Helen, Georgia - Not For All Seniors

We drove for several hours. Stopped at Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland Georgia, home of the Cabbage Patch Doll. I loved the visit (see prior blog). Then we proceeded another fifteen minutes to our actual destination, Helen. Excitedly, we anticipated a German village similar to others we had visited (Frankenmuth Michigan and Leavenworth Washington).

The town lay in the midst of a beautiful mountainous area surrounded by water and trees. We were greeted by a "Willkommen" sign, Welcome. As we drove around, we saw evidence of assorted cultures. There were a few German street names, some Dutch, some native American, and some...well, Main Street, main stream.

We stopped at the Tourist Information Centre where I was given several brochures and coupons. 

Since it was lunch hour, we decided to try one of the restaurants which the tourism lady had highlighted for us. She also told us that there were over 200 shops. These included some of the following: a pottery shop; toy store; gift store; gourd shop; a jewelry store; candy stores, and a Dutch import store. We drove through town and noted that many of the small buildings and stores looked a bit worn and tacky with lights, fake greenery, and residual Christmas decor. We also discovered that there was no on street parking, so we looked for one of the marked public parking locations. Imagine our surprise when parking costs were between $6 and $10. It wouldn't have been too bad except that we are older and it would have required considerable walking to go anyplace...definitely not senior or handicapped friendly.

We then went to Hofer's Bakery and Restaurant in the hopes of finding some goodies and lunch. They had their own parking behind. Sadly, it was closed for vacation.

At this point we were ready to give up and move on. We still hadn't had any lunch however, so we looked for yet another place, found it was also closed, and ended up at pub type restaurant called Bigg Daddys. We were wary at first thinking we might just have a snack, but the menu looked good and the food turned out to be delicious.

So I learned through tripadvisor that the top five things to do in Helen, are outdoor activities...waterfalls and hiking trails. In fact the lady at the welcome center told us that the waterfall was literally, a hike from the parking lot.

This town is great for the outdoors person with an interest in some store browsing. There are several hotels available for people travelling a greater distance. It didn't seem to be "high" season since a number of places were closed. Perhaps it's busier in the summer.

This windmill was kind of cool

Babyland General Hospital

For those of us who became parents in the eighties, or those who were children of the eighties, we know how difficult it was to get certain essential toys. For some, this meant searching within a hundred mile radius to locate a Ghostbuster Firehall. For others, it was the elusive new thing in toys, the Cabbage Patch Doll.

People were rushing department stores and trampling each other to get their hands on one of these unique $25 dolls. It was said that no two were alike. 

Xavier Roberts, was an award winning art student, born in Cleveland Georgia. When he was 21, Roberts met ***Martha Nelson Thomas at a craft fair in Kentucky. She was the creator of soft sculpted dolls which became the inspiration for the very similar looking Cabbage Patch Kids. According to a variety of articles, she also had the adoption paper idea. Roberts first called his dolls "Little People" and eventually sold his dolls under the Cabbage Patch Kids name after creating an elaborate cabbage and magic crystals story. 

crystals at bottom right

   Roberts went into business and hired local seamstresses to       produce his dolls in a converted medical clinic (Babyland General Hospital) in his hometown of Cleveland, Georgia. 

  Original cabbage patch dolls were made using a process of  needle molding, a German technique for fabric sculpture along with a quilting technique, taught to Roberts by his mother.

   I was one of those parents in the eighties. No, I didn't have to wait in line, or resort to violence to get a doll, but I was  fortunate enough to locate a baby version complete with yellow onesie, a bonnet, and pacifier.

  This is where my 2023 adventure begins.

  I was in Atlanta area recently and was made aware of  Babyland General Hospital by my daughter. Prior to this trip, I knew very little of the cabbage patch dolls' history. How did I not know about this place sooner? I was fascinated because I'm a sucker for any kind of odd or unique attractions to visit. Not only that, the price was right...free admission.

We drove to Cleveland on a bright, sunny Friday. As we approached the massive white hospital, I was becoming very excited to go inside. Nonetheless,  I first needed to stop for a photo in front of the entry sign.

We parked and I walked around the building to the entrance where I was greeted by a lovely lady in a nurse's uniform. She informed me that it was ok to take as many pictures as I wanted, so I immediately took advantage of the opportunity to photograph her. "I'll bet you get your picture taken a lot." I said. "Oh yeah," she responded.

As I walked into the first room, a large space with many windows and glass display cases, I was enthralled by so many original soft sculpted dolls. There were all styles including historical figures, professions, formal attire and more. All dolls had a description or an informative note about who donated them.  

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I continued through the individually decorated nurseries and admired the occupants. Each had a personality of its own. There were even sibling sets in some of the cribs. I noted the faint,           unmistakable scent of baby powder in the air.                

   

After I passed the nurseries, I came into a room where the cabbages were growing. 

           

Finally, I reached the birthing center. I read a detailed article in the Orlando Sentinel (link below) which stated that births occur sporatically and that visitors are alerted to an impending birth by an announcement "dilation is eight leaves. All staff on standby."

 Sadly, I did not witness this event. It would have been interesting as there are supposed to be some rather uniquely disturbing birthing features. I did however, see the birthing center where the cabbages received intravenous feeding and were eventually born in the babyland delivery room.  

After passing through the delivery area, there is of course, a very large gift shop with all manner of dolls for adoption and other paraphernalia.

The vinyl headed dolls that everyone seemed to have in the 80's were made in Hong Kong. I have read reports that state numbers sold...er...adopted are anywhere from three to sixty five million dolls. 

Finally, the rather large, stunning Cleveland facility was built in 1919 and was a former medical clinic. Apparently, there have been talks to create a larger hospital for the still prolific cabbages. This one was quite adequate to satisfy my need for curiosity and nostalgia.

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***More details and photos are available on the internet and on Martha Nelson Thomas Doll Artist facebook page.

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 Full article from the Orlando Sentinel at this site - (copy & paste since I couldn't get the link to load)

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1991-12-20-9112190203-story.html

And Now, Canada Post Scams

I know a couple who at age fifty plus years refused to get any sort of technology...no cell phones, no computer, no digital camera, and no whatever else existed twenty five years ago or in the years since then. It was hard for me to imagine how they managed, especially in this day and age where contact with real people in businesses barely exists and automation rules. I sometimes envy these folks, now octogenarians. Their life is simple. They're happy, healthy, and unless they've fallen prey to one of "those" land line phone calls, they've probably never been scammed.

It's getting harder and harder to negotiate past the criminal element. Each day, there's a new way criminals either appeal to people's emotions, create fake but real looking letterhead, and the latest, fake websites so that you need to be super careful who you are contacting. My best advice is, don't respond to anything no matter how official it looks. On the phone, hang up. Canada Revenue and banks don't phone you. If there's something in your email (phishing), delete. Most places don't contact you this way either. Be diligent and, sadly, suspicious of everything.

So here's my latest. We've been pretty wise to most of these scams thus far. Recently, I was away on a trip but had been expecting a package. I forgot to put a temporary stop on my mail at the post office. I received a text message (smishing). It appeared as follows.

I wasn't thinking and was caught by surprise so I didn't  look carefully at the phone number. I clicked on the form, and it was quite detailed and official looking with Canada Post letterhead, stating that they couldn't leave a parcel in a secure location, so I had options of other dates for delivery. I did not fill out the attached form. I was wary, especially when it offered optional Sunday delivery dates for the package with a required fee. On the other hand, I was expecting a package and was hoping it wouldn't be lost or returned. I phoned my local post office but received no answer so I left a message.

Fortunately, someone returned my call and told me that they NEVER send text messages or emails regarding any postal service, nor do they ever charge extra for delivery. This was a scam intended to get access to my info or credit card. 

So, did all this cost me anything? Yes, it certainly did. Since I was out of the country and panicked about a potential scam or a disappearing parcel, I had to use my roaming fees to make several phone calls to sort things out with my local post office. First day, no response to any calls. Day two, got an answering machine and left messages on two occasions. Day three, I noticed three missed calls and a phone message which I listened to. Total, $36. That, plus stopping my mail for a week to ensure that it's all secure, $26. Another lesson learned, priceless.

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Previous Scam Blogs

***Land line phone calls - see blogs April 18, 2015, "Warning! Scam Alert", and also May 17, 2015

***email scams - see also Jan. 11, 2017 "Be Aware...More Scams" 

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*** Smishing and phishing? Phishing - Cyber criminals send fraudulent emails that seek to trick the recipient into clicking on a malicious link. Smishing uses text messages instead of email. Cybercriminals try to steal your personal data, trick you into giving out credit card info, and commit fraud or other cyber crimes.

Meatballs, Wherefore Art Thou?

It's interesting how for many people, their childhood memories centre around food. Whether they were special event meals, holiday fare, or memorable foods mom or grandma cooked. I too have fond childhood memories of a particular mealtime.  

When I was about seven years old we moved from a shack in northern Ontario, to a series of rooms and flats in the big city. Both my parents worked. Back then, eating lunch at school was not a thing. You went somewhere, anywhere. Sometimes, as a treat I was allowed to go to Morris' Grocery Store on the corner of Clinton Street. I'd ask for a bun and he'd put the 5 cents "on the bill", to be paid by my parents later. Once a month or so, mom and dad would spring for a lunch counter meal near my school and I'd get fish and chips wrapped in newspaper. Even now, I can almost smell the wonderful intermingled aroma of fish, chips, and newsprint. I was a young child, but fears for safety did not seem to be an issue back then. 

My dad often worked shifts, so generally, I was able to come home for lunch. He usually prepared a Kraft singles cheese sandwich, or Campbell's soup (mushroom, chicken noodle or tomato). From time to time there was vegetable soup, but I hated those weird little white and orange cubes floating in what looked like red grease. The peas were identifiable, nothing else was. 

It was very special being able to spend even a short time alone with dad each day. As strange as it sounds, we occasionally watched soap operas (they were 15 min. episodes back then) or cartoons. Other times, we assembled something with Minibrix or grew sea monkeys on the kitchen table. There was not much time, but we made the best of it.

On very rare occasions, dad had a day off and made one of our all time favourite foods...rice and canned Puritan meatballs. This particular meal took a little longer to prepare and was also a go-to camping lunch. I recall that the cans were a bit larger back then, nonetheless, dad and I polished one off by ourselves. On our camping trips, there was magically enough for all three of us to eat. It may have had something to do with my mom's insistence on vegetables and the addition of a very delicious salad to complement the meal.  

I had totally forgotten about rice and meatballs until my stepmom asked about them some months prior to dad's death. She wondered why he kept talking about rice and meatballs and why, although her homemade meatballs were fantastic, dad kept insisting they weren't the same. 

"The same as what?" she would ask.

I explained about the canned meatballs as best I could.

During his final months, we brought dad to our house from time to time. I found, and sometimes made him rice and canned meatballs. His face lit up. I'm not certain whether this processed food was really that delicious to him, or whether it just triggered some wonderful memories of years gone by.

I had forgotten about canned meatballs until I spotted a familiar looking tin with a not so familiar logo at our local Giant Tiger. Cordon Bleu? Was my memory that poor? Despite the exorbitant price, nostalgia made me want to pick up a can and try them. I did, and the taste was as fantastic as I had remembered. (Of course, these would not be to everyone's taste. I do hear some refrains of "yuck" as people are reading this). My friend Google told me that the Puritan company had been bought out at some point. This explained the only slightly different looking label.

I decided to purchase another can to keep on hand for myself for use when hubby would insist on eating some of his own favourite Fear Factor foods. I zipped over to GT and noticed that there were about a dozen cans on their sell-off shelf. Although I wondered why, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Then, not wanting to be greedy, I picked up only two of the 1950's priced delicacies. Mistake. 

Imagine my surprise and dismay, when weeks later and ready to replenish my pantry stock, I couldn't find a single meatball tin at any store. I texted a photo to my friend asking her to watch for these meatballs. Within the hour, she sent me a picture which her niece had messaged...same can, same request. Wow, a kindred meatball spirit! She too had searched everywhere. Were they discontinued? Were they too expensive that people didn't buy them? Suddenly, I felt a huge loss.

The good news is that we have since located the meatballs at Walmart. The price is slightly lower than it had been. Possibly the newer cans have shrunk like so many                                    other products nowadays. 

Alas, canned meatballs live on!  Yayyy... 

But wait. Do I detect Puritan products on the same shelf?

Anyone addicted to Puritan corned beef hash in a can?

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*** NOTE - Just to be clear, although delicious and convenient, these meatballs are far from a good food option. I am not promoting them. They contain a fair bit of fat and a ridiculous amount of sodium.

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Fitted Sheet Nightmares Solved

There's an old Mennonite expression which I may have used in previous blogs. It seems very fitting for so many situations, but now, I find it especially useful for this "fitting" blog. It goes, as follows...

At some point in my adult life, I had a vision. I saw myself relaxing in my large, well appointed bed, wearing shiny silk pajamas, surrounded by pouffy satin pillows, and lying on a thousand thread count, soft white sheets. Perhaps I've seen too many Hollywood movies.

I got as far as purchasing the white sheets. Two sets were all I needed. Three hundred thread count was all I could afford. Actually, one set was all I really required until I read that it's not good for the sheets to be washed and put directly back on the bed. Google wisdom likened the care and washing of sheets to some kind of pet bath ritual. They need to fluff up, stretch themselves, air out, and be left to breathe prior to any further attention, and of course, keep them off the bed at all costs.  

I feel somewhat embarrassed even mentioning the two major sheet problems which have irritated me over the years. Both have to do with (drum roll)...the dreaded fitted bed sheets.

One thing which seems to plague not just me, is the age old problem of how to fold fitted sheets so that they are small enough to go back to the size they were when purchased. It's been suggested that a whole set could be washed and placed inside a pillow case after folding. Great idea. Good luck with that. I have half way managed it. A bonus is that it hides the fact that I can't fold the fitted sheets properly. Youtube videos are wonderful, helpful things aren't they? I must confess, try as I might, I will never measure up to Marie Kondo and I no longer care. 

I am happy to announce that in my advanced years, I have finally solved the other issue. I am writing it in this blog because I know that if I excitedly shared the secret to my success on Facebook, someone (and we all know at least one person), would undoubtedly say, "You didn't know that? I learned it when I was eight years old."  

So here's my confession. I have always had an issue when putting sheets on the bed. I would pull and stretch and tug ad infinitum and invariably, end up with the fitted sheet on sideways and not fitting at all. Pools of perspiration would form at the nape of my neck. Then I'd remove it, (the sheet and the perspiration), start again, only to have it still...sideways. Oh eventually, I'd get it turned the right way around. Problem was always the same. I could never tell which was the narrower top or bottom at first glance. Someone suggested putting a colourful thread or a button at one end, but really? Is that a thing people do? Besides, since I'm old and forgetful, that would still have me wondering if I had the correct narrow end or did I sew that onto the wider part.

Last year around Christmas, I decided I'd had enough of boring white sheets so I made a decision to opt for something a little more fun, child-like, and possibly seasonal. Besides that, I wanted a warmer flannel option for the winter months. It was then that I made a most remarkable discovery. If you get sheets with a pattern that can only go one way, you will always know which end of the sheet goes up. Clearly, little trucks and tiny gnomes (and now penguins that match my pajamas) can only go in one direction. This to me was a major light bulb moment and resolved an issue even greater than the fitted folding sheet dilemma.

I realize that little trucks and tiny gnomes aren't everyone's taste. However, this ingenious discovery can surely translate to ugly flowers, miscellaneous wildlife, seashells, and stripes.

On a final note, an irrelevant statistic I found in a computer article is that people don't wash their sheets nearly often enough (at least once a week). I can certainly sympathize with sheet changing procrastinators if they have to go through calorie burning calisthenics just to get their beds made, and their clean sheets refolded.

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***Note - Just found this on facebook for those who continue to struggle. Seems easy enough...not.