I look at my grandmother’s photo and wonder what she’s reading
On Sunday, my family drive through Durand IL (pop. 1500). It’s the place my family drive me every summer of childhood.
My son took a photo of his four kids in front of my grandparents house. He asked for an old photo of the house to compare. I rediscovered this picture of my maternal grandmother.
I wonder what she’s reading.
Grandmother whose China went to Laura post
Then I went and googled her and a her name comes up. The people I want to call and ask, are passed.
Charlotte Baker Rowley 1888-1980
Born Jun 1888 in Winnebago, Illinois, USAmap
Daughter of Eugene Baker Rowley and Mary S Smith
Sister of Clair S Rowley, May Rowley, Edna Rowley and Cecile Rowley
Wife of Judd DeWitt Vansickle — married 16 Nov 1908 in Winnebago, Illinois, USAmap
[children unknown]
Died Jun 1980 in Rockford, Winnebago, Illinois, United States of Americamap. But her children are known. My mother was Marian.And no mention of Charlotte’s middle name Elizabeth.
I must ask my older cousin, John. Maybe he’ll know
I’ll list their children
John Rowley Van Sickle b 1910
Marian Van Sickle b 1912
Robert Eugene b 1914
A Schoolhouse in Scottsbluff Nebraska
Thanks for the beautiful photo, Shuey. (The guest blogger today).
Shuey is headed to Prudhoe Bay Alaska.
On his motorcycle.
Did I mention he started out in Nicevlle Florida?
That’s 4,862.7 miles, I just looked it up.
A schoolhouse near Scottsbluff, NE
Soda Fountain and Chocolates
Yetter’s in Millvale, PASaturday morning.
I wanted my grandchildren to see an old time soda fountain. It was too early for ice cream so we bought some things to-go, for later after the Children’s Museum-snacks, bottles of water, chocolate coins and some sour patch kids from the candy selection.
We will return for ice cream before they head home.
Molasses Swamp Switched for Chocolate Swamp?
I like molasses. Granted it’s been a few years since I’ve played CANDY LAND, but I missed the old Molasses Swamp. You get mired in a Chocolate Swamp these days. I read it was changed because today’s children don’t know what molasses is!
Molasses makes me think of cookies. Here’s a recipe (use butter instead of shortening) for Cookies-Molasses Crinkles. My mother baked them for years.
And yes the Candy Land artwork is different on the board. There’s a lot more “stuff” and it looks a bit clown-like now. I miss the ice cream floats. You still advance on the board by drawing a card with a colored square (or two) and moving your gingerbread piece to the matching color. The plastic gingerbread game pieces look like they are dancing nowadays. The classic candy Valentine conversation hearts bit the dust, too.
The board game is 67 years old, says it was created by Eleanor Abbott, a polio victim herself. Children in the hospital wards, afflicted with the disease, played her original game. Milton Bradley manufactured the first game in 1949 but now the brand is Hasbro.
My granddaughter Maura brought it to my house while she’s visiting. We played it a lot.
When I played with Anna (almost 13)she had the original version as an anniversary edition in a tin.
Another opportunity for me to feel antique and reflect how everything changes. Rapidly.
I went and got out the jar of molasses out of the pantry. An old grandma on the label. Guess it is old fashioned.
Where did Grandma Nutt come from?
If you go to the wiki link above you can see the image of the original board.
30 Years Ago the Price was $5.99
Can you guess what it cost to bronze a pair of baby shoes in 2016?*
I’ve seen a lot of bronze baby shoes mounted on a photo stand. Derek Jeter had a hat bronzed, I read on their site. (Doesn’t have to be baby shoes)
Wednesday night, I was cleaning out a desk drawer and found this envelope and special value certificate to “use by Aug 11, 1986”. Oooops! My money saver certificate has long expired.
American Bronzing Company is still in business (since 1934) I checked them out and there are a lot of options. Not sure if the ashtray is still available but the company has bronzed over ” 14,000,000 baby shoes.”
Our story begins in 1934, when Violet Shinbach, the “mother of baby shoe bronzing,” established a business that would soon become the American Bronzing Company, the largest and most-trusted baby shoe bronzing company in the world.
*And today it would cost $79.00 to get a pair of baby shoes bronzed, unmounted.
I should have ordered in 1986.
I see you can get silver plate restored too if you have an old tea service that needs spiffing up.
TOYS of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s Exhibit
Heinz History Center- downtown Pittsburgh
A sampling of the exhibit. I went with the Retired Teachers after a luncheon at Lidia’s.
Memories of childhood in America.
Here are a few-Erector sets and Tinker Toys. Lincoln Logs. Slinky and Etch-a-Sketch, Pac Man and Star Wars. Barbie dolls and GI Joe. Mr. Potato Head and trolls. Spirograph and Cootie. Howdy Doody, Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers.
Maybe you’ll recognize one of your toys from your childhood.
Handmade Lace and Toile du Juoy
Thursday afternoon, my friend Barbara showed me a pretty pillow she had made at Alterations Express. She used fabric from her mother. her grandmother’s handmade lace and her special pillow.
When I saw the fabric I said,”Oh, my friend Joanne gave me a knitting bag made of something similar and it’s French and has pastoral scenes.” but I couldn’t remember the term and had to look it up-
Toile du Jouy
(and here is a link to a blogpost about the history of toile)
Barbara went and got a box with beautiful pieces of lace, created by her grandmother, Josephine Cinquegranni DiGalbo (b. 1890) Notice the blue edge on the lace.
I looked at the lace with admiration. Such expert craftsmanship and beauty. I asked Barbara is she had a photograph of her grandmother.
Barbara’s Grandparents, Angelo and Josephine, on their wedding day.
Her grandmother’s town of origin was Castlebuono, Sicily. The photograph was taken on Butler Street in Lawrenceville, a Pittsburgh neighborhood.
And here is a photo of their daughter, Mary Ann, Barbara’s mother. I had the pleasure of knowing her and remember her for her kindness to my children.
And here are some of the lace specimens, her grandmother’s pattern books and crochet hook were in the box, too.
A note in Barbara’s mother’s hand about the lace.
You Can Still Buy a Hanky
Last week in Von Maur Department Store in Columbus OH, I saw these handkerchiefs for sale.
Seeing them reminded me of the little ironed squares my mother kept in a lacquered Chinese box.
My father had larger ones, not as ornate.
Nowadays you don’t see much handkerchief use.
Handkerchief
Here are the hankies for sale in 2016.
My mother’s box of handkerchiefs
A handkerchief I received from a student when I taught nursery school in the late 70’s. I framed it!
Detail
Not sure where this came from
So How Do You Feel About Clowns?
I posted a clown puppet we had as kids while ago. Today there are two paintings of some different looking clowns. Some cheery, some sad. I mentioned the fear of clowns- coulrophobia- in that puppet post but am revisiting it today. Would you like these paintings on your wall?
Here is the puppet photo cause not many of us have time to click links these days.
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