Posts

Showing posts from 2012

Merry Christmas

Image
Wishing all my friends a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years. I promise to get you all caught up on the Arkansas River Valley news very soon.  Be safe and be blessed. Nickolas Muray 1936

Uncle Jack's Service During Korean War

Image
My Uncle Jack was serving in the Korean War in November 1951 during the time Monica Lewis and Danny Kaye were touring with the USO in Korea. He says he was close enough to the stage that he thought about asking Danny Kaye if he could go back home with him.  In this cropped photo of Monica's performance, there is a young soldier sitting in the audience with his cap pushed back off his forehead and seated just above the microphone. He looks like my uncle.  Of course, I do not remember him then as I was a newborn when he and my Aunt Lizzy first met. She waited for his return from Korea to marry him and they now have five children who are my "same as siblings cousins." Would that not be exciting to find out it was him and we have this photo? I have ordered her book "Hollywood Through My Eyes: The Lives and Loves of a Golden Age Siren" in order to get a better look.  Regardless...I appreciate his and all of the men and women who have served

Early Computing

Image
Sometime near the end of April, 1970 the soon to be graduates of business school were called together for an important presentation. Two men wheeled in a file cabinet sized machine and placed it against the wall. We were instructed to squeeze into the now very small room to hear about something called hardware.  I remember thinking I had already learned all I wanted to know and as my thoughts were primarily on my wedding plans, I did not pay a lot of attention. The one thing I do remember them saying is, "Someday, there will be a computer on everyone's desk."

Mama In Pin Curls

Image
Just wanted to show you this picture of Mama, me, and my little brother. I'd say it was taken around 1958 or 1959. Definitely before 1960 when my little sister was born.  Mama's hair is in pin curls without the chiffon scarf she usually tied around her head. I have dog ears and my brother is sporting a burr haircut. I think they are called a buzz cut nowadays. We are all three in bare feet. It's funny about these old photos. Sometimes it seems I can remember the picture being taken. I'm probably only 7 or 8 so it is probably just my imagination. I don't know why I think I can remember something from 50 years ago when I can forget someones name in less than five minutes.

I Am Still Here

Image
Does anyone remember me?  I'm sorry but I have been so busy with my new site, I have hardly had time to brush my teeth much less blog. Not much going on in my world other than work. Drought has abated and our trees are turning the beautiful yellows, reds, and oranges of autumn. We do still have a major hay shortage though. Hubby may have to give horses away to good homes. Guess you're curious about photograph. My latest page on Living Fifties Fashion is on polka dot dresses. This is the earliest photograph I could find of someone in polka dots. It is from 1855. Pretty neat, huh?  Trust me,  Polka Dot Dresses  are still very popular.

Cowboy Grandpa

Image
Although I remember telling you all a lot of stories about my Grandpa, did I tell you about his cowboy days? I was so happy to get this picture from the late 1930s or early 1940s. This was taken at the old church Grandpa used to pastor and the church hubby and I were married. Grandma and Grandpa, Daddy, several aunts, great aunts, cousins, and family friends are in this picture. My Daddy is in the overalls beside my great Aunt Maggie who is on the end in the dark skirt and print blouse. My Aunt Lizzy is the little girl in white with her hand to her face and Aunt Rosalie is the giggling girl in the front with her hands clasped in front of her. Now for my memories of the man whom I have grown to appreciate more every day.  My Cowboy Grandpa

A Letter To Friends

Image
Well people, I have been without a computer for days. Computer is okay but no modem. I refuse to buy one when I pay so much monthly for Internet service anyway. While I have been waiting, I sorted my 3K photos into folders and also cataloged all my documents. Then I put them all on a memory stick...just in case. We got some rain with cooler temps and burn bans were lifted. Our kids have started back to school. My niece starts college classes today. She is excited and I am nervous. My son hung my mermaid lady in my bedroom. I can open the curtains and let her gaze out toward the river. I'll try to attach picture from my phone. Hope all is well with my friends. Will try to catch up with your news weekend. Love, Nana

Christmas Cookies Anyone?

Image
Have you been getting those e-mail and Facebook "Do Your Remember This" pictures? So far there has not been one posted that I have not been able to remember. Saw one today about these cookie cutters.  I have had these very cookie cutters since my kids were little. Maybe I bought them at a home Stanley party in the 1970s. My kids and now my grandchildren have used them to make Christmas cookies.  I always use the following recipe. They are soft and thick. Grandma called them tea cakes and dipped them in her Postum. Now that's probably something not many remember. Christmas Cookies 3 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 and 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup shortening 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla in large mixing bowl. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed ingredients. Form into 2 balls and chill in refrigerator. On floured surface roll dough out 1/4 inch thick and cut i

John Wayne Again

Image
John Wayne as "The Shootist" After watching The Shootist again, I am finishing up AMC's John Wayne marathon with Big Jake. I'm not sure which of The Duke's movies I like the best. I sure did like Dean Martin's little tune in Rio Bravo. The script in The Shootist called for John Wayne's character to shoot a man in the back. His response was,  "I've made over 250 pictures and have never shot a guy in the back. Change it."  Integrity...hard to find nowadays.

Hand Sewn Buttonhole

Image
Fine hand sewn buttonhole made by Norman Norell Do you see how this buttonhole is made? You cannot find buttonholes made like this in today's ready-to-wear. My Oklahoma City Grandma made them perfectly. She was a seamstress supreme. Although she made a lot of my clothes, I remember two outfits in particular. One was made of a soft green linen like fabric with hand sewn buttonholes down the front. They were made somewhat like a men's suit buttonhole but oh so pretty. The other outfit I remember was a white dress with red polka-dots and a bolero jacket. I felt pretty in it and wore it forever. Grandma always saved her McCalls magazines for me to cut out the Betsy McCall paper dolls. I think all of the grandchildren played with the wooden thread spools she saved. We often ran across straight pins in the carpet of her bedroom/sewing room. She always gave us money when we heard the ice cream truck coming down the street. We never had an ice cream truck in Clarksv

Olympic Athletes

Image
This picture has nothing to do with anything. It is the first image that pulled up in my library list. For some reason, I am so tired. I just got back from vacation and should be rested. Do you think it may be that I have been watching all these Olympic events? There have been several things about the Olympics that I have had to Google. Like the kineseo tape. I even had to look up decathlon.  I finally got all that but I am still trying to figure out why all the women athletes have those strange grooves in their abdomens. I am going to bed...worry about that tomorrow.

Balenciaga Love

Image
I will probably never own a couture gown. If I were to buy one though it would be one of Balmain's lovely appliqued designs. Maybe in a pretty, cherry-printed fabric. Or glittery sequins. Courtesy of TheFrock.com But today I am longing for this gorgeous Balenciaga Brooch I found in the Cristobal Balenciaga Museoa. Cristobal Balenciaga Museoa I have never in my life had an occasion to wear either one but to me they are both works of art.

Vacation Sunburns

Image
We just returned from our usual summer vacation at Gulf Shores, Alabama. I have no idea why it was so crowded this year. We plan to go back in the fall after the weather cools down. I never plan ahead well enough to get a tan before going and usually end up with a sunburn. How I have managed to avoid skin cancer this long, I will never know. I am very fair skinned and have had several severe sunburns. I went camping with my Aunt and Uncle during one of the summers I spent with my OKC Grandma. I think they brought their oldest baby too. Grandma bought me a new swimsuit from Street's Department Store where she worked. It was constructed like a girdle and lasted forever.                    Image Courtesy of Aqua Velvet Vintage Etsy Shop I was having fun and did not realize I was burning until I got back to Grandma's house with water filled blisters on my back. Grandma gave me aspirin for the pain and dipped brown paper sacks in vinegar water and place them o

My Mermaid Painting

Image
Remember the mermaid painting I have grieved a whole year over leaving in that little shop in Gulf Shores, Alabama? She was still there when we went back last week. I brought her home with me this time. Her name is Anna. The fish beneath her is still scary looking. Anna is a little thicker in the middle than I remembered but she still has the loveliest arms. I am envious of pretty-armed people. Why do "things" bring us pleasure?

The Frosty Mug

Image
  August 6 has been declared National Root Beer Float Day.  Root beer always makes me remember The Frosty Mug. Although they served burgers, hot dogs, and fries, I only remember having the huge frosty mugs of root beer capped with frothy bubbles. The car hops would bring them on a tray that attached to the car window glass. Just like in the movies.  We rarely enjoyed sodas when we were young so if we did stop after a hot summer car ride, it was especially enjoyable. Daddy didn't always get us the treat when we asked for one. For some reason, whether we stopped or not depended on whether Mama wanted one. What was up with that? She never wanted a root beer as often as my brother and I did. I wonder what kids today will be remembering from their childhood? I am sure it won't be a soda.  It probably won't be a drive-in/drive-through restaurant either. And do any families just drive around in their car without a set destination anymore? Why am I so sentimental

Vacation Time

Image
I plan a quick little post before we leave for vacation. We leave Thursday for Gulf Shores, Alabama...our favorite vacation place. I was off work today to get things ready. I mopped the floors and straightened the house while hubby mowed. We have had a few showers but still have very little grass. I pulled weeds out of the front flower beds and re-filled the hummingbird feeders. I have noticed two little bluebirds in the back yard the last few days. I would love to get a picture but if I even touch the door knob, they fly away. I have been looking through pictures and found my prom photo. I do not remember much about the prom. My Aunt Lizzy made my dress as well as my wedding dress. I remember dressing at Grandma's house and my two aunts making bows for my hair.  And that is it. I do know I did not go to the prom with my future hubby. We dated once during high school but neither remember where we went. I have no explanation for my spotty amnesia. Except for bell

Rain

Image
We got rain - lots of rain!!!

R.I.P.

Image
As some of you know, I have not been posting much this summer. I was thinking people my age should not be so busy but it seems the older I get, the more there is to take care of. Although I am not writing, I have continued to read posts. One of my friends lost her 17 year old pet cat, Sassy.  R.I.P. Sassy post is here.  I love reading about her pet parties. Although I don't remember parties for his cats, my grandson also loves his pets. He lost a pet once when he was very little. Through his sobs he repeatedly asked his mama for a rip sign. It took a while for her to understand his request for a rip sign was a grave marker with R.I.P. on it. My son's daughters got new bunnies - Oreo and Midnight. Aren't they cute? Did you know that you can freeze two litre bottles of water and put in their cages to help cool them during this hot summer weather? We are still in a drought in the Arkansas River Valley. Not enough rainfall to make hay for the livesto

My Daddy

Image
I never saw this mid 1930s picture of my Daddy until tonight. Grandma gave this picture to my sister years ago. She gave me a picture of him too and said she wanted me to have a picture of him when he was little. Grandma was very wise. My brother's son looks like Daddy. Maybe my brother did too and I just don't remember it. Neither of my kids and none of my grandchildren look like him. No one knows where this photograph was taken. I am sure it is in Clarksville, but where? No one remembers where Grandpa and Grandma lived when Daddy was born. We know it was Clarksville, but where? You lose a lot of history when your people die.

Blogging Break

Image
No, I do not have any azaleas left. I barely have any summer hardy petunias and my hydrangeas are fading fast. My pretty grass I paid big bucks for in the fall of 2010 is brown and crunchy with a lot of just plain ol' dirt patches. Our water system is banning outside water usage until we get some significant rain. Russellville had the highest temperature in the state yesterday - 107. We may get rain Sunday. But in the big scheme of things, these matters are pretty insignificant. My children are well and I see them frequently. I have beautiful grandchildren who still want to come to Nana's. (I know that may not always be the case) My husband and I are healthy and able to work everyday. I am blessed and thankful. Although there is no crisis in my life at present, I am quite busy and expect to be the rest of the summer. So.....I am taking a blogging break. Please know I will be thinking of all my friends and will continue to be interested in your "goings on.&quo

Lily Pads

Image
See all that yellow out in the water? That is lily pads between Goose Island and our place. Because the water is more shallow this summer, the vegetation has flourished. And so have the frogs.

At The Lake

Image
Mama and her baby brother at Lake Ludwig I have a ton of pictures made at Lake Ludwig during the 1950s. This one must have been taken either right before my uncle left for the Marines or maybe he was in on leave. I don't really remember going to the lake during this time but apparently we often did. It's funny (but kinda' sad) though that daddy is not in any of the pictures. I guess he was working.  I do remember him swimming with us in the shallow creek at Kings Canyon. I thought I was drowning but daddy was laughing at me when I came sputtering up out of the water. I doubt he would be laughing if I were actually drowning. Going to the lake was about the only way to stay cool back then. We didn't have air conditioning and didn't always have a fan. I remember having a box fan that daddy would put in the window backwards and when we cracked our windows just a little, the fan would suck the cooler evening air in to cool us as we tried to sleep. Although

Dry Summer

Image
Water for my little birdies Petunias are so forgiving

Replay of Ron's Rhododendron

Image
You know how you make these plans like......tonight when I get off work I am going to catch up on some blog reading? And then you get an early morning call that something has happened to keep you from it? Well, my brother in law is back in the hospital again. Bless his heart, he is having such a hard time lately. This is a picture from a post in March where he was in the hospital. Although I'm not sure what it is, I am calling it a rhododendron. Whatever it is, it is a plant Ron gave me.

Living Fifties Fashion Re-do

Image
Long time no see, huh? Sorry, it is all my fault. My fifties website was migrated to a different format and I have spent the last week re-writing and re-designing my site. I bought this picture from Dreamstime because it reminded me of my Grandma's jewelry box. I have some of her jewelry - somewhere. It was a very big job for someone with so little computer skills. Tell me what you think. I'm thinking I like the lighter look better. I am not working on it tomorrow night and catching up with y'all. I know you've been vacationing and having fun. Is it hot where you are? My Living Fifties Fashion Website Re-do

Baseball With Daddy

Image
While Don was away for basic training and Greg was about eight months old, I spent a lot of time back home. Daddy liked watching Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Braves in particular. I would put Greg on a pallet in front of the television where it looked like he was watching the game.  I know he wasn't really watching baseball but Daddy got a kick out of it anyway.

Rachel's Pin-Curled Hair

Image
Remember when I pin-curled Rachel's hair? Rachel and her pin-curled hair Since I have become incredibly lazy (and kinda' busy) I just replayed my pin curls post on my other site. 

Summertime and Mama in Pin Curls

Image
Mama with her hair in pin curls.  She often wore short shorts and wrapped her hair in a scarf. She must not have lost her "after baby fluff" because her face is pretty full. You can tell it's hot 'cause none of us have on much clothes. That looks like my little brother but that little girl does not look like I remember me.

Fifties Dresses

Image
Been looking through an on-line catalog at some of the cutest dresses with a fifties flair. Love them but nearly all of them are sleeveless. Don't they know I can't wear sleeveless clothes anymore?

Moo For Tips

Image
In keeping with my blogging friends posts and pictures of their various farm animals, here is my offering.  Rachel and the Lamar Junior High Cheerleaders were trying to collect money for this summer's cheer camp. Not only did they moo for tips, they mooed on their hands and knees.

My New Flag

Image
My Aunt Lizzy bought me an American flag for my birthday. (I hope I can remember her birthday) Hubby put it up within 3 days time. That is a 42 year all time record for a honey-do list.

My "Agent O" Hairstyle

Image
Well, I apologize again. I did not get to catch up on post reading again yesterday because we went to the movies to see Men In Black 3. Agent J has to go back in time to rescue Agent K with most of the movie taking place in 1969. I can remember every hairstyle in the movie. In fact, I wore mine like Agent O's hair. I asked Hubby if he remembers my hair like this but he gave me one of those looks that I recognize as, "I want to agree with her but I have no idea what she is talking about" looks. I guess I didn't make that much of an impression on him in the eleventh grade. I also found this picture of me in the first grade. My bangs aren't as short in this picture as they usually were. I did have barrettes in my hair in first grade so why wouldn't Mama buy me a wide one like Susie's in the fourth grade? The only reason I am including this is that it made me remember I started first grade at Hurie School then went to Michie by second grade

Living-Fifties-Fashion

Image
I have begun a new project I would like your help with. I know I have no right to ask as I have been remiss in my blogging duties...but here goes. If you have followed "Nana's Memories" you are aware most of my memories are from the fifties. The more I thought about those days, the more interested I became in all things fifties. I love the fashions, the glamour, the celebrities (especially those cowboys), the television, the movies, the everything. So...with a lot of work, and a lot of help from my cousin Dena, I started a website  called Living-Fifties-Fashion . It is still very fledgling and there is so much more to add. I have started a page on dresses we wore for special occasions during the 1950's. The page is  Dresses For Special Occasions . I think it would be so fun to hear your stories and see your photos too. If any of you have pictures or stories of yourself or anyone wearing christening gowns, baptismal or first communion dresses, Easter dress

Hydrangeas

Image
I can think of nothing more beautiful than one of God's creations.

John Wayne's Birthday

Image
It's just me at home all alone today. Well, just me and "The Duke". Turner Classic Movies has a John Wayne triple feature to commemorate his birthday. Angel and the Badman is on now, Operation Pacific is next, then Red River. I'm good. Happy Birthday John Wayne.  My page on John Wayne is here

Lissa Explains It All

Image
My niece, Elizabeth graduated from high school with honors last Friday night. I cried when she was awarded a scholarship to Arkansas Tech. Today she showed me the neatest website for explaining all you need to know about HTML and a bunch of other things I didn't even know I wanted to know. This is what it is called and what it is.  Lissa Explains It All What is so great about it? It was written by a kid for kids. I can understand it....well parts of it. What is so funny about it? Our children and grandchildren already know this stuff. I studied a fourth grade teacher's edition math book to prepare for my asset test when I started back to school after our kids left home. Let me tell you people something...fourth grade math today is what I did in high school. It may even be a little more advanced than what I learned in high school. I failed the one algebra class I took. What is sad though is that I didn't care that I had failed. You don't have to know a

An Afternoon Visitor

Image
Okay my people, I must apologize again. This past week has been so busy but as the weekend winds down I am trying to catch up. I know I have surely missed some interesting posts. We had an afternoon visitor yesterday. This little fawn just came ambling through the back yard. No sign of Mama. (excuse the brown grass - we are at a loss for ideas to save it) There he goes back into the woods. I hope his Mama is in there somewhere.