Thursday, January 7, 2010

More from the Orange Notebook - Christmas 1952

This itemized list represents Mother's shopping list for Christmas shopping for 1952.
Pop - O Shoes $3.50
Outing Flannel, 22 yd. $11.00
S. shirting, 3-1/2 yrd. $2.00
pop's bitt (?) .40

Also on the list: Deseret Book - Bibles
Woolworth's - pins
Music book
Was the outing flannel to make pj's? The pajamas I remember so clearly were the zebra pajamas - they were outstanding, but I don't remember the year. The sewing room was in the bedroom where Louise, Judy, and I slept. Mother would disappear into the room, close the door firmly, and we were barred from entering. When she emerged, there would be no evidence of anything - Mother could be very mysterious at times.

And, this must have been a few notes from a trip to take Louise to Provo in 1951: $14.78, my cash on hand; Louise paid at Lander for gas @9 cents - $3.50.
Another page in Louise's handwriting - Provo '51,
Gas (Lander) $3.50
Gas (Evanston) $3.80
Room $3.00
Breakfast (35 cents ea.) $3.00
milk (Mom pd.) .37
gas (Provo) $2.45
Total $13.82
milk .18
dinner 1.10

There were also several addresses and names - Louise was looking for a place to stay. (One comment was that a place was "not exciting". Her address ended up being at Mrs. Wight's.
I remember when we went to pick up Louise the day after Dwight and Velna's wedding, that the weather in Provo seemed warm, and she seemed so grown up. Guess it was bound to happen?

9 comments:

Ann said...

What an amazing record. For some reason, my often flawed memory says the old treadle sewing machine sat at the end of Mother and Dad's bed, because that is where I sat when I learned to hem dishtowels. Mom would hide the flannel for Christmas PJ's somewhere, perhaps in her chest because we were all forbidden to get in it, but I remember searching for scraps of evidence in their bedroom and never found any.
In later years, when Judy and I were the only ones at home, the sewing machine - treadle and then replaced with an electric Singer when Judy needed to sew her wedding dress - was in our bedroom.

Elizabeth said...

No, Ann - couldn't be in Mother and Dad's bedroom - that room was so tiny. The bed was in the alcove, and the chest along the north wall. When we learned to sew, the machine was in our bedroom. Maybe moved later?

Dwight said...

Treadle sewing machine in Dad and Mom's bedroom during years I was there in the white house.

Judy said...

I first sewed on the treadle in Mom & Dad's bedroom with the cedar chest at my back. That was when I was in the 6th grade which equals 1951-52. Does that help or confuse?

Dwight said...

And I wondered off at school if I could possibly ever get a five dollar or ten dollar bill from home, or even a Christmas present. Makes you cry.

Ann said...

Another memory of the sewing machine placement. I was often assigned to make Mother and Dad's bed, or smooth out the tulip quilt and then pull up the bedspread. Could it be Mother was trying to keep me busy? The treadle machine was mean when stubbing one's toe on it. The space between the sewing machine and the chest was very small, so stubbing shoeless toes was common place. Am I making this up? Not!

Louise Blood said...

The consesus seems to be that the treadle sewing machine was in Mom's and Dad's bedroom. And in my memory I concur. So now we need to hear from Steve. It was at the head of Judy's bed when I was home sewing on my wedding dress in the fall of "53.

Louise Blood said...

Now I have to comment on the expense record. Can you imagine starting out on a major trip with only that much cash on hand, and spending only that much, just think-a motel room for only
$3.00. Where did you get this list from? Is there any other little tid-bits I might be interested in? You mentioned names and addresses.

Elizabeth said...

Louise, thanks for vindicating me about the sewing machine. I know that I sewed my clothes in our bedroom - but it could have been in Mother's room, off and on (after all, it could be moved.) And, I did tell you about where the figures came from - you didn't go back far enough????? Mystery