Horsies!

 I found another good example of how using things meant for 18 inch dolls sometimes works better than using the things meant for my dolls' actual size (12 inch/Barbie/1:6).  I've mentioned this before, most recently in my review of the Hogwarts Express playset. 

Image from Internet.

According to this and my clumsy math, a regular Barbie-scale horse is technically a pony. 

The average (using measurements on Angus and Khan) height of a Barbie horse, to scale, is only 12 hands.  I don't take issue with my dolls having ponies instead of horses.  It's just an interesting point.

Both Angus (hairy feet) and Khan (funny tail) are based on real horse breeds.  Angus should be 17 to 19 hands.  Gage should have of trouble looking over his spine! Khan is smaller, about 14 hands, but his spine still should be chest high on Gage.  Remember, I'm using my own math skills here, so estimates and bad calculation are both possible.

Bullet: thanks for giving up your spot for me.

Khan: Jeanie made me.

Like Khan before him, Bullet jumped into my hands at a local flea market.  He fit all my criteria for a doll horse: reasonably realistic eyes and a dynamic pose. He is a horse, not a pony, on my scale.  Roughly fifteen hands.

Bullet was heftier even before I noticed his long legs.  Turns out, he is a Our Generation horse.  Our Generation are 18 inch dolls similar to American Girl dolls. Thus this blog post.

Some of you may remember I had a few more horses.  All but Angus went in the post-soap-opera purge, for various reasons.  One of them wasn't walking or anything, just standing there, and originally had human looking eyes that I tried to fix.  Most of them were too small to be anything but babies.

When I found Khan a few weeks  ago, he had some kind of wiggly stirrup thing that was meant for the doll to (I assume) stand while riding.  It stuck out of his belly and was purple to match his saddle and bridle.  I sawed most of it off and used black nail polish to hide the rest.

Bullet needed a scrubbing and a brushing.  My friend suggested naming him Silver Bullet.  Once cleaned up, he isn't as silver as we thought, so he's just Bullet.  

Angus fits nicely in the horse trailer.

Khan also fits nicely in the horse trailer.  He is skinny enough to share the space, but neither of his buddies are!  

Bullet looks like he can step over with just a little effort.  While we're at it, let's try on the tack! 

 Khan's saddle and bridle almost fit Bullet.

Pink set does not even come close.

Pink saddle number two almost fits.

 

Angus's saddle has been repaired with elastic so I didn't even try to wiggle it over Bullet's big ole hips.  Ignore the water.  He forgot to stand on his head for proper drainage after his bath.

Not sure where this came from, but it will fit with a bit of effort.  Most of my barn stuff came from thrift store assortment bags and I think this was in one of them.  

Too small.

Khan can wear it.  Almost.

Angus is not amused. 

 

Angus can share this one with Bullet.  Khan prefers his purple halter with the gold reins. 

My other barn stuff, usually stored in either the horse trailer or the sleigh.  The lanterns and signs were Christmas tree ornaments.  The buckets were probably in the previously mentioned assortment bags.  I did get a rooster once but he had a speaker and the speaker holes looked like violence had occurred.

Everything together to be put away.  Eventually.  My excuse this time?  Gotta let Bullet stand on his head for a while and drain that bathwater.  That fashionista bag used to hold the tack... but now I have too much tack... 

 

The End

 Federal Agent Carol Danvers meets with Maisie Barnes. 

Carol:  Are you going to deny any of this?  Your family, their possible ties to organized crime?  I know the incident at the dam is not related to any of this, but I find it alarming that you've moved into town and cozied up to the mayor. 

Maisie:  I have nothing to do with my birth family.  I don't even know how my mother keeps getting my phone number to harass me every time she gets in trouble.  I suspect she was involved with the fire back in the day, but beyond that I know nothing about that place or those people.  And as for cozying up to the mayor, I've known Rose-Grace since I was a kid.  I'm only here because I promised Dionne I'd help with Helena House and I'll be gone as soon as my husband is stationed stateside.  You don't need to worry about me.  

Carol:  Just know you're cleared on this dam business, but I'm going to be watching you.

*****  

After Maisie leaves, Carol meets with a motley crew.  

Hank:  I don't believe we've met.  I'm Hank Higgins, realtor.

Gage: I'm a private investigator.  I hope this meeting has something to do with my job because I just keep hitting dead ends.  

Gage:  Good afternoon, Mrs. Smith.  I hope your presence means Agent Danvers is going to help me find your father.  

Pocahontas:  I wish you'd just leave that deadbeat lost.  We're all better off without him.

Hank:  What is she doing here?  All this time, you've been riding me to avoid her, and now you call us into the same meeting?  

  

Gage:  Why would she tell you that?  Why are you answering to a federal agent about anything?

Pocahontas: You had no problem not-avoiding me when you sold me and John our house.  

Carol: Cash Nedakh entered the Witness Protection Program.  As part of the deal, he insisted on being put in Barbieville.  You remember receiving flowers at your office for a while?  It was him, unaware that your mother had passed away.  He hoped to reunite with her.

Pocahontas: After leaving us for damn near twenty years?  Not a chance.  Me and Nakoma both would've fought that idea.  We saw what she went through after he took anything that wasn't nailed down.  (She realizes.)  Wait a minute... are you saying what I think you're saying?

Carol:  Hank Higgins is Cash Nedakh.  Not for much longer, though.  Turns out the dam was sabotaged by the very people we were hiding him from.  (To Hank)  You're being moved.  

Hank: You can't do that.  You need my testimony for -- 

Pocahontas:  (Redacted for language.  This is a PG13 blog.)  

Carol:  Losing your testimony might hurt the case, but you have proven such a liability that the program is ready to drop you.  This is your last chance.  (She turns to the PI)  Unfortunately, your client is one of the people we're hiding him from.  They followed you here. 

Gage:  Oops?

Once she's seen Pocahontas and Gage out, Carol fills Hank in on his new life.  A life far from Barbieville.

Hank:  It's just as well.  There's nothing here for me, with Kida gone. 

This concludes my "soap opera".  Maisie (and Charlotte Jackson) will continue their own stories at Our Toy Story on Facebook.  Maisie in "The Sons" and Charlotte in "Nearly Famous".  

Please see my previous post titled Changing Things Up.  I've already begun reorganizing and rearranging my doll area, which I'll continue to refer to as Barbieville even though that show's been cancelled.  Stay tuned!

Questions Asked

 The Private Investigator meets with Albus and Pern in her apartment.  He's trying to gather information on Cash Nedakh, the long absent father of Pocahontas, Nakoma, and Anakin Smith. 

Albus:  Sad to say, I was the one who introduced him to Kida. I tried to warn her that he was no good, but she wouldn't believe me until it was too late.  I saw him play his game in towns all across the country when we were working as carnies.  

PI: Kida had bought out the carnival, correct?  This was the start of the amusement park that stands today?

Albus: Yes, and she offered us both jobs.  Cash realized she was not only wealthy, but Indian.. sorry, Native American.  He zeroed in on her like I did enemy camps back in the war.   He had a real thing for "squaws" - his word, not mine.  

Pern:  My story's pretty much the same as Kida's.  He never married me, though.  I guess you needed a bankroll to get the ring. When I first met the girls, I was shocked that he'd not only married their mother, but stuck around for ten years.  He skipped out on me five minutes after I told him I was pregnant. 

PI:  You have not seen or heard from him since?  Neither of you? 

Albus: I'm a pacifist, but if I saw him again, I'd probably be in prison right now.  He broke Kida's heart and deserted two children. Weird thing is, he didn't empty the bank accounts on his way out of town.  

****

Across town, Federal agent Carol pays a call to the police chief.   

Carol: There's a detective sniffing around for Cash Nedakh.  

Lynch: I heard a rumor to that effect.  He could have been hired by another scorned mother.  Anakin already came out of the wood work and I really wouldn't be surprised if there are more out there. 

Carol: Or he could be working for the people he went into Witness Protection to avoid.  We allowed him to come here only because he refused to help in the case unless we did, and it's a major investigation.  

Lynch:  I suppose the people on your end are trying to find out who his client is? 

Carol: We are.  But I need you to keep and eye on this detective.  He's already spoken to the Smith sisters and he's got interviews set up all over town. 

*****

At Helena House, renovation work has paused while the County Oversight Committee investigates.

Lex:  Let me get this straight.  You, Dionne, are the mayor's niece.  What are your qualifications for this position?

Dionne: I'll be happy to give you a detailed resume.  Most women with my background would laugh at the idea of doing this for the agreed wages, but this has been a pet project of mine and Rose-Grace's since I was in high school.  

Maisie:  I was in and out of foster homes all my life.  Dionne talked to her aunt about the problems I was having, hoping to help me since at the time Rose-Grace was working with Children's Services. They bonded over a desire to reshape the foster care system. 

Lex:  You're a law student, correct? 

Maisie: I'll give you a copy of my resume, as well.  I'm here more as advisor than anything else.  

Zenobia: And everything is above-board with my donation of the house.  I made certain of that because I don't want to give my father a leg to stand on when he comes after me for squandering his money.  I asked Mrs. Pike if the town could use the manor for something and she accepted my offer.

*****

Later that evening, Mace sits down with the investigator.

Mace: Rosie was a teenager when she worked for Kida Nedakh.  She joined the military after graduating, to get the college fund, so she wasn't here in town when Cash vanished.  Took leave as soon as she could, though.

PI: Kida considered Rose-Grace her best friend, even though there was a sizable age difference.  

Mace:  Rosie felt the same way.  Kida was matron of honor at both Rosie's weddings, but she died before the little twins were born.  

PI: Did either you or your daughter know him well? 

Mace: No.  We traveled in different circles, as they say, and he gave Rosie the creeps. She avoided him unless Kida was in the same... 

Suddenly the entire house shakes.  They can hear glass breaking and the cries of frightened children.

******

Breaking news: The small town of Barbieville, on the south shore of Muneca Lake, was hit by an earthquake.  The upstream dam gave way and flooded the low-lying areas of town.  Rescue efforts are underway.  

(Flood photos from the Internet.)