Date Bars

Clematis - May 2012

The Spirit of '76

This is one of my favorite photographs!  My grandmother is on the far right with the flute, her best friend Mae Grubbs is on the far left with the drum and the girl in the middle holding the flag is noted as being M.D..  The photo was taken in 1926 when my grandmother was in boarding school at St. Mildred's Academy in Laurel, Maryland.  She notes on the back of the photo that it was taken on June 9th, 1926 when she was 15 years & 6 months old.  The girls were doing their own patriotic version of the famous "Spirit of '76" painting depicting the American soldiers of the revolution.  I treasure it!

The mail's here ...

So True!

Thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.  

E.E. Cummings 

Australian Finches

This pretty notecard was sent to me at college in 1980 by Mildred (my step-grandmother).  She dated it "Wed. Oct. 1st" and writes inside:

"Here I am on a very rainy miserable day scratching a little note to you to say hi and hope the weather is better there.  I know we needed rain real bad but I think we had enough for now?  Well, it sure was a welcome to the farmers and rivers that ran dry and what all.  I might have told you about a little white mama cat who has litter after litter and didn't belong to anyone although I have been feeding her and her three little children?  I finally was able to take her to my house and have gotten her to the vets along with her little white female kitten who got real sick outdoors one rainy night.  I'm going to have them both spayed.  Mama cat is pregnant again and got real big although Dr. Johns said he could operate on her.  This would have been her fifth litter and she is so small and helpless.  I had tried for about a year to take her but she was so wild.  I also have her two sons in my house.  One is yellow style and the other is white with big patches of gray stripe and a striped tail.  Well, so much for the new addition.  Hoping you can find some use for this little check.  I remain with love always, Mildred"

Oh we would definitely have found a use for the check no matter how much it was worth!  Mildred was a very kind woman and she loved cats as is obvious from her note.  Mama cat was lucky to have crossed paths with her! 

Coconut Fingers

Dad - early 1960s

This photo of my Dad was taken in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains sometime in the early 1960s.  What a great guy!  My mother made the comment the other day that if she had to use one word to sum up my father it would be "fun".  And she's absolutely right ... he was fun to be around and as good natured as they come.  We think of him every day and miss him terribly. 

Happy Father's Day!!

So True!

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Brickle Crunch Cookies

Me - mid 1960s

Muddy Lily after chasing frogs in the pond - April 2012

Petunia - April 2012

What we say to dogs ...



So True!

Every house where love abides and friendship is a guest, is surely home, and home sweet home, for there the heart can rest.  

Henry Van Dyke

Happy Memorial Day!

Best wishes for a happy and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend! 

Good Luck and Congratulations

Tis the time of year for graduation cards and monetary rewards!  This money holder card was sent to me by an aunt & uncle (& cousins) for my high school graduation in 1978.  What a milestone!  She writes inside "We are really proud of you, now you will be getting ready for college."  Yes indeed ... spent many hours during that summer buying bedspread, sheets, lamp, laundry basket, all the necessities for dorm living.  I enjoyed that part of college life!  :) 

Me - mid 1960s

Clematis - April 2012



For your graduation

The only thing better than receiving a greeting card in the mail is receiving a money holder card in the mail!  This yellow rosed beauty was sent to me in 1978 when I graduated from high school and I have absolutely no idea how much cash was in it.  It was sent by my Great Uncle Paul & Aunt Marian.  She writes on the back:

 "Both Uncle Paul and I want to send congratulations and best wishes for your graduation and for the future whatever it might be.  Sorry we could not be there but we will be thinking of you.  Again best wishes and God Bless and guide you."

Paul was my grandmother's "little" brother and he and Marian lived in Allentown near her.  They've both since passed away.  I guarantee you, the money was appreciated as well as the sentiment!

Peanut Butter Candy

The Colonel as a pup - 1995

Lily - April 2012

Lily and a rosebush just as it was beginning to show signs of life this spring!  It's a beautiful bush with pink roses and I wish it had been blooming when I took this photo.  Oh well, it's still a nice shot of Lily!

Flower Garden Faeries

Adorable little garden faeries although the one in the harlequin outfit seems distressed!  Possibly an overdose of pollen ... yes, that's it!  Beautiful graphic and I have no idea from whence it came ... possibly the front of a greeting card at some point in time?  I don't know for sure but I liked it enough to keep it!

Hi, Graduate!

This bright red & cheerful graduation card was sent to me in 1978 by Larry & Janet who lived down the road from us at that time.  They were nice neighbors and when I was little, I used to love to take their little beagle for a walk around the block.  I can't remember her name but it'll come to me when I'm not thinking about it.  The card is so adorable with the perky white kitty and flowers!

So True!

The world's favorite season is spring.

All things seem possible in May.

Edwin Way Teale

Shoo Fly Cake (Pie)

This recipe is noted as a cake but it's what I would call a pie.  It looks like someone gave the recipe to my grandmother and she then re-copied it on the back of the same notecard with her own version!  I love shoo fly pie!!

Dad - early 1950s

This photo of my Dad was taken in a photo booth in the early 1950s.  He kept it in his wallet for years and there are marks on it left by the plastic wallet sleeves.  It's not his best photo by a long shot but it's still a snapshot in time.

Pansy Cross Stitch

So True!

Animal crackers and cocoa to drink, that is the finest of suppers, I think;

when I am grown up and can have what I please, I think I shall always insist upon these.

Christopher Morley

Congratulations!

Although it doesn't specifically say so, this pretty red rose card was intended to congratulate me on my college graduation.  It was sent by my grandmother's good friend Tess in 1982.  They became friends in their old age when they both worked as volunteers at a church thrift shop.  Tess has since passed away as has my grandmother.  Inside she signs it "Much Good Luck, Tess". 

Grandma's Green Vegetable Salad

Wild Violet - 2012

Apple Blossoms

The Mighty Petunia

Happy Easter

Best Wishes for a Happy Easter!!

Spring Flowers

You'll never know what I've been through ...

When this card is opened, a banner pops up wishing me a Happy Easter from my college roommate's parents!  It would have been sent sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s and probably received a day or two before leaving on Spring break holiday.  Spring break then wasn't quite the experience spring break is for college students today ... or maybe it was just me!  Anyway, nice card and I appreciated it!  I wish I had kept the envelopes for these cards as well as the cards themselves as it would help me pinpoint some of the dates but at least I can get within a decade! 

Garden Potato Salad

Bunnies Rule!

Nothing says "Spring" like bunnies, kitties and little wild flowers!  Oh and fluffy clouds too! 

Happy Easter!

Such a cheerful face!  This bright and colorful Easter card was sent to me in the late 1970s while at college and is from my step-grandmother Mildred.  Knowing Mildred, I'm sure a goodie box followed suit, complete with some yummy petit-fours!  I love the spring colors in this card and the brightness in general.

Rita Hayworth is Stayin' Alive

So True!

Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap.

Barbara Jordan

Peach Blossoms

Bradford Pear Blossoms

Gracie - 2012

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

While You're Ill!

This get well card from 1974 has it all ... cute kitten, colorful flowers and a bright butterfly!  What's not to like?  Our family friend Minnie sent it to me when I was in the hospital and inside she typed "Hurry back to Petersburg.  Always, Minnie"  She was a very nice older woman and I loved spending time with her when I was growing up.  She had a little chihuahua named Mike and when he did something wrong, she'd call him "Michael". The things we remember!  The card is Olympicard brand and I still see those around!  

Eileen Brennan's Scalloped Potatoes

This recipe from Grandma's recipe box sounds delicious to me!  It's a newspaper clipping and I can't tell how old it is but I'd guess maybe 1980s thereabouts.  Her local newspaper must have had a feature on celebrities'  recipes and this is Eileen Brennan's.  Yum!  I haven't seen her in a film for a while so I did a search to see what she's been up to ~~~~~>

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Brennan

2) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0107281/

I want to eat at Eileen Brennan's house!