When I was fifteen, my father and I started working on a dollhouse together. The kit we started from was quite basic, but he added siding and crafted a chimney, fireplace, and staircase, while I constructed furniture from Chrysnbon kits. But, I went to college, then graduate school, got married, and started a family and a career. He founded and ran a company. The dollhouse was left unfinished for thirty-five years. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, my father started working on it again, meticulously cutting, placing and gluing hundreds of shingles onto the roof. In 2022, we finished the porches, balcony, bay window, and trim. All of the furniture and accessories were unboxed and placed inside. It has given me such joy, in the making and in the having. It will always represent my father’s love. I will remember the fun we had in crafting it. It will always be my happy place.
Sarah B. Mohler 