Bama Planter

Hello from the frozen South.  Other parts of the country wonder how two inches of snow can shut down all of central Alabama and Georgia.  It's the ice that comes first.  No one can drive on a road covered in ice. We have no snow plows and salt trucks and all that sort of stuff.   It's 13 degrees now in central Alabama and about 20 in Mobile.  This only only happens here about every 15 years.  It's usually about an inch and it's gone in a day.  View from the library window.  Since I'm almost 60, this is apt to be the last snow I will see in my lifetime.

I have six new girls ready to make their debut as they hide in a cabinet in the back room.  Here they are, with new dresses and clean faces.   All of the old clothes are stored away, none of which were original.  None of the wigs were original either; in fact, some of the girls had no hair at all upon arrival.  I use a product called Renaissance micro-crystalline wax polish on all the faces to clean and protect them. It does absolutely no harm now or in the future and is made in England and used by the British Museum. All you need is a small jar.   She's looking good for 100+ years old.  Dressed for winter.  This Heubach doll has a rosy face as compared to the Armand Marseille girls.  Another red-haired beauty. OK maybe the blonde wig needs a trim. 

 I was fortunate to bid on and win this wonderful desk that was auctioned in north Georgia. The shipping company I use always gives me a good rate because I am never in a hurry. The flash makes the desk look like an ugly muddy brown, but it is not.  The top slants but does not lift, which allows for two small drawers as well as a large drawer below.     The dove tails show the quality of construction.  I found the stencil of the maker inside the top right drawer.  The stencil identifies the desk as the work of Patterson and Lavender, cabinetmakers whose business was located at 43 and 45 Cornhill Street in Boston.  Their firm made all sorts of furniture for stores and offices in the 1860's, 70's, and 80's.  The seller has several other high quality pieces.  I am glad this desk has found a new home here in Alabama.   Here is a picture I found on line showing the firm's stationary which gives their address and highlights s...