This Boomer Turned 60!

Can you believe it! Well, neither can I.  I must say, I was a bit apprehensive about this day. When our parents were sixty, they were old, for sure.We measure events on this planet by minutes, hours, days, months and years. It's quite restrictive, you know. I like to think of being 60 as a third trimester of pregnancy. That makes sense to me.
At any rate, I had a great day! I cruised around my old stomping ground, Bowling Green. I visited old friends, the shops and of course the bars. There was a surprise around every corner. The best thing was, I documented the whole day with my camera and journal. If I loose my mind someday, then at least I can look at the pictures.
So, my words of wisdom to you are, "Life is not measured by the number of breathes we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!"
Sixty and lovin' it!

If I Had A Nickel For Everyone Of Them, I'd Be Rich!

I'm talking widom here. You know, those immortal sayings that taught us valuable life lessons? Words of wisdom passed down through the generations to you. And I bet you caught yourself saying the same things to your kids. " Just wait 'till your father comes home" or "Go ask your mother."
I'm wondering if through the years, some of these sayings have changed because our world has. For example, "You better eat everything on your plate. There are starving children in Korea." Do parents now say the same things to their kids except change Korea to Africa?
I suspect these quirkey expressions become part of our DNA and then one day, these valuable words just automatically leave our lips to be passed on to some unsuspecting child. I have made a short list of some from my memory bank. I am sure you will recognize many of them. So, I am asking you, in your comments to share some of what you remember.  Why? Because I said so!
"You made your bed, now lie in it."
"Smooth move Ex-Lax!"
"If the shoe fits, wear it."
"Don't kiss the boys or you will get pregnant."
"If I have to stop this car...."
"Were you born in a barn?"
"Two wrongs don't make a right."
"If they jumped off the bridge, you would too."
"Children should be seen and not heard."  (would Dr. Spock object to this?)
"If you had another brain it would be lonesome."
"You're so far back in the woods you can't see the trees."
"This too shall pass."
"Waste not want not."
"Don't be a tattle tail."
"Close the door, I don't pay good money to heat the outdoors."
"Either in or out."
"Money doesn't grow on trees."
"If you cross your eyes they will stay that way."
"Wear clean underware in case you have to go to the hospital."
"Be home before the street lights come on."
"If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all."
"Your eyes are bigger than your stomach."
"You would loose your head if it wasn't attached."
"Don't take any wooden nickels."
OK,  you're it, now it's your turn.....

Duncan Hines..The Man And His Mixes

This is such a great picture. Imagine that! A man actually standing by a stove in the fifties and not the barbeque grill. This is the cover of a cookbook advertising the Estate range. Why, it's none other than
 Duncan Hines!
Duncan Hines was born in Bowling Green Kentucky in 1880. He was a traveling salesman. During his travels in 1935, he had eaten alot of good and bad food on the road. "I run less risk driving my way across country than eating my way across." During this time, there were no interstate highway systems and only a few chain restaurants in the populated areas, so good food for travelers was found in the local restaurants.
Hines and his wife began putting together lists for their friends of good restaurants across the country. These lists resulted in a paperback book called, "Adventures in Good Eating." It was a must have for any traveler. This book was so popular, that another one was written called, "Lodging For The Night."
In 1952 Duncan Hines introduced bread through the Durkee Baking Company. This was his first step to baked goods mixes. Hines sold the rights to use his name and the title of his book to Roy Park which then was transformed into Hines Park Foods. This was the license to many food related businesses that bore the Duncan Hines name.
In case you are interested, there is a museum in Bowling Green Kentucky honoring Duncan Hines:
http://www.duncanhinesmuseum.com/
"Whipped cream has it's place, ripe olives have theirs. Pickles are nice, but let's be reasonable."
"Have you ever tried a few drops of worcestershire sauce on bacon before broiling? It does things to it!"
If you would like to read the story of the man and his mixes, click the link below. Otherwise, let's bake a cake.
Duncan Hines: The Man Behind the Cake Mix

Enjoy Better Living With Your Crosley Shelvador Refridgerator!

Now that you own the beautiful new 1951 Shelvador, you are going to find that your food will keep better and meals will be so much easier to prepare. For those special occasions, when there are going to be guests for dinner, luncheon, or supper, it will be much less tiring than it used to be.
You'll  be surprised at how much food you can store in this new refridgerator. So many things can be kept on the shelves in reach, in sight! And there is plenty of room for frozen foods too. You can shop ahead and save money and shopping time. You will be able to serve more healthful and nutritious foods with your wonderful new Crosley Shelvador!

Some Fun Vintage Christmas Ads

Santa Should Be Head Of Homeland Security

This is a repost. It is a perfect time to bring this post back.
You better watch out, you better not cry, Santa Claus is coming to town.
(quell the masses)
I feel Santa is the perfect choice for head of homeland security.
(he sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake.)
He know what you are doing at all times.
(he knows when you've been bad or good)
So, we'd better be good, for goodness sake.
Think about it. That guy can enter a house without anyone knowing at all and not leave a trace except bearing gifts, if he chooses to, or eating your cookies.
He can get from one place to another in no time and circle the globe in 24 hours.
Kids and people worship him like a God and he is know universally.
No one, I say no one, is going to cross that man for fear of the consequences, especially on Christmas morning.
So, the president should seriously give Mr. Claus consideration when making the next choice for head of homeland security.
Ho, Ho, Ho!

Stop..Be Still..Listen To your Inner Voice

Remember in the sixties, everyone was talking about transcendental meditation?
It was hip and cool! It was conscious relaxation.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi helped bring the Eastern influence to Western rockers. The Beatles took off to India to learn transcendental meditation (TM), but they came back dissatisfied. I personally think meditation couldn't help the issues they had. That feeling of being dissatisfied came out in their song, "Every body's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey."
Rumor has it that "Sexy Sadie" was written about the Maharishi making passes at Mia Farrow. I truly don't want to think about that.
The Beach Boys and Donavon among many others were also taught. By the 1970's, some five million people were practicing transcendental meditation.
Have you always wanted to learn how? Well, I got just the ticket for you!
You can meditate like a zen monk using these powerful Cd's!
How do I know? Because I use this program.
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE!
Oohhhmmmm.....

The Aliens Landed! It's a One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater!

I bet you remember this one! It hit the Billboard pop charts in 1958. It was performed and sung by Sheb Wooley.
"The Purple People Eater" is about a wierd looking alien who comes down to earth because it wants to be in a rock and roll band. The song was written in an hour based on a joke told by the child of a friend. This monster wasn't purple, but it eats purple people instead.
The voice on the record was sped up in the recording, sounding like the "The Chipmonk Song" and "the Witch Doctor", which were both songs of those times.
Once you start singing this song, it's going to be in your head all day!

Well I saw the thing comin' out of the sky
It had the one long horn, one big eye
I commenced to shakin' and I said "ooh-eee"
It looks like a purple eater to me
It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
(One-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater)
A one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me (One eye?)

Well he came down to earth and he lit in a tree
I said Mr. Purple People Eater, don't eat me
I heard him say in a voice so gruff
I wouldn't eat you cuz you're so tough

It was a one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
One-eyed, one-horned flyin' purple people eater
One-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me (One horn?)

I said Mr. Purple People Eater, what's your line
He said it's eatin' purple people and it sure is fine
But that's not the reason that I came to land
I wanna get a job in a rock and roll band

Well bless my soul, rock and roll, flyin' purple people eater
Pigeon-toed, undergrowed, flyin' purple people eater
(We wear short shorts)
Flyin' purple people eater
Sure looks strange to me

And then he swung from the tree and he lit on the ground
He started to rock, really rockin' around
It was a crazy ditty with a swingin' tune
Sing a boop boop aboopa lopa lum bam boom

Well bless my soul, rock and roll, flyin' purple people eater
Pigeon-toed, undergrowed, flyin' purple people eater
I like short shorts
Flyin' little people eater
Sure looks strange to me (Purple People?)

And then he went on his way, and then what do ya know
I saw him last night on a TV show
He was blowing it out, a'really knockin' em dead
Playin' rock and roll music through the horn in his head

[Clarinet solo]

Tequila

Crown Roast Of Frankfurters

I collect cookbooks. I have many that are vintage that I buy just for the pictures. Last night, while looking through a case of old weight watchers recipe cards, I ran across this one. I was laughing so hard, I couldn't stop. I just had to share it with you. It's a perfect weight watchers recipe because no one would ever eat it. Can you imagine being a kid and your mom made this for supper? What would the husband say? Would they love it and think it was cool? Or, would they pretend to love it so they wouldn't hurt mom's feelings? What a culinary horror! I realized that the whole baby boomer generation could have easily been wiped out because of two things. One, the food and two, the X-ray machines in my previous post. It's all very hard to swallow. Literally. I was just wondering what this would look like on the Thanksgiving table instead of the turkey.
Bon Appetite!

Let's Go To The Shoe Store! I Want To Look At The Bones In My Feet!

Now that we are on the subject of shoes, in order to get the proper fit for your Red Ball Jets, it was necessary to stick your feet in the X-ray machine. How cool was that? It was better than an all day sucker and bubble gum! Sticking your feet in the machine, looking at the yellow greenish images of your bones, and wiggling your toes!
These machines were call fluoroscopes. They were on the cutting edge of technology. What a perfect way for the shoe salesman to give kids the best fit. According to one manufacturer, "The machine proved to be a valuable ally of the retailer. It enabled him to demonstrate the correctness of his fit and impress his customers."
These devices were in the stores from the 1930's and well into the late 1950's, which were the peak of popularity. At least 10,000 stores in the United States had them.
Then the concerns of radiation grew. Some of the boxes were not tight and radiation leaked out into the surrounding area. What about our feet? Good grief!
In 1957, Pennsylvania was the first state to ban these machines. By the mid 1960's, they were history.