Wordless Wednesday: Sock It To Me - Anthropomorphic Baseball Valentine

Found at Birdhouse Books:  baseball greeting cards

Did You Know Tuesday: Betsy Tacy Meets King Kong

Here's a fun question for you:  what do the Betsy-Tacy books and King Kong have in common?    Answer:  Their authors were married!

The Betsy-Tacy books are a children's series that take three friends (Betsy, Tacy, and Tib) from age 5 into their 20's.  They are set in Minnesota, from the turn of the century to the 1910's.   They were written by Maud Hart Lovelace between 1940 - 1955.

King Kong was written by Delos W. Lovelace in 1933.  He was a reporter for the New York Daily News and New York Sun, and wrote over two dozen books.

Maud Hart Lovelace and Delos Lovelace met and married in 1917.   He was the inspiration for the character Joe in the Betsy-Tacy series.  These books are my favorites;  I have them in print and also on Kindle.  If you haven't read them, they are charming and a lovely read for children and adults alike.  I feel like I am always recommending them.  They are really special to me.

I would love to hear from you in the comments - Betsy-Tacy books, King Kong, children's literature ... Have a great day!

Music Monday - "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs (1963)

I heard this song on the radio this weekend and knew it had to be today's Music Monday selection!   I've always liked this tune - it's fun, and very much belongs to the time when it was recorded.

"Sugar Shack" was a 1963 song by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs.  They hail from New Mexico and started as an instrumental group.  I had never seen a photo of the band, and pictured them as looking like Maynard G. Krebs, the Beatnik character played by Bob Denver on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.  Instead they are a collegiate looking group of young men.   This song was a big hit in 1963 and won a Gold Record Award as Top Song of 1963.  I love a song that tells a story, like "Sugar Shack Does," and it is just fun.  Enjoy!

Weekend Window Shopping at Birdhouse Books

Hi vintage friends!  

This is another new feature at my blog.  I will be posting on Saturdays to give you a peek at what is new at Birdhouse Books.  You can find all the items pictured here in my shops at Etsy and eBay:

Birdhouse Books at Etsy
Birdhouse Books at eBay

On to walk through the shelves and see what's new!

Jack and Janet is a 1963 school reader from the Reading for Meaning series:

Up and Away is also a 1963 school reader from the Reading for Meaning series.  It is meant to be read along with Jack and Janet.

I Read About God's Love is a 1962 vintage Basic Bible reader, Grade One:

This lovely embossed Christmas postcard is from 1911, made by A.S. Meneker.

This pretty, colorful Christmas postard is Arts and Crafts style, and it is Whitney Made.  (It's also one of my favorites this week!)

Who doesn't love an anthropomorphic Valentine?  This baseball theme card says: "Sock it to me, Valentine - be mine."

 This cute, unused vintage Valentine has a Humpty Dumpty theme:  "You make me FALL for you."

The cute Cocker Spaniel on this Valentine says:  "You're TOPS with a capital T - just the Valentine for me!"

A cute little boy in a sombrero peeks out of a multi-color basket on this Valentine card: "No use to hide."

Heidi by Johanna Spyri is a 1952 vintage children's book by Winston Pixie Books.  Hard to find in this hardcover edition!

The Phantom Tollbooth is a vintage children's book by Norman Juster.  This was made into a 1970 movie starring Butch Patrick a/k/a Eddie Munster from The Munsters.

Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There is an undated vintage book by Lewis Carroll.  It's a Junior Deluxe Edition, and quite a charming edition.

I've enjoyed window shopping with you, and hope you enjoyed seeing the vintage goodies, too!

Dear Abby: An Introduction

Dear Friends,

This is my first post at View from the Birdhouse, and I am looking forward to chatting with you weekly here.

My name is Abby, short for Abigail.  I am 5 years old, and our vet says I am a Dachshund-Jack Russell Terrier mix.  I am a very good girl, and I have many opinions.

I am a Texas girl.  I was only a year old when I was found as a stray dog living in a Walmart parking lot.  A good samaritan took me to his friend who volunteered with dachshund rescue.  I stayed with her for some time as a foster dog.  My Momma saw my picture by chance online and fell in love with me.   (This is where the story starts to get good!)   She wanted to adopt me, but I was far from her home.  A volunteer brought me to Georgia in an RV.  I got out of the RV and immediately kissed my Momma.   It was love at first sight.  

Momma had a sweet senior dachshund named Barney Fife.  He adopted me as a baby sister the minute he met me, and we got along beautifully from that moment until he passed away at the age of 17.  I still miss him.  So does Momma.

I am a very good companion and help with finding vintage books to sell, listing them, and joining Momma in activities ranging from reading to weekend naps to watching Downton Abbey.

I love children, cats, and small dogs.  I am friendly with big dogs but they make me a bit nervous because I am little.  I am very scared of thunder, fireworks, and loud noises, and wear a special Thundershirt when I need to calm down.  It works.

I will be posting here on Fridays and would welcome your questions.  I can answer questions about dogs, books, television, movies, music, holidays, naps, anything vintage, food and recipes.  I have lovely manners and can answer etiquette questions. I can give romantic advice!  I do not discuss politics or sports.  I would love to have questions or topics from YOU.  Please leave them in the comments, below.

Till next week,

xxx's from Abby