Well, Good bye Dolly

Upon opening my paper on Saturday I saw the obits. And to my surprise, was a woman who I was acquainted with. Meaning I didn’t know her well, yet I knew the face in the picture right away. Dolly, as she is called by friends… and she said I was a friend. I earn that right, by being at her stand in the summer time at the Sagle Flea Market very often. She was the lady who had the chimes, and they would ring at her stand… that is what drew me there. Over the years I bought a few of them.. Always drooling over the really big one with the deep tones… Then Dolly started with windmills of all sorts of shapes,and she had my full attention. Birds, tractors, airplanes (I was there 4 weekends in a row drooling over the airplane and saved up to get it. I don’t know who was happier, me or Dolly when I finally had enough to buy one of the big planes. A WWI type bomber. I have many of Dolly’s windmills. So thru these visits I got to know that she knew my husband, my friend’s son, and even her ex-.. and a few others of the Vay area where I use to live. She was kind of a character, could have rough edges, if someone was fooling around her things. But a heart of gold to help anyone who came to see what she had. Even to the point of find a box or card board to wrap a windmill, so some of my visitors from California could take it home with out damaging it. She did it with such care. Her’s ran about $20 less than other places. Dolly is the kind of woman I really admire. The ones who did things that were not as cool for women to do at the time when they were younger… Wishing I had the guts. I had the desire but not the guts to go out and do like they did. Dolly was a roller derby gal, a member of the L.A. Thunderbird, she did so many things. At 21, she managed a 10 story retirement home in Long Beach, she was an real estate agent. Sadly lost 3 husbands to cancer each time. Turns out she and I are the same age. She packed so much more into hers… and I surely will miss her.. The Sagle Flea Market just won’t be the same.