Raggedy Ann

I have an item on my sidebar which displays random pictures, a different one every few seconds.  I was struck when this one popped up, not, as you might expect, by the charming then-two-year-old Nora.  It was the cleanliness of the handmade Raggedy Ann doll that caught my attention.  She is still around, still sweet, has survived several surgeries, and she doesn't look quite like this.  She looks more loved than pristine.

In September, when this picture was taken, Nora loved her Raggedy Ann.  Not so when Nora opened the package the previous Christmas.  She was horrified and threw the doll across the room.  Maybe the big eyes?  Or the clown-like appearance?  When it was his turn, Aaron loved his Raggedy Andy from the get-go, maybe because he'd seen it all before.