You Sure Are Heavy, Mary
Category: History
Grocer Nan Won’t Step Foot In Polly’s Trippy Kitchen
These fake Latuda smiles are not exactly winning endorsements for the enticingly-named Congoleum product. They look more like they’re remembering an old flame, the one that got away. Who can say? But we CAN safely assume this is a tee-totaling home. A couple whiskeys and this tile does not a good pair make. Every day is a hallucination in Polly’s kitchen! Actually, Prohibition was in effect, so the liquor was probably in the cellar. Americans were sober and their pockets were empty.
Two years later, old floors still posed problems. Fortunately, Muriel found a way to fix it.
Before islands existed, folks tossed a table in the kitchen and called it eat-in dining. I like how the couples are having separate conversations three feet apart. You think Edward and Henry even NOTICED that Muriel changed the tile? Fat chance. Drinking is legal now, and it is SO ON. Edward and Henry have hooch on the brain and hooch only. Meanwhile, Muriel is sitting on the table, assessing her new flooring. I think she’s having second thoughts, now that she sees how it clashes with Nora’s orange striped dress. In fact, I think Muriel is playing the quicksand game and avoiding contact entirely. And why is she dressed for a funeral?
At least her little green squares were preferable to this muddy brown zigzag hot mess. I imagine it disguised dirt well but I’m getting a migraine just looking at it. And such a shame with an otherwise upbeat kitchen!
Did your grandparents have tile like this? Did you make up games to walk on it?
Getting Her Feet Wet
Bear Each Other’s Burdens, Part II
A member of the Finnish Red Cross hands Helsinki housewife Sirkka Michelsson a package, including a sweater knit by the Nashville American Red Cross chapter, pajamas for her children from Connecticut, a dress, and more. Michelsson, weeping tears of gratitude, was one of thousands of people helped by American generosity in the post-WWII years.
When Your Dryer Has A Faulty Belt And It Sounds Like It’s Functioning Normally, But The Drum Of Wet Clothes Won’t Spin So Plan B
A serviceman gazes up at mostly-white skivvies drying in the warm Genoan sun as he steadily climbs upward in the Truogoli di Santa Brigida. Due to a shortage of space, Genoan buildings grow upward.
Incidentally, the quiet nook of Truogoli di Santa Brigida receives a 4.5 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor.
One reviewer said, “ジェノバ・プリンチペ駅から王宮へ向かって道を下る途中、王宮手前の右手に路地へ入っていく場所がある。 この様に口コミサイ…” which means “much fun party!” No, I don’t know what that says.
Another review read, “Reliable local simple and tasty cuisine, in a beautiful and typical square of the historic center of Genoa, just behind the Royal Palace of Via Balbi. Among the first great typical ravioli Genoese touch and fresh pasta, good also with meat, often cooked according to traditional recipes from Liguria (rabbit, roast), plus a few fast and light dish like octopus with vegetables. Discrete bottled wines, excellent quality/price ratio.”
Makes one wonder if the laundry drying in the Italian sun would smell “linen fresh” or ripe with hints of game and basil…
Where My Middle-Aged Drinkers At?
Oh, there they are–in full force, ready for game day, celebrating the ol’ alma mater.
In 1979, the legal drinking age in Texas was 18, having been lowered from 21 in 1973 due to anti-war protesters, which meant every single student at the University of Texas could freely partake of ale. And some started honing their hoarding tendencies early. “Two. Cans. For Ev. Ery. Girrrrrrl…”
The blonde in the sheepskin coat has Mackenzie Phillips’s mouth. I’m just saying.
Did you ever watch her on One Day At A Time? She was the bad daughter of the divorced mom, and Valerie Bertinelli was the good one. Valerie looks AMAZING now as the judge on Food Network’s Kid’s Baking Championship. She’s so kind and encouraging. I want to hang out with her. What are we talking about again?
Aha! Drinking in 1979! And what do you suppose happened here?
Methinks a visored lady (named Virginia?) suddenly appeared on the back of his motorcycle, offering a koozie-chilled beer to the driver. Yes, Virginia, he’s flummoxed.
It’s probably for the best that it’s age 21 now. By the way, 21 is the highest minimum drinking age that exists. Here’s the MDA worldwide.
I didn’t realize 16 countries banned drinking altogether: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. I had no idea! Have you ever visited a country with no drinking age (like Bolivia or China) or a complete restriction?
Don’t. Don’t You Want Me?
New Hollywood “It Boy” Or Soldier Born 175 Years Ago?
SHORPY: Ca. 1863. “Unidentified soldier in Union uniform with forage cap carrying a bone handle knife in breast pocket.” Sixth-plate tintype, hand-colored. Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs, Library of Congress.
Per wikipedia, the Civil War the M1858 forage cap, based on the French kepi, was the most common headgear worn by union troops, even though it was described by one soldier as “Shapeless as a feedbag”. What do you think? Pretty slouchy?
So often, we see pictures of Civil War soldiers, and they look creepy/eerie/stiff, nothing like a man in 2017. But this one is different. Maybe it’s the goatee or the penetrating gaze. He reminds me of someone I’ve seen. Just to put this in perspective, let’s remember that Civil War facial hair often looked more like that of Major General Alpheus Williams.
Not that this beard isn’t AMAZING. Because it is.
Different Old White Guy In A Red Baseball Cap
2PM: New Harbor, Maine menfolk swap stories and play checkers on a winter afternoon at Lester Russell’s barbershop. The horn-rimmed glasses, calendar, radio, and cans of Barbasol all make for an authentic portrait. But what’s the young man wearing? Shin guards? Rubber waders? I don’t get it.
Speaking of barber shops, today is Howard McNear’s birthday. Born in 1905, he played barber Floyd Lawson on The Andy Griffith Show. After a stroke paralyzed the left side of his body, he left the series for over a year to recover. Andy encouraged him to return to his role, but he could not walk or stand. Audiences noticed his speech was slower, as well as his movements. If you click on any post-stroke youtube videos, it’s obvious. The show’s crew accommodated his disability, filming McNear seated or standing with support. Many scenes were shot with him sitting on a bench outside the barber shop, as opposed to actively trimming hair as before. In most of his post-stroke scenes, McNear’s left hand would hold a newspaper or rest in his lap, while he moved his right arm and hand as he spoke his lines.* Well, I’ll be.
*(per wikipedia)
Getting The 411
One hunches and one cranes as neighbors exchange news in the Viennese Inner City of Griechengasse (Street of the Greeks).
Let Me Show You The Door
I found this little nugget in a new-to-me yearbook (that reeks of cigarette smoke and has little torn football ticket halves inside) this morning. Every bit of it makes me smile. The dark-bearded fellow in the floral shirt evokes the (not-then-yet released) movie Urban Cowboy. The fellow in crimson and cream is clearly the aggressor, perhaps Bud-induced, and his failure to don a belt makes me cringe. Beltless jeans make me crazy.
The towheaded guy in orange reminds me of a younger (perhaps more Appalachian) Terry Bradshaw.
Bradshaw Fun Fact: Dallas Cowboys’ linebacker “Hollywood Henderson” infamously said Bradshaw “couldn’t spell ‘cat’ if you spotted him the ‘c’ and the ‘t.'” OUCH.
Skillet Lickers Bilin’ Cabbage Down
These here fellas were known as The Skillet Lickers way back in the 1920s. Now before you go thinking one of them licked too much skillet, the one with the hair like a dead man’s curve was legally blind, but Riley Puckett was quite the vocalist. Haven’t heard of of this hillbilly band from Georgia? Well, that’s probably because they were selling singles before you were born. “Down Yonder” was their biggest hit on RCA Victor, but others included “Hand Me Down My Walking Cane” and “Bile Them Cabbage Down.” They disbanded in 1931. Andy Griffith performed his more grammatically-correct version of “Boil Them Cabbbage Down” on his hit show. As an added bonus, a verse is sung by Bob Denver, aka Maynard G. Krebs and Gilligan.
I Don't Get It 