davidd's A DOLL A DAY 2024

[Alliecat]

Poor girl. She looks a little sad, but hopeful that some help might come.
Your Zappa that you didn’t unbox forever? Where’s her outfit?
Ummm… how much?

I can sympathize with the gang in the previous photo, still not having things figured out that should’ve been figured out months ago.

[davidd]

Ummm… how much?

Some sellers on da Bay are only asking $25 for nude Pullips. Not worth selling.

It briefly crossed my mind to send her to live with you, but your Fascist government has apparently decided to crack down on ALL international parcels and assign enormous import duties and fees on everything. I wouldn't want to send you a "gift" you didn't necessarily want and have you saddled with a crap-ton of fees.

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15 April - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Where To Even Begin? Or Why Even Bother?

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Bratz Yasmin thinks maybe this stupid doll hobby has degenerated in to chaotic hoarding.

[Alliecat]

I’ve never seen a nude Pullip for $25 on eBay. Probably because those sellers are not shipping to Canada and so I don’t see their listings. I’ve actually only had to pay duty/tax on one gift item because someone spent way too much and put the value on the package. With the volume of stuff being shipped they can’t track everything. Even Jake and Sofia came through with no tax. I find the import tax comes more often on shipments from from eBay and Amazon than from Canada Post itself or “da gubbermint”.

Are there any flea markets near you? Maybe you could pack up a bunch of doll stuff and go to something like that. Housesit people suggested this to me when we were talking about clutter, but I had to ex-plain that by the time I pay for ferry, gas, & accommodation to go to a mainland market, I am in the hole.

[davidd]

Are there any flea markets near you? Maybe you could pack up a bunch of doll stuff and go to something like that. Housesit people suggested this to me when we were talking about clutter, but I had to ex-plain that by the time I pay for ferry, gas, & accommodation to go to a mainland market, I am in the hole.

A couple times a year there's a "Main Street Garage Sale" in the nearby town. That might be an option. Like with you, participating would largely be an exercise in labor resulting in a loss after eenses.

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16 April - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Janie and Triv adjust the wooden support poles prior to installing a canvas tipi tent cover

[davidd]

17 April - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Triv and Janie hoist the heavy canvas tipi tent cover in to position

[Alliecat]

Didn’t they do all this work last year? I suppose you have to disassemble them for the winter?
The perspective and posing on these is always so good.

[davidd]

Didn’t they do all this work last year? I suppose you have to disassemble them for the winter?

Twice a year: set them up in the spring, take them down in the late autumn.  Usually I leave one up, but the weather does a number on the canvas, so I thought taking them down might coax another season out of the covers. I don't know if it makes any difference, but it's a lot of work.

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18 April - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Big Project... Relatively Speaking

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The heavy lifting is done, but there's a long way to go yet.

Setting up the interior liner and floor liner takes a long time.

18 April - A Doll A Day 2024

[Alliecat]

It probably helps a little to get things out of the weather for the winter. I take the plastic upper netting off my veggie garden for a little less wear and tear, as well as bringing in bean and pea poles.
Hope you get enough guests to make it all worthwhile.

[fishy]

I'm ashamed that you know how to put up a tipi and I don't lol

Looks great!!

[davidd]

I'm ashamed that you know how to put up a tipi and I don't lol

1. Step 1: Get a couple of Smart Dolls to help. (Alternatively: four or five Phicens.)

2. Step 2: Purchase a ridiculously ekspensive tipi kit from an upscale yuppie company formerly called Colorado Yurt Company which has now changed its name to Secret Creek and which has re-branded their tipi division as Earthworks Tipis: https://coloradoyurt.com/tipis/

3. Step 3: Follow the instructions.

For me, the single most challenging step is figuring out how to tie three poles together using a clove hitch knot. The rest is just heavy lifting and tedious tying.

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19 April - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Mini Minion

[Alliecat]

Our internet is such crap at the moment again that I couldn’t even watch a TV episode last night, and that image-heavy tipi website mostly didn’t want to load for me, but I did see a few pictures in their gallery. Is one of them yours? It looks like your background scenery. You should send them a photo of your crew assembling their product.

[davidd]

Our internet is such crap at the moment again that I couldn’t even watch a TV episode last night, and that image-heavy tipi website mostly didn’t want to load for me, but I did see a few pictures in their gallery. Is one of them yours? It looks like your background scenery. You should send them a photo of your crew assembling their product.

The tipi that looks like mine is the neighbor's site on the adjoining lot. I helped construct the decks and assemble the tipi. The tipi company solicited customer photos a couple of years ago. I submitted a few, but apparently my site is not worthy of being featured. I don't have a private effing island or raised platforms surrounded by trees next to a creek or a hundred acres of idealized luxury glamping wilderness.

And my Internet connection suXX0rz as well, so yeah, that fancy website with all the smoothly scrolling images doesn't scroll or transition very smoothly, and watching TV online isn't a viable option. I'm thinking about Starlink, but it's so windy here I don't know if it would work.

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20 April - A Doll A Day 2024:

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"Are we done now?"

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Mostly done... until they remember something they forgot, or until something breaks.

[Alliecat]

I hope they get to relax.
I imagine it would have to be pretty warm for folks to stay in these?

[davidd]

I imagine it would have to be pretty warm for folks to stay in these?

Yeah. First guest of the season booked three nights and cancelled the rest after the first one.  

The online description includes:


Keep in mind: A TIPI IS A CANVAS TENT!

NO HEAT! NO AIR CONDITIONING! NO REFRIGERATOR! NO STOVE! NO WI-FI!

THE DOOR DOES NOT LOCK - IT IS A CANVAS FLAP, THAT'S ALL!

Staying in a tipi is similar to tent camping. The tipi is pitched on a raised wooden deck and features a canvas floor and a canvas door, but insects and other small creatures may occasionally find their way inside. If this happens, chase them out with a broom (provided). The door is a canvas flap; it is not a solid door and it does not lock.

Nights can be chilly (or cold). While sleeping bags and blankets are provided, it is recommended that guests bring their own sleeping bags or blankets.

The wind can make spooky noises at night. The tipi poles and canvas make creaking sounds. Coyotes may occasionally be heard in the distance. There are NO bears or mountain lions or other dangerous large mammals in the area.

Tipis are open at the top. During heavy rainstorms, some water may drip inside. Most of the interior, including the sleeping cots, is covered by a canvas "ceiling" called an ozan. The ozan does not protect the entire interior space. Be aware of this if rain is in the forecast.

IMPORTANT: restroom facilities consist of a porta-potty style outhouse. The outhouse is rinsed down with cleanser between guests and is pumped out approximately once per week, but please be aware: IT IS AN OUTHOUSE, not a flush toilet with running water.


As one online friend noted: "Dave, it sounds like you're actively discouraging people from staying there!" And yes, I pretty much am. But y'know what? PEOPLE DON'T READ! On eBay, on AirBnB, or anywhere online, it doesn't matter. They look at the pictures and click... and then complain later. Apps... which are becoming ever more prevalent... are even worse than online descriptions because apps tend to hide the pertinent details.

It's a good thing Artificial Intelligence is here, because Human Intelligence has largely disappeared. If only somebody could develop Artificial Competence to compensate for the lack of Human Competence.

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21 April - A Doll A Day 2024:

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Among the Purple Iris

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Weekender Sindy (Kid Kreations version, aka kkSindy) looks for a picnic spot among the first iris flowers of the spring season.

Is spring really here? Sindy appears skeptical. I share her skepticism.

Fun Fact: an acceptable plural form of iris is irides!

21 April - A Doll A Day 2024

[Alliecat]

Oooh, how pretty! And they're so tiny! Are they very fragrant? A nice colourful shot.
I was thinking as I read through your description, "LOL, you ex-pect people to read all that?" and then you noted that -- no, people do not read. They barely read basic one-line signs, let alone fine print on anything. I like to think I read all descriptions of things thoroughly, so I'm always really embarrassed when it turns out I haven't spotted something I should have. I do find that it's much harder to find details on a little phone screen.
It's good to let people know exactly what they're getting. It does sound from the reviews though (yes I looked) that almost all of your guests enjoyed their stay and knew it was camping.