It’s Christmas 1960. My first daughter Susie (Carole Suzanne) had finished school in Omaha Nebraska and is working at Western Union in downtown Chicago.

Photo of the front of our 100 year old farm house taken in the year of 1960.

Our farm home is decorated for Christmas when she comes home on a train bringing presents for everyone and the biggest box is for her little eight years old sister Pamela, much to little Pam’s delight. It is hard to wait for Christmas morning to open that big tied up package to see what treasure it will reveal.

Christmas morning they await opening those, I wonder what treasures they behold, wrapped presents tied up with ribbon.
Pamela eight, Meredythe thirteen, Susie (Carole Suzanne) eighteen

But Christmas morning Mom and Dad still have to milk that herd of seventy cows, put out fresh feed for all the live stalk, do the cleanup and put the milkers and glass line to automatic wash.

And then every one has to have breakfast of course. Will we never get to package opening????? Mom even has to put the Christmas ham in the oven to slowly bake for our dinner.

Then anxiously waiting beside the tree with all the packages stacked under and around, Pamela is all smiles as we all, including my mother, join her for our family opening of those beautifully wrapped surprise gifts from around the Christmas tree. NOW……LET THE FUN BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!

As far as Pamela is concerned there is only one important package under that tree. So…..she pulls off the red ribbon, rips off the Christmas wrapping paper and opens the long awaited box.

Oh….my….goodness !!!!!!! As she catches her breath….she reaches in the box and picks up the most beautiful big doll this little girl has ever seen.

While over the years some of us moved around from state to state this doll was shuffled around from home to home and ended up being kept by Meredythe, the only one of us who stayed living in Ohio.

When I finally retrieved the doll, I made a new dress for her. And here is that beautiful big American doll in her new dress.

At a store in Venice, I found an adorable little baby buggy, purchased an inexpensive baby doll, made a baby dress and hat, placed it in the buggy and this is what I then gave to Pamela.
This below is how Pam presented them in her home.

Pamela purchased a new pair of actual children’s white slippers for her and here she is today sitting in this child’s chair in my living room.

She is here for now. Only the future holds the secrets of where else this pretty KEEPSAKE AMERICAN DOLL will call HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FRF ♥