Middle Aged Memories
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Yessss! Remember Sing Along with Mitch Miller as a series, though, not just an Xmas special. It was a favorite of my father's. As I recall, Miller also did not like rock and roll, and passed up contracting Elvis and the Beatles when he was head of talent at one of the big record companies (don't recall which...)
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Ok, I remember I always thought he was creepy looking - 🎅✌️❤️ Linda
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Here's a middle age memory - I remembered his beard was called a Van Dyke beard, and I don't know why I know that. So I confirmed on Wikipedia. Wonder why I can't get anything done..
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Oh! That reminds me of the ad slogan: "Cigars, cigarettes, Tiparillos."
How did my brain get there? Well...
It all started with that Van Dyke beard comment. I was thinking that the name sound Dutch, and then I remembered the "Dutch Masters" cigars and had to check if the guys on the label had the Van Dyke beards (but they didn't although one fashion-forward dude was rockin' the "soul patch!")
Then, I mused that their long hair was reminiscent of the 1970's long-haired boys hair styles. But then the ad slogan, "cigars, cigarettes, tiparillos?" started going thru' my brain and that was not the 70's but the 1960's. So, I had to go and find this:
and now that I have heard the commercial again after 40+ years, I'm sure it will stick with me for the rest of my days; plus when I hear those old slogans and jingles, I want to stop communicating in a modern tongue and ONLY communicate with archaic ad-talk. I get all kinda new, kinda now, in with the in-crowd, and become the kind of kid that eats Armour hot dogs again and would rather fight than switch; but after all these years, it is still not conclusive if a gentleman should offer a lady a Tiparillo?
My how a little beard can set me off.
Speaking of beards, remember that song by Cream, SWLABR? She Was Like A Bearded Rainbow. What the hippy, dippy was that supposed to mean? (My mates gave it a filthy interpretation as usual, hahaha!)
Sorry, I did not mean to stray from the holidays, but these are all the places my brain can go, almost at once. It took about 20 seconds to think all of that, and then 20 minutes to make this post. Brains are so fun.
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And yeah...Mitch Miller was on the creepy side, for sure.
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well, I think we are all very grateful that your brain takes you where it does, Elimar
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I am looking at a Dutch Master cigar box as I type, which prompted me to pull it off the shelf it is on and look it over. Obviously not real old---has a UPC code on it! I've had it for several years; bought it to house scrapbooking paraphanelia but it sits empty on the shelf. Now I will probably donate it somewhere as I doubt it's worth anything. That's where my mind goes when I look at stuff. I mean who bought a box of Wheaties in the 70s thinking it would be worth money someday? So if I buy a jar of Clausen pickles and just keep it in the back of my frig will it someday be valuable??? Will BCO sisters in 2050 post on here about their Middle Aged Memories of our stuff? I could easily become a hoarder!!!!
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Elimar--Your brain is a fascinating place to explore!
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And speaking of pea-sized objects...
what about those Shrinky-Dinks? My neighbor had some and made a little necklace from them. I never had them. Did they get stinky when you baked them in the oven? I think they are still available, so if I ever get grandkids I can find out first hand.
I saw some images for some vintage ones, like He-Man, and Mr. T, and Dukes of Hazzard, but then THIS ONE really caught my eye...
Who wouldn't make a necklace outta THAT?0 -
I had Shrinky Dinks as a kid, loved all things crafty. The "plastic" would shrink in the oven, very cool. They still make them and if you go on Pintrest you can find directions on how to create your own from the plastic containers they use salad bars.
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Which led me to Incredible Edibles, this chemical plastic candy. This is probably directly linked to my Cancer. Linda
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BookLady - ha ha. But I didn't have Edibles so maybe I got cancer from not wearing a bike helmet? Or riding in the back of a pick up truck? It must be my own fault, right?? (not) Thanks for my laugh of the day.
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I remember Shrinky Dinks!!
This is the kind of Christmas lights we had when I was a kid.
They were called midget lights.
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I have been able to recollect (and re-collect also) some of the books I had as a child. Here's one I had...and it's a real tearjerker.
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Elimar - Oh, man, is this the LittlestSnowman With the Red Candy Heart, and the fire, and Johnny? I have a Christmas album with Captain Kangeroo reading this, backed up by a choir - I'm crying just thinking of it! Linda
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NativeMaine and elimar you made my Christmas! The best surprise, ever! Thank you. I LOVED Caprain Kangeroo. And Mr. Moose. And Bunny Rabbit. ✌️❤️ Linda
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I was watching Portlandia last night and saw a GRAVEL ART picture that we had in the 70's...
As you know, Gravel Art, was from the epoch directly preceding Sand Art. My mom was not an artist but she did do a few paint-by-numbers in her time. By the 70's, she had moved on to the vanguard crafting-art of the time, exchanging her oils for gravel and glue. I think I was allowed to help (much like Michelangelo had his acolytes) but it was precision work that did not lend itself to my dumb and clumsy hands. What she finally turned out was a lovely gravel cornucopia with gravel fruits and vegetables backed with a fine woven burlap. Oh, how I remember the delicacy of those gravel watermelon seeds, precisely five grains of gravel for each one...
Anyway, Portlandia had the actual one that we had (where the grapes were not gravel, but half-ovals of shiny plastic,) but I couldn't find an internet pic of that one. Here's similar one (see below.) Ours hung in the dining room for a few years until the glue got brittle on those grapes and they started to fall like autumn leaves.
And who can forget these Mid-Century Modern Classics?
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Eli!! The bottom right picture......we had a similar picture hanging in the stairwell of our home when I was VERY young.
Thank you for that memory!!
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Wow - my sister and I shared a room ( didn't we all?) and had two gravel art masterpieces on our walls. - dancing Snoopy and the Pink Panther with a REAL cigarette hanging from his mouth. We were COOL.
Elimar, thanks for the art history lesson. I learn so much here! ✌️❤️ Linda
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You're welcome, BookLady. Yes, I have a real wealth of knowledge in the low-brow decorative arts category. It comes when you have the gene that makes you turn every sheet of tissue paper you encounter into a pom-pom like blooming flower.
I owned a pair of cheerleader pom-poms once. They were homemade too from two dowels, 200 sheets of tissue paper, and a quarter million staples holding them together. Loved those things. Yes, I was a cheerleader but, before you get a frilly mental image, I think I have mentioned before that MY cheer outfit consisted of a heavy wool sweater and extremely scratchy wool pants, and a matching ear-warmer headband. But those wonderful pom-poms made it all worth it!
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I love the picture in my head of you and your many-stapled homemade pompoms, Elimar! I pretended to be a cheerleader - okay, lied about it, sometimes. Also used to twirl batons in my front yard. Hit myself in face and head many times. Poor, poor, me.
Not really funny, but a memory all the same - was reminded on another thread of riding bikes behind the mosquito fogging trucks in base housing. Such fun! When did they figure that out, huh?
✌️❤️ Lind
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Aw, the memories have not been active for a while...
Holidays always make me remember stuff, and I remember getting some white patent leather mary jane shoes one Easter. Those on this thread can probably remember a time in their childhood where patent leather was the thing. My white ones soon got black scuff marks and I remember the preferred method to remove the scuffs was lighter fluid and, yes, at eight or nine years of age I was cleaning them off unsupervised.
There just was not the same degree of caution when I was growing up. I know I could have reached the shelf where my dad's loose razor blades were. None of our cabinets had latches and the Draino was right there under the sink. About all I ever got for safety was, "Don't touch that." I think they had come up with those "yucky face" stickers to put on household chemicals but no family I knew bothered with them. All of the homes were like minefields for kids when you think about it. Meanwhile, we all had to learn the "duck and cover" procedure at school to protect ourselves from air raid bombardment. Childhood is a golden time, but that does not mean it's not strange.
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personally I find the minefield method raises more capable people, for the most part.
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Elimar--homes may have been like mine fields for kids back in our day, but parents were allowed to discipline children back in that day, too. "Don't touch that, it's bad for you. Touch it again and I'll warm your behind for you." Consequences are a great teacher, but not much allowed anymore.
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I think a lot of the original crew that enjoyed this thread have gone elsewhere now, but I am surprised that not so many new ones have looked in to enjoy all these memories. Anyone who thinks they have have forgotten things from their childhood needs only to browse thru' a few pages for their memories to be restored. How 'bout this one:
(I saw some blue and red foil on the street the other day and my mind recalled the little packages of Sen-Sen.)
Who can ever forget the weird and slightly burn-y licorice flavor. Was it a candy? Was it medicinal? Was it an ancient Chinese secret? Whatever it was, this alleged breath freshener was enjoyed(?) for 200 years, but is no longer in production.
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Don't remember those but these were good...
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I can almost still taste that purple "wax bottle" sugar water. (Don't know why that one stands out it my memory.) Sure did hate the way the paper backing on those dot candies peeled off along with them. (Not to say I didn't keep buying them!!!) I think the pink dots used Red Dye #2, which had it's own nasty taste. To this day I still avoid red M&Ms because of the original Red Dye #2 flavor they used to have.
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Yep, smokin our Cigs and drinking wax pop...Yummy....Oh and I love m&m's, actually my favorite.
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