Summing it Up...

Now, that I'm way on the wrong side of sixty, I feel that being true to self is important. "I yam, what I yam." Kindness and smiles are to be given away. Women are strong. Men are more vulnerable than we believe. Husbands may come and go...but one thing I know for sure is that I will NEVAH live without a corgi or coffee in my life if I can prevent it. Come piles of dog fur or hot water!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Girl's Roadtrip to North Carolina!


It's officially Autumn, and Mom and I are heading towards Chapel Hill for a (daughter, grandaughter, great grandaughter fix!)
Cast of Characters:

This is who we are going to see...


My Mom, 91, is brave enough to make the trip with us.





I'm the coffee drinker, and crabby driver.



Addie has floor clean up detail under Em's high chair as her duty.



Until our return folks,

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Andrew Carnegie had the right idea!


You know...public libraries are just the best bargain in town!
It seems, that in some form, libraries have always been a part of history. Even the Romans had a dry place for scrolls to be kept when people went to the baths, and wanted a place to read, and reflect on daily life as they knew it.
Sure, we pay taxes to support them; but what we get in return is invaluable. Kids learn that they don't need to be entertained constantly, and that a good book, makes a good friend.
My brothers and I grew up going every Saturday night with our Dad. My kids, went several times a week, to feed their fervor for books and reading. Books light a fire in kids and adults alike.
My happiest employment years were spent working in our local library...my daughter worked there too before heading to college. Our family has always been addicted to books. My Mom is 91, and I do believe that she has read most of the fiction in her small town library!
Josh and I have been going to card-making/scrapbook classes most of the summer once or twice a month. For two bucks, we learn something new, and take home, something handcrafted to send off to family and friends. Libraries are truly the hub of a community, and serve us all in so many ways.
Thank God for these blocky buildings in the center of town, full of books, movies, music, and more. Please utilize these national treasures, financed by Andrew Carnegie in the early 1900's. What a guy, huh?

Monday, September 22, 2008

Jim in the Spotlight...






Jim called tonight with the news that he is one of the recipients for the Illinois Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Awards; given by the Department of Natural Resources. He received a nice pin from Dan, the Park Superintendent today. Believe me, the boy has earned it this year! He lovingly puts in 10 to 12 hour days as a park volunteer. He grew up camping as a boy at White Pines Forest State Park, near Oregon/Polo/Mt. Morris, Illinois, and about ten miles away from Dixon; Ronnie Reagan's boyhood town. Jim loves the park so much, and has worked the past three summers there as Camp-Host. This year he is... in essence, the ambassador, spreading good will through the camp-sites. He also takes great pride in keeping the park spotlessly clean for the picnic folks, and campers. He is the information dude at the permit station on weekends. He works as a team player with the rangers, and has gained their respect over the years. Campers love him, and a little girl who is a regular, always sprinkles him with "pixie dust."
Congratulations Jim...you very much deserve this recognition! The corgi kids, and your Mrs. are very proud of you!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Women of the '50's...fluff or ironmaiden?


It's Vintage Thursdays with the Apron Queen,
and this will be my last post concerning the 1950's. I think about the women of that era all the time. My mom was one; she's now 91, and still fit and fiddle. So, in honor of all that...I'm going to review their history; from my point of view.
Following WWII, women went back into the homes, losing their wartime jobs to the men, returning from service. 97% of all marriageable people at this time, were in fact, married. The women of this era were the mothers of the baby boom.

Home and hearth were very important. Women were expected to stay at home and raise their family, and somehow, get all their needed fulfillment from that. The Stepford Standard was alive and well. They weren't expected to be informed, and stress over national and world issues. They were expected to focus on family life.

The suburbs developed in the '50s. The sense of neighborhood in the 'burbs allowed children to run and play all day safely. Men went to work, in the family car, leaving the wife and kids at home until the end of his workday. Avon and Tupperware parties, became popular at this time, as a way for women to gather together and feel less isolated as neighbors gathered over coffee.
Women were wearing both seamed and unseamed hosiery. Neck scarves, hats, dress gloves, girdles, pointy-toed high heels, pleated skirts, pointy perky breasts and tiny waists were "IN." Can you imagine wearing one of those cone bras today? Yikes!>a
Everybody did Lilt or Bobbi perms at home, using bobbi pins. Easy to make dress patterns by McCall's were popular, as the number of new fabrics coming out, made fashion easy at home. Consumerism grew due to the 50's woman. Advertising directed at women encouraged shopping.
Betty Friedan described the suburban home as "a comfortable concentration camp." She began writings on the subject around 1953, which led to a whole hog women's movement in the '60s. Maybe, women began to rebell, getting tired of being good, sweet and pretty. Maybe Sylvia Plath, a jeans wearing, chain smoking poet of the time, chucked it in too soon. I think women of this era had backbone, but conformed to the times. I think they got things done in their own way, without stirring the nest too much.
I think they swallowed their opinions a lot, but probably had some terrific conversations among the girls. What do you think?

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

A VINTAGE Year....1951


Ahhh...1951....fifty-seven years ago to be exact. Life was simple. Things and people from '51 would be considered "vintage," right? I'm joining the Apron Queen again by making a vintage post. Click on her name to see more Vintage Thingies Thursday items. The Queen of England was a young chick back in 1951! The film, Streetcar Named Desire premiered. The first color TV pictures were broadcast from the Empire State Building. Snail mail was cheap in those days, with postage stamps at three cents. In 1951, the Catcher in the Rye was published.
The United Nations Headquarters in NYC opened. The Rosenbergs were put on trial. The first nuclear bomb testing began in Nevada. President Truman fired General MacArthur.
I Love Lucy was the #1 television show in America. The first oral contraceptive was invented. Minimum wage was 75 cents. Gasoline cost nineteen cents a gallon!! Bread, sixteen cents; eggs, twenty-four cents a dozen; and a new car could be yours for a mere $1,500.
A newly built home ran between nine to fourteen thousand dollars, depending if it was brick or not. Nobody watched TV during daytime hours. Kids were outside all day long...and nobody wore seatbelts!
Famous people born in 1951 are Suze Orman, Kurt Russell, Tony Danza, Tommy Hilfiger, Jane Seymour and Rush Limbaugh. Also born that year, not so famous however, are your blog-hosts, Susan and Jim!
We hope you enjoyed this blast to the past with us.

Y'all come back now...

Y'all come back now...

Everyone is special, and counts!