The Perils of Kewpie

WHEN: September 2009
WHERE: Oakland, Calif.
PHOTO: Lizzie in Calif.
Lizzie writes: "This kewpie doll was in Oakland, obviously in danger. I felt so sorry for it that I picked it up and now it's living on my windowsill with a lot of other toys. A happy ending!"

Every Dog Has Its Day

WHEN: November 2008

WHERE: Friendship, Pittsburgh
I found this 1950s ceramic poodle planter lying in a trash heap in an alley. Cleaned it up, and found it a new forever home.

Inauguration Day Special

WHEN: Jan. 18, 2009
WHERE: Little Falls Park, Bethesda, MD

OK, so it's not quite a toy, but it is the kind of little flag you give a kid to wave. Maybe a kid at one of the Inaugural events. Except this little flag was found 2 days earlier lying in the leaves in a suburban Maryland park. Good enough for Inauguration Day.

UPDATE: I rescued this, and gave a new lease on life. It went to the swearing-in, or at least within a couple miles of it.