I have a nifty iphone scanner that works quickly and adequately. I've been scanning
our mom's photo albums from the years we were growing up.
Even though many were taken with her Brownie camera, the quality isn't too bad.
Some are a bit blurry, but the memories are as clear as looking
through a freshly polished windshield.
One advantage to putting old photos on a computer is the ability to zoom in.
This was my brother's 4th birthday. Oh the things I see that
pour memories back into my heart and mind:
1. It's after dinner, and the Bible is at my dad's place. He always read Scripture to us after dinner.
2. The brown radio…our only media in the house. (My parents chose not to have a TV when we were growing up; we read instead I guess.) The radio came to a chair by our beds when we were home from school sick so we could listen to "Beulah" or "One Man's Family" stories on the radio (precursor to soap operas I suppose). But every night, at 5:45 we were quiet while our parents listened to Lowell Thomas and his 15 minute news broadcast. I don't know if it was before we ate, during, or after.
3. The corner of the kitchen counter where the radio sits … twirling before school (KG) in my new red corduroy jumper, I slammed into that corner and punched a triangle into my eyebrow, just missing my eye.
4. My grandmother, mother, and I all have shelves to the right of our kitchen sinks. But what on earth does my mother have on her shelf? It looks like a bunch of bottles. I can't imagine what they are.
5. Lastly, a sink full of pots, pans and dishes. My mother taught me to CAYG--"Clean As You Go" when cooking dinner. But I'm guessing back then, with four kids, a dog and a husband to deal with, her kitchen probably wasn't as tidy as I remember it being as she got older.
The following year's birthday.
As always a bonus after the five: the Angel Soft clean-x box is in a lot of the photos, as is Buffie, our collie dog. Mom's Kitchen Aid with that ugly plastic cover on it, made of the same stuff as brother's bib, and her wedgewood-looking blue and white cookie container on top of it. Did we have cookies around all the time? No, but this is two days after Christmas so most likely it's full of sweet things.
Wonderful post abounding in nostaglia, sigh. Hmm, iphone scanner, I need to check into that.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful memories from just one photograph! You make yourself sound ancient--the radio being "Our only media in the house." They must have been "late" in getting a TV (better yet--smart). I have a photo from around 1954 with a big box TV that sat on the floor with a tiny screen in it. I don't remember my parents ever listening to radio.
ReplyDeleteYour brother was a cute little guy. I am impressed with the cake going from one to three layers in just one year! Wonderful details of your childhood kitchen for sure. Oh, could the bottles be flavorings? I do not have memories of sitting around the radio so that was interesting to me. Sick days were spent either in our beds with books only or on the sofa before the tv. I do not remember a time when we did not have a tv. Wait, not true, sometimes it had to go to the tv repairman and sat in the shop for days or weeks. Never a happy time.
ReplyDeleteI really poured over your photo. The first thing I recognized was that Wedgewood-like container. I think a fruitcake came in it. We had one just like it and I hung onto it for years after finding it in a box going to Goodwill from my mother's kitchen!! I only got rid of it when we made our last move.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
My husband and I both read this post. It's so interesting to see the every day things. I love the Bible on the table...what a beautiful tradition. And kitchens were so much smaller and it was hard to keep every counter clean and clear. I thought at first those little bottles were spices but they look more like oil, don't they? I need to get one of those nifty scanners! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteCan't tell you how much I enjoyed going over all of the memories you had from that picture! The Bible on the table was wonderful! But listening to the radio? We always had a TV and I can remember my mom wheeling it into our rooms when we were sick and spending the whole day in bed. With her bringing food in on a tray, and drinks with straws. Funny how the memories come just listening or reading of others. I think those bottles look like flavorings? I remember those Kleenex boxes too! Enjoy your week-end!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful memories your photo conjured. Thank you for sharing them with us. My father read the Bible every day after dinner, too. Have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteI love your five. Sweet memories. I should scan photos,too ... along with all the other things I should do and instead, I sit here visiting my friends and their blogs... :) :) :) Happy Friday!
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to be looking back at your old photos and of you to share the memories with us. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt takes ages scanning old photos but wonderful looking back.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is scanning old slides at the moment, it is taking quite a while as he keeps stopping to reminisce about things! What a great photo of your brother's birthday showing life just as it was and all those memories you have of the things in the kitchen, such a lovely post:)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo. It's lovely to think back on all the wonderful memories one picture brings.
ReplyDeleteHappy Five on Friday
Love this nostalgia post. So many things to see and remember in an old photo. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely post, so many treasured memories from one photograph. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteSuch sweet memories from your two photos, Dotsie. The Formica table and chairs look familiar. ♥
ReplyDeleteWow - what an awesome "blast from the past" - and also a history lesson. First and foremost - I *love* that your father read scripture after dinner. What a wonderful way to allow your food to settle and to thank God for your full tummies.
ReplyDeleteYour have such a great eye for detail, D - and it is because your parents were smart enough not to let their children watch too much tv when developing your brains! I didn't either and my girls are artistic and intelligent. : - )
Your poor brother being born so close to Christmas. My brother is Dec. 23rd. My mom's was the 17th and my father's was the 29th. Also my favorite aunt who lived near us was on the 29th. We celebrated a great deal of December birthdays. Unfortunately we have few pics of us as children to pour over like you did. I LOVE your are saving them on your computer now. I need to check into that scanner thingy. I just upgraded to a 7s+ last week so I need to find a scanner for it - what a brilliant idea.
Such special memories.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat to be able to scan your pictures quickly and painlessly! I love this sweet photo and the memories that accompany it. (You remember lots of detail!) Sweet post, Dotsie!
ReplyDeleteI love this so much, Dotsie.
ReplyDeleteDo you mind sharing what kind of scanner you have? I am preparing to go through tons of old photos with my dad and wouldn't it be great to scan as we go?!
Wouldn't it be wonderful to once again have news for fifteen minutes a day instead of 24/7?
ReplyDeleteOh, those are great pictures and such wonderful memories.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. The stories and memories that everything evokes are wonderful. I have a couple of photos of our kitchen when growing up and sometimes I just look at them and remember with longing, wishing I could go back again. Thanks for sharing this Dotsie.
ReplyDeleteOh my. Such fun pictures. I was instantly transported to that kitchen! I remember Buffy getting to lick the butter paper. And the paper towel holder on the wall, with a spot for wax paper in the holder, too. It's amazing what feelings and memories an old photo can bring out!
ReplyDeleteThis is a gem of a post. How I do love old photos... but to have them described as you did is such a treat! Love your memories and the specific things you remembered just from looking into the photo (like the injury to your eyebrow, the radio soaps, the CYAG, etc.) I am wondering if those little bottles are liquid flavorings like vanilla, coconut, orange, etc. Just popped into my head when I looked at them. What fun!
ReplyDeletePodso, I love this post! I'm always collecting tins (It's a genetic thing I got from my mom!) and have two from my teen years. One had held a fruitcake and one had held an assortment of cookies. I'm wondering if those little bottles on the high shelf were flavorings sold by a door-to-door salesman, such as The Watkins Man.
ReplyDelete