Sepia Saturday

The theme for this weeks Sepia Saturday led me to focus on "legs".  It brought me back in my memory banks to a conversation I had with my Mother many years ago.  It's coming back to me pretty clearly and a memory I hadn't thought about in a long, long time.  This photo of the couples legs was a trigger to a pleasant afternoon with my Mom and a conversation we had over a hot cup of coffee .  .  .  

My Mother (left) and her sister, my Aunt (right)

I loved my conversations with my Mom and I miss them dearly.  Mom passed away just over one year ago. She knew my love for genealogy and family history and we had many conversations on our family's past.  This one afternoon Mom was sharing with me what it was like for her, and others, in the 1940's. She shared with me the difficulty in getting what us women think now as simple things, such as nylons. Mom explained that nylon was scarce and in much demand during WWII.  Mom, with her cigarette tapping the ashtray, and a steaming cup of coffee on the table, shared with me how she wore makeup on her legs to appear she was wearing nylons.  She smiled and laughed as she shared what that was like... painting her legs and then when she wanted to look "real good" she'd have someone draw a line in the back with and eyebrow pencil to resemble the seam.  She laughed as she shared what she used to do.  She then added ... the only problem was you had to stay away from water and if the boys knew you had leg makeup on they would try to push you in the sprinklers.  I loved it how Mom got lost in her stories.  She knew she had a captive audience in me and she knew I held on to every word she said. 

Photo Courtesy of Bing

During the war nylon was needed for parachutes among other things.  Mom reminded me that money was short and cosmetics were hard to get so you'd have to get creative. Mom told me one had to just "make do" with what you had. 

She shared some of the following tips which we both laughed about (although very useful even today);

• Use red lipstick for rouge.
• Bath in tea bags to help you look more tan.
• No lipstick? Boil red vegetables (beets) and rub on your lips.
• Put oatmeal and egg whites on your face for a nice facial.
• Use strips of rags for curlers. Wet hair, wrap hair around the rag and tie the ends of the rags together. When you wake up you have beautiful curls.  (My Mom actually curled my hair a lot that way when I was young)
• Need your hair lightened? Put lemon juice in your hair and go out in the sun. 
  

I Love You Mom and miss you and our talks very much. 

I hope this Sepia Saturday brought back some nice memories for all of you.

Warm Regards, 

An Amazing Treasure I Found Tucked Away . . .

As I was going through my Mother's things, after her death, I found tucked away, an envelope with her home address hand written on it.  It struck me because we seldom find hand written anything any more.  It was addressed at an old address of her's, where she lived when she was in her 20's.  The envelope was a bit wrinkled which I felt added character.   Here was a part of my Mom's past.  This letter had been air mailed to her.  I opened the envelope and carefully pulled out the letter that was placed inside.  As I read it, I got a sense it was from an old friend. As I continued reading I found it was from a gentleman that was apologizing to my Mother for his behavior.  The gentleman goes on to explain that his Mother had told him she knew my Mother was seeing another man. He goes on to let my Mother know that he will let her be and for her to enjoy this other man's company. The letter appeared sweet and had a sense of innocence about it.  This letter was written by a young man who was in the Army and stationed in Korea.  He talks a bit about things he's seen.  This letter was dated July 6, 1946.  The other man that my Mother was seeing was my Father.  :)   I'm so glad I found this letter and was able to get a peek into my Mom's past.. at a time when her and my Dad had just begun dating.  My Mom and Dad married in August of 1950.  So through this letter I've learned that they dated three years before marriage.   What a fantastic find.  Thanks Mom for saving this letter for so long.   Well, I took this letter one step further.  I researched the name of the writer of this letter and found he was still alive and not far from me.  I did the unthinkable.  Hee Hee .  Through the use of the internet I was able to find this man's phone number.  I kept hesitating but then decided to call him.  If he were alive, he would be in his 80's. I made the call and unbelievably I was able to speak to him!  I tried to explain who I was, and that I found a letter he had written to my Mother over 60 years ago.  He chuckled when I explained who I was.  He didn't recall my Mother.  I read the letter to him, hoping to jog his memory but it didn't.  He did say it sounded like a letter he would write. He was amazed that my Mother had kept this letter for so long.  We talked about how he must have been important to her.  I asked if he wanted a copy of the letter and he shared that he would.  It was such a wonderful experience to reach out and find someone that once was part of my Mother's life when she was so young.   It was a wonderful find.  Thank you Mom! 

Warm Regards,