Everyone collects something, don't they? I started out years ago thinking that I wanted to collect teapots. The ones that I had were _boring_ ! What good is a teapot unless it's on the stove doing what it's supposed to do? Not much good, I assure you!

Bears can look very, very chic in clothes!

I went in search of antiques one day, as I often did, in a combination antiques/used items store. Lo and behold sitting on a shelf, very prominently seated, was a ballerina bear! She was rather large, and sewn out of old and discarded coats. She was dressed all ready for the Bolshoi in an ivory tutu and dancing slippers, and a matching pale rose on a ribbon around her head. Darling! Oh, and she had pointed_toes (with great extension, I might add!). I had to own this prize!

A happy bunch of bears!

Ahem....this was a hand-made bear, so it was more than I wanted to spend at the time. But there was a catch....sitting next to this little girl's dream of a bear was a "brother" bear! He was a cowboy complete with western shirt, hat, and genuine imitation leather boots! Oh no! I had to have the pair! It was just as we used to imagine in kindergarten....all little girls wanted to grow up to be ballerinas or nurses, and little boys wanted to be firemen or cowboys. I had a matched set! How could I pass this up?

I left the perfect pair there on the store shelf with a heavy heart. I hoped that they would still be there when I had saved sufficient money to buy them both. I waited several weeks, and gave in! I bought the little cowboy first.....I thought he was too cute in his round-up gear. Then I hoped no one else would buy the ballerina till _I_ could get there to add her to my new-born collection! (Is one bear a collection yet? I have to think about that one.)

Look! He's pointing to the collection of teddybears in my china hutch!

When I finally bought my ballerina bear, I was unstoppable! Outta my way! Boyd's Bears, here I come! Hermann bears, oh my....way, way too expensive, although I admit to owning one! Same goes for Steiff.....I have to eat and pay rent, you know!

Awww....she's not a real Teddy, but she's adorable, isn't she?

It's been only about 9 years now since I bought my original bears, but through the kindness of my Mom's and my sister's gifts, I now have about 35 bears, I think! They're mostly in my china hutch, unfortunately, for lack of space. I have no sofa to sprawl them out on as I used to in my previous apartment (big), but I have a few of them in my bedroom, and a few in strategic places of honor in my livingroom. The majority are lovingly displayed in my hutch. The bigger bears let the little ones sit in front of them, and it's a nice mixed community of colors and furs and mohair and naked bears and clothed bears! They don't make a fuss at all......they'd better not! A well-behaved bear is grand to have around the house!

(March 15, 2000) My latest additions to my bear collection are 5 miniatures...and I'm talkin' really small! They are approximately 2 inches high and each has it's own clothing! One of them even is holding a _smaller_ bear that has it's own hand-sewn nose!

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