Saturday, October 11

Uh oh

I stumbled upon a real time waster online this evening. I'm a sucker for nostalgia so I FREAKED when I was led to this, from my childhood:


Am I the only one who remembers this game? I'm sure it would be considered completely politically incorrect these days. I guess all of those witches happily spooking from room to room might upset some folks, but I used to love it. Do you remember the "whammy" ball that you dropped through the chimney? Such fun!

Then I saw this bad boy:

When was the last time you saw him hanging around? Oh, and how many of these did your family burn through during the 80's?:

This was, and remains, a big deal for me and my Mom:

It came out the year I was born and we listened to it year after year until it finally wore out. It was lost to me for several decades until I came across it in the Castro District in my early 20s. A lovely music store owner heard me squeal from across the store when I spotted it in his Castro shop. He insisted on playing it and I promptly burst into tears when I heard the first few bars. My then boyfriend was dumbstruck but that sweet queenly man ran out from behind the counter and put his arm around me as I sobbed that my Mom used to dance me around the living room to that song when I was a baby. He tried to give it to me but I wouldn't take it. I didn't think I'd ever be able to listen to it again and therefore refused. Years later I gave it a try again and was able to hear it without sobbing but it will always choke me up.

So, where did I find all of these gems from my childhood? On this fun site. (Beware! You'll be there a while.)

I also found this:

This is the sewing machine my Mom got in school and used all through my childhood. It's apparently a favorite among sewing fans but I love it for the scent. This machine has a smell that literally sweeps me back to the 70's every time I catch a whiff. I think it's the oil used to keep it in working order. I don't know, I just know that I love it. My Mom once threatened to get the smell cleaned out of it and I protested wildly. I will love that smell until I die. In fact, I'd like to be cremated and buried in the sewing machine case that's seeped in that scent. What do you say KB? Your Mom's got one too. Should we be buried near each other in matching Singer Featherweight machine boxes? I'm in if you are.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Totally remember all of those things from our childhood. Believe it or not, we still have one of those phones (not the dial one) in a lovely shade of red. And yes, I can completely identify with the smell of an old Singer sewing machine!

Chris Hyde said...

Curse you! Now I'm going to waste all sorts of time on that website!

Great memories!!! So did ALL of our moms have that kind of sewing machine?

shandon said...

Not my mom -- she was strictly a needle and thread kind o' gal.

But I have a maroon princess phone on my nightstand.

What great stories, especially the Peggy Lee one! An old friend of Sean's just returned a big box of LPs that he'd kept for years, and I'm getting Sean a phonograph for his birthday so he can listen to them. I wonder if he'll have a reaction like yours when he finally gets to listen to "Mr. Spock's Music from Outer Space" again.