"Cupid"

CUPID -The dictionary says "compare Eros, the Roman god of erotic love, a figure that represents Cupid as a naked, usually 'winged boy' often holding a bow and arrow." Since I wrote a "little bit" about "love" yesterday, these little pictures came to mind. Female Cupids !! Another item that has been around since before I can remember !! These little gals in 3" x 4" metal frames with glass, were my Mom's. I don't remember her ever telling me how she came about having them, but I suspect they were probably in her possession as a young girl. I can picture, maybe, my Dad buying them as a gift for her - they were childhood sweethearts, as you know !! I would say these are probably about 70 years old. Anyway, I have these treasures hanging in a collage in my bedroom along with the silk flower cigarette inserts.

The First Gift

Your Dad and I started dating when we were sophmores in high school. Do I remember what we did on our first date ? Let's see !! It was what all kids did in the 50's. Your Dad came to pick me up in that beautiful "robin egg blue" '54 two-door Ford automobile, met my mom and dad, and away we went to "drag main street" of the big metopolis of Ogden, Iowa !! Dragging main street meant driving back and forth on a 4 to 5 block stretch, U-turning at each end and doing it all over again. Of course, there would be stops here and there to visit with other couples and singles doing the same thing. Now, wasn't that just so exciting ? Well, I thought so, because I was with the best looking, most handsome boy in all of Ogden High !! If you remember the sitcom "Happy Days" ? Well, your dad was "THE FONZ" of our school with that gorgeous black hair in that duck-tail style and his black leather jacket. Geez, was I the lucky girl !! And, then before the evening was over, there was the drive to Boone to the A & W root beer stand for that great root beer float. And, then that kiss goodnight ! Wow ! Oh yeah, back to the gift ! This necklace and earrings was the first gift your dad ever gave me. It was that first Christmas after our first date. I am sure his mother helped him pick it out, just like he used to take you to help pick out gifts for me. This set has had a special place in jewelry boxes throught the years - over 50 years now !! Wasn't that just yesterday ?

Silk Flowers

The objects of discussion !! These little silk embroidered flowers were in my mother's sewing box for as many years as I can remember. She told me that her dad, my Grandpa Hanle, had brought them back from Germany in 1934 and they had come out of cigarette packages. He thought she could use them on a sewing project. As it is with "us", she thought they were just toooo pretty to use on just any old thing, consequently, they remained in her sewing box ! I weaseled them out of her about 20 years ago and have laid them on black background, framed and hung in my bedroom. The smallest one measures about 1" tall. Pretty, huh ?

Letter to my Daughter

When you said, "You need to write that down somewhere, "MOM", as we were discussing cigarette package inserts, I decided maybe a blog would be the answer. Hopefully, as days pass by, I will be passing on to you my memories of events in my life, plus information about family heirlooms and whatever else may come to mind each day. So many of the stories my own parents told through the years, have been lost because neither they nor I wrote anything down. AND, hopefully, this blog won't be toooooo boring !! Love, MOM