Posts

Showing posts from 2013

What Ever Happened To That Old Dress?

Do you remember your old clothes?   At times I look up and begin to wonder, "What ever happened to that red dress that I wore to a party when I was a young girl? It was a long sleeve red knit with white dickie."   My mother bought it for me from Macy's Department Store where she worked; I wore it on my first date.   She was always bringing me the latest fashions which she got at an employee discount; that is until I was a young adult, working and able to buy my own clothes.   I remember buying a beautiful chiffon, yellow striped shirtwaist.   At the time I wore size 10.   I got to wear it once before it became too small or did I gain weight?   Still I held on to it for the longest time, hoping one day I'd be able to fit into it again.    After a few years, reality set in; I gave it to my local thrift shop. What ever happened to the dress I wore at my wedding? It was beige with brown trim.   Being impulsive and a romantic, I had convinced my boyfriend

Laughter is Good Medicine

There is an old saying that laughter is good medicine.   It's been around a long time and I believe it's true.   Laughter is also contagious.   When I was a young girl, just a certain look from my sister would send me into spasms of laughter.   And she would do it purposely.   I laughed a lot when I was younger.   I laughed at movies like the "Carry-on" British series and "Dr. Strangelove."   Recently I saw a Carry-on" movie on TV and I didn't find it funny at all.   I laughed at my relatives when they'd do something, not intentional, but to me it was funny.   My father would lecture us on our behavior.   I wouldn't laugh in his presence.   That could lead to dire consequences.   And I would laugh at my aunts and uncles who had a tendency to imbibe too much and act crazy. As a young adult, I laughed a bit, but not the kind of guffaws that erupted unexpectedly in my youth.   Personal and family relationships, concern with sch

Mama's Mouton

Image
During the 1950's Mama saved up from her stock clerk job at a big department store in N.Y.   When she had enough money, she purchased a mouton* coat. It was beautiful heavy, capable of withstanding New York winters and probably would do just fine in Alaska.   It had a rich warm brown color, lined, with a high collar that covered her ears and wide sleeves almost like the sleeves on a kimono except the lining wrapped around her wrist to keep out the cold.   It wasn't a mink, or a sable, Mama couldn't afford either, but she looked fantastic in her mouton.   She only wore it to church and on special occasions like when Daddy took her out for a night of dancing at the Savoy Ballroom.   For a long time, we kids didn't know what a mouton was or even how to spell it.   All we knew was that it was some sort of fur coat and that Mama loved it.   When Mama died, my brother inherited her mouton along with the house and whatever items his siblings left when we struck

Pursuing Your Passion

Last year around this time my good friend Mattie decided it was time that she stopped procrastinating and do what she always wanted to do - learn to paint.   She said all her life she'd wanted to learn to paint but some thing or other would get in the way.   "I've seen too many of my friends with all sorts of dreams who never got around to fulfilling any of them before they were too ill or died."   So she enrolled in an art class at her senior center and every week, she attends class.   When I went by her house the other day; all along the walls of her family room were pictures she'd painted, beautiful landscapes, portraits and still life.   On her easel was another she was working on.   After working as a nurse most of her adult life, she had finally acknowledged her passion and said it enriched her life. I have another friend who taught himself to play the guitar and every spare moment, he's in his garage learning new chords, listening t