23 August 1956 “I Am Proud That My Silhouette is Curvy…I Adore Being Dressed In Something Frilly…I Adore Being A Girl”

I was thinking about my last post and uniforms. And also considering all your responses, which I was surprised no one scolded me and said, “Don’t be silly casual is better”. I think many of we modern gals (and gents) do appreciate dressing up. We appreciate and admire clothes. Many of us, when we watch old movies or even modern shows like Mad Men, do so in many ways because of the clothes and sets. Yet, there is nothing stopping any of us from having such ‘sets’ and clothes in our daily life. As someone who did dress very modern I have to say my overall body image and simple daily joy has increased 100%.

I  find that there is no ‘modern look’. I mean there may be skinny jeans or slouchy tops, or those tight fitting sweat pant thingies I always see teens and mums alike wear (which are shockingly tight in certain areas!) Yet, there is no “go to” silhouette for today. I think many of us may also find ourselves sometimes wondering, “Well what should I wear?” While it seems in the 1950’s one KNEW what to wear. Dinner and dancing? Hat, evening/cocktail clothes, man in white dinner jacket. Movies? Nice cotton dress, cardigan, hat gloves. You just knew and there was a look.

I now find that by allowing myself the entire decade of the 1950’s my choices are great, yet narrowed to a certain silhouette. This really allows one to build a wardrobe and style quite easily and to not worry about being ‘out of style’. And for any sneers, I have probably received 80% more compliments and encouragements.

Let’s face it gals, we like to dress up. Lace and petticoats, frills and bows, or even slim lined boucle suits or fitted jackets. We ENJOY being a girl , as the song goes:

( I also love this Doris Day version of that song, but I could not embed it, but go HERE if you would like to hear it.) Think how many gals love to plan their wedding, imagine their prom or dream up ‘dress up’ evenings. Well, not long ago, we gals had that ‘dress up’ time every day of our life! Sure, it is wonderful that we have the choice to wear what we like today, but that also means we can choose the petticoat and creamy chiffon dress as easily and rightfully as the jeans and T. “As the song says, I enjoy be curvy! I enjoy being dressed in something frilly!”

Speaking of dresses, here is my latest finished dress.I used the same pattern as I did for my dress with the stiff collar. However, this time I wanted to use to types of fabric to almost make a new design. I was only able to get a small amount of this lovely blue dot fabric. So, I chose a cotton to match the lighter blue dot (there are red white and blue dots). It made it a bit tricker, but was worth it in the end.

I also wanted to have a different neckline than the pattern gave me as options, so I used my trusty home-made mannequin. Here you can see that I simply cut the bodice as the pattern called for and then, after placing it on the mannequin, used the large ric-rac to drape a new neckline.I wanted the back to sweep down a bit and come to a point. Here is the finished result in the back.I think it a rather flattering neckline and when I wear my hair up in a French twist, it looks lovely. This also gives you the opportunity to wear a darling vintage necklace that has say a jewel or some little cameo or something that hangs off the clasp. I have one triple strand of pearls that has a clasp shaped into a rose made of albacore shell. These little details get highlighted with such necklines. It also has a gal keeping her eye out for fun vintage jewelry with cunning little clasps.

Rather you are going grocery shopping or just having the gals over for coffee, why not have fun with your clothing. Make the ‘uniform of your life’ be what you like and want to wear.

It IS fun to be frilly and curvy!

   

(photo from myvintagevogue)And don’t forget your hat, gloves, and jewelry. Have fun gals.

Until tomorrow, Happy Homemaking.

22 August 1956 “Who are the People in Your Neighborhood”

I thought it would be fun on this fine Sunday morning, here in 1956, to share with you the types of uniforms and people I would meet during my days.

The homemaker and the postman.

The milkman. The milkman around my New England Area. HERE is an interesting article about Hood and New England in milk delivery heyday.

The gas station attendant. Yes, ladies, that is a bow tie and long sleeve shirt. I am sure his wife pressed those trousers for him, as well.

The supermarket checker. She dons a lovely dress-like uniform over her clothing. The young baggers would also be in a bow tie and a hat especially when they show up at the door with a delivery in a wooden box for me.

 The Butchers.  Though they wouldn’t greet customers in these dirty aprons, I love that even while working the men have ties and the ladies skirts. I think, because it is so normal to me now, that I really don’t think it odd for people to wear what is now considered ‘formal’ attire to do basic chores. I clean in my dresses all the time and not just my house dresses. I even garden in a skirt more often than my dungarees. I guess I just don’t understand how it is any more difficult to put on a pair of nice cotton trousers as opposed to jeans for men (hubby feels the same way). In fact when we are doing yard work hubby has ‘work pants’ that would be considered ‘dress up’ today, I am sure. Just heavy duty cotton. I guess when you become accustomed to something it seems normal. But, when I see photos of us or sometimes just realize these moments, it does make my life feel better or more special. Sometimes the simplest things such as what you wear really can affect your life and your over all outlook. It seems we are always chasing the special time and perfect image while we, ourselves, may be rather tatty in old jeans and T’s. I think the ‘special’ times should be our every day.

Uniforms were just part of the day in the 1950’s. Your Doctor might have this button up full top their version of scrubs, I believe or tie under a more jacket type uniform. Nurses, as well, had uniforms with darling little hats. I have to say, for me, I like the look of this rather than the garish over colored and odd imaged smocks and scrubs I see nurses wear today, but that’s just me. Certainly one could say comfort, but how did these people, for their entire career, work in these clothes? Simple, the idea of comfort and ‘relaxing’ was meant to be at home or on holiday. You were ready, professional and looked a certain ‘part’ in your line of work and your slouchy pajamas and comfortable shoes were for home with family. Even then, pajamas and robes and dressing gowns were more a ‘home uniform’ than today. I am sure many people simply sleep in their under things.

Now, I am not saying there is some moralistic or ‘being a better person’ associated with ‘dressing the part’, only it seems, to me at least, to make one’s life feel more important or real. There is a certain personal dignity and feeling of worth and joy in dressing the part. We are such a covetous generation, watching shows about wealthy people and drooling over nice clothes and objects, yet we can, very realistically, have these things as part of our daily life. And not break the bank in so doing. A few nice things for your various occasions and tasks is better than a closet full of 25 pair of jeans that, technically, all look the same.

It isn’t for nothing that so many of us enjoy looking at old photos. Or feel something special when watching vintage TV shows. Because we see in them something we want to possess and take on into our own lives. And, I am telling you, clothes, outfits, uniforms of life, they honestly make a difference. They can make your day feel more special. Many people love the show Mad Men mostly for the clothes and interiors. Well, you know what, we can have those things. As there really is not set ‘fashion’ for the day anymore (except jeans and t-shirts) why not make your wardrobe what you would like it to be. If you love Doris Day movies, then why not live one as best you can. You might find yourself happy over things you would think silly and caring less about things you cannot control.

Even this image, which shows two ladies in casual clothes in the late 40s, can show the style of simplicity. The woman on the left is in trousers, a halter top and saddle shoes. But look how ‘put together’ she looks even in this ‘gad about’ outfit. And I am sure she would not wear this to the movies or out to dinner. For that, she would dress up because it feels good and you are worth it.

I just think if we look at our lives more seriously they can actually be more fun. Because, to allow ourselves the ‘right’ to dress up for occasions and work gives our life that missing element we modern people seem to lack en masse: Style. The amount of time we take to watch tv, play on the computer or text could easily be shared with a few minutes to get ready, do our hair, put on that slip and dress. Hey, why not even pop a hat on every now and then?

I didn’t mean for this post to be a ‘lecture on dressing’ far from it. I just wanted to share some fun photos of what I would encounter in my 1956 life from people in my day from grocers to doctors to the gals outside the grocery store. Fun and inspirational, I think.

So, when we see an old family photo such as this (thanks to jewelsfiles) We realize, even something is casual as an at home birthday for just the immediate family still was an occasion to look our best. The mother and daughters are in lovely dresses though it is just a family affair.

I think there is a lot to be said for our appearance. We spend so much more today on clothing and yet look so much less put together.

Well, enjoy the fun images on this Sunday morning here in 1956.

Until tomorrow, then, Happy Homemaking.

21 August 1956 “Some Fun Tid-Bits from 1956”

I thought for today I would post some fun random happenings and items from this year, 1956.

i-Pod, CD player, cassette, 8-track, radio? Yes, they even, back in 1956, were thinking of how we could ‘take along’ the music we wanted to hear.

“In 1956 they teamed with CBS to create the “Highway Hi-Fi” – an under-dash phonograph that played vinyl records at a super-slow 16-2/3 revolutions per minute. The slow speed allowed a small disc to pack up to an hour of entertainment on each side. Special mechanical engineering reduced the number of times and distance the needle would skip across the disc as the car drove over bumps in the road.”

Here is Elvis ‘at home’ in 1956. This year Elvis is really gaining popularity. He is still not quite the superstar he will become, but I would definitely know who someone was talking about when they mention his name. Here you can see he is enjoying a modest home with good success. I wonder, sometimes, if superstars and mega singers, if their lives would have been better off if they could have made a ‘decent’ living and lived comfortably but not insanely wealthy so quickly. It often lead to others taking advantage and a destructive lifestyle (which was certainly the case with Elvis). Sometimes I think the ‘Get it all’ dream of wealth and fame is often the path to self-destruction. Who knows, if Elvis had been a good stable mid range star (in a world where we did not have Super Stars but many talented people we could enjoy that got paid good salaries and were not marketed into a product) He might still be around today, crooning and singing for us.

This is a 1956 VW bus. It seemed odd to me, because we so often associate the VW bus with the 60’s hippie generation. But, I suppose they were not buying brand new assembly line buses, so I am sure many of these became hand painted with flowers and sayings in another 10 or 15 years.

Here is the lovely Marilyn Monroe this year (1956) on Long Island, NY. You have to appreciate a gal who is sexy when she is as full bodied as Marilyn. Her thighs and her bottom, even her arms and back would probably be considered ‘chubby’ today. And can you imagine how unflattering even she would look in modern bikini’s of thin strips of fabric ill-placed? There is a lot to be said for the vintage 50’s suit both in comfort and style.

Bobby Fischer at age 13 here in 1956, is beginning to get noticed for his Chess genius.

“By the age of 13, Fischer's talents were already gaining notice. In a feature story filed in 1956, a journalist wrote, "While his hands may be fidgety, the eighth grader's eyes are riveted on the chessboard before him. His goal is the U.S. National Chess Championships, and he's made an excellent start toward it."

 This is Diana Dors, The UK version of Marilyn Monroe, leaving Cannes film festival this year (1956). She made film and even had her own tv show in the UK

Well, there you go, some fun little tidbits from this year to peruse over your Saturday.

Until tomorrow, Happy Homemaking.

20 August 1956 “It’s Blackberry Season!”

Well, folks, here in 1956 it is Blackberry Season! Here you can see a lovely handful of these delicious fruit. I have bushes I have planted in my yard (still giving a small yield but will increase next year). The path we take to the seashore is also lined with blackberries. Luckiest of all, of course, was dear Gussie brought home a large bag full from our local farm where she works.
Now, I love blackberries. They are the perfect blend of sweet and tart. They always herald those late summer days, dining alfresco, and sweet mouthfuls of ripe berries and cream.
We have been Blackberry Mad around here lately. I have made countless batches of blackberry pancakes. Yesterday, I wanted to make filled crepes. I had some cream cheese in the house, so I simply popped some in the mixer, added some sugar and vanilla extract and whipped it smooth. No recipe here, just go for consistency and taste to your liking. You could have even added blackberries to that while you were mixing it to give it taste and color. Here they are. In all fairness, they are really thinner pancakes and I used toothpicks to keep the closed. Normally, when I make a crepe, they are much thinner and would have been easier to roll onto themselves and hold their shape. I simply made my usual pancake recipe and just reduced the baking powder. Normally, when I make crepes, rather they are sweet or savory, I use my recipe from the 1950’s Boston Cooking School Fanny Farmer cookbook.
CREPES

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup milk or meat stock (depending on sweet or savory of course)

Mix well, make thin pancakes.
Very easy indeed and savory crepes are a great way to stretch a food budget. Leftover meat and even potatoes and veg mixed with an easy gravy or sauce stuffed into crepes, topped with sauce and garnished. Looks lovely, very easy and tastes wonderful!
I also make some wonderful Blackberry scones the other morning. Some mornings when I get up a little earlier than usual, I like to bake for breakfast. I am a morning person and having the house quiet, the coffee percolating often sets the perfect baking mood.
This recipe is rather easy and makes a triangular scone.
Blackberry Scone
3 cups flour
1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cups butter (cold and cut up, I keep my baking butter in the freezer)
1 cup butter milk (if you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, it’s easy to make. Add one tbs vinegar to each cup of milk needed.)
handful of blackberries (about a cup)
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and then cut in butter. I always use a pastry cutter so as to keep the dough cooler, like when you make a pastry dough. Gently stir in the blackberries. make a circular shape with the dough. Cut into triangles. Brush tops with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. They turned out rather well and were very delicious.
I also made some wonderful Blackberry/Blueberry Jam. I had blueberries left over from Gussie’s last farm gift of blueberries. A touch of lemon rind to this sort of jam does wonders to the taste.
Now, on the list to make still are some of the following. I found this great recipe in one of my magazines for a baked date pudding.I am just going to replace the dates with blackberries. And instead of just orange juice will most likely use less juice but put it in the blender with fresh blackberries to add more fresh flavor. (click to view full size)

And I would like to make a good Blackberry Roulade. THIS RECIPE is fairly good, though it is modern. Most likely I will end up tweaking it, as I do most recipes. I am not sure why this happens other than when I use a recipe now I have certain baking formula that flit about my head and recall things from previous recipes. Therefore such thoughts as “Oh, this would be nice with buttermilk” or “If I added some cocoa here and I could cut back on the flour here and make it a bit moister” come to me.
Now a Roulade is not only a dessert item. The word Roulade originates from the French word "rouler" meaning "to roll". Therefore meat lends itself well to this roll and fill food stuff. Duck is wonderful in a roulade, especially stuffed with pate’ (If you love fatty things as I do!) HERE is a great step by step for a meat roulade that uses flank steak. I often find this type of meal great for a cheaper cut steak, for when you slice it and pound it well (with your meat mallet or rolling pin) it really tenderizes it.
From one of my favorite cookbooks,     Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook, Is this recipe for Blackberry cream pie (click to enlarge and read) I love how this book is set up, as it gives you the guide to make a basic recipe and the suggestions to make variations, therefore teaching you how to make your own recipes. This is the page for the one layer pie crust.
Well, I hope whatever your current climate is, you are able to enjoy cooking and baking with some local fruits.
Until tomorrow, Happy Homemaking.

18 August 1956 “Those Who Have Gone Before Us: We Salute You.”

A recent comment from a long time follower really touched my heart:
Hey 50's Gal,
Sorry I haven't commented the past few days, we buried my Grandmother yesterday, a great lady at the age of 90, she will truly be a hard act to follow.
In the 50's she raised her family on a farm, helped my Grandpa out in the fields, took care of the barns, yet still managed to make homemade food and pies. Lunches were like suppers with meat, starch, veggie and dessert.
I don't know how she managed it, but she did and in my eyes she truly eclipsed the modern Superwoman by leaps and bounds.
I will also miss her for the rest of my life.......
Mom in Canada
It got me thinking how many statues of military figures or plaques to various men in history can be found everywhere. How documentaries and films are made about the lost hero of the past. Yet, where is the homemaker? Where is her memorial? How many of those so honored themselves had a loving mother making a home and family life for them.
The more I have come to be ingrained in the 1950’s role of Homemaker, the greater my admiration for those ladies grows. The silent proud casts of millions that for centuries, in various forms, made the world in which we live. So much had been discussed and hearlded when Women’s liberation became a topic and for some reason, that strongest female heroine of all time: The homemaker, was not lauded but instead tossed in the dust bin. How can we, as ladies, expect men to appreciate such a role when we, ourselves, call it foolish or old fashioned. Is it old fashioned to want a home of love and a place to grow and raise future members of communities? Is it not a certain strength to make the world nice for those around you, because you enjoy it (though it is work) and feel it is part of your role?
As those final ladies of the 50’s generation pass away and we are left with the Boomers as our new ‘old’, I feel an almost fear or panic. Nothing against the Boomer generation, but we must all admit that the war generation, those ladies who made and raised the boomers, were a breed of their own. And consider the stock from which they came: Laundry boiled in huge dangerous pots, everything made and grown by hand, child birth taking many without proper medicine.
The homemaker was and is an important part of our human history. Rather modern ‘libbers’ want to forget about the smiling mothers in aprons in kitchens or want only to herald the random ruling Queen’s or other wealthy Suffrages, lest we forget the common woman who, without her, the world would have ceased surely. And, now without her, with her role all but gone or a shambles, what have we now with the world?
So, I ask of you, any of you, if you would like to: Email me family photos and stories and I shall share them here as I can. Tell us now about that grandmother or great aunt or even mother, who selflessly made the world a beautiful safe and comfortable place where the meals were hot and nutritous, there was always the smell of something wonderful in the air, a dampened hankie was always available to make the wayward dirty face better and the prim hat, coat, and gloves were a badge of honor as proud and important as any military uniform that ever was.
Today, ladies and gentleman, I salute the Homemaker, the mother, the woman of the past who diligently and with great skill and courage, made our world better and stronger. I stand in salute to you great and fallen in my best Sunday hat and coat, my gloved hand at salute to those who knew that what might seem silly to us now, was not only important but was what gave we humans, Humanity. I salute you the unsung hero.
Here are an assortment of photos of such women. If these are from any of your blogs, I do apologize for using them, but I felt they deserved to be here.
 

17 August 1956 “Jackson Pollock: An Artist OF His Time”

On 11 August of this year, Jackson Pollock died from a car crash due to his drunken driving. He had his girlfriend (though he was still married to artist Lee Krasner) and her friend with him. The friend was killed and the girlfriend survived.
Pollock rocketed to everyman’s fame due to a 1949 3 page article on him. I won’t get into all the aspects of what I think of his work or the work of abstract expressionism at the time. What was happening was timing. Prior to this period Paris was the epi-center of art, but a group of Harvard educated art critics changed this. They presented the rough and tumble avant-garde American artist as the new voice (or eyes) of a new world. His connection with the wealthy gallery and art guru, Peggy Guggenheim didn’t hurt. In many ways Pollock is a good example of life and art mirroring one another. We are coming out of the 1940’s into the post war 50’s and image, advertising, and persona are becoming more important than ever before. As TV will appear and magazines by the score, advertising will kick into full drive, so an artist who is all about HE is the perfect ‘Greatest Living Artist of Our Time” as the Life article told us.
His work, which is to me at best decorative, is certainly a good back drop for the time. Here one of his images from the 1951 Vogue is in perfect harmony with the early 1950’s color scheme of pink, black, grey and taupe.
His work even affected the interiors of the 1950’s and spatter painted floors were available on counter tops and floor tiles as well as ‘How to’ in ladies magazines. Many rumpus room basements received this treatment. Even ceramics felt the effect.
After his 1949 Life article he all but abandoned the ‘drip style’ and his work became darker and reintroduced the figure as seen in the 1951 piece.
I think his death of self-indulgence, alcoholism and sudden fame is very fitting for the coming decade. Many stars and singers will succumb to such. Too much too fast and already someone to step in and take their place was to be the new marketing of the human creative individual. Like the new paper towels, simply rip, wipe and toss away. In so many ways the roller coaster was beginning.
I shall return tomorrow hopefully with some images of my finished dress and some Blackberry Jam. I may have made my decision on a tenant and am trying to get as many things done along with that so as I do not focus on the frustration that is being a Landlord.
Until tomorrow, then, Happy Homemaking.

16 August 1956 “Housing then and now: The American Dream Home and a Typical Day in a 1950’s Town.”

Every so often my 1956 life gets thrust into 2010. There is no help for it, it just must be done. Recently, the past three days to be exact, I have had to have such a thing happen. Having to suddenly put our rental property back on the market and scramble to get a tenant by September first required it. Certainly, you might think, how has it really changed your 56 perspective and I can honestly say: Housing. My heart was breaking and I was also appalled by those multitudes who I showed through our shambles of a house.
The house was not left in a very good condition, though the tenants are still there through the end of the month. There was much unsolicited painting and random damages as well as a yard that, in one year, somehow looks as if it has been abandoned for 20!
Now, what has struck me the most by the people I have had to show my home to is that I was amazed by the number of multi-child families who are in desperate need of housing. These are families with children from teenager down to infant. Some even had children with special needs and they ALL had pets which were hard to find housing that accepted them. I am a softy, perhaps some would call me foolish, as I always take pets. I have dogs and appreciated my own landlords leniency in that regard when we lived in Boston, so I always figure, “Pass it on”. Pass the good luck forward for others. It, of course, usually gets me in the end. This last time in that their latest tenants dogs swam in my ornamental koi pond, shredded the liner and it is now devoid of water and all my many koi, frogs, tadpoles, frogs. It had evolved into its own ecosystem over the past few years and the Koi happily breed and ate from hands. But, I digress…
This left me wanting to look again at housing costs to median income in the 1950’s to today. For those of you not living in the US who may read my blog, our economy recently went through what we have ‘cutely’ referred to as the ‘Real Estate bubble’ which, though named after the circular shape it creates when mapped on a bar graph, makes it sound like a darling Japanese cartoon character. It is not darling and does not excite like bubbles on The Lawrence Welk Show.
Here are some basic numbers:
in the late 1950’s ( where I currently reside)
Median household income:        $5,620
Median home price:                       $11,900
Home price / income = 211 percent
(if this were adjusted for inflation to today’s money it would be $39,340 and $83,300)
In 2008 (the numbers are lower today but this is the most recent data for this article I found)
Median Household income:       $52,029
Median U.S. home price:             $172,600
Now anyone can see just by looking at the numbers the difference. And, in my area, the median price today is much higher than 172,00. You will be hard pressed to find a home, even in foreclosure, on Cape Cod under 200,000. And I know the median income here is lower than 52,000 as much of the income base here is retail or entry level healthcare which pays our minimum wage of 8.25 so for our area today it would look more like this
Median Household Income: $25,840
Median Cape Cod Home Price $ 210,000
I am sure it is different per state, but the average situation, even with prices falling sine the real estate bubble burst, is still much higher than in the 1950’s and that makes many of us ‘house poor’.
Now, add to this the other aspect I encountered in families that looked at my house.One of the families to whom I was showing the house had this scenario( of which I saw various versions over the last three days):  She works full time as a nurse. Her husband, who seemed fine and was walking about pulling on doorframes and telling me how he can build and lift etc, is on social security disability for sleep apnea. Their 30 year old son is also on social security, for what I don’t know, but she told me she has to make sure he gets 10 hours sleep a night! This son recently got his girlfriend with child. To which she said to me, “Now that we know it is his child she is moving in with us” and she, too, will receive government money. They drove to my house in a brand new shiny SUV. So, this family gets money both from the woman’s full time job, her son and husbands and now live in girlfriend and new baby government assistance as well as receiving 100% rental coverage through section 8 ( a government assistance program that pays your rent for you.) This is a hard pill for me to swallow when I am scrambling to get a tenant to pay only the cost of my mortgage ( I make not one cent from my rental) so I don’t have to take money out of our savings to keep paying the mortgage for the house and therefore depleting our recent ‘new roof savings’ for the home we currently live in. We have kept this home going with no income from it as we considered it part of our retirement. Because we, as many did, fell into the lie a few years back that homes are always investments and not just a place to live. The idea being it would have greater value as the years went on. However, since we bought it, the house went up in value almost 100,000 (which we should have sold then) and now is back to almost what we paid for it.
We work very had and pay our taxes and scrimp and save and yet we get no actual outcome from our taxes, except the roads and garbage pick up. We have no children and would not send them to public funded school if we did have them. This might just sound as if I am simply bitter or jealous of their set up. In fact, I am sad for their set up. This systems in place seem to be there to take government collected money (mainly from the middle class) and allow the recipients enough ease to then go and put that money into the private sector such as Wal-Mart and the Mall.
So, what I get from all this is our country believes in ‘socialism’ when it is rewarding socially negative behavior or to keep the ‘very old’ in privately run nursing homes through Medicare, but for the hardworking middle class citizen, we are left to not only fend for ourselves with healthcare and education, but to also foot the bill for those who have children without thought, manage to drive expensive SUV’s while ‘we’ pay for their section 8 housing. It seems increasingly, as the middle class grew from the 1950’s, that we are the new work force for the country as corporation.
  When I think of the 1930’s paintings often done representing the working class as being tread upon by the factories, I have to envision a new image (as we have almost no production in this country any more) with the middle class being tread upon by the corporate run government and the government subsidized social security classes. Yet, where is this pictured today? The plight of the poor seems to leave out the hard working law abiding tax paying middle class. Even our artists care little about the plight of the common man and more about their own identity as art moves towards more and more installation work often obscure and not easily understood by the general public.
Even banks now are not lending with their own money and if they did the housing cost would reduce pertinent to that. Here is a quote from an article I read:
“Home prices have gotten more expensive because the crony banking system is hungry for more and more profits.  If banks had to lend their own money, home prices would automatically adjust lower.  Is that necessarily bad?  This would provide more mobility and less of a focus on homes as commodities and more as a place of shelter.  Take for example the current bust.  Say someone in struggling Detroit finds a job in New York but can’t sell his home.  Say that new job utilizes their skills more effectively.  How is their inability to move helping the overall prosperity of our economy?  It isn’t.  Yet this is the position millions now find themselves in.”
Again and again I find that to live a truly Vintage life, that is to say to look to the past for the good as well as the fun and beauty of it, we must be aware of the social and financial changes that have taken place. To be aware of what we once had and what we could now enjoy for the benefit of all, is so much more important and much MORE vintage to think about others as well as if we can ‘go buy more stuff’.
What is the solution, then? I haven’t a clue. This one really stumps me. I feel increasingly in charge of my life as I begin to take on the role and skills of a 1950’s homemaker and I grow my own food, sew my own clothes, manage money better and buy what is needed and enjoy what I have rather than need more. Yet, here I am in a situation and a country that seems to gladly trade our old dreams and values of even 50 years ago for a fast buck. And what worries me most of that is that most of the people this negatively affects are too easily swayed by media talking points of one being a Republican or Democrat or Socialist or a Capitalist. We need to stand up and be the smart party. The party that sees things for what they are, call a duck a duck. Policy and spending should be viewed on an idividual basis not to cater to a party platform. If things are not working, they need to be fixed. Ah, if only there were  a Vintage Party, I’d join up. Yet, I find no affinity with either of our two political parties as it has just become a sort of scary machine.
I do hate to get too political, but in some aspects this post is about getting LESS political. About forgetting those terms Socialism, Capitalism etc, we need to worry about the future our children will inherit. I feel a sadness and remorse for a country I would have been proud of in 1956 and hate to see where we have come. I am not anti-American but perhaps, “Early American” in that I believe in our people and our personal rights for the good of our people and not the pursuit of the mighty dollar. The American Dream of small business ownership is gone, it seems. The dream of a happy simple life of choice has been replaced by the bloated final days of Rome where we have become so placated and easily led, we simply wait, like lambs for the slaughter. Perhaps I am being overly dramatic, but I do honestly fell sadness and frustration. This only cements my need to withdraw to 1950’s more and more. I only wish I could take some of you with me and we could claim some small bit of some state for our own independent world. The Vintage World, where common sense and the betterment of people and life comes before the dollar. A gal can dream, can’t she?
So, back to my initial point. It seems it is very hard for many families to own homes as their income to housing cost ratio far exceeds what is good for home ownership. Even those who struggle to hold onto their homes are still very ‘house poor’. It is a sad state indeed. And all this from three days of showing my sad little rental property. Lessons, it seems, are always lurking around every corner.
And many banks would have us believe that today if we had such a low income to house price ratio it would be bad for the economy. This, of course, is also nonsense, as all you have to do is look back to the 1950’s! In the 1950’s when this was the case the BEST GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth! This article HERE is very good at explaining it more than I could.
Now, I don’t want to end a post on a negative or sad note. So, here is a video I once showed in 1955. It is a typical day in a 1950’s town. A town I would like to see return to our country. One in which things are made and sold and done locally. No Wal-mart or mall. Milk at the door, safe streets full of happy healthy children, affordable housing but clothing and food expensive enough to make sure we don’t overbuy nor lose our own abilities to make these ourselves. Could this ever be again?

14 August 1956 "I'm no Ethel Mertz"

I am a horrible landlady, well horrible in the sense that I hate doing it. I always end up with the worse tenants who make a mess, destroy the house (doors unhinged, glittery stars spelling out a child's name that are glued onto the drywall, and my prized koi pond I had for 10 years completely dry and uncertain where all the dead fish ended up) Lucy and Ricky they ain't.
Although technically Ethel and Fred were the building Super I believe, not the land lady. All I know is I spent the day showing a house that was filthy, piled so high with boxes you could not enter certain rooms and a destroyed pond with no yard maitenance. Needless to say, I had no takers today for the house.
So now tomorrow I have to be there from noon until 5 showing potential new tenants who hopefully will not become more destructive then the last. If our real estate market hadn't had a meltdown I would consider selling, but that seems hardly an option at present.
I therefore ask you forgiveness for now proper post these past two days. Maybe someone will feel sorry for me and leave me some comments of encouragement and joy to placate my sad soul. Nothing makes me despair more of the human animal than my continual trust of people's innate goodness only to be proved wrong every time a tenant leaves the house in shambles with seemingly no remorse. I have to accept that others Won't do as I would do.
Maybe I should do as William Holden did in this episode of Lucy and turn the tables. I could go to the tenants next house and knock holes in their walls, destroy their garden and paint their rooms hot pink and see how they like it.

Of course we know what happens to Mr. Holden in the end of that scene. I suppose I will go on being the patsy from my tenants and hoping, somehow, that people do have some goodness deep down inside.
Until tomorrow, Happy Homemaking.