I must admit I have always longed to be a pioneer girl. I can still so easily picture myself with cute little braids spilling out of my calico bonnet while collecting fresh eggs from the hen house...if I just close my eyes tightly enough. Maybe this fascination started after devouring Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder and each of her subsequent books. Certainly, my obsession was reconfirmed when Little House on the Prairie was televised during my girlhood. Especially when after close examination I discovered numerous similarities between myself and the t.v. Laura...we had the same mousy brown hair, sweet little freckles dotting our noses, and even a slight overbite...I was thoroughly convinced I would fit right in with the Ingall's clan. Add to my already overworked imagination the release of Hollie Hobbie, and I was totally hooked. I desperately wished my parents had named me Hollie...with an ie. So, upon discovering this little treasure at an antique show while visiting my home state, all of these memories flooded my brain...and I'm still kicking myself for not bringing her home with me!
