January 2
Maybe next year I will be able to do a push up! Maybe I will flap my arms and fly to the moon!
1965
Bob’s back! I’m so glad he’s finally home! My project for English is moving along nicely. There’s still a lot to do, though, and just Sunday to do it in. I bought a pair of stockings today, without even looking at the size! (Heh, heh - silly me!) I got a size 6, petite. (I wear an 11, large). I also got a pair of white knee socks, 4 garters, and some notebook paper. I’ve been practicing my piano pieces and they don’t sound too bad. They will, though, when I have to play for Mr. N next Thursday.
Comment 2023
I wish I knew how many Globe Theater models were built every year by American high school students. The English teachers must have hated the day when they were all turned in, almost as much as we hated making them. Today’s students have hundreds of plans and kits available on the internet, but all I had was the town library (remember those books I checked out?) and the family’s set of World Book Encyclopedia.
Some of you may be wondering, “Garters? Just garters?”. Let me explain. The school dress code required girls to wear skirts. For leg coverings, we had three options: tights, stockings, or socks (usually knee socks; bobby socks were out of style). By stockings, I mean pairs of nylons, not pantyhose. While those existed (they were invented in 1959), they were very expensive and rather impractical, since a run in one leg meant tossing the entire pair out. So we wore nylons, supported by garters attached to a girdle, panty girdle or garter belt. (If you need these explained, let me know in the comments.) Sometimes garters broke or came off and even got lost (depending on where you were then they came off. So you would buy replacement garters, as I did. As much as women today hate pantyhose, we hated nylons and their gartered companions more. Which is why, when skirts got shorter and pantyhose got cheaper, we were delighted to buy them. Tall girls like myself (5’9”) were particularly happy not to be exposing our garters and the tops of our stockings every time we sat down.
1980
And here we are, in our new place! It really is perfect. Once I saw the piano, the blue rug, and the plants in place, I knew we had made the right choice. Being nauseated didn’t help moving day; Connie and Jack being here did. It has been very cold, and the house has been chilly, but we’ll adjust.
1983
I am curious about the history of household technology. Food and shelter as well as clothing. How the family creates change and is also affected by change.
1992
The first day back at work was ok. I got. Lot done, since it was pretty slow. Mostly I filed. (B-O-R-I-N—G) but it was good to get it out of the way. UM Eastern Shore wants to develop a program in design and merchandising, and sent me a prospectus. I’ll do it and return it - - not sure they want my advice. I think the future is going to be very bleak for the textiles and clothing field, especially in former colleges of home economics.
Comment 2024
I was right, and I hated to be right. No one loves a Cassandra.
1996
The new routine is ok, so far. It’s a dreary, rainy day. The kids trudged off to school. I guess the measure of how good the holidays are is how glum we are about starting up again.
1998
The past year has been a revelation, a mountain of experience, a marvel. I am more peaceful and more fit than I have been in a long time. My holiday was less stressful. By this time next year I will be halfway through my sabbatical. Kiddo 1 will be nearly done with college admissions. Kiddo 2 will be in middle school (yipes!). I will be nearly 50. Maybe next year I will be able to do a push up! Maybe I will flap my arms and fly to the moon!
2002
I thought of Mom over Christmas. How proud she would be of the kiddos. How she would have worried about Kiddo 2’s health. How upset she would have been on 9/11. We could have supported each other. I could have asked her about getting through the worst of times.
And Dad? Do I ever think of him? Yes, I do. But I think that my “closeness” to him was more a yearning, not an actual close relationship. We were never that close, just alike. We shared a sense of humor, a delight in words and books, our love of popular music.
2013
Another holiday detour. Still not finished with the article, but I completed a pile of recommendations and did a lot of cooking.
I took a walkabout to the Newseum; what a great place! Not enough attention to small local newspapers, though. My bias is showing.
2018
Tuesday. I hesitated a bit before I wrote “Tuesday” because I wasn’t sure. Yay, retirement.
2022
Five years into retirement, I am finally ready to fully let go of my old professional identity. I’m looking forward to new paths.
2024
It will be a real relief when I get further into the year and I’m less faithful about writing in my journals! I’m looking at ten or twelve entries for tomorrow, and about the same for January 4.
I must admit, however, that having such a many-layered New Year’s cake is fascinating.
