as the south side of Fayetteville got clobbered. 

Their apartment is sadly in the path, and Brother-in-law says that the tornado is headed straight for the building.  Thank God they left.  I must say, crap like this is NOT what I like to see.

Please pray for Fayetteville, and for Fort Smith as well.  They too are in the path of a tornado. 

Yours truly, 

RagingMoon1987 

Sunshine and onesies

We're always waiting for something.  Waiting for that promotion at work, or for a baby or a death, waiting for finals week, you name it.  Currently I am waiting for the rain to finally stop.  The storms finally moved out late last night, but the rain is hanging around.  I love rain, but we've had too much of a good thing.  A bunch of our local roads are impassable, and this is what Grandma's back yard looks like.  Did I mention that Grandma's house is built on what used to be a frog pond?

I'm also waiting for Clive Elliot's onesies to come.  I ordered those LAST Sunday and they haven't even shipped.  Clive doesn't mind so much, but I'm tired of looking at him nekkid.  Clive just wants to share my lunch.

Mmmm, Taco Bell chicken chalupas (no tomatoes).  As long as Clive has a warm home and something to "eat," he's happy.  Have I ever mentioned that I think he's got cute feet?

What can I say, I like doll feet, and Clive has good-sized feet for a doll his size.

So I'm digesting my Taco Bell, enjoying a few quiet moments before Uncle Man-Child comes home from wherever he is, waiting for sunshine and onesies.  Are any of y'all waiting for anything?

Since I like soda, have any of y'all ever tasted Pepsi Peach?  Pepsi is in financial trouble and is cutting back on its lineup, and one of the flavors that got the axe is Pepsi Peach.  But then again, the box does say "limited edition."

Drat, I've never had it and it sounds not half-bad.  Have any of y'all had it?  Was it worth it, or did it taste like floor polish like Pepsi Twist did?

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Do it again

<sings>  And we're back where we started/here we go 'round again!  Tornado warning is in effect for Malden.

Mia got a new dress a few hours ago, and so she joins Candela Laura and Rita Cheryl.

Mother of God, I'm so sick of this crap!

Yours prayerfully, 

RagingMoon1987 

Level five

I've got the Severe Squad with me again.  Candela Laura in her new spring clothes, Rita Cheryl in her Boston T-shirt and her TARDIS leggings.  They're sitting.  Waiting.

The severe level has been steadily increasing since I last posted, and early this morning it hit level five, the highest it can get.  My area is smack-dab in the middle of it all.

Now buckle up, because I'm about to use some meteorological jargon.  Picture the atmosphere above you as a slice of layer cake, a cake with at least three layers.  The plate the cake is resting on is equivalent to the ground where we stand, and each layer of cake is one mile of atmosphere.  Now suppose that here on the ground, the wind is blowing from the west.  One mile/cake layer up, the wind is blowing from the southwest.  Two miles/layers up, the wind is coming straight out of the south.  Three miles, the wind is coming from the southeast.  When the wind blows from different directions at different levels, it makes the atmosphere around it rotate, and that (in a very, VERY simplified form) gives tornadoes their get-up-and-go.  This atmospheric rotation is called helicity, and our local meteorologist said that the helicity in my neck of the woods is similar to the helicity on March 14th and 15th, when we had tornadoes coming out our ears.

Several of the local schools are either letting out early or have called off entirely, just as most of Alabama did in 2011.  Dunklin County's storm shelters are open...and look where citizens of Clarkton get to hide.

The high school gym.  Without going into too much detail, a gymnasium is one of the worst places to hide in a tornado.  I pray that nothing hits Clarkton High School, both because their shelter sucks and because I like Clarkton.  The people there are rural farm owners and blue-collar workers, much like the citizens of Malden, and I have a lot of respect for them.  

As to the rest of y'all...I don't know where this storm system is headed after it hits us!  I've got friends in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Alabama who are reading, so I'd advise that all of y'all keep a sharp lookout and do what you can to protect yourselves and your loved ones.  God willing, I'll be around to update y'all tomorrow.

Love,
RagingMoon1987

What became of Shopkins' Shoppies (plus another bad forecast)

This is super-old news, but what can I say, I live with my head under a rock and had no idea what Moose Toys was up to aside from #FailFix dolls.  Now...for awhile I was a fairly ardent fan of the Shopkins.  The little toys made superb props for Barbie and smaller ball-jointed dolls, and I liked how each little piece had their own personality.  That linked post is ten years old, by the way!  Ahhh, those were the days of jointed Fashionistas, separately packaged clothing items, two-outfit packs for Barbie...I took it all for granted, as people often do when they have something nice.  Anyway, the Shopkins were ubiquitous for awhile, and then they just...disappeared.  Or rather, they segued into the Mini Brands, which I also like because some of the pieces make good props for Barbie and other like-sized fashion dolls, or for a dollhouse like I'm still puttering around with.  Some pieces are too large or too small for such a shenanigan, but I make it work.  When you're working with a doll with a big noggin and a small body, something like Blythe, Bratz, or Rainbow High and Shadow High, scale isn't much of an issue anyway.  That said, I don't have a huge collection of Real Littles (I have around thirty Shopkins somewhere), because they don't have half the personality of the original Shopkins.

Now...when you have something in miniature, sometimes a doll line follows with it.  That eventually happened with MiWorld, and it happened with the Shopkins.  Shoppies were...kinda psychotic-looking, but I have three of them hiding in my room at Casa del Luna.  To my surprise, the only pictures I could find of my Peppa Mint doll were both size comparisons, one from a Hairdorables review...

...and one from a Blume review.

Surprise, surprise, Blume and the Hairdorables aren't around anymore either.  I'm not terribly surprised that Blume failed, but I thought the Hairdorables had staying power.  As for the Shoppies, I liked the little ones; indeed, I had plans to use them in a dollhouse that I had back then, though the idea never got much further than buying two mini Shoppies.  The little Shoppies didn't look as crazed as Peppa Mint and her full-sized sisters do.  My little ones are Coco Cookie and Sunny Meadows, by the way; I picked Coco because she reminded me a little of Mami Tomoe.

Peppa Mint's crazy eyes and molded on clothes didn't impress me much, and I don't guess they did their target audience either, because the Shoppies are no more...or are they?  Ladies and germs, while I was researching Cry Babies and Glitter Babyz, I stumbled across these unusual little poppets, the Kindi Kids.

These two are Rainbow Kate and Marsha Mello.  When I read their names I did a double take and muttered "Those names sound very familiar!"  Then I saw this doll.

That's Peppa Mint!  She's a teensy bit less crazed-looking than her Shoppie self, but she's still very much Peppa Mint.  So even though the Shoppies didn't impress me much I was still pleased to see them be reborn as a new doll.  They've even got accessories that look like the old Shopkins!  Despite my allegiance to Peppa Mint, my favorite Kindis are Rainbow Kate and this doll, Summer Peaches.

I love how Summer's hair looks with her skin/vinyl, but spoilers, her coloration looks highly similar to that of the Glitter Babyz doll I chose.  So if I do go the Kindi Kids route I'll probably choose Rainbow Kate...though her violet hair and freckled face look a bit like ANOTHER doll that I own, Princess Pipp Petals.  I'm hoping that Blossom Apples and Sara Sushi will become Kindi Kids, as they were my favorite Shoppies.  Blossom has unapologetically GREEN HAIR, and y'all know how I love green.  But no Kindi Kid will be coming home with me right now, as I am currently the proud owner of both a Glitter Babyz doll and a Cry Babies doll...and I'm right happy with both of 'em.  Indeed, I haven't put the Cry Baby down since she got here.  Reviews will hopefully be ready by the beginning of June.

Now I'm off to batten down the hatches for ANOTHER round of severe weather.  No, two.  Today is predicted to be violent, and next Wednesday is too.  App is Accuweather, a tremendous help when the meteorological excrement hits the fan.

The headline looks worse than the actual text does, but tornadoes are not out of the question either today or Wednesday. 

I can hear one of our KFVS news anchors trolling our meteorologist.  If he doesn't like a forecast he'll say in a deadpan voice "Boo.  I boo your forecast."  LOL, as was the case two weeks ago, today's system has been in the making for a solid week and the weather folks have really been freaking out.  Plenty of the locals are freaking out too, since we all remember how bad it was two weeks ago!  So y'all keep an eye out for a post from me in the wee hours of the morning, one with Clio Teresa or whoever I can grab sitting on our bathroom counter.

Stormy love,
RagingMoon1987