Finally, a place for all those little keepsakes

About an hour ago one of my friends delivered a curio cabinet I had bought from him, and I've already filled it up with various things. It's about six feet high and one foot square, with four glass shelves, three of which are adjustable. We put it in the corner of my dining area, and it looks very nice. In addition to things such as the Chinese figurines my parents made, my South American-style ocarina head, the gargoyles, my kaleidoscope, the Bast cat figurines, a tea set from my great-grandmother's, etc., I am excited to finally have a place for my Japanese doll.

When I was a kid and my father came back from Vietnam, he brought a doll and doll case from Japan. It is of a woman arranging flowers. It is beautiful, and that case and doll went with us all over the country, but as it aged, it became more and more fragile. Finally, a few years ago, when the glass was barely fitting together into the wood, one of my cats jumped up on it and one panel broke. The others are intact, but again, very fragile. So I've kept the doll in closet for several years now (the cats are long gone).

So it was with much happiness that I discovered her mat and the doll itself would fit in the case. Her mat kind of blocks the light of the shelves underneath, but I experimented, and I really like it where it is.

I also now have room on the table that divides the living area from the dining one to put books on, which is very good And things aren't willy-nilly on bookshelves.

While I was rearranging, I finally took my pepper plant out to the front porch under my window. Brenda gave it to me about two weeks ago, and it has a lovely purple pepper on it. But it's starting to bloom, and so it needs pollination. I do hope no one runs off with it.