This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way. All opinions are 100% mine.
In my earlier post I mentioned the affect of the economy on our home, and Maine, and was delighted to see an opportunity to share on a topic that is somewhat related to both of these things.
My husband has a great interest in the economy because he has experienced unemployment twice after working for 30 years at the same company. He does have a job now that seems to be secure. In this job and in the previous job, he discovered that much of the work that was done by machinists and factory workers was being sent out to other countries because it costs less money. Fellow employees were loosing their jobs.
I see a similar thing when shopping for just about anything…but I’ll focus on clothing right now. Have you read the little tags on the cloths you buy? I don’t know when the last time was that I saw “Made in America” on a clothing label.
I personally don’t know what to do to help change this problem in a big way, but maybe in small ways change can be made, one person and company at a time. Researching what things ARE made in America and buying them is one thing I can do more than I have been.
Now here’s where the “Maine” part comes in – Ramblers Way Farm is a company that makes fine woolen apparel using resources grown and manufactured 100% right here in America. They purchased an old historic building in a small town that was struggling economically. They refurbished the 1792 structure located in Kennebunk, Maine, to it’s original condition. At the same time it had to be modernized so that it met our current environmental standards. This is now their Corporate Office. They have received the Gold Lead Certification level, which is a great honor….plus they can now provide jobs to people in an area that needs them badly.
To me, this is a GREAT example of how companies can help make “Made in America” a more common label seen on products, and at the same time provide much-needed jobs in distressed communities.
I think we may just pass through that way on our vacation mentioned in the post before this and see this place for ourselves. We love history, and what a wonderful example this is of preserving it.
I can remember going to the “eye doctor”, now of course I know he’s really an Optometrist, because I had trouble with my eyes. I was a young girl in the 1950′s at the time, and got a pair of glasses similar to the frame you see here, light blue across the top, and they weren’t bifocals. My biggest problem was that I had astigmatism, and only needed them for reading at that time.
I remember how embarrassed I was to remove those eyeglasses from the little leather-like case at school…in fact back then it may have been a real leather case…I didn’t want anyone in the class to see me in these odd-looking things. I actually managed to get away with not wearing glasses for quite a few years because I hated them as a child, then finally had to wear them for reading, next for reading and distance, and now as a woman well into my 50′s, I wear progressives all the time.
I just got a pair last spring through my optometrist because our insurance covered a pair, but want to get an extra pair that is just for reading, so am looking into getting them through an online site, Zenni Optical, that has them for amazingly low prices, about 1/10th of the price the optometrist offered for an extra pair…some for under $9! We have purchased through them before and were fairly satisfied.
I don’t know what made me think of this as a subject to write about…but the other day I was remembering my high school years. They weren’t the most fun years of my life, going from a private school to a public school, and being clueless about the ways of the world. Not such a bad thing in some ways, but terrible in others.
In private school we dressed very very modestly, I mean VERY modestly…and when I started public high school, my family…especially my father…wanted it to stay that way. Actually, when I first started high school, they hadn’t started allowing jeans and casual dress in high school, by the time I graduated, that all changed.
I remember when mini-skirts became popular, there was no way this girl was going to get out the door in one of those, and it was humiliating to go to school each day and be teased mercilessly…ugh!
Then one day, I think my Mom must have had a talk with my Dad, because everything changed. There was an outfit in a catalog that I wanted, it was a short fitted skirt with a wide glossy orange belt, tight ribbed top, and it had a hat (tam?) that matched…the British look popular at that time, and with it I wanted fish-net stockings.
Mom just looked at the catalog, and quietly said “okay”, and we got the outfit. I went from frumpy high school girl to awkward in-style girl…and did I ever feel uncomfortable spending the day in that skirt, so short you had to be careful all day long that you sat just right! And those fish-net stockings! They looked like the pair to the far right in the picture. They didn’t keep the cold out, and by the end of the day (I walked a good long walk to and from school) my feet had the impression of fish-net in them when I, with great relief, removed the outfit, stockings and shoes, and changed into something more comfortable.
Needless to say, I was relieved when wearing jeans and casual cloths to school was “in” and style was at least a little less important
Words bring back memories…and there are words that have been used in recent history that are memories in the making.
Take for example the word “bling” or “bling-bling”, never heard of those when I was growing up in the ’50s and ’60′s, but in about 30 or 40 years when you look back, you’ll think of showy, glitzy jewelry when you hear the word, jewelry that people wear to stand out and be noticed.
Another term that comes to mind is “Hip-Hop” which, if the source I used to find the definition is correct, refers to popular music that originated among inner-city African-Americans in the ’80s, including rap, funk, and such.
Take those terms and put them together into “Hip-Hop Bling” and you have a great source for contemporary jewelry…yes…”Bling-Bling”.
Now here’s another term for you, Grillz, this one has me scratching my head a bit, jewelry for the teeth? Hmmm, that’s unique, take a look at the link to check these out and read a bit of the history…and then have fun looking at all the other glitz and glamour at the site…I’m a bit too old for Grillz and such, and my kids are grown so not sure it’s for them, but for those of you who’s time is NOW, or who are young at heart, have fun at this site, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, they will make it for you!
Do women wear aprons anymore? I think they do, in fact, I know they do, but when I put an apron on, it doesn’t look anything like the apron’s my mother or grandmother used to wear, and doesn’t get used nearly as much. My mother always, always dressed nicely each day, wearing a dress or skirt with a sweater or blouse. It was only in the later years when teens had moved on to wearing jeans in high school that I remember my Mom finally wearing pants or slacks.
But an apron was very important if you wanted to keep your dress clean, and I suppose it still is. I read a little write up in a recent newsletter from a quilting club I belong to that was so nostalgic, and I thought I’d share it with you, it’s called “The History of Aprons”...I’ll give credit where it’s due…as soon as I find out who wrote this!
“I don’t think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. Here’s some other things Grandma’s apron was good for:
It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and somtimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ‘old time apron’ that seved so many purposes.
PS – I don’t think I ever caught anything from an Apron”
It’s funny that something as simple as shoes and sneakers can bring back memories, but they do. Just like labeling is important now, it was back then, too. I can remember looking at the heal of my sneaker at the little blue square logo that said KEDS and being so proud, because that meant I had the real thing, not some no-name imitation. (And to think of the “no name imitations” that my children have had to put up with having a penny-pincher for a Mom)
I can also remember feeling like I really could run a lot faster if I was wearing PF Flyers, or my KEDS.
But then there were my Buster Browns shoes. I have to admit that I didn’t think those were as fun…I had to wear corrective shoes for a little while, those were the Buster Brown days, even though they were a good brand, and looking back at me from the insole was Buster Brown and his bug-eyed pooch, Tiger, they were clunky things, and weren’t nearly as free and fun as my sneakers. Something I didn’t realize back then was that Buster Brown was based on a comic book series from the early 1900′s.
Here’s to memories from something as simple as a shoe.
I can remember going to the “eye doctor”, now of course I know he’s really an Optometrist, because I had trouble with my eyes. I was a young girl in the 1950′s at the time, and got a pair of glasses similar to the frame you see here, light blue across the top, and they weren’t bifocals. My biggest problem was that I had astigmatism, and only needed them for reading at that time.
can remember looking at the heal of my sneaker at the little blue square logo that said KEDS and being so proud, because that meant I had the real thing, not some no-name imitation. (And to think of the “no name imitations” that my children have had to put up with having a penny-pincher for a Mom) 