Researching Three Oldies

Oldie #1

My sister sent me a picture of our father yesterday, one where he was at a gala receiving an award from his theater group for a recent production of Rodger and Hammerstein's Carousel.

I was intrigued by that carousel that was only partially in the photo. I mentioned that to Leslie and she sent me another photo taken from that event.

What a neat little carousel! And of course, I thought it might be fun to find one and add it to my collection - the sentimental connection to my Dad's theater days would be awesome!

I spent some time online Sunday afternoon searching for one, but with so little information (carousel, midcentury, 1950s) I had no success. I am disappointed but at least I have some pictures of my dad to smile over.

Oldie #2

Within an hour or two after that, I received a photo that sent me into another search scramble. My friend Susan Phelan sent me a photo of a model horse she had had from her childhood.

She mentioned that it was the same one I had just offered for sale.

That was not quite right; it was the Western Pony, not the Western Horse that was up for sale.

I shared that information with her, showing her a photo of Breyer's Western Horse, and told her that, judging by the tail on hers, she had an early Hartland Champ - Hartland's earliest Champs had deeply waved tails. (Photo from Identify Your Breyer.)

Oldie #3

If you don't follow Good Boy Ollie on Instagram or Facebook (he is on Tik Tok, too), you are missing out on a very bright spot to your day. Ollie and his baby brother Tato are two labs who reside in England, and their antics always make me smile.

Nanny Biscuit (named so because she has pockets full of dog treats) celebrated her birthday recently and Ollie and Tato went to her home to help her with the celebration (along with her little dog, Honey Biscuits.)

I always watch their videos several times, and my third time through this one, I caught sight of the horses in the china hutch behind Nanny Biscuits. 

I snapped a quick screen shot, then watched the reel again, keeping my eyes open for any more horses that might appear. Now my goal is to see if I can identify those horses. My first place to look will be in my Beswick/Royal Doulton books. Wish me luck on figuring out just who resides in Nanny Biscuit's china cabinet!

Finally, and just for fun, here are three of my favorite Good Boy Ollie reels. These three are actually a series and tell a story. Sound on!

1) Tato "makes snow" but destroys Ollie's Mr. Carrot in the process. 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1511409342734627

2) Tato makes amend for the destruction buy using his and gifts Ollie with Bear Bear, the stuffed animal Ollie had been wanting for a long time. (Not gonna lie; this reel made me cry.)

https://www.facebook.com/reel/882222683495799

3) Ollie finds Bear Bear under the Christmas tree. 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/306818475043060

Hubby, Hot Chocolate, Hallmark, Horses, & Two Michaels

 The other night Craig was watching a movie and I was sitting on the couch writing as I kept him company. I don't watch much TV (I prefer to read) but I do like to sit with Craig if he has a movie on.

"The lead character's mom, Sandra, sure looks like Susan Phelan, doesn't she?" I commented absentmindedly and then bent my head to continue writing.

Susan and her husband Michael are friends of ours from our earliest University of Illinois days. Susan and I had become friends through our commonalities of having large families, attending the same church, and our mutual love of horses.

The movie continued and when Sandra appeared onscreen again, the resemblance was uncanny. And then I had a lightbulb moment - Susan had become a writer, director, and actor after her kids were grown. Could that really be her?

Quickly I pulled Hot Chocolate Holiday up on IMDb and scrolled through the cast.

Oh, my goodness, it was Susan! I knew she had been keeping busy with her career, but honestly, I hadn't paid too much attention as I don't watch much TV. 

A quick look at her profile on IMDb showed that she had found success in her acting and directing career.

As I said, Sue and I were both horsey gals. Michael, though, was way beyond us - he had been on track to become an elite rider and trainer.

Prior to meeting and marrying Sue, Michael had been training with Olympic bronze medalist Michael Poulin for years. (Photo by Bates Saddles and from Google Images.) 

Michael in turn gave me lessons on Indy and really improved my riding skills. It was either he or Sue who took this photo of Indy and me as we prepared to go into the ring for one of Michael's lessons.

Sue and I last visited in person about fifteen years ago. I was out in Utah with Beach Son Kyle who was studying at Brigham Young University.

At the time, Sue was a puppy raiser for guide dog puppies and brought one with her when we met for lunch. Little did I know that, years later, one of my best friends would be a blind woman and I would know several guide dogs well and even become a retirement home for one!

Sue, Michael, and some of their kids with a dog they raised and the woman she was guiding.

When the holidays are over and things quiet down, I am going to send Sue a message and share that I'd caught her latest film and catch up a bit with her. 

And maybe the next time I am in Utah visiting Mountain Mama Jessica, Sue and I will get together in person.