Many of you have asked where in the world I've been.

All I know is that after 7 plus years of blogging and a different lappy, which I don’t like, I seem to have lost my blogging fervor.

Someday, when you least expect it, I will post again.

For those of you still waiting I say thank you.

Meanwhile, I am rather prolific on twitter. Find me: @KeethaB
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The Eclectic Company - Waitin' on a New Adventure!!
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Thrifty Vintage Thingies - Calendar History


It's THAT time again!!!!
Vintage Thingies Thursday over at Coloradolady and Thrifty Thursday at Bloggeritaville.














Be sure you click on both of the above icons or links to check out what everyone else is posting today.

As usual my post is much more vintage than it is thrifty - - - but folks, I will TIE the thrifty part right in, just watch and see if I don't!!!

Everything I'm showing today came to me at my dad's family reunion which we just attended this past weekend.

First these year books:

Dad was one of thirteen children. Yes, I said THIRTEEN. They were raised right through the great depression, which required A LOT OF THRIFT, and that could yield all kinds of stories in and of itself - - - perhaps I will go there in a different post.

Anyway, it appeared to me that in order to be THRIFTY, each child got a year book or two, but that none of them got a year book for each of the four years they were in school, and no two got one in the same year. Seems that they had to "take turns" getting their books.

The first two "Cacti" are dad's high school year books from the High School in Marion, Indiana.

Will someone PLEASE tell my why a high school in north central Indiana, where cacti don't even grow, has a year book named Cactus?????

The Marionette is dad's college year book - - - from his SECOND senior year. (I guess he went back after he graduated to take more classes.) That was from Marion College which is now Indiana Wesleyan University.


My Aunt Lois brought me this calendar. Can you see what YEAR it is from???? Here, let me help you:


Aunt Lois is the QUEEN of THRIFT. She was "green" back when we thought that just meant inexperienced. This is the HONEST TRUTH - - - when she celebrated her 35th wedding anniversary, she was still on ONLY HER THIRD roll of aluminum foil. YES I SAID 3rd!!!!! (Wash and reuse, that's how) She doesn't throw ANYTHING away - - - she reuses EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING.

Well, this calendar is one that USED to hang in her lake cabin in the northwoods of Wisconsin when they rented that cabin out.

She would print the names of the renters across their week. Each renting family could write little vacation tid-bits in their boxes. Oh, we did do some TINY writing to squeeze in all that fun info!!!

Notice, the bottom week says B - r - o - y - l - e - s. Yep, that would be us. We took our children there for a vacation in 1992.

Our week lapsed over from the last few days of June into the first few days of July.

We ALL remember that vacation WELL - - - for on Tuesday it began to rain and never stopped raining for more than a few minutes until Saturday morning when we were packing up to leave!!!! To make matters worse, even though it WAS July, the temperatures plunged and we nearly froze. It was the vacation that keeps on giving - - - - giving moments of reminiscing and laughing until the tears run down our faces.

Here are just a few of the "lines" I wrote on the calendar:

"Kelly thinks this is the best vacation ever." (Sunday before it got cold)

"Kelly finally slowed down enough to catch a fish" (Monday)

"Korie caught her first fish" (Tuesday)

"Pretty cold - Kyle wants it to snow" (Tuesday)

"Kids are catching fish using hot dog hunks as bait" (Tuesday)

"Tried to take scenic Highway 13 tour (of Lake Superior shoreline) in the pouring rain, much of it closed for road work, ended up on a muddy ATV trail." (In our CHEVY VAN!!) (Wednesday)

"1:00 - Rain let up enough for Greg, Keri, and Kelly to go fishing. Back by 1:40 - soaked!" (Thursday)

"Greg wants to buy a Christmas Tree to go with the weather" (Thursday)

"Greg went out at 6:30 AM, wearing my pink long johns. He caught 3 bass, it was the touch of estrogen that did it!!" (Friday)


Please click on this picture strip - - - and then ask me WHY I wrote that!!!

Oh - - - this calendar is a veritable treasure of fun memories.

Even though it was FREE to me - - - it is absolutely PRICELESS, and that's pretty stinkin' thrifty, don't'cha think???

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39 comments:

LV said...

Keetha, this is one of my favorite post. I love to hear how the other generations lived. You were smart to save and keep all this. Most of us seldom do. Thank you for dropping by today.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Yes, a great post as LV said. Just love the calendar and all the notes. So what happened when you flushed the toilet while the tub was draining? Can't believe it rained the whole time. I love cabins, that's why we go to Mammoth Lakes each summer. Games, puzzles, reading, etc. but you can only take so much of that especially with young kids!

Paige said...

How fun to get that calendar and reminisce w/ the notes you wrote on it. I was laughing as I was reading about your Aunt, but then I thought maybe I should be more like that! LOL Your post was so fun to read!

Lynn said...

35 years-3 rolls of foil!
Now that is what I call "Keeping ones carbon footprint small!"

WE 4 went to the desert in our camper one spring break and the wind blew so hard that we had to stay in our cab over camper for 4 days and play Life with sand on the game board because it blew through the cracks in the door. The kids were 11 and 9.

Coloradolady said...

What a fun post...I especially loved the calender, as I keep one every year for the renters at our cabin in Colorado. Only, I use it for booking, not at the cabin. I have a binder at the cabin for memories to be jotted down. (more room that way!)How wonderful that you got to have this keepsake.

I am still trying to imagine only 3 rolls of foil in 35 years...surely your joking?!!?!

Happy Vintage Thingies Thursday....I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Unknown said...

Wow--three rolls of foil! That's amazing and the calendar was a hoot!

Anonymous said...

hahahaha what a fun post!!..aunt Lois sure is the queen of thrift [my mum had the same roll of alfoil for years too]..that calendar's a real gem!!

Ulla said...

I may share some genes with your aunt...
Lovely gift from her, such special holiday memories. I tried not to think about the bathtub comment.

Marie Reed said...

This is soo neat! I used to always go fishing and use hotdog buns as bait!

mub said...

I take it you had to learn the hard way about not flushing while the tub was draining ;)

Miri said...

Thanks for the chuckle! A truly priceless vacation!

haley said...

okay so what's the story behind the toilet flusharooski and the tub draining???

Kristin - The Goat said...

I be those yearbooks are a hoot! So why are they called the Cactus? I'll have to agree with everyone and flabbergasted at 3 rolls of foil. I rarely use foil, but I've bet I've used at least 3 rolls in the past 35 years :)

Postcardy said...

Your aunt must have never heard of bacteria contamination. Recently I have read about food contamination on the reusable grocery bags that are popular. I do remember reusing foil and bags but not that many times and not if they were messy.

SueLovesCherries said...

What great memories on that calendar!

Bacteria contamination, Postcardy? Nah, our bacteria wasn't contaminated back in those days! LOL!

ClassyChassy said...

Love the final picture - cracks me up! Happy VTT to you!

Joy Tilton said...

Priceless and so funny. Ok, what did the don't flush the toilet at the same time as draining the tub do???
joy c. at grannymountain

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

Great post, the drain comment, I know oh so well, when we spent a week in WY a couple of years ago, we stayed at a small Mom and Pop motel one night...notice I said one night...lol...if you were draining the water out of the tub and flushed the commode, it came back up in the tub...augh...not a good sight.
I love how you kept the callenders with the little notes on it.
Molly

★Carol★ said...

Keetha, what a great and funny keepsake! I love the one about using hot dog hunks for bait! And I shudder to think what happened when the toilet was flushed while draining the tub...can't you remember?! Something terrible must have happened!

Kellie said...

This was such a fun post to read! I love the calendar comments!

Brenda Pruitt said...

Yep, I sure do believe that's thrifty! I was wondering about the "Cactus" thing myself before you mentioned it. Odd, huh? Well, this was fun. You're always fun!
Brenda

Susan said...

I save my calendars year after year and they are a record of what we did day by day. I love the vacation stories. And cactus in the midwest is an oddity and funny when you think about it.

Anonymous said...

one day i was looking thru the yearbooks that my grandmother had from highschool in the same time frame as the ones you showed us. one thing i loved about them was how they told underneath each picture about the person, i wish my sons highschool albums would have been that way but maybe not,i couldnt believe some of the pictures allowed in albums anymore. sad.
as for the calander that is the year i graduated, hee hee
1992
seems like yesterday

Anonymous said...

I just couldn't get over the 3 rolls of aluminum foil for 35 yrs. Suddenly, I don't feel so thrifty anymore.
The calendar was a wonderful idea of hers, what better place to jot down notes? What a nice gift to give you.
But still. The aluminum foil...

the wild raspberry said...

books were a very rare and precious commodity in my house as a kid as well...now my house is OVERFLOWING in books. overcompensating?! :)
have a wonderful day
chasity

Sherrie said...

Hi!
I would say that was pretty darn thrifty! That picture strip made me chuckle! Have a great day!!

Sherrie
http://keethastuff.blogspot.com/2009/06/thrifty-vintage-thingies-calendar.html

Cindy said...

That is fantastic! I love stuff like that! Thanks.

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

Great post....loved it.

I enjoyed reading your blog today.


Love it when I have time to do blog hopping...I always enjoy finding new blogs and new friends. Hope you will stop by and visit me.
This month I am posting on our Disney trip plus a June giveaway.

Becky said...

Too too funny! I have a few of those calenders from high school and college. It's funny to go back and read the little notes and try to remember who the heck I was "in Love with" that week/month. ;-)

Happy VTT!!

Joan@anythinggoeshere said...

What fun to remember all the good times from your childhood. Happy thrifty Thursday!

Martin LaBar said...

Re-using aluminum foil, eh? Well, OK. We've done that.

Does that help the environment? Maybe. Using water and detergent have impacts, too.

Carrie said...

That calendar is fascinating...it is a real journal of those who used the vacation place.

kyooty said...

What a great idea, when my parents bought "my" cottage, OK it's their cottage but it was signed on my birthday, and yes I share iwth 2 other people but still1 MINE! My mom put a journal book in the dinning area for "enteries" oh it's blogging of the previous century! and before.It was fun, many mentions of bunnies.
my almost 10yrold is seriously interested in the toilet story, well because he's a boy and he's 10!

Dawn said...

Thanks for stopping by. Receiving that calendar must have really brought back the memories. How cool!
Dawn

Blondie's Journal said...

Keetha,

I have been seeing your comments around blogland and I am so happy I got to visit finally!! You know, we are practically neighbors! The story about the calendar and vacation was hysterically funny; first, because we had taken so many lake/cabin/cottage vacations when the kids were little and after a drought, that week was usually the one when we finally got rain. And one of our first vacations involved a miserable rental that had a sewage problem and you guessed~the bathroom had a mess in it and the owner could not find a plumber for the life of her! Secondly, your Aunt's calendar is virtually new compared to all of the ones that I haven't been able to part with since I got married. I guess I have saved them for the memories, but they are quite vintagy now, wouldn't you think!!

No cactus in Indiana?? LOL! I think school's must run out of ideas for mascots!

I had so much fun. Happy Thrifty Thursday to you! :-)

xoxo
Janie

Bea said...

How neat that calendar has reappeared in your life. Great post.

fitty's pinky rose cottage said...

wow.. super cool to have the calendar and reminding all the good old time at the cabin.. Happy VTT & have a great day

Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville said...

Oh! Keetha! What priceless keepsakes! I too have these items and just cherish them!
Thanks for playing along in Thrifty Thursday my friend.

You know I luv ya!

dana said...

OMG!! I just had a whole lot of catching up to do on your blog--and I enjoyed every minute!!

First, this post was so fun. I loved the story of the year books. My sis and I had to do that one year--we couldn't afford one for each of us, so we "shared". I hated it cuz it was hard to get "autographs" from classmates when I was constantly trying to find my sister and take the yearbook back! Your calender story was so great, too. I just flipped when I read the letters that spelled out BROYLES on the page. This last weekend, my hubs and I visited the part of Missouri where his dad was born (found the family farm, farmhouse--badly decaying--even the tombstone of one of his gr. grand dads), then we went to Ark. to the area where my mom and dad were from and the cemetery where they are buried along with many of my relatives on my dad's side of the family. My grandmother was a Broyles!! I do have info on their genealogy (the Broyles she was descended from came to Spottsylvania,Virginia, from Germany in 1717...later family members moved to Arkansas). Anyway, it IS such a small world!!! In Germany, the name was found spelled as Breuel, Briel, or Breyel---at some point they Americanized it to Broyles. OK, I'm certain that may have been a bit more info than you wanted! :) I just love family history. Speaking of family history, your mom was a wonderful poet. The poem about the firefly was so great. It think it's wonderful that your dad created a book with her writings.

Hope you've had a great week--and an even better weekend. Dana