Cast of Characters

I share my home with a number of dolls, stuffed animals, and miscellaneous plastic figures. All of them are interesting characters, to say the least. Here are a few of the guys and gals who are an endless source of amusement for me... and bemusement for the rest of the world.

I rescued Pickle the ostrich from my local Goodwill. He's a simple bird, to put it nicely. Once I asked him, who's my ostrich? And he looked around, genuinely curious. Luckily, what he lacks in brains, he makes up for in cuteness and a sweet disposition.

Another Goodwill rescue, Peanut is Pickle's twin brother. He is easily distinguishable due to the black mark near his eye and the rainbow ribbon he wears as a bow-tie. He's just as sweet and cuddly as his brother, and possibly as simple... because he is convinced he's a duck. He quacks and insists on bread crumbs for dinner.

Domingo Flamingo, formerly a resident of the Savers in Crystal Lake (or as he calls it, the orphanage) is the most clever of the three. He speaks in an accent that I can only describe as flamingo and is constantly perplexed by the inconsistencies of the human world.

(Why do they call the show Castle if there are no castles? Why don't they call it Cops and Writers? And don't get him started on House!)

He's a bit neurotic, but he makes up for this with charm, charm, and more charm. He's the first to greet new Barbies when they show up and is always up for a snuggle on the couch.

Booby -- yes, that's really his name -- comes from the Idea Store and is the best 5 cents I've ever spent. He is a small plastic ostrich who lives in a coconut shell on our bookshelf -- although if he had his way, we would live on the shelf, and he would have the run of the place.

His hobbies include trying to steal Uncle John's food, getting caught, and throwing stomping tantrums when he doesn't get his way. He tried to teach the fine art of tantrums to Pickle, who didn't quite catch on. In minutes, the mentorship was dissolved. Booby calls me Ma because he knows it irritates me, but when nobody's looking, he is not above a snuggle. He also loves decorating his coconut for the holidays.

Booby wants you to know that he has a Wish List, and that this involves a fully functional kitchen, an army of penguin butlers, a swimming pool, and his own tiny Porsche. I want you to know that in spite of what he may say, you do not have to send him these things, no matter how hard he stomps.