Monday, October 31, 2011

It’s memory, and not measured in Gigabytes

Some of us old folk understand Solid-state Memory, to a point, but we know ‘memories’ better. True, getting old, diminishes some memories, but some will never fade. They tell me folks don’t use baby powder anymore. Now Sherry done most of the baby bathing, but I did a little. But nothing smelled better than a freshly washed baby with a clean diaper on smelling of Johnson’s Baby Powder. That is a memory!

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That is Jack Jr. our first.  Sherry was never more than three feet away just to allow this picture. We have pictures of boys and grandkids bathing in the sink.

When we visited family this is the way we slept:

Children asleep on bed during square dance. McIntosh County, Oklahoma, 1939 or 1940. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Russell Lee. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Sometimes we got 6 in one bed.

Then some of us can remember before supermarkets:

Grand Grocery Company. Lincoln, Nebraska, 1942. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by John Vachon. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Above is Grand Grocery Co, Lincoln, NE, 1942.

Memories can also dredge up shirts and dresses made from feed sacks:

At the Vermont state fair. Rutland, Vermont, September 1941. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

(Above…Vermont State fair, 1941, Rutland, VT)

School children singing. Pie Town, New Mexico, October 1940. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Russell Lee. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Some of us can conjure up memories of kids in school barefooted. Different grades same class. Pie Town, NM 1940.

This guy can remember when some daddy’s weren’t real smart.

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But, hey, the kid was driving before he was 2!

Trucks outside of a starch factory. Caribou, Aroostook County, Maine, October 1940. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Do you remember starch? These trucks are waiting outside the Caribou Potato Starch factory, Caribou, Maine. I cannot find out what this starch was used for.

Memory, the Pepsi/Coke bottle as a sprinkler for ironing starched clothes?

MOM'S IRONING SPRINKLER

 

our wedding 2 001a

There are special days that memory kicks in, My parents on the left, Sherry’s parents right then MY GIRL!

The memory kicks in because only two people out of the 6 still live. We could not afford a wedding, we stood before the justice of the peace and came back here for a cake cutting. My dad would have loved to performed the ceremony, but we wanted it fast and simple.

Memory again, Weddings last a few minutes, a marriage should last years.

Thanks for coming by the log.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

Remember:

. A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

-- Thomas Jefferson

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No vehicle this time, but I ran across this, can you explain it? I cannot!

WHAT

11 comments:

Fred Alton said...

Those memories had good glue! They stuck. Good reading, Jack.

TARYTERRE said...

LOVED this. All the photos from the past. Your reminiscing. Those were GOOD times. Had to chuckle at the table and chairs in the bathroom, though. Makes one wonder, that's for sure. HAPPY HALLOWEEN. Take care.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I like your memory...seems mine contains a lot of the very same things. No, I don't ever remember seeing a table in the restroom before, but now they do have changing tables for babies so maybe that was a take on that. I am glad they did away with all the starch we used to put in clothing though I like the feel of something soft and rarely ever even use an iron anymore. The miracles of fabric softener and my clothes dryer. Happy Halloween!

Anonymous said...

My dad once threw me over his shoulder & I landed on my head...somehow, even with that & brain atrophy, I have a fairly high IQ. You did fine. These pictures are not only great memories for you but imagination boosters for me. ~Mary

Paula said...

I used to cook that starch. The only answer I have for the table and toilet in the same room is it may be a break room at a business but neverthe less it's very yucky to me. Lots of memories here, thanks.

Anonymous said...

Guess that no hard-disk ever could be big enough to safe memories.
Over here we used powder for our son until last year.
Remember family mostly through smells of food and the get-together at the table to put plates into the hand of eachother, and cleaning dishes afterwards, together.
Great entry. Please have you all a good new month.

betty said...

LOL with the seating arrangements with the toilet; I guess you can take care of everything at one stop?? Always good to have our memories of simpler lives and times or of younger days when live did seem much simpler indeed.

Hope you guys had a nice day and no one played any tricks on you!

betty

Jean said...

Love this entry Jack I can remember most of the things you mention. Makes you wonder did they eat in the restroom, lol. Nice picture of you and Sherry and your parents. I just remembered I forgot to go to bed last night, lol. Out of here and off to bed this morning. Take care, Jean.

Jean said...

Hey it posted my time wrong it's 12:27PM here, lol.

Jean said...

12:27 AM

Anonymous said...

Im too young for most of this.... But it sure is fun reading all about it! :D Exceptional blog tonight Jack, what fun!! Loved all the pics and captioning, you capture it all so well. Mrs. Harris sm;)e says it all about her.... What an angel! If I do say so myself, Mr. Harris is just too handsome!! What beaitiful families you n Shet have! Lovely reading all about you all.... Goodnight (candy)