Valentine's Day
It is Valentine's Day, the mushiest day of the year. Even mushier than National Mush Day, surprisingly.
I had nothing special prepared for today, but lucky for me, Sue B. is going the extra mile (as usual). She scanned two vintage Valentine's-related photos for your blogging enjoyment.
First up is this picture of a little girl (date unknown), with a table full of Valentines and other stuff. Maybe her school had all the kids bring in cards for each student (like my schools used to do), she has a pile of them (even a duplicate). And she has that swell stuffed dog, and not one, but TWO cakes, several boxes of chocolates, a chocolate heart (?) - - this girl scored big time. Is that a bath mat on the table, in the back left corner?? My family had a formica table and chairs that were very much like the ones in this photo (our chair were sparkly blue, though). The counter behind the girl is rather jammed with appliances, jars, pots and pans, but it's a homey sort of clutter.
26 comments:
Major-
I'm gonna guess, here, that's not the most-flattering image of that little girl. I'm also going to guess it's from either the very late 1950's or early 60's (the grounded receptacle; the folding step stool seat) - we had that very same one in our house right about that time.
I'm guessing that young couple is rehearsing for a [possible] stunt on their upcoming appearance on Beat the Clock-! I'm not quite certain what Butch's haircut is - it looks as though it started out to be a ducktail, but ended up closer to a horse's ass-!
Thanks to Sue for providing all this "Mush Day" merriment.
The "Be My Valentine" cake looks like it's of the cherry chip variety. Bits of dried cherry-like substance in the cake mix. Yummy! I haven't seen that cake mix in stores for about 8 years or so. WHERE DID IT GO!? And why? I can approximate it using maraschino cherries and some of the juice in a white cake mix, but I miss the pre-made mix. (Harumph!)
Major, I'm not sure what that mauve-colored thing is in the cellophane, but I don't think it's a bath mat. Looks like a carpet sample(?)
There's so much stuff on the back counter, including a couple of Christmas leftovers. I think the thing on the right is an electric can opener.
Major, in the 'old country', a young couple kissed a boiled beet for luck, like this couple here. The deep red color of the beet symbolized passion... it also made your lips red... and your fingers... and your chin. But evidently it was worth it. Truthfully, I have no idea what this young couple is doing, but I bet it's banned in Florida. ;-)
Many thanks to Sue for providing more holiday photos for us to chuckle over. And thanks to Major for the witty commentary... trilobite fossil indeed!
I bet that mauve carpet thing is a toilet seat lid cover. Very romantic!
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
Sue
Sue, Ha! You're probably right about the toilet seat cover... or maybe the matching rug that goes in front of the toilet. But it begs the question: What is a toilet seat cover doing on a Valentine's table? Romantic, indeed.
It’s obviously a Valentine’s gift...that table is full of gifts, cards and goodies exchanged by the whole family. They truly get into the holiday spirit. The little girl is even wearing a heart pin.
Sue
I noticed that pin, too. And I bet they saw that toilet seat cover in the store and thought, "Hey, it's sorta red... Valentines!" Pretty much everything else in the photo is also red. The girl's dress, the stuffed dog, and all the Valentines loot.
I think the mystery item on the table, is a dust mop replacement head. It's just what that little girl always wanted! Now mopping all the floors in the house will be a breeze. She can do it in half the time, and still be able to cook dinner, mix her parents' after dinner cocktails, wash the dishes, scoop the litter box, and maybe even finish her homework before bedtime.
I noticed an open lunchbox on that kitchen counter. It's pink and it's vinyl. Just doing a quick search on ebay, three pink vinyl lunchboxes come up. There's a Barbie one that is too bright of a shade of pink, but it would go great with the Disneyland Castle of today. Another one is a Strawberry Shortcake one, but it's a pink and white checkered pattern. This light pink vinyl lunchbox (below) was the third one, and is from 1960, which would fit in with Nanook's guesstimate of the year. One question though.....who was "Pony Tail"? Was it the little girl, or her French poodle?
Pink Vinyl Pony Tail Lunchbox from 1960
I think the guy and the girl in the second pic are kissing the Blarney Stone. I also think that guy uses Sun-In on his hair, but only on the top of his head, and not on the sides.
I just realized that it couldn't be the Blarney Stone that the couple is kissing. Now I'm thinking it's their jointly-owned Pet Rock, "Iggy" (short for igneous). But I bet they both take it for granite.
I think the little girl won those cakes in the Valentines party "Cake Walk" (the cakes don't actually walk- I'll explain later). She does seem to have helped herself before Mom could grab the camera! I can't be too hard on them for the stuff on the counter. Older houses just didn't have a lot of storage for all those new-fangled kitchen gadgets, so you made do. I wonder if she expected Valentines gifts like these every year and became a huge pain to her husband? "I said TWO cakes!!!" Not that that would ever happen...
The young couple obviously fell for the old "Superglue glazed apple" trick. That's gonna hurt!
Happy Valentines Day everyone! (and thanks, Sue, for the pics!)
I like the mini step ladder on the right in that first great photo. Everyone I know has a very similar item in their house.
Sue, made me laugh. Thank you! I think you might be right about the toilet seat cover. And lots of Coke, ready to wash down more of that sweet cake and then start on the other one. And the chocolate heart for desert.
A very fancy electric can opener too, and a cozy for the toaster.
Thanks Major, and Happy Valentines day to all.
My goodness, the first photo might have been taken in my house at that time. Mom was kind of a clutter keeper, I never saw a clear countertop till I had my own.
Folding step stool, check, electric can opener, check, and the piece of resistance; the valentine cake. Mom had two heart-shaped cake pans and always made a frosted cake for Dad. Often it was a cherry chip cake with pink food color, JB. I still have the pans.
Dad always got Mom a heart-shaped box of chocolates, usually with plastic flowers on the lid. She kept all of them and I had to throw them away at the end.
James Dean, Rebel Without a Clue, smooching up his girl. I love it.
Thanks Major!
JG
Happy Valentine’s Day!
The Coke bottle packages in the corner fascinate me. My parents rarely bought soda when returnable bottles were common and when they did, it was always in cans, so I have never seen this before.
Bu & Sue, that first video presents a fascinating lineup that must have taken forever to put together in alphabetical order. Plenty of real-life and on-screen families represented. Thanks!
Nanook, yes, perhaps not the best photo of that little girl. I was thinking that the photo might be from the early 1960s, but it’s hard to say. There is an air of familiarity when I look around and the clutter! As, “a horse’s ass” is pretty harsh! Plus you haven’t seen me for a while, but that’s just what my hair looks like now.
JB, I think I’ve heard of cherry chip cake mix, but have never had it sadly. Cherry is one of my favorite flavors! But my mom almost always went for good old chocolate. Hard to complain. Though now I remember she would sometimes make a strawberry cake that was super good, white cake, pink frosting, and strawberry jam between the layers. Now I want some! I always give carpet samples to loved ones on Valentines Day! Bath mats too. The electric can opener looks much like the one my grandma used for decades… maybe I need to get a similar device for my mom now. Kissing beets for luck is a beautiful tradition, and very romantic!
Sue, it’s funny to see old ads that were aimed at men. Give her a new vacuum cleaner! She’ll love a toaster! And hey, a toilet seat lid cover, what a way to show how much she means to you.
JB, in Russia they could only dream of getting a fuzzy toilet seat cover! They use burlap, and not even the nice burlap. The cheap stuff!
Sue, it’s nice that they spoiled their little girl on Valentines Day! I’m enjoying the “I Love You” artwork drawn on notebook paper. It looks like an oyster peeking out of his shell. Notice the plaid cloth things on top of the toilet seat lid cover… dish towels??
JB, That pin is made of genuine diamonds and rare rubies. It is now in the Smithsonian. One of the tiny boxes of chocolates looks very much like one that I saw at the local See’s Candy store a week ago, I swear it had the same design.
TokyoMagic!, as Mary Poppins said, “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun!”. Mopping is so much fun, I might just mop my kitchen floor after I’m done responding to comments. I love that bucket full of dirty water afterwards! I saw that lunchbox too, my sister had a vinyl lunchbox like that, though I think her’s was white. I seem to remember that it started splitting at the sides fairly quickly. Not sure when Strawberry Shortcake was introduced, I think of her as being more of a 1970s phenomenon. Do they still make Strawberry Shortcake stuff? Why isn’t there a 200 million dollar Strawberry Shortcake movie, starring Charlize Theron? “Pony Tail” is that girls’s spy code name.
TokyoMagic! I particularly like igneous rocks, but only ever got sedimentary rocks for Valentines. The worst kind of rock! Not even metamorphic! I guess I knew how those girls thought of me.
Bu, but the apples look so red and crunchy! It is a bit funny to see Christmas stuff still out in February. Maybe they just didn’t have any spare room. We still have three vinyl boxes full of vintage 45s in my mom’s den, I should go through them and see if there’s anything good! Maybe a Monkee’s record with the original picture sleeve? If the photo was an afterthought, I can cut them some slack for having taken a few slices of cake. I hope the little girl didn’t eat that whole chunk. GDB needs more references to Jacobean plays, let’s class this place up. I hope The Duchess of Malfi owned at least one wisecracking servant. Look at all those Love Boat guests! Some I genuinely don’t recognize. Boy was that show popular in its day, I know we watched it. I doubt I could sit through it now.
Stu, hmm, that’s an interesting theory, maybe the girl DID win those cakes. If so, she was very lucky (or very good). You’re right about older houses not having much storage, a friend of a friend was thinking about making an offer on a house, and realized that there were no closets in the bedrooms. It was sort of a cute house, but what do you do with your stuff?? “Superglue glazed apple”, Alan Funt would be so proud.
DrGoat, it’s funny how things like that step ladder evoke so many memories! And yes, look at all that Coke, holy moly. Was it there for a party? Coke and cake, my teeth are falling out just thinking about it. A toaster cozy… WHY?
JG, aw, i like that your mom made frosted heart-shaped cakes for your dad, that’s very cute. Now I’m feeling sad that I never experienced cherry-chip cake, since it sounds great. Maraschino cherries are the greatest invention since Silly Putty. Just my opinion. It’s nice that your mom saved all those boxes; I know that sometimes it can be hard to throw things out that are sentimental. But I’ve come to realize that I can still have the person in my heart without keeping all the stuff!
I'm wondering if that Christmas tree in the back (center) is made of jelly-candies?? Looks like the family hasn't quite finished nibbling on it. And is that a large homemade sugar cookie with a Santa face in the back, on the left, leaning against the wall (wrapped in cellophane)? Sugar EVERYWHERE, for every season, I guess.
I see a husband-to-wife card (or something like that), and a shirt under it. My guess is the wife bought the shirt for her husband - and made him one of those cakes...and the husband bought the other cake - and gave her that nifty toilet seat lid cover (that's different than a toilet seat cover, btw). All very romantic and super sweet to see the entire family so loving.
Bu, I enjoyed those links (videos) - thank you!
And thank you, too, Nanook - those adorable Valentines bring back wonderful memories.
BTW, TokyoMagic just posted a Valentine's post with more sweet Valentines from the past, I think you'll enjoy.
Chuck, I remember schlepping those stupid glass bottles to home and back, each week. Ugh! I don't miss that!
Am enjoying all the fun and laughs today, thank you Major and everyone!
@ Bu / Major-
Geez... looking at that "All-Star" lineup for The Love Boat, how could one possibly go wrong-?? (No stories... no characters that matter, perhaps-? I wouldn't know). Although I recognize virtually everybody, to say I watched even five minutes of that show at any time during its 10-year run-! would be an exaggeration. Clearly, I must'a missed something.
That little girl is very much loved by her parents judging from her Valentines Day “haul” ( to use a popular 2020’s term) if the little girl gets thirsty from eating her “raw hot dog pink “ frosted cake ; don’t worry as there is a stash of Coca Cola on the floor!! From the coloring , and the plaid patron and the graphics of some of the little girl’s cards I’m placing a historians CIRCA DATE of 1961-1962.
And I get the feeling that this might also be photographic evidence the HOARDING ( not to be confused with pack-ratting : dating back to the 1890’s ) was happening before the 1980’s …..
NEW FOR ‘62!!!!
DUNCAN HEINS PALE PINK FROSTING!! (Red dye #5 with 73% chroma reducers )
Alternate color names “ Dusty Rose” “Calcutta Sunset” “Persian Pink” “Crème of Spam”
“We you crave a cake that looks like SPAM!!”
OMG!! If I was around in the early 60’s I’d be Rich!!!
How about:
DESERT SPAM!!!!
“You live it for lunch and dinner : now have it for dessert!!!”
- taste great with coffee !!
And for a Hawaiian Holiday try new COCONUT CREAM SPAM!
Ladies: ask your grocer now!!!
My phone insist on ruining my jokes !!!
It changes “ you love” to you live .
And always tries to make RICH as in wealthy - a person
Did the JETTSON’S have problems with phone autocorrect??
Nanook, thanks for the vintage Valentines. A couple of them look vaguely familiar.
Major, we always used shoe boxes (with a mail slot cut into the lid) covered with red, pink, and white construction paper decorations for our Valentine boxes in grade school. Hmmm, I can't remember at what grade we discontinued that tradition; 3rd grade?
Tokyo!, I smiled, then I groaned, at your puns. And yes, the (real) Blarney Stone sits atop an Irish castle. I think you have to bend over backward and stick your head through an opening in the castle wall to kiss it.
Stu, hahaha. "Superglue glazed apple" trick.
Sue, I also noticed that Santa with the googly eyes. I assumed it was (maybe) a pot holder. But it does look a little shiny. Not sure what the heck it is.
Mike, it'll be about 200 years before we know the answer to your Jetson's question.
Happy statehood day to the other Oregonians here on GDB. (1859)
Major-
If this isn't the exact can opener - it's certainly very close. So, it's an Oster... as I kinda suspeected. LOOK HERE.
Valentine's Day, or, as I like to call it, Cheap Chocolate for Spinsters' Day Eve.
My Grandma had one of those metal cake carriers, and I had a step stool like the one in the first picture until just a few years ago. I think it got lost in my last move. It was Melanie the Cat's favorite place to sit with her butt on a higher level and her front feet on a lower one. Furry little weirdos.
And there's something unbearably sweet about that couple on the front steps. To look like that at each other, even in your curlers and babushka - young love! I think we can handle a little mush if we make sure to be extra jaded and cynical tomorrow.
Thanks to Nanook and Sue and the Major too, and the Ghost of Valentines Past. I choo-choo-choose you all to be my Valentines!
Nanook, one of our local TV stations used to show reruns of The Love Boat weekdays at 9 AM, so even hearing a few bars of that Jack Jones theme song brings flooding back the feeling of staying home sick from school, or (even better) a snow day.
Until I saw those old cards from Nanook, I forgot that the sets of cards for your classmates usually included one card for teacher. I wonder if those are still made.
I'm glad I checked back here, otherwise I would have missed the vintage Valentines from Nanook. Those are extra nice ones! I think I have one or two like that (with the shiny gold accents), in my collection.
Thank you Major, Sue, and Nanook! And happy February 15th!
What Dean Finder & Tokyo Said.
Thanks Major & Nanook for those vintage cards, they do look familiar.
Dean, now that you said it, I remember teacher cards too. I think my kids did this also, but only a couple of years, of course even that’s near-vintage now.
JG
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