A Baby Boomer Life

[meirish]

Bucky, If we keep on with our remembrances we might hit all the good things that we did or had back in those days. Ahhh, ye olde punch bowl. I used mine so much. I always used it for the holidays and put it at the from entrance when people came one. The kids really enjoyed that when they were little.

I just figured that I didn't entertain that much and it was fun to use it. I sure got my moneys worth out of that. I think I gave one or two of my DILs a punch bowl for some event. Everybody needed one in those days. I did have the small glass plates and matching cups but I think I sold them at a garage sale. Seems like we have used styrofoam cups so much over the years now.

I have the sugar and creamer and vinegar cruet in nice glass ware that my neighbor gave me for wedding and bridal shower. The times have changed so much and never use them at all any more. I do't know what to do with them cause none of the DILs are going to want them. Such a shame that we have become so much less formal. It is fun to have a formal table setting instead of a buffet like is the usual nowadays.

Just think of all the beautiful table cloths, the napkin holders, silverware and glass ware, not to mention the fine china that sits in china closets. I see them at sales and auctions and they are so hard to sell when years ago every girl had a set given or inherited the fine china from family.

Then there are all the beautiful vegetable and sale, relish bowls that don't match any set but are used every holiday over the years. I had one for stuffing, one for vegetables, one for salads, several different relish trays and big platters for meat. Wow. makes me sad to think of those days gone by.

Then there are all the pie pans, cake pans and roasters plus other fancy pans. People get taker out chicken, pizza, stir fry, etc for so many big holiday meals now and people aren't cooking like they used to. That used to be some of the fun. I tried to bake turkey meal as long as I could cause my boys always loved the mashed potatoes and gravy and that is not eaten as much as french fries now. Well, I bet there are a lot of other things people can come up with that were such a big deal back in the day. Can't wait to hear what others say. meirish

[sixty]

I inherited my mothers sterling silverware and it's just beautiful.  She would be heartbroken though to know how little value it has these days.  I've tried to sell it and the most they will give me for it is around $1,500, which would be a huge insult to her.  I would keep it, but I have a son that doesn't have any interest in it, so I want to take care of finding it a new home before I go.  I guess it's good she doesn't have to witness what's happening to those very pretty things that used to be so appreciated and valued.  Crystal's another thing that's lost a ton of value.  Was your punch bowl crystal Irish?  I have some water goblets that were my grandmas just sitting in my cupboard and I fear what might happen to them also.

Maybe it's a good thing we are getting away from pride in those possessions so that we can concentrate on more simple things, and try to solve all the problems of the world.  Who knows?  It still makes me sad though.

[meirish]

My punch bowl was about 8$ I think. I was being facetious when I said I got my moneys with out of it. I don't have many expensive things. I do have a few things from both Mother and MIL that are very nice but I doubt that my DILS will even want them. Those nice things aren't used these days and everyone has so many things that they don't need another dish, plate, bowl, etc. I feel badly that my big pressure canner will probably never be used again. I also have a rather new 4 qt pressure cooker that I loved and used a lot. Both my DILs are scared to use a pressure cooker.

The thrift shops are filling up with all the dished, linens and furniture of the retiring and elderly population. When I was in my younger days the auctions were just packed with people paying good prices for these items and now can hardly tie them away. Times do change. Take care. meirish

[Linda196]

Sadly, we seem to live in a disposable culture. Nothing is made to last very long to start with, and no one repairs things anymore either.

I have a couple of Irish linen table cloths that were my grandmothers, and one had a tiny, very delicately and precisely darned patch on it, you have to really look to find it, but it showed how much she valued it.

I also have a few of her silver vases, apparently single flower vases were a thing in the 20's and she would set a cluster of them with one single stem from her garden in each one. as a center piece,(sometimes with her string of pearls wound around the bases when she felt "really fancy").

Luckily, my daughter says she was born in the wrong century, and values all things vintage, so they will have a good home for at least another generation!

My other grandmother, Bless her, had very few "valuables" other than the Crystal Rosary her groom gave her on her wedding day. They were bringing up 9 children during the depression, so my most valuable reminder of her is her amazing "make do" attitude, and picture of her in a plain  apron, made from a flour sack, with tiny pink embroidered flowers on the pocket, that I remember always having a cookie in it!

I had the punch bowl, too, and still do actually, used these days on very rare occasions as a loaner to wedding receptions for flower arrangements or ice bowls for chilled appetizers.

[meirish]

Such good memories of your grandmother, Linda.

The one thing that is hard to explain to "children" even mine in their late 40's and 50's is that I was raised by parents who were born in 1906 and lived through the first bad flu in 1918, WWI and WWII, the drouth and dust bowl plus the depression. My parents worked so hard and bought so little but yet we had a good life.

People were all poor together back then and everyone respected the that fact. These people lived through the rationing of WWII when hardly any sugar, flour, eggs, at times hardly any meat. Just worked at a day by day existence at times and made do with very little.

I have tried to explain all this to my children and explain that my frugal ways come very naturally. When I have a nice dish, tablecloth, whatever and place importance on it I feel badly when no one thinks it is worthy. I think of how little my hubby and I had when we were married and how we struggled to put food on the table and buy baby food for our first child. The younger generations are more interested in things than we were it seems...probably because there are more things out there to purchase.  So many of us cherished so much of what we had because we had to work so darn hard to attain it.

 Sooo, when I look at the small amount of china I have and wonder where it will go I just shake myhead at what the world has come to. Im sure many of you have some stories to tell also. Thanks for putting up with this old ladies ramblings.. I hit 78 years yesterday and I and my kids are surprised I am still around to antagonize them. Have a good day. meirish

[Bucky]

Hello everyone - love reading and reminiscing with you of days gone by.  (I remember my Grandma talking about things from years ago . . . now, how did I become the generation to do that too?  I can't be THAT old already!!  hehe)

This baby boomer has been on a "decluttering" journey the last year with so much time at home, being temporarily (I hope) unemployed. 

As I look through items in our house that have belonged to family members who are now gone and know that our son (our only child) will not want these items that I have treasured and taken care of all these years.  Like you mentioned, Irish, so many items like these end up in the thrift shops as the younger generation doesn't want them.   

I agree with Linda that we have become a more disposable society versus taking the time and effort to reuse glass, china, silver items and washing and storing these items.

I might have mentioned this before, but many years ago I found a 4-pc. primary colors Pyrex bowl mixing set at a garage sale for $1 for the set!     Today, these are collectibles by some people selling anywhere from $75-$100 or more.  My mother had a set of these same bowls when I was growing up.  To me, these bowls are sentimental as something from my childhood.  Do I use them?  No.  They sit in my china cabinet for me to "look" at.  I have some other stainless steel mixing bowls that I use all the time.  I have decided to sell these bowls and replace the spot in the china cabinet with something that was my mother's that has been boxed away since she passed in 2005. 

We get to a point in our lives that we have to let go of some things - we can't keep it all.  I've made several trips to the resale shop the last few weeks to drop off donations of clothes that haven't been worn, shoes, nightgowns, robes, decorations, some glassware that is surplus, etc.  I'm being more selective on what I do bring home these days.  I have enough, I don't "need" any more stuff.

Hope you are all doing well . . . take care.

Irish - a belated Happy Birthday to you!  May your new year bring you many blessings!

Bucky