Another memory? Keeping up with the belongings of a family of 8 had its challenges. I remember the day I walked in the den after school to find a trash can with a sign posted on it that read "Anything left in here at 6PM is being taken to the Junior League Thrift Shop. Of course that only had to happen once for us to know the sign/mother spoke the truth.
My question of those memories is, did some of our family 'rules' come from the pages of the women's magazines that graced our coffee table? In the 60's there were no home computers, no social media. Just as one hears today that social media can have a negative and depressing effect on those who frequent them daily, those same thoughts were voiced in the 60's regarding women's magazines. The magazine intent was to challenge women to 'run a good home', to 'maintain traditional values'. But a monthly subscription might make some feel depressed to see how unattainable the ideal norm was. Well yes, a lofty goal that may have made women feel lonely and inadequate.
Where did the ideas for our 'keep up with the Jones'' & 'Mayberry' home come from? Could it have been:
Better Homes and Garden
Good Housekeeping
McCalls
Ladies Home Journal
Redbook
Women's Day
House Beautiful
and for the teen girls in the house Seventeen
The latest monthly Good Housekeeping Magazine (thank you Liz) just arrived. Having it arrive each month in my mailbox is nostalgic, invoking lovely memories. Currently my favorite part of the magazine is the EDITOR'S LETTER at the very beginning. I am always able to feed into Stephen Orr's thinking and this month was no exception. Was the magazine telling me what to do or how to live? No, absolutely not. It is an idea machine, a place to step away from your every day 'routine' and mix things up a bit. With Covid firmly grounding us, Stephen was challenged to get out some of his old favorite cookbooks. I have loved the same books! Better Homes and Garden Cookbook, The Silver Palate Cookbook, The Tassajara Bread Book, and The Moosewood Cookbook. I do pull them out occasionally and revisit old favorites.
For all my mom's talents feeding a family of 8, making our home inviting and comfortable and always open to our friends, I left home with almost no homemaking skills. I could heat frozen fish sticks, shred lettuce for a salad, boil peas and grate cheese for macaroni and cheese (they did not have boxed Mac & cheese in those days). Oh, and I was accomplished at making my bed, a must every Saturday. Imagine my surprise when I had to be homemaker! I immediately went out and bought a beginners cookbook.
Each month I thank Stephen Orr for his bit of nostalgia, allowing me to dig deep into the memory pool to find joy gone by.
Now this is history within history! An elderly neighbor wanted to gift me, and she believed in giving with her heart. Velma gave me her coveted donut recipe. She and Ernest were heavy smokers, can you tell? She bought her smokes by the carton and then cut them up for scratch paper. This recipe is aged from use and years of being slipped in a regularly used book. A heartfelt treasure. |