THE MONTH OF LOVE

Well here we are in February already. Before we know it, it will be December again. Is it just me or do the years seem to come quicker and quicker the older you get? A bit of good news...we'll be able to stay in the house another month. Woo hoo!! 'Course I don't want to get to complacent since that could change next month. Still it was a relief when GDM Group Corp took the rent out of our account. It does worry me that we still don't have the money to move and should we have to we'll need at least $1,000.00 to do so. Now if we didn't have to pay rent for a couple of months....

Sharing another page from my 1983 Katy Keene coloring calender. I'm not sure who made these available. I bought a couple of them (83 and 84) on Ebay and haven't seen any more since then. I spent several hours on Saturday just scanning the calender so I could use the pages on this blog. Thought it would be fun and I'm sure there are Katy fans out there who would enjoy coloring the sheets. I will eventually adapt it so that it can correspond to more modern times. It's just a matter of changing the dates on the lower portion. I'm just sharing the upper portion for now.

I also took time to scan my Katy Keene Pin-up parades...at least the paper doll and some of the pin-up portions of them for the time being. I'm going to have to scan the complete comic though as they are falling apart. The glue holding some of them together is disintegrating. I also thought I had all the 1950's Katy Keene's except for Number one...I realized I'm missing number 13 as well. Drat!!

Holiday Fun No. 7 

On keeping with the cowgirl or western theme, I present Katy's friend Curly Cassidy. He appeared in several issues of Katy Keene along with Gigi who I suspect was in love with Curly. Can't say I blame her though, he is a handsome fellow. But like all the men in Katy's world, they only had eyes for her and any other woman became so much wall paper when Katy was around.

I did a couple of versions of him for my own amusement and would end up being beneficial to others....a black and white version you can color and a version that is easier to print than the original due to the white background my version has. One day I'd like to enlarge to dolls, make them 8 x 10 size then do all their clothing on sheets and sheets of paper. I've always loved paper dolls that had lots of clothes.

I'm reading another Beatrice Small novel...BOND OF PASSION. The last in her Border chronicles series. As always Small delivers with both story and historical accuracy. This one takes place during the time of Queen Mary of Scots. A nice change since most of the ones I've read seem to take place during the reign of one of the James'.

I find the cover of this particular novel interesting in the respect that we don't see the woman's face, while on most other book covers we usually do. Could it be that it's because the heroine of the novel, Annabella, is plain-faced and it's not usual for book covers to show a woman who is not ravishingly beautiful? Out of all the books in this series I have to say that this one is my favorite because the main characters are so different in looks. Angus Ferguson is the handsomest man on the borders and Annabella is as plain as a post, but despite that they do fall in love with each other and Annabella, as the title suggests, if full of passion that overrides her plainness. She has a warm heart and a loving sweet soul that even though, people first look at her and see a plain woman, they find out that, despite this, she has a sweet but strong nature.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dumbarton_castle_and_lime_kiln.jpg

I'm at the part in the story now where Angus has sent a young boy, Callum, to Dunbarton Castle to find out when the Queen's Men are planning to kill the Earl of Moray, and a few others who disposed Queen Mary, who is being held at Tutbury Castle on the orders of her cousin Elizabeth I. Of course if you know anything about me, I have to look up all these people and places as I read the book, follow their path (as best I can given modern roads and all) and generally immerse myself in the time period.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots

It is said that Mary, Queen of Scots was a very beautiful woman and she was, judging from the portraits of her. I find her far more attractive than her cousin Elizabeth I. Don't get me wrong, Elizabeth wasn't a homely woman by any means, I just feel of the two women, Mary was the more attractive. The only problem with Mary is she let her heart lead her and Elizabeth used her mind, not letting any man influence her. A woman ahead of her time to be sure. Sometimes I often wonder what would have happened had Mary been more like Elizabeth in her rule of Scotland. What would have happened if she had listened to her advisers and not married Lord Darnley or even the Earl of Bothwell (who, by the way, I don't think was all that handsome).

When I was younger, I always wanted to go back in time to see history unfolding. I never wanted to change it just to meet the people who were a part of it. I also always thought that H.G. Wells' THE TIME MACHINE was the very first story that involved traveling through time but quite recently found out that there were stories about the ability long before he even coined the term "time machine." Just goes to show that you're never to old to learn new things.

This months pin-up is by Gil Elvgren. One of my favorite artists of the genre. I just love how his ladies always look; sweet with a hint of naughtiness.  I'm not sure where I got this pin-up from and it may not necessarily be for Valentine's Day but it's close enough given the heart shaped back to the chair. And the red color of course. :) I'm also unsure of the date...probably mid to late 50's.  Absolutely love the expression on her face.

Gil Elvgren

Another Boots paper doll for today's date. My favorite of her outfits is the white dress.  I love the flowing lines of it. Not sure I would be walking around in the mountains in heels though. Love the background scenery but if it were me, it would be pants or shorts not a dress and definitely NOT heels. She's just asking for a twisted or sprained ankle!

Feb. 8, 1953

That will be all for now. Til next time....

                                                          ALOHA!