“Flo……could you please come over and take me to the bank? I need to get some cash for my trip back up to Michigan.”

I had sold her Venice Florida home and she was moving up by her family in a couple days after we close on her home.

It often happened that my listings came from people who had lived in this beautiful land of sunshine and flowers many enjoyable years, when they realized they needed to be back up north close to family for some assistance in their everyday living.

This dear sweet lady was 82 years old, had lost her husband and she didn’t drive. When she called me to list her home to sell, she had been walking over a mile to a market to buy her groceries. And I don’t know where all else she walked taking care of her business.

Like many other real estate agents, I often did things to help my clients. This was kinda the norm in Florida. So I took her grocery shopping, other places she needed to go and I took her to the closing.

Just a few days before her closing while I was at her home she went into her bedroom and from the closet brought a big brown paper bag to the living room where I was sitting.

She sat in a chair close to me and started taking boxes out of the bag. I read the price on the boxes. The six dolls standing were priced $8.97and the two sitting down $4.97. She had obviously had them a very long time.

She said “I bought this set of strawberry shortcake dolls many years ago for my little granddaughter in Michigan and she died before I got them to her. They have been in my closet all these many years. I don’t want to take them back up north with me. I want to give them to you. You can give them to your granddaughter.”

They were the complete set of eight Strawberry Shortcake dolls that had never even been taken out of the boxes. She later ask me “How did your granddaughter like those dolls?”

When I didn’t say anything she said “You didn’t give them to you granddaughter, did you?” I told her that I had added them to my doll collection!!! She smiled!!!!!!

Strawberry Shortcake Doll

Lemon Meringue Doll

Huckleberry Pie Doll

Orange Blossom Doll

Blueberry Muffin Doll

Raspberry Tart Doll

Apricot Doll and Apple Dumplin Doll

You can understand by this story, how very special these dolls are to me….. …they represent a grandmother’s love for her precious little granddaughter……LITTLE GOLD NUGGETS…….THEY ARE REAL TREASURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FRF ♥