3 posts tagged “hobo”
So, I've been meaning to come back here and tell you all the story of how I ended up with the Hobo doll. I had every intention of coming back the night I posted the picture. Then I just kinda got busy and just didn't feel like it.
While looking for a title for this post, I happened upon Wikipedia's entry for Hoboes. Who knew there was so much to learn about hoboes? They have their own lingo, their own code, and even have a convention every year. Seriously, I thought hoboes went out with the Great Depression.
Anyway, when I was a little girl, we would go on vacation to Ocean City, MD. My Mom-Mom and Pop lived there, working on the boardwalk during the summer. One of my earliest memories of those childhood vacations was the room I had to sleep in. It was a basic guest room, nothing fancy. Bed in one corner, maybe a small desk or dresser. In the corner opposite the bed was a wardrobe. On top of that wardrobe was a cute pair of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls (that now reside with Nicole). Sitting up there with them, was the Hobo doll. Oh how he scared me. I can still see the image of his face grinning at me in the dark room. I hated that doll.
The Hobo moved with Mom-Mom wherever she went. She loved him for some reason. Maybe it was because she lived through the Great Depression. Maybe it was because she had once gone to the Hippodrome to see Red Skelton (who did a Hobo impression). I don't know. Even as an adult, it frightened me.
When Mom-Mom died about a year and a half ago, we had to go to her apartment to clean it out. It was hard and heartbreaking. I didn't want to be divvying her stuff up. I wanted her to still be alive. The lung cancer has taken her so quickly. It didn't seem possible that she was gone.
My mom was giving most of Mom-Mom's clown collection away to other people in the senior citizen apartment building she had lived in. The Hobo was in that box. As much as he had scared me, I just couldn't let him go to just anyone. So he became mine.
Sure he's scary at first glance. When I look at him, he doesn't scare me anymore. I remember Summers at the Ocean with my grandparents. I remember picking up my Grandmother at her apartment after she moved back to Baltimore for grocery shopping and lunch. She loved him and now I love him too.
*#15 in the Hobo Code
If you look down at my photos, you will see that the original picture isn't blurry. It's a picture of my favorite quilt that Steve and I snuggle under every night while curled up on the couch watching tv. I made it 940x200 pixels, just like Vox said to, but it comes up looking like that. Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?
Oh, and the hobo, well, when he arrives at your house, you have to make him your banner dear sister. And trust me, he's coming......
I survived. I'm about to go to bed. One good thing about Steve being away is that I get to watch all the gross medical shows on Discovery Health and TLC. He hates that kind of stuff. Tonight's shows were "I eat 33,000 calories a day" and one about Primordial Dwarfism. The first show also helped keep me from eating the entire bag of yogurt covered pretzels and the two bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips that I forgot I had bought for all that Christmas baking I was going to do. I'm such an underachiever. Heh.
The kids spent most of the day also watching TLC, conjoined twins, families of 14 or more kids, you know, the usual. I figure it was educational too, right? Better than vegging out in front of the Disney Channel. I can only watch the same episode of "The Suite Life with Zac and Cody" five times. After that my head will explode. Luckily, Kristen is sending duct tape, just in case I accidentally watch one this week.
Tomorrow, I will tackle Steve's job for me this week. Sorting through our junk to sell on eBay and taking pictures of it. He seems to think we have some decent junk to sell. Considering my addiction to the clearance section of Target, some extra cash couldn't hurt around here.
Goodnight all. Perhaps tomorrow, I'll explain the hobo. Or I'll just keep you all guessing.
