Please meet Roosevelt, a Midwest of Cannon Falls Teddy Bear

Please meet Roosevelt, a Midwest of Cannon Falls Teddy bear.   He was made for dealers of Midwest of Cannon Falls decorative items, and there were only 100 made.   Each one wears a different outfit.   This one wears an elaborately styled cream shirt.   He was made in Germany in 2002 for the Anniversary of the Teddy Bear.   He has mohair fur and is number 64.   He originally had glass eyes, but one cracked, so I had to replace them.   He is a huge 24 inches tall and weighs almost four pounds!

I bought Roosevelt for a quarter.   You can't beat that.   He had such a lovely face and when you tip him over, he growls.   I have another one of these bears, but you can't go wrong having two!

Roosevelt grew up in Queens, New York.   He would sometimes take the F Train on the LIRR into Manhattan.   He liked to visit Theodore Roosevelt's Birthplace on East 20th Street.   He would stand outside and look up at the doors of the townhouse and pretend he was a member of the family.    He was proud to see his name on the placard outside, even though he is not a relation.   From there, he would make the long trek up to the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, where he would get lost among the stacks of books, and wander over to take a peek at the original Winnie-the-Pooh, who sits behind a pane of glass.   Roosevelt was happy to be free.   He enjoyed perusing the titles on the shelves, especially in the biography section.  One day, a rather stern librarian informed him Teddy Bears aren't issued library cards, so he took his pile of books, settled into a big comfy chair, flipped through the pages and spent the day reading.  Nobody seemed to mind.   He learned a lot about the world there.  

Now that Roosevelt lives with me, he paws through my bookshelves as well, but he notices I don't have that many biographies, mostly books on English history, cats, Teddy bears, and a whole load of fiction.  Recently, he's been watching documentaries on our local Public Broadcasting Station late at night while munching on popcorn.   Of course, Ken Burns' "The Roosevelts" would be his favorite.    He wants me to take him to the bookstore so he can brush up on the latest nonfiction bestsellers, so I've cleared my calendar for next Saturday.  I don't mind.   He can spend all the time he wants becoming my very well-educated bear.