Barrett's Skating Rink--Paris, Texas
This is a picture of Barrett's Skating Rink in Paris, Texas. It is my old stomping grounds!
I met Ford, my husband, there and we spent many hours, not to mention many miles of skating on the smooth floors of that rink.
The skating rink was only about a half mile from my house and Ford would come to my house and then we would walk to the rink.
In the picture are My cousin Earline, my Sister Mary Ruth and my cousin Dorothy.
I spent much of my time at this very building and loved every minute of it. I think the rink is still there but I am not sure if it is being used as a skating rink. If I were not 81 and able to do it I would sure love to skate a few rounds on the floor of that place!
Horseback Riding
Horseback Riding at the zoo in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Once years ago my Mother and my Sister, Sara, who is now deceased, visited my Aunt Lottie in Tulsa, Oklahoma.They all went to the zoo and my Sister and our cousin decided to take horseback rides. They picked the horses they wanted to ride and went for a couple of miles riding.
Sara, my Sister, is on the horse in the rear and our cousin Doris is on the front horse.
Horseback riding is a lot of fun but you do end up with a sore rear if you ride very long!
I once went with a friend for a period of time for horseback riding. I really enjoyed that. It was a range in our city which was not far and we spent about an hour riding each time we went.
My Sister Sara is not with us now but this picture helps keep her memory alive!
Organization
This is how neat my Sister's closet looks!My Sister is so organized that it makes me feel as if I am a total slob!
She has her house, her pictures, her closets, her kitchen cabinets, her drawers, and everything in her house so totally in shape that she can, within five minutes, drag out any picture, newspaper article, obituary or information about our family's birthdays or anything else you might want to know about! I am amazed at how much in order her whole life is!
She has an photo album for pets, one for friends, one for each member of her family, one for pictures of houses and most other things that you have pictures of (I ended this in a preposition I know).
I have been married for 65 years and I still have pictures that are not only not in an album but are not marked as to a date or even the names of the people in the picture!
For years I have planned to organize my pictures, obituaries and newspaper clippings but so far I have not even reached stage one. My house organization is another story!
At this late date I probably won't ever get it accomplished. But I do envy my sister's ability to find whatever she wants in such a short time. I often ask her some question about someone in our family--a birthday, anniversary, or even about past surgeries. Because she definitely will know it!
So if you are young start marking the dates and names on the pictures, newspaper clippings, obituaries and anything else you save. Time has a way of obliterating things from your memory as you grow older.
My Old Reed Street Home
This is my daughter and her friend at our front door on Reed Street
I often dream of my old Reed Street Home. We lived in that home for 25 years. It was the first home we bought and we loved it. We raised our two girls there and actually didn't move away until after they had both left home.
It was kind of a sudden thing for us to move from there. We had just spent a lot of money remodeling the kitchen and had sort of decided that we were there for the rest of our lives.
Then our next door neighbor decided to sell her house and move into an apartment. She was telling us that the real estate man told her that our area was heading towards all black people (That was just his story because that didn't happen. There are some black people there but not all of them are).
Nevertheless, we did start looking around at new houses and we found one we really liked. However, it was sold so we couldn't buy it. The real estate lady said we should go ahead and put our house on the market because it might take a while to sell. Would you believe that the first people who looked at our house made an offer. So we really had to get on the ball to find a house for us to buy. The real estate lady found this house--the one I live in now--which was identical to the one we liked and couldn't buy, so we bought it.
We have lived here now for 31 years and we love this house too. I often wish I could look inside our old house and just see how it looks to me now. I am sure it would look small and very different than it did when we lived there.
I sometimes dream that I am in that house and it seems I am always in it without the owners being there and I am afraid they will catch me in it. I should just go to that house and tell whoever lives there that I was the original owner of that house and I want to look at it again! Do you think they would let me?
Petoskey Stones
A Petoskey Stone & Looking for them at Lake Michigan 
We not only looked for Beach glass but we also hunted for Petoskey stones at Lake Michigan. For the most part, I think that near the city of Petoskey on Lake Michigan is the only place to find the Stones.I have a few stones but they were a little harder to find. They are really pretty as a polished stone. These stones are a fossil type of rock that is the remains of some type of sea creature.
A lot of jewelry is fashioned from the stones such as necklaces, pendants, bracelets and etc. They are also made into little figurines that look like toadstools or mushrooms. I have a petoskey stone toadstool on my shelf.
If you ever are near the northern part of lower Michigan don't fail to visit Petoskey State park, it is a beautiful and fascinating place to see!
Beach Glass from Lake Michigan
We have been to Michigan many times over the years. We have been to Warren Dunes some of the time and the other place that was one of our favorites was Petosky State Park. That is where we found most of the beach glass.
I would wade along the edge of the lake barefoot, and look for the beach glass and also for Petosky stones(Another post about that later). The beach glass is easy to find--especially the brighter colors. I found blue, green, brown and some red. The red is one of the more rare finds.
They are usually small pieces, about an inch or so in size , and they are so smooth and rounded from the time they have been in the lake--maybe for years and years! The constant friction from the water and sand causes them to become very smooth.
The compote in the picture is my total collection of beach glass and that was collected over a period of quite a few years. I display it in my china cabinet. If it is stored where light can hit it, it is a really pretty sight.
Sadly, I do not have the chance to go and hunt for it as I used to. But my beautiful display of it brings back many memories of the best times of our lives when we were able to travel and do all of those fun things!
Ironing Sheets and Pillowcases
My mother, and probably many other mothers used to iron sheets and pillowcases. I can understand ironing pillowcases but ironing any more than just the very top edge of sheets was really unnecessary. I don't think my Mother ironed the whole sheet but just across the top edges to make them look nice while folded and lying on the shelves and when the bed was turned back to sleep on. But I suppose many perfectionists did iron the whole sheet!
This was well before they came out with polyester and permanent press sheets. Now our sheets and pillowcases look as if they are ironed when we take them out of the dryer. I just fold mine and put them away.
I love the flannel sheets on my bed in the winter time. They feel so smooth and soft and they keep you toasty warm. They also look fine folded straight from the dryer.
Many hours were spent on the ironing board by people who wanted their sheets and pillowcases to look perfect on the shelves and beds. I spend my time with other things to do besides slaving over an ironing board!
August 24th 2008--Happy Birthday, Cotton!
Happy birthday, Cotton! I am dedicating this post to you. I appreciate the fact that you are my brother-in-law and that you have been a wonderful husband to my dear sister.
I may not have shown how much I do value you as a brother-in-law but even if I have not shown it. I want you to know that I do value you more than I can ever show or tell you!
For all the years I have had you as a brother-in-law I have never had one thing to complain about. Most of all, I am so glad that Mary Ruth got such a nice husband. I hope you have many more birthdays to celebrate.
So, enjoy the day and remember that you have a sister-in-law who thinks you are the greatest!
Riddle Ma Riddle Ma Re
Aunt Lizzie
Mary Ruth's Corn Bread Stick Pan
Corn Bread Stick Pan
Mary Ruth's corn bread stick pan is long gone forever. Our Mama burned it up!
Mary Ruth had been complaining to our Mother about how ugly and charred her corn bread pan was from baking in it all the time. Mama said, "Well just bring it over here and I will put it in the wood stove and burn all of that gunk off. I do it to my pan all the time."
So Mary Ruth brought her pan over and Mama stuck it in the wood stove, which had a roaring fire going in it. She let it sit for an hour or so and then said, "I think it is ready to come out." So they took the lid off the stove and took a look into the fire which had died down some by then and you could see the ashes. Mama took the poker and raked around in the ashes and all they ever saw was a faint outline in the ashes of Mary Ruth's pan! It was completely gone!
The problem was : Mama's pan was real cast iron and could be burned without a problem. Mary Ruth's was some mixture of metals that was not fire proof as real cast iron was. Mama didn't know about that! So she burned up Mary Ruth's pan. Mama was devastated! And Mary Ruth had to buy a new pan!
I'm losing them!
Why can't someone come up with elastic that will last as long as the material that ladies' underwear is made of? I have a drawer full of perfectly good underwear in which the elastic is completely shot.
I have repaired many of them over the years when elastic was not expensive. It was not a hard job and I got many more months, or even years of wear from them after replacing the elastic. But now elastic has gotten a lot more expensive making it unprofitable to spend the money to do it.
So now, I look for elastic at garage sales and thrift stores to make it reasonably economical to do the repairs.
A lot of people, including my own daughters, just toss out good underwear just because they have lost the elastic in them. With all the new technologies and improvements that have been discovered, or invented, in the past few years you would think that some smart cookie would have thought of this problem and done something to solve it.
In the meantime I am saving my old underwear to repair when that smart cookie shows up!
Bottled Water
Bottled WaterI cannot understand why anyone would buy bottled water except for one or two reasons--if you are traveling and need to have water on the trip then buying bottled water might make sense, or if you have well water and it doesn't taste good then buying bottled water would be an alternative. Otherwise I think you are throwing away money
I have read countless articles about bottled water being just plain old tap water that is bottled and sold as purified or better than your tap water. I have tasted bottled water and I can see no difference in it from tap water that I get from my kitchen sink. In fact some things I have read say it is not even as pure as your tap water.
With costs for living as they now are I fail to see why anyone would would buy what they can get at home, not free, but certainly cheaper than what you buy at the stores!
Even for a trip it would be more economical to fill plastic bottles with your tap water and take them along to drink. The bottles can be frozen and used to help keep your other items cold and then drank as they thaw.
If you don't know what else to spend your money for then I guess bottled water is OK but I will take mine from the tap!
Nickel or Nickle?
Nickel or nickle?I used the word nickle (referring to a coin) some time back in one of my posts. I always use spell check on my writing and nickle passed the test. Just recently I was told by my daughter that I had misspelled nickle. I got out my trusty old dog eared dictionary and checked. According to my dictionary nickle can be spelled nickle or nickel. That explains why my spell checker didn't say it was wrong. However, in my reading of the definition in my dictionary I understand that nickle is used mainly when speaking of the coin and nickel is used when speaking of the metal, nickel. Below is a copy of the following question about nickel. So for any of you who thought my spelling was wrong, I hope this clears it up for you!
Quote: (from Google)Q. I have a question about your entry for the word nickel. I noticed you list an alternate spelling as nickle; could you tell me about that spelling? Is it slang?
A. Of nickle and
nickel, the latter is the original spelling, the usual spelling, and, in the opinions of many people, the only correct spelling. Even so, nickle is common in casual writing and, in fact, not at all rare in edited prose. We have examples from the Boston Herald, Chicago Tribune, and the Reno (Nevada) Gazette-Journal.
Nickle has been used in professional writing from around the country. It's not a regional or slang spelling; it's not limited to one sense of the word, and it's not, as some believe, inherently wrong. That being said, it's probably safer to use nickel because other people might assume nickle is a misspelling.
Unquote.
Mama's Gray Dog
Back years ago, probably about 75, my Mother bought this gray dog. It caught her fancy and she had to have it.
It sat for years and years on a table, shelf or wherever it seemed to fit in whatever house we were living in.
When my daughter was about five or so she was admiring it one day and my Mother said, "Since you like it so much I will give it to you." So since that time my daughter has claimed ownership of that gray dog.
However, my daughter is now 57 and lives in Boise, Idaho and the gray dog is still sitting on a table in my living room. She still claims the dog but she said she will leave it here until I die. So the gray pooch is still in my possession! It is in perfect condition with no chips, cracks or faded spots at all. It is about 7 inches long and 6 inches tall and made of china. It is really cute!
It is a constant reminder of my Mother and her love of that gray dog and the love she had for her grand daughter since she was willing to give up something she liked so well to her.
August 17--My grandma's birthday
My grandma and her brother, Uncle Oliver Bright and My grandma with her daughters
My New Computer
My Canon all in one printer, a Canon MP 210
I just bought a new computer--a Dell. I have no complaints about the computer but it came with just a plain printer and I wanted an all in one printer, which allows me to copy, print, and scan things all on the one device.
Best Buy, which is where I bought the computer, allowed me to substitute a Canon all in one printer for the original printer that came with the computer for the difference in price, which was $20.
I fooled around with the printer for a couple of days and found out that it doesn't print a good picture at all. It is very dim and faded looking. My grandson found that if I go into Microsoft works and print the pictures from there I can get a fair picture. Why should I have to go to Microsoft works to get a good picture?
All that being said I got the message that my color ink cartridge was low on ink. I had printed very few pictures and had the computer for only a couple of days and the ink cartridge was low! Canon must use a cartridge that has a very small amount of ink in it for their new printers. I think they should put a full regular cartridge in their new printers, don't you?
So I spent over $750 for a computer then had to buy a new ink cartridge and spend $16 more for the ink within a few days! Somebody is getting rich!
I will think twice before I buy a canon product again. I will look for an alternate brand of ink to use in it from now on.
You might say why didn't I return the printer to Best Buy. Well you know what that would entail after I had it already hooked up. I had help with the original hookup but if I had returned it and got another I would not have that help. So I am sort of stuck with the Canon Printer. Take notice, CANON people!
Walking Everywhere
Walking to schoolWhen I was a kid we walked anywhere we had to go. We didn't have a car for a lot of my childhood. We did have a model T at one time and my Dad had an old DeSota for a while but mainly we had to walk.I walked about two miles to go to school in whatever kind of weather was going on. I had an umbrella, boots, raincoat and whatever I needed to protect me from the weather. I remember loving the long walk home from school. Walking home was more fun than walking to school. We couldn't dally along on the way to school but going home we could. We picked as many different ways to go as were possible. We lived about two miles from the business district where we shopped at stores. Most of the time we walked but my Mother sometimes rode a taxi or bus when she shopped because she would have packages to carry. My Dad walked at least two miles to his job. Now people think you have to get in a car to go two blocks away! I am guilty of that also. My main concern is not the walking but the time you spend doing it. Our time is so valuable now that we can't afford to waste an hour walking when we can get there in five minutes.I am sure that is why you see so many obese people now. They ride around in a car all the time instead of walking. I don't know the answer to the problem but it would be much better if everyone would do more walking instead of sitting in a car riding!
A Stiff Drink!
My Dad and my Mother
My Dad was not a drinker at all but I do know that he did take a mighty stiff drink one time!
My Mother used to make her starch and store it in the fridge to keep it from getting soured (It would do that if you left it out at room temperature in the summer time).
She had a big jar of starch stored in the fridge. My Dad was looking for a cold drink and he grabbed her jar of starch--he thought it was lemonade--and poured himself a big glass of it. I don't remember if he actually drank more than one swallow, but he drank enough that he knew something was wrong with that lemonade!
My Mother informed him that he was drinking starch! He quickly sat his glass on the counter and rinsed his mouth out. That was the stiffest drink he had ever taken! I wonder if his throat was stiff?
Mrs. Sluder's Sixth Grade Class
Mrs. Sluder's Sixth grade classThis is my sixth grade class. I am the girl on the right end of the front row.
I well remember Mrs. Sluder. She is the lady on the left end of the back row. I have been impressed with her for all of my years since the sixth grade.
She was the only teacher I ever had who said a prayer every morning that we were in school--not an already printed prayer but one she said from her heart. These days teachers are not allowed to do that. Does that tell you why kids are so un- manangeable today? They have no role model for living a good, clean and upright life. A lot of Mrs. Sluder rubbed off onto the kids in her class, whether they realized it or not. I really respect her for her courage to show her class what she thought was right. I truly wish that teachers could do more to encourage their students to be all that they can be and live up to the high standards that Mrs. Sluder displayed in her classroom.
I don't know how Mrs. Sluder was rated as a teacher but as a moral, good person I rated her tops.
My Grandma and Hot Water
My Grandma used to live with us most of my childhood life. One of my main memories of her was seeing her sit by the kitchen stove early in the morning drinking her cup of hot water. I don't know why she thought this but she did; she thought the hot water was good for her. She never ate any breakfast until she had her cup of hot water. I like hot coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate and maybe a few other things hot but I can not stand just drinking hot water!
My Grandmother did not live to a very ripe old age because of stomach problems. So the hot water must have not done what she thought it should. The last few months of her life she could hardly eat anything without a lot of pain in her stomach and she actually died from malnutriton. These days they could have helped her problem I am sure but back then they could do nothing for her.
So, I will not drink hot water at all. I will stick with coffee, tea, hot chocolate or whatever. Maybe I will live to a ripe old age!
Poor Kids!
A small second table just for kids.Years ago, even a little earlier than my time, kids were always fed at a later table than the adults. Some children probably didn't know that chickens had anything except wings, necks, backs, livers and gizzards.I don't know who started that idea but I think it was a horrible one! Even when I was a little kid I remember my mother always letting me eat at the first table. I can remember my grandmother and my mother arguing over that very thing. My grandmother was of the old group who thought kids should be seated at the second table, after all of the adults had eaten but, thankfully, my Mother didn't think that way.
A good alternative to children eating at the first table is to have a small second table just for them. They can still eat at the same time everyone else does without taking space at the big table. That makes sense to me.Any time I have had dinners during my married life, all the kids were taken care of first and seated at the table to eat before the adults. I just think that is the right thing to do. Children come first in my mind when it comes to eating!
Little children do not understand why they have to wait but adults can understand better. Maybe some of the adults do not think that way --but tough--let them wait!
Shaving Mug
This shaving mug is about 75 or 80 years old. It belonged to my Dad. It is carnival glass. I can remember seeing him take the brush and swirl it around in the mug on the bar of shaving soap in the bottom of the mug. The shaving soap was usually a round bar of soap that fit right in the bottom of the mug.
My Dad would put just a little bit of water in on the soap and then take the brush and swirl it on the bar of soap until he got a good lather worked up. Then he would brush the lather on his face until it was all covered. Then he did his shaving.
Many bars of shaving soap were used up in this mug over the years. I can still remember the good smell of the lather when he got it on his face. I doubt if shaving soap is available any more. Men now use electric razors or if they still use lather they use the kind that comes in a spray can.
At any rate this mug has a respected place on one of my shelves and I look at it often and remember my Dad.
Churning Butter
We always had a cow most of the time when I was a kid. My Mother would have pans of milk in the ice box to cool and to let the cream rise on the milk. After the cream came to the top, which might take several hours, she would pour the milk slowly into another pan to collect the cream.
After she had collected a couple of gallons of cream then she would churn it to make the butter. She would push the dasher up and down until the cream turned to butter. She then skimmed the butter out of the milk (it floated on the top) and she used a paddle to remove the rest of the milk out of the butter. Then she put the butter into a butter mold. We had a square one and a round one. The round one had a flower design on the bottom so that when she took the butter out of the mold the flower design was on the top of the butter. The square one was just a pound of butter with no design on it.
We always had butter for all of our baking and for spreading on bread. I liked butter then but now I prefer margarine to butter. I also loved to drink the butter milk after it was chilled.
The churn we had was similar to the one pictured above. It was about a foot and a half tall and 9 or 10 inches around. It took maybe about 10 or 15 minutes of churning to make the cream turn to butter. Your arms would get pretty tired by that time. I liked it for a few minutes and then I would let my Mother take over.
Now all I have to do is open a box of margarine or a carton of milk for our use. I am really glad I don't have to churn the butter!
My First Plane Ride
This is similar to the airplane we rode inSomewhere around 1929 or 1930, I don't remember the exact date, my Mother, my Dad and I were on one of our Sunday afternoon drives, (remember them?) My Dad had driven out to the city airport--if you could call it that, it was so small. Someone had a small airplane and was giving rides to anyone who wanted to pay about $5.00 for them.My Dad talked my Mother into going on the ride and taking me along. I think it was only about a 6 or 8 passenger plane.My Mother really didn't want to do it but my Dad insisted on it. So we got on and took a little spin over the town of Paris, Texas. I barely remember the ride but I do remember looking out the window. That was a giant step for us! We probably could have bought a week's worth of groceries with what my Dad paid for us to ride. I don't know why he didn't go with us, I guess because of the $5.00 it cost to do it.
I never took another plane ride for many more years after that and it was on a big plane. But I can say I had a plane ride long before many other people did at that time. They didn't check our bags or shoes or anything. Times have sure changed!
The Fab Four
Left to Right: Smitty, Louie, Ford and Dutch--the Fab FourI am sure you have heard of the Fab Four--meaning the Beatles. Well, I know of another group that we referred to as the Fab Four. My husband and three of his friends who knew each other in high school and they all grew up in Huntington, Indiana. There was a fifth one but he got killed in WWII. The other four have kept in touch for all of these years until their deaths in the past ten years. We, meaning my husband and me, and all of the other three and their wives have seen each other over the years at Christmas time, vacation times and whenever we could find time. It is unusual for four friends to keep so close in touch and see each other so much over the long period that they did, At least 65 years. One of them moved to Mississippi, one moved to California and the other two stayed in Fort Wayne. Even though they were separated by miles it didn't stop them from keeping in touch and visiting as often as possible.I had lots of girlfriends when I was young but over time I gradually lost track of them and now I never see them or hear anything from them. But nothing kept the Fab Four from seeing and keeping in touch with each other. The last one of the Fab Four to die was my husband. He died in 2000. the first one to die was Louie and he died in the year 1991. All of the wives are also dead except for me and one other, Louie's wife. She now lives in California. We do communicate at Christmas time but that is all.Have you ever heard of such a loyal friendship as that? I hope they are all together in Heaven now playing golf, which they all liked to do.
Mitsy
This picture reminded me of an incident with my Sister's dog, MitsyOnce when we were visiting in Texas at my Sister's house her children and mine were playing together. We adults did not see this but the other kids were telling us later that JD, my Sister's boy, who was about eight years old, was playing with their dog. JD was eating a hot dog and he was sharing it with the dog.He would take a bite and then give the dog a bite. He would say,"A bite for me," and he would take a bite.Then he would say. "A bite for you," and he would let the dog take a bite.Then again he would say, "A bite for me and a bite for you." He continued that until the hot dog was gone. His mother. my Sister, would have fainted to see that but, of course, we didn't see it.Anyway that has been probably 45 years ago and JD is still living. The dog is long gone but she didn't die from sharing food with JD!
Old Time Peanut Butter
These are today's brands of peanut butter.Many years ago peanut butter was very different from the peanut butter of today. Now peanut butter is so creamy and smooth but back then it came with a couple of inches of oil on the top of it in the jar. You had to mix the oil into the rest of the contents before you could eat it. And it was never as creamy as today's peanut butter is.Jiff is my favorite brand. I will eat Peter Pan or Skippy if it is on sale or I have a coupon, but otherwise I always buy Jiff.I remember my Mother taking a big spoon and stirring down into the bottom of the jar to get all of the hardened part up to the top and mixing it and the oil all together. Then If you didn't eat any of it for a few days you had to stir it all up again. Now the peanut butter stays creamy for a long time after you open it. It was also a messy job. Whoever came up with the idea to homogenize--or whatever it is called that makes it creamy--deserves a big pat on the back! Or a big peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Today's price of peanut butter is also a drastic change from the old days. That person who came up with the idea to homogenize is probably a very rich man today--if he is still living!
How's that Hairdo?
My Sister and meWhen I was about 5 years old this picture of my sister and me was made. Notice my big ribbon bow on my hair. That was all the rage then. I had several big wide ribbon bows that my Mother always put on my hair when we went somewhere. I had a color to match most of my dresses. Every so often she would wash them and iron them to keep them looking crisp and new. They were made out of satin, taffeta, velvet and probably other kinds of material. My Mother would make a braid in the top of my hair and then tie the bow onto the braid. That way it stayed on pretty well. I think they look sort of silly now but back then I was very much in style! The only reason my sister didn't have a bow on was because she didn't have enough hair to tie one on. I am sure that as soon as she had hair enough she had a big bow on also!
Margarine in the old days
Until about the late forties or early fifties if you bought a pound of margarine it was pure white. Inside the package was a little packet of yellow food coloring that you had to mix in the margarine to make it the familiar yellow color. It all had to do with the food laws about what could be put into foods. But they were allowed to include the coloring along with the margarine--just not already mixed in. How crazy!
It was quite a chore , not to mention messy, to get the coloring mixed in evenly so that the margarine was all one color without streaks in it. Many times I just used the margarine as it was and didn't bother with the color. It was not as pleasant to eat white spread on your bread instead of yellow. It didn't matter if you used it white to cook with.
I guess people complained so much that soon the law was changed so that the coloring was mixed in before the sale of the margarine . What a nice change! It was nice to see yellow spread when you opened the package. The white margarine made you think you were using shortening!
I think that is why my Mother always had real butter on her table when I was a kid. Also, we usually had a cow so we had our own milk and butter. In later years she didn't have a cow and she did switch to margarine because it was cheaper than butter. It was all a matter of what your eyes tell you about a food when you eat it and the white spread told you it was shortening--not butter!
Handkerchiefs
Such beautiful little pieces of the past! People used to use handkerchiefs all the time. Tissues have taken their place in this day and age.In one way that was good and in another it was sad. If you have ever laundered a dirty handkerchief on a washboard like they did in the old days, you know why it was a good thing that they were replaced by tissues. But if you have ever looked at a beautiful stack of freshly ironed clean handkerchiefs, you know also why it was a sad thing.Each week in the ironing my Mother might have had 25 handkerchiefs to iron. We always carried a fresh handkerchief in our pocket, or purse when we went somewhere. Handkerchiefs were a gift for almost any occasion. I remember that I loved ironing them. They were small and flat so it was easy to get out all of the wrinkles and fold them into a small square to put away in a drawer.These days I carry a small personal package of tissues in my purse and I never have to launder them or iron them. I toss them after I use them-- much handier and more sanitary than handkerchiefs. But I do miss seeing the beautiful lacy handkerchiefs like we used to have. I am sure that they will never come back into use as they once were but maybe someone will come up with an idea to still be able to look at them and enjoy their beauty.
Penny Candy Store
Penny Candy--mostly a memory!
When we used to visit in Texas both of my sisters would come to my Mother's home to see us. All of the grand children--eight of them-- would be together and have a ball playing. Most days they would make a trip to the neighborhood candy store with their nickles and dimes to buy penny candy. It was near my Mother's home and they could walk there without an adult.
They would come home with an odd assortment of candy, gum and other trinkets which had caught their eyes. We used to laugh and say that the candy store man was probably nuts by the time they left his store. Each one wanted the most they could get for their money, and they usually got it. I am sure they changed their minds many times before they settled on an item.
At that time penny candy was the big thing and the kids loved it. You could get bubble gum, BB bats, Tootsie Rolls, lemon drops, lolly pops, Black Cows and many other sweet treats. It was a big decision for all 8 kids and I am sure the candy man was relieved to see them heading out the door!
If those kids were to make a trip to the Candy store today they would have to take more than pennies--maybe dollars--and that would not buy much.
I googled penny candy and I guess there are still places where you can buy penny candy, but nothing like the old time penny candy stores.
It is a shame such fun places are not around for today's kids to enjoy--and drive the owners crazy!
