I had a breakfast-making mishap this week. When the toast came out of the toaster, I took the lid off the butter dish on the counter and it was EMPTY! After attempting to spread the toast with rock-hard pats of butter carved off a new stick fresh from the fridge, I decided putting the toast in the microwave for a few seconds would soften the butter. It did, but it wasn’t good for the toast. It came out way beyond crisp. When I tried a bite of it, I gave Bill a warning saying, “It’s really crunchy, Euell!” He got it. I have a sneaking suspicion that most of my blog readers did, too. Not only do you remember that Grape Nuts commercial you probably remember Euell Gibbons, too.
And then a week or so ago, when something in the house came dangerously close to tipping over, I said aloud, “Tippecanoe,” to which Bill responded, “And Tyler, too.” We’re old all right, not old enough to remember the 1840 presidential election, but we’re old enough to remember the phrase. Our kids and grandkids? Not do much.
How about “Hi, ho, Silver, away!” Say that, and you’ll draw a blank because they’ve never heard of The Lone Ranger or Tonto, or Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, either, for that matter. And that’s too bad. Those heroes and heroines of black-and-white movies and early TV were people worth emulating.
With Christmas decorations gradually leaking out of the garage and into the house, it’s easy to be nostalgic about what isn’t there. Tinsel anybody? And how about bubble lights? My folks had a couple strings of those, and I loved them. The clips on the bottom, the ones that held the lights on the branches, tended to disappear faster than the lights wore out.
Talking about clips on bubble lights somehow made me think of clothes pins. I doubt our grandkids have ever seen a clothes line to say nothing of hanging wet laundry on one using it wooden clothes pins. How about metal stretchers to get the proper crease in a pair of jeans? And what about popping buttons off shirts by running them through a wringer washer. And irons and ironing boards? Nope, nope, nope. Forget about it.
Last night someone sent us two separate Smothers’ Brothers video clips featuring duets of and comedy routines built around Waltzing Matilda and They Call the Wind Mariah. Their commentary made us laugh out loud. What impressed me is that they stood on stage singing a simple duet, accompanying the lyrics with one of them playing a guitar and the other a bass fiddle. No electronics. No lights flashing behind them. No clouds of artificial fog. Just two guys singing understandable and familiar lyrics. Their live audience loved it and so did we.
So pardon me for taking you on my own personal trip down memory lane this morning. And now that I’ve done so, I’m going to go work on decorating the tree. Sad to say, when I’m done, there won’t be a bubble light in sight.
And oh, if you happen to have a chance to see the movie, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, it’s worth the price of admission. I went to see it, and since Bill can’t go to movies any more, I brought home a bag of popcorn for us to share.
Thank you for the trip down memory lane. I can relate to all of your mentioned memories. Particularly the tree lights and tinsel. My parents had them so I was picturing those days. As well as the other memories, even hanging wet clothes on clothes line. Up until my wife and I put the new house on my parents’ property, there was a set of clothes line poles in the back yard. Being a bit of a hoarder, I kept them. You never know when you might need a set of those poles. Right?
One of our favorite restaurants has rock hard butter, so we bring our own.
A few weeks ago I asked a young-ish person, “How’s tricks?” She looked at me as if I had 2 heads & replied, “Trix are for kids?” I told her it was an expression used before her time. Later that night I was listening to an old radio show & one of the characters asked, “How’s tricks?” I felt relieved & vindicated.
We watched “Thelma” & enjoyed it. I’ll look for “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” when it gets to the library.
Keep on keepin’ on. Merry Christmas!
I loved this flashback too. My daughter didn’t even know who Pat Boone was! But speaking of good movies, I also saw the Christmas Pageant and loved it. I had not been to a movie in ages. Then a week later I went to see Unsung Hero, and I loved that also…finally last week I went to see The Drummer Boy, a filmed version of a Concert performed in, I believe Austin Texas. The show is performed by Joel and Luke Smallbone (For God and Country) which goes back to the movie Unsung Hero, which is a documentary of their family. I was so taken by The Drummer Boy…it still leaves me with a high! They are both available on video of you ever want fun entertainment!
Thanks. I remember all of these.
It happens with songs too. I was looking through a middle-aged student’s guitar duet book for an appropriate piece to play in the festival with her, and came to “Eleanor Rigby.” Well, although she’d heard of the Beatles, she’d never heard of that song. Made me feel old (I’m only 74!)… I’ve got “Thelma” from the library and am looking forward to watching it with my movie buddies this weekend, and I’m going to keep my eyes open for “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” It’s probably not out on DVD yet, or you would have been able to bring it home for Bill to watch.
I enjoyed the memory lane, made my day. Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and safe New Years
I remember a lot of these things. You still see clothes drying on clotheslines in some other countries these days though.
Thanks for the flash back, I remember most of those too. But I still use my pants stretches they make my pants look better and fit better, lol. My dad is retired military so my used used them all the time. Thats where i got most of mine but you can still buy them on ebay. Thanks for making me start my day with a smile.
Up until I moved out of my house, I had a clothesline that I actually installed on my patio wall.
I took eyehooks, and used carabiners to lock the clothesline into place. That way, we could take them down when not being used.
That said, the clothesline soon filled other functions…I could put up temporary sunshades on the line during the summer, to keep the patio from baking (it faced the south), and in Arizona, that was a good thing.
My wife discovered that if she dampened the sunshade, it was similar to putting up a kind of misting system.
I wonder if the new owners left them up.
I remember a lot of those things, too. We didn’t have bubble lights on our tree as my Grandma didn’t like them. We lived in her house so what she said went. Because it was war time we couldn’t get replacement bulbs for our regular tree lights, but got some that were pastel colored balls. They just weren’t the same. We were very careful with tinsel, too. My sister and I hung it neatly strand by strand. When it was time to take the tree down we carefully removed the strands to use the next year. We never had angel hair which was popular.
I was 5-10 years older than most of the moms in my neighborhood. I grew up ironing – especially little girls’ frilly “Sunday church dresses”.
One of my neighbor moms saw my daughter in a Sunday dress – crisp and well-ironed – and asked what laundry service I used that would do that. She was flabbergasted to find out that I did the ironing. Ironing fancy dresses for the neighbors became a rather lucrative side gig while I remained a SAHM.
Within a few years, that job became moot as polyester fabrics became the norm.
Being Jewish I don’t remember anything about bubble lights, but I remember everything else. After all, I am older than you.
Got the ‘Thelma’ DVD and love it. Now I will be looking for ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’. Thank you for the heads-up.
Blessing to you and Bill.
You brought back a memory of when I lost on Jeopardy in 1971…missed the answer about Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!
Thanks for the memory…
(Heavy sigh!)
I still love hanging my sheets out on the clothesline in the nice weather… but it is something I will have to give up when I move from my home to a smaller one in a gated community. And I remember helping my grandmother wash clothes using a wringer washer, even used a mangle iron.
I do remember all the references you wrote about…. loved the Smothers Brothers!
It is lovely walking down the lane of memories with you. We took a few side trips as well. Your posts are the gift that keeps on giving.
Thank you.
Great trip. I remember Saturday morning movies. Admission was 10 cents and popcorn also 10 cents. Joining the Roy Rogers Fan Club. Eating Ralston cereals to get Commander Corey of the Space Patrol or Buzz Sawyer toys. Sky King’s and Penny’s adventures on the radio. “The Shadow knows . . . ” Many memories after 80 orbits around the son.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I too remember all those things you mentioned. How about that dreaded flocked Christmas tree?
I wonder, if our parents or grandparents took the road down memory lane, what they’d recall that even we older folks (their decendants) don’t. Washboards, ice boxes, outhouses, coal or wood burning stoves, candles on Christmas trees or to read by?
I remember all that you wrote about! I do have a suggestion for rock-hard butter: use your vegetable peeler to slice off thin strips of butter. It will melt quickly; almost as good as soft butter.
Wonderful memories. I’d forgotten most of them.
Loved the stories.
You and yours have a Merry Christmas and all the best to all of you for 2025.
I can’t decide if I should laugh really hard or feel really old!!!
Still use an ironing board.
Merry Christmas!
Catch you Next Year.
How about Mary Poppins? They are bringing that back to life. Your blog brought back some neat memories
Clothes pins. I was in Botswana this summer with my grandson, and we hung out clothes on the line. That is the only way to dry clothes in Botswana.
My grandson knows how to use a clothespin! Even on clothes, but I used the wooden ones for closing packages..
We are about the same age, so your memories as about the same as mine, and I enjoyed them.
On another note about cold, hard butter. I ditched my butter dish a while back when they started making spreadable butter, it has canola oil or olive oil and its perfect for spreading on toast, try it and see if you like it also.
Oh!! Good memories!
I’m fortunate enough to still meet once a month for lunch with 6 of my high school friends. (Class of’ ‘63) Some of whom I met in elementary school.
Such great fun going back decades and recalling some of the commercials of the time: LSMFT, I’d walk a mile, a little dab’ll do ya, and my favorite, Bucky Beaver in his rocket ship singing “brusha, brusha, brusha.”. Oh, and we still hang out some of the washing we do, gets me out of the house.
I have to try and avoid butter because of cholesterol so I just dust a bit of cinnamon over whole wheat toast and spread honey on top of that. Great taste , healthy.
So, Judith, you’ve hit another homer this week. Fond memories are always welcome and bring a smile.
Just wanted to add one more for the other octogenarians. Double bubble gum cartoons and “your Fleer fortune”.
You know there is still a grandson of John Tyler that is alive.
Your memory lane is my memory lane!!!
Such a wonderful trip down memory lane, especially for us that have been there. You nailed it, again.
So happy for the trip down memory lane! I have the old “records” not CD’s of some of these TV shows. Fun to watch the “oldy’s” channel also.
Good clean entertainment, But still remember Red Shelton with his no-no jokes, like
watching Televison and turning the knobs and watching his antenna raise.
I expect not very many people now know how bad that was. Almost got canceled by the censers for the “bad language”.
Thanks for being one of us. HAHAHA
Great memories. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were my favorites.
My mother and father, long since dead, canoed down the Tippecanoe river in their college days. So Tippicanoe and Tyler too has special meaning in my household.
Still using 3 pairs of metal stretchers for slacks; they’re hanging in my laundry room. Couldn’t live without them, as I wear slacks all the time now.
Since I’m 84 I recognized everything you mentioned! I have a granddaughter named Tempest, “tempest in a teapot” frequently comes to mind!! Loved the Smothers Brothers! One year, for my birthday, my son gave me tickets to a performance of Peter, Paul and Mary. Wonderful, and again, no flashing lights, or anything. Just the three of them, the fellows with their guitar, and one man off to the side on a cello or bass. They didn’t just perform, they got the audience singing along to a lot of their songs! Anyway, as we walked across the parking lot after the show, I overheard a young girl say to her mom, “I could understand all the words!”
We laughed to ourselves and remarked that sure can’t say the same about music now and that was probably 30 years ago! still a great memory.
You reached into my heart today. Friends call me Miss Positive but I have to admit, I have never been more troubled about society than I am today. It’s unreal to me. But it makes me more grateful for my earlier years. You are a treasure!!!!
I first heard the term “crunchy” applied to humans when we were planning our move to Oregon, and the speaker had been listening to our preferences for such things as organic gardens and public transportation or bicycles, etc. I am one of many people in our “crunchy” neighborhood who hangs clothes outside to dry when the weather permits and on racks inside when it’s raining. Bubble lights, not so much, but clothes pins, for certain!
Fun going down memory lane with you.
All of the great memories… and they haven’t a clue. On the other hand, my iPhone text finishes my sentences.
Ah, I had forgotten about bubble lights. My grandmother’s tree sported them and I was fascinated by them. Enjoyed your musings and smiled.
Love these memories! We had the bubble lights too. And my mom used to make a snowman with ivory soap! You’re right about the tv shows too, such great times.
Judy
That was a great trip down memory lane. Tippecanoe and Tyler too brings up a great piece of trivia. One of John Tyler’s grandsons is alive today, and two were alive until a few years ago. This is a grandson not great grandson. John Tyler was alive when George Washington was president.
I also enjoyed your mentioning The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I always read that book to my Fifth Grade students every year.
Thanks again for your wonderful blog.
Dan Smith (your old neighbor).
I have two bubble light night lights that help bring the nostalgia back. While I loved them on our tree as a child, they are a bit awkward to string. So, the night lights work perfectly to give me that mood. Did you save your tinsel year-to-year. We did. And we were expected to drape them carefully one strand at a time. It did look pretty but I haven’t the patience anymore. Thanks for the memories.
B & W TV with a massive 18″ screen, WOW. The Lone Ranger, Roy & Dale (Happy Trails to You), Sky King, and Penny. And many others. Got our first TV in 1952 when we lived in a basement apartment on Haight St. in SF. Memories for sure. Merry Christmas to you and Bill.
Love the trip down memory lane, I am old enough to remember all those things. Does anyone remember sheets of aluminum foil, that was quite thick. My Mon and I cut the foil into tinsel. I still have some bubble lights, and a string of old 40’s lights, they don’t work. I keep them just because………..
You brought up a lot of old memories for me including my grandmother starching and stretching lace curtains. The stretcher was made of wood in a square or rectangular shape and the curtains were affixed to the stretcher with pins that were mounted on the wood. The stretcher was located in the basement which was a good thing because those pins were dangerous.
Loved the memories. I remember them all. Bubble lights for sure. Had to flick the glass to get them going. I remember my mom using the stretchers for my dads trousers. Thanks, Judy. Have a wonderful holiday
Thank you for the delightful trip down memory lane. Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy, Healthy New Year.
Thank you for the too short journey down memory lane. Since we’re in our 70’s, we have many the same as you. The Lone Ranger was my hero when I was just a little kid. My hubby records the old programs every week now on our MeTV channel and we watch them when time permits. We pine for those times of yesteryear. Where has truth and justice gone?
Memories……..
I knew all your references. Thanks for bringing back the way it was. Made me smile.