School Daze

The year was 1936 and I was thirteen years old and in Junior High School. One of the fads for girls was to own an autograph book and have all your fellow classmates write something in it, and sign their name. Well, today I came across mine when looking for a recipe book. Oh my, what memories that brought back and it also gave me a few laughs. I thought I might share some of the things that were written in my autograph book. One girl wrote on a slant on the page and this is her contribution;
In years to come, as come they will,
Please remember the girl who wrote uphill!
Another; I'm not a Northern beauty, I'm not a Southern rose,
I'm just a little country girl, With freckles on her nose!
And; I write on white to be polite
And save the yellow for your fellow.
This one I really liked and chose it to write in another person's book. However, one of my teachers did not like the idea of autograph books and collected them all from this particular class, to take home with her to read. The next day she brought them back and gave us all wholly heck for wasting our time on such drivel. She read several aloud and commented on them. She read mine and said she was most disappointed and shocked to read this one from a very special student whom she never would have believed would write such a thing. I was almost brought to tears and to this day I cannot understand why she did not see in it what I had seen. I thought it was so very nice. Here it is;
May your friendship ever spread
Like butter on hot gingerbread!
I laugh now, but I was terribly hurt back then to think she was so cruel to me! Oh well! On to some more.
I thought and thought and thought in vain
Until I thought I'd sign my name!
Yours till the statue of Liberty has twins!
Most all of the other teachers signed our books with a smile and were very gracious. here is one:
Trouble will vanish from you like a bubble
And from you depart
Unless you nurse it and oft times rehearse it
And hold it close to your heart.
Again; When your days on earth are ended and your path no longer trod
May your name in gold be written in the autograph of God
More; Of all the ships that sail the sea
Friendship is the ship for me!
And; I love you big, I love you mighty
I wish your pajamas were next to my nightie.
On the clothes line, that is!
And this; I never went to college
I never went to school
But when it comes to loving, I'm an educated fool!
How about this; I write on pink because I think
You are sweet!
When you see a monkey up a tree,
Pull its tail and think of me. (Groan)
Here is a good one! Love is like an onion, you taste it with delight
But afterward you wonder, whatever made you bite!
And from my very first boyfriend we have this;
Last in your album,
Last in your thoughts,
Last to be remembered,
And first to be forgot.
I have never forgotten Marcel Bartholomew. He drew a heart with our initials in it. How sweet!
There are more, but I just picked out a few for my blog I thought you might enjoy. Do kids today have autograph books? I don't think so! I think they have gone with the jump rope, the kite, hop scotch, hide and seek, kick the can, and all the other games that kept us outside playing. Today's kids don't know what fun is in the great outdoors. Oh well, hope you enjoyed these. It was a nice trip down memory lane for me!

Call The Police!

Nostalgia comes with old age, and it often brings smiles to your face which has happened to me this day. Many years ago I worked at an ice cream parlor that served food along with all the wonderful ice cream concoctions you do not see today. The place was called Bordens and the man and his wife who owned the place were probably the best bosses in any business around. They were absolutely wonderful people and working for them was such a pleasure. The place was very popular and full most of the time. Not only did the locals visit, but so did the soldiers who were stationed here during world war two. However my story is about the police officers who came on a regular basis. Both the city police and the highway patrol. We knew them all by name. Crime was not very rampant in those times and they were always offering rides to any of the waitresses who were stuck without their car to get them home. One night a girl from Windsor had no way home and they volunteered to take her, but that she had to know if they got a call she would be dropped off on the side of the road while they answered the call. That might have been scary, but not so as there just was not that much to worry about back then. Myself and my sister, who also worked there, walked home by ourselves many a night at midnight without any worries whatsoever. I am probably the biggest scardy cat ever, but I did not have fears back then, of walking home at midnight in Santa Rosa. Well, maybe I am not the biggest scardy cat, as my boss's wife would often fear going home when she had to take the cash from the restaurant with her. Therefore, these gallant officers would volunteer to drive behind her until she was safely to where she had to go. I am not sure if she took the cash home or deposited in in the night slot, but whichever they followed her to make sure she was safe. We (my sister and I) lived in the bottom apartment of a two story. One night two of the city police gave us a ride home and parked the patrol car and came in for refreshments. (Yes, that is all!!) It was after midnight and we happened to get a little loud in our conversation and laughing. All of a sudden they heard the speaker in their patrol car and one of them ran out to take the call. He came hurrying back in and said they had to leave as the people in the upstairs apartment had called in and said there was a noisy party going on in the downstairs apartment. OMG that was us! Out the door they went laughing all the way and telling us to, "Quiet down!" I do not believe anything like that would happen in this day and age. It was all pure innocence, but today it might not be so easy to convince anyone of that. While thinking of it today, I could not help smiling and thinking how those guys were always there to protect us gals when we needed them, and even though it was not the right thing to do it has given me a lot of pleasure to recall it all again and make me smile.