emjay has written an absolutely hilarious (and scary) account of her search for a doll for her granddaughter. click "Going Wodwo" to access it. laughed and laughed and thought of the bemusement on faces of older people (cough, cough) in the grocery stores at the vast array (and unlikely promises) of products as simple as toothpaste or chicken soup. or dolls. once there was a choice of two or three. nowadays....

regarding dolls: used to be the case that we provided our own dialog for dolls or tea sets or what have you, providing both sides of the conversation plus editorial comment. now it seems that the dolls have their own agendas. everything, even the simplest toy, has to have an electronic component.

she writes, "when the coming apocalypse/collapse comes, only the tough minded and luddites will survive, i fear. i'm smiling, knowing that i know how to make lye out of ashes from the fireplace, how to render lard, and how to make soap from those ingredients. my flashlights won't work, but i'll smell good, and my clothes will be clean. and i will still be able to play old fashioned scrabble with the likes of you and yours!!"

emjay, may you forever continue to tickle the funny bone and provide insight on life's vagaries!