Humor
Good Humor: a cheerful and agreeable mood.
Humor: The quality that makes something laughable or amusing.
Above, you see Baby aka Dolly. Baby was Carly’s comforter, her companion, her reassurance. A cold when she was six months of age cemented the relationship. A little terry cloth doll that has meant EVERYTHING to this family.
Let me tell you a story. We took a trip to Kansas to visit my parents one summer when Carly was little. Baby was, of course with us. After the visit, we were traveling to Disneyland, so the folks took the long trip (well over 2 hours) from Abilene to Kansas City so we could fly to LAX. Part of the trip there is over the Kansas Turnpike, with toll booths at either end for no apparent reason other than it was originally set up as a speedway with a speed limit of about 80 mph as I recall and no one stopped collecting money when the speed limit became uniform and the Turnpike just became another part of the Interstate Highway. Anyway, I digress.
At the airport, it was awhile until our flight, so we settled in. Carly wanted to snuggle up with Baby – or Dolly, which she was also called – only to find that … gasp!!! … Dolly was nowhere to be found! In a panic, we called with my cell phone to the Kansas Highway Patrol, since the folks had no cell phone back then. But, try as they might (and, they did try!), they did not intercept the folks at a toll booth.
Now, we had to get on the flight. Panic. We had a small girl quite distraught. We had a child in bad humor!!! That means we were all in bad humor. It was not looking good. Life was NOT funny!
Well, the planes had just put in phones. When we calculated the folks should be home, we called them and were able to get in touch. Mom immediately prepped the ragamuffin and I don’t know if she put Dolly in the mail immediately, but that little rag doll made its way to Disneyland express mail! You should have seen Carly when we unwrapped that little terry cloth being at the Disneyland Hotel! Good humor restored BIG TIME. Laughter!! Life was once again fun and funny.
And, now we return to the topic. Humor is centered in the child in us really. Humor leads to good humor and vice versa on a two-way road. It becomes more sophisticated, sure, over time, but to really get what is funny, it isn’t a matter of analysis. Like Carol says, if you have to explain it, it ain’t funny. It is that return to the immediate perception of the child within, that unfiltered response that has tears rolling down your cheeks. THAT is the playful creativity engaged in by the Einsteins of the world. Paradoxically, it is where you find humor that the serious work is done, where the plow digs deep.
And … it’s where daughters are happy.
PS In case you noticed, the face of Dolly looks a bit different from the first picture to the second. Well, our dog chewed off the first face! As Carol informed Carly, “It’s bad!”
So, Supermom kicked into gear and took a backup Pink Dolly and did one of the most amazing feats of surgery ever. She did a face and head stuffing transplant!
I love that woman!
This piece is part of the continuing Blogger’s Consortium series with simultaneous posts on the topic being done by Anu, Ashok, gaelikaa, Ginger, Grannymar, Helen, Judy, Magpie 11, Maria and Ramana. I can hardly wait to see what they have done with this topic!
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Tags: Carly, Children, Dolly, Humor
A touching story told in your inimitable style and the photos say more than the post. My younger brother had a favourite playmate. An imaginary one. You ever had that happen with anyone in your life?
You had a dolly and we had a Sammy. Sammy squirrel picked by a four year old for her new baby cousin. Sammy went everywhere. He now sits on the bedside cupboard next to Elly’s side of the bed! If only he could tell stories.
Grannymar´s last blog ..Humour
Your story on “humor” is killing Rummy. He is laughing so hard, he knocked his blog off the air.
For the life of me I can’t remember what Jennifer’s was! I’ll have to ask her the next time I talk with her. Good post on Humor!
Judy Harper´s last blog ..LBC-Humor
I have 2 Shelty dogs and the female has a lovey that she goes to find every night at bedtime. It is a dirty terry cloth duck that got stuck under the treadmill and will not come clean. At bedtime, she disappears to go find “duckie” and then zips into bed with me, carrying her baby. I indulge her by helping find it – just like I did my daughter! lol
Ramana, I had an imaginary dog! Anyone else have an imaginary friend?
Sammy and Dolly meet – we have the beginning of a book here, GM!
They must be having Y2K10 problems, Mayo!!
Thanks, Judy. I figured just coughing up some jokes wasn’t the route I wanted to go. This was not an easy topic, was it?
Deb, you are SOOO ready for grandkids, huh??
I love Sheltys – or is it Shelties – since Mom and Dad had one. They are beautiful dogs and really smart! I always feel like talking with them like with a little Lassie.
Rikki and Rabbi were the stuffed animals we went back for. Some one (ahem, my brother) threw them out the window on a road trip. We vere very lucky to find them.
I love the idea that humor is childlike. Having a littleone of my own, I get to revisit that intense joy that is in the discovery of new things. I’m a lucky Momma.
Ginger´s last blog ..Cartwheels
Dolly, meet Sammy:- http://www.grannymar.com/blog/2008/01/16/sammy-podcast/
Grannymar´s last blog ..Humour
When I was about three years old……..that’s 75 years ago……..I had an imaginary boy friend named Robert something or other (you would surely not expect me to remember his last name by this time when I have a little trouble remembering my own part of the time, lol). I had many long talks with Robert and visited him in my grandfather’s yard when I visited with my grandparents (no place else did I contact Robert according to my mother). About 10 years after I was married, I was reading the obituaries in the newspaper and to my surprise Robert something or other was listed. He was about my age and since grandpa lived fairly close to the cemetery one of my aunts was totally sure that Robert had finally gone to his eternal resting place after roaming around for a long time looking for somebody he could not find.
I hadn’t thought of him for a long time until I read this post and wonder if she was right…..or maybe I’m just nuts!!
Corky
Conrad -
Did my computer freak out or did you change the background color of your blog?
Corky – you are definitely not nuts & thank you for sharing your Robert story!
New year – new colour. I find it easier to read except for the one red line.
Deb – Conrad is getting ready for St Patrick’s Day!
He will be speaking Irish next! 
Grannymar´s last blog ..If I went to the sales
Mom, I really find that interesting. When I talk with you next – which who knows, might be hours from now – I would love to know who the family members were.
And, I definitely don’t think you are nuts. I am just wondering who Sippy, my imaginary dog belonged to!
And, final note – you reckon it’s a good time to tell them about that thing that hovered over my bed that one night when I was still in a crib?
GM and Deb – I did indeed change the color. New Year, New change. I’m probably not done and may actually change the underlying theme. The problem in these choices – as GM has pointed out – is that there are so many pre-existing posts that become more or less readable in the process. That part is something of a dilemma.
OK – I do like the green and it is easier to read! I also applaud the “wearing of the green” for St Paddys in honor of GM’s Ireland!
Yes, Corky, we do want to hear about the thing that hovered over
Conrad’s crib!
If no one laughs, I might someday tell you all about my father and I seeing a UFO! I told my daughter and she wanted no details – just threw her head back and laughed! humphhh
I vote early and often (like they do in Irish elections) for Corky to tell us about that thing that hovered over Conrad’s crib AND for Deb to tell us about the UFO
Grannymar´s last blog ..If I went to the sales
Sippy! We have a famous film producing family of Bollywood called the Sippys.
Now I know why you look somewhat like my brother!
Corky, that is a smashing story.
Deb, would Shelties be Shetland Sheepdogs? They are absolutely fantastic dogs. I recently met a man who has a pair and breeds commercially. He however claims that they would not last very long if brought down to the warmer climes of India. In the summer, although he is up in the mountains, he keeps them in an air-conditioned room! I had read about Shetland ponies but these were new to me.
Rummuser -
Yes, we call them Shelties but they are Shetland Sheep Dogs. They have beautiful coats but also have an undercoat for being outside! Mine are indoor babies – both summer and winter but they absolutely love the cold weather. When we lived in Kansas, they used to scoop the snow with their noses and throw back over their heads and lie in the snow drifts!
It gets quite hot in Dallas but I keep them in the house with me and even in the air conditioning, I keep a floor fan on for them. Gee, I don’t want you to think that they might be spoiled! I’ll send you a picture of them!
My goodness, the memories that this blog brings to the surface. I don’t remember having an imaginary friend, although as an only child that might have been nice. But our son had one, which we attributed to his desire to have a male playmate at home instead of his two sisters. My aunt even claims that my father had an imaginary friend named Tom–that, too, I can bet was because he had five sisters before he finally got more brothers when he was a teenager. I think the imagination can fill many voids in our lives, and that can be a good thing!
BTW–I like the green background, but the red lines are hard to read! Christmas is over…
Janet, complain, complain, complain, LOL!!!
Actually, it was the best I could come up with in a reasonable amount of time. The background I can change, but the text I would get to go through for all the past posts and hand edit. And that ain’t gonna happen!
However, going forward, red is out.
Ramana, do the Sippys make dog movies?
GM, your comment reminds me of an old story about Jack Kennedy (Irish), the Pope (not Irish) and Richard Daley the first.
They are on a life raft after a plane goes down and they notice it is slowly sinking and will only carry one of them.
The Pope, being a peacemaker offers to give his life.
Kennedy and Daley, children of democracy have other ideas. They decide a vote on who should be the last is the appropriate way. So, each makes his case:
Pope: As the leader of the Catholic Church, the spiritual salvation of mankind, he should survive.
Kennedy: As the leader of the free world, he should survive.
Daley: Well, being mayor even of a fine city certainly couldn’t match those two, he had to admit.
So, they voted – and Daley won by 89 votes!
Deb, the folks actually got to the point where they would have their Shelty sheared each summer, letting the fur grow long again for the winter.
Conrad, I don’t know if you are conning me, but no, The Sippys did not produce dog movies. They produced typical Bollywood potboilers with a lot of violence, sex, songs, dances and melodrama. Their biggest success was a film called Sholay, an Indian version of a cowboy film similar to the dirty dozen but with only two heroes taking on a whole gang of bandits. Have a look – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholay
I like the green on you blog though, in certain other circumstances I am allergic to the colour. Guess what circumstances?
Deb, thanks for the clarification.
Ramana, I asked you about the Sippys and the dog movies because my Sippy was an imaginary dog. I was a strange child and am now a strange adult, LOL.
My nieces each had their own version of “Dolly”. Mom and Dad wised up with # 2 and purchased 2 of the same, just in case. They tell me the “understudy” was on “stage” quite often.
My sister and I were talking about Forbidden Humour – the kind where you are not supposed to laugh, which makes you laugh all the harder.
I could just picture these burly state troopers going out of their way to help a girl in need.
Ah well, I got round to reading this at last. It reminded me of when my youngest sister lost Panda on the London to Brighton train…boy did I get stick, not from sister but from mother. I was 18 at the time and she was four…. No humour there…except that at 49 my sister thinks the whole story is hilarious.
Magpie 11´s last blog ..Humor (or in English: Humour)
Marianna, we had two Dollys, too. We were planning to swap them out when one was being cleaned, but Carly insisted upon the original Dolly. Dolly II just didn’t feel the same.
However, when it came transplant time … thank God we had Dolly II!
Let’s see, Magpie. According to my math, then, you must be 39 – like Benny was!
She is now 49…… she is 14 years younger than me…
Please explain your maths.
Magpie 11´s last blog ..Humor (or in English: Humour)
Magpie, I was using Jack Benny math. He used to be on TV over here in the 50’s and 60’s and the standing joke was that he was 39 years old – always.
“Now we are approaching 1947……..(laughter….oh 1957..No wonder I’m 39″ Saw that the other day for some reason…. I’d love to see him and George Burns together….
That is good Humour (English)….
And this is the script of a Classic of English Humour:
http://www.epicure.demon.co.uk/upsticks.html
Magpie 11´s last blog ..Humor (or in English: Humour)
Ah, yes Magpie! Burns and Allen were a couple of my favorites as a kid!
Gracie: George, the oranges were the biggest at the store today I’ve ever seen!
George: Gracie, I’m almost afraid to ask, “How big were they?”
Gracie: They were so big, it only took 8 to make a dozen!
Hey, just read your linked humor. If that’s classical English humor (humour) then I’m a new fan! I probably never got into it because I couldn’t understand the words when they spoke!
Aw, another dolly! Daughters being happy is sometimes the only goal of a parent, depending on the situation and age. ;O)
Helen McGinn´s last blog ..And then there were two….
Helen, now I know why my parents seemed so set on making my life a misery. Gave me enough material for my whole life and a few others.
Chortle!
Magpie 11´s last blog ..125,000,000 Results….. in 0.17 seconds
Magpie, ah, the dichotomy of parenthood….happiness and misery…misery and happiness….. ;O)
Helen, Dolly seems to have reincarnated!!
I was referring to “son hood”!
Magpie 11´s last blog ..125,000,000 Results….. in 0.17 seconds