What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Wednesday Treasures~It's June!

 Can you believe it is June already? We are half way through the year and it hardly seems possible!

 How well I remember the excitement of June appearing on the calendar as a child! That usually meant we were out of school for the summer and that we would soon be taking a trip north to visit our relatives in Ohio and/or Pennsylvania.  My sister Doris and I would pack our little suitcases with as little as possible since there wasn't much room to take very much stuff.

Thankfully we weren't traveling in a car like this one all the way from Florida to Ohio...but it would have been fun to take a ride in one...

 If our whole family was traveling, there would be six of us crammed into a not very big car, like a Ford Falcon...much like this four door sedan below, 


except ours was a very ugly shade of green, like this one:

And when I say there were six of us, that included my parents, my two big teen-aged brothers who were about 6 feet tall, my almost teen- aged big sister, and then there was me, a gangly 10 year old who was prone to car-sickness no matter where I sat in the car, especially going through the mountains, which we always did.  And remember, back in the late 50's and early 60's there were no interstate highways yet through the Smoky mountains, so we had to go around every mountain curve, up and down every valley, look out over every precipice and "scenic overlook" on the very narrow, winding mountain roads, oftentimes following semi-trucks who were belching out their thick, putrid diesel fuel exhaust directly into our open car windows (because this was before air-conditioning), as they slowly climbed the hills and maneuvered the hairpin curves at a snail's pace.  There were few, if any, passing lanes to get around the big trucks, and so we were stuck behind them all the way around the mountains, through the tunnels, over the bridges, and into the small towns...where we hoped there would be a gas station with a clean restroom and a place to get a soda or something to tide us over until supper. Or for me to try to overcome the constant nausea of motion sickness.  Sometimes we had to stop at the first "scenic overlook" we could find so that I could...well, you know, if you've ever been car-sick in the mountains.  Yes, the memories of those trips aren't always pleasant...but if I can stick to the overview of the whole trip, it really was much better than that!

Here's a few pictures from one of our trips north. This particular year I was 12 going on 13, and instead of our oldest brother going with us, my sister's best friend was going along for the trip. So it was my next to the oldest brother Clifford, who I think had just graduated high school, my Doris and her friend Mary Jane, who were most likely juniors going on to be seniors, and then me, who was probably in 7th or 8th grade., and then of course my parents.  My oldest brother Russell had already graduated and left home by this time and was already in the Air Force, so that's why he wasn't with us.

We always stopped at this same place every year and had our pictures taken on tis old horse. I think this was in South Carolina. Note that my sister and her friend had their hair in curlers. This helped keep it in place in the windy back seat of the car since all the windows had to stay open. Oh, there's our Falcon in the background! You will notice that there is a box tied on top of the car. That is where we put all the camping equipment...our tent(s), air mattresses, Coleman Cook Stove, blankets, etc., because, yes, we camped all the way up and back.  My Dad would take a different route almost every year through the mountains so we could stay at different state parks where there were campgrounds. That was the only way we could afford to take the whole family on a vacation. 


Here we are at one of our campsites, having breakfast. How we managed to get all of that stuff in that little car and box on top I will never know...plus our suitcases in the trunk and all six of us people! My Dad was an excellent packer, but this really blows my mind to think of doing this every time we stopped for the night!

This picture above might have been at a roadside park, having lunch while traveling, because I don't see the tents. Yes, we stopped at roadside parks to eat lunch, because there were no "McDonalds" or other fast food places through the mountains. My mother was a whiz cook and planner as well. She knew just what to pack to prepare our meals as we traveled. Again, I am in awe of both of my parents and their skills in making our trips both fun and memorable, as well as thrifty!
By the way, I took these pictures with my own little camera back then, so that is why I'm not in these pictures.

This was the reason for our trip to Ohio...to visit our relatives. Above is:
my sister Doris, my cousin Cheryl, who is just a couple of months younger than I am so we always looked forward to being together every summer for a week; my mother and her sister Belle, my cousin Robbie, who, at that time was a little pest to us "big girls". Sadly he died in his late 30's from leukemia. Next is my Dad, and then there's my Grandpa Tedlie, holding his black cat "Monkey".  My Grandma Tedlie was in the house. She was not well and was often bed-ridden when we came to visit, which made it hard for me to get to know her very well...and also we had to be quiet when we visited. Sadly, she passed away a couple of years after this visit, in 1965.  
 I usually stayed over at my cousin's house during our visits.
This picture was actually a year earlier. Here is my cousin Cheryl with her little puppy, and me.
I was only 2 months older than Cheryl, but you can see she was a petite little thing, and I was, well, I was me...LOL. I think we were dressed up because our mothers were going to take us downtown Columbus, Ohio, to go shopping.  The highlight of this shopping trip was to go to the big Lazarus department store and ride up on the escalator to the top floor for lunch. They had a lovely restaurant up there, and they had live models walk around modeling pretty outfits while we dined.  We also always had their luncheon special of Turkey Stuffing with Gravy.  I don't think there was any turkey, just the stuffing with gravy as I recall. Not sure what else came with that, but it was a lunch special plate and I remember my Aunt Belle and my mother just oohed and aahed over it and the lovely outfits the models were wearing.  It was a treat for us young girls as well. It was a big deal for us almost 12 year old girls.

Well, I sure didn't plan to write about all of this when I started out this morning...but here it is noontime, and it's time to get this posted before it has to become a Thursday post! LOL.  I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane with me.  It makes me want to jump in the car and start traveling north to see places and people I haven't seen in a long while. Not so sure about the camping, however. I think I'd prefer a nice Airnb cabin like our kids just had on their vacation to the mountains...or a decent motel would suit me just fine.  However, I just noticed when we were out earlier this morning to go do some grocery shopping that the gas prices just jumped up to $4.75 here in town.  I guess we won't be going very far after all.  Such a shame that our government can't figure this thing out...but I won't go there right now. Don't want to end on a sour note.

Oh, speaking of black cats.. I think my Grandpa Tedlie's black cat "Monkey" must have a lot of descendants down this way.  Lately we've been visited by the neighborhood black cat quite frequently on our porch:
It wants to come inside in the worst way, and when I go out on the porch she won't let me back in the door...She's not hungry. I know a neighbor lady is feeding her.

But, wait a minute!  How did you get up on this table so quickly when you were just at the door???


Yikes! They are multiplying right before my eyes!
There's two of them!!!! They are identical twins! Gee wilikers!


Good grief! 



I will end on these wonderful thoughts from God's Word, found on one of our other calendars for June:



Amen.
Have a happy Wednesday!!










37 comments:

  1. Mike and I had our first date in a Falcon…Sept 14 1963… two weeks before I was sixteen and he was seventeen.one year ahead of me…his family had a blue one and a black one…I think his dad traded both in on a Ford Fairlane and bought an old used Studebaker lol. No heat in that one…awww…what glorious days…we waited five years three months and 1 week to marry…the day after he finished college…we promised our parents we would wait…we did…wonderful days…I love this blog…we were more patient than People are today…we were not the microwave generation…sweet Christians with sweet attitudes.. no judging …just loving life…I have written a weekly column called The Way We We’re…the Way We Are…since 1999…first for a state. Newspaper for years and then a small town paper…I have taken some time off periodically…the appeal is the past…I do love life now and have still do not judge…have you noticed how some professed Christians love to judge others? Have nasty mean attitudes…complain all the time…I am thankful to still be living…to have a family who loves me beyond belief…yes I have had tragedies…yes I am living alone…yes I have suffered Indignities…but I am blessed…that song Sweet Sweet Spirit…wish others would sing it and listen…prayers…keep writing…

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    1. Yes, we are blessed to be living and loving life still, in spite of difficulties and sorrows. God gives more grace as the burdens grow greater...(lyrics to a song). Oh, we had a Studebaker for a while also! It was like a tank! Very strong! but ugly! LOL. Would love to read your column! Do you have links to any of it...or maybe you should put them in a blog? Do you have a current blog? I wasn't sure if you did. Might make for some good blog fodder!! Have a blessed and wonderful week.

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  2. Imagine my boyfriend, his three siblings, his parents and yours truly in one of those cars…7 of us…lol

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    1. Ha ha! Yes, those were the days when we would make it work because we had no other options! made for some fun and happy memories!

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  3. Those kitties have adopted you PAM!!! And once a kitty makes up it's mind........

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    1. I am not in the market for any kitties...they are more interested in my bluebirds, and I don't like that at all! LOL. But yes, this cat, now I don't know which one, was rubbing my legs and circling all around me so that I couldn't move and couldn't get back inside. She was right there at the door just waiting for me to open it so she could go inside, but I wasn't going to let that happen. Then she jumped up on the porch railing and tried to keep me from going down the steps! I was afraid she was going to jump on me! I am not really a "cat" person, can you tell? I am not too sure about their "motives". LOL. Maybe if I had one that I could raise from a kitten it would be different, but these two (and I never know which one it is) are kind of making me crazy! LOL. I wish my sister were here nearby...she's the cat person and would know just what to do with them.

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    2. BTW, may I ask who this is? When it says anonymous, I don't know for sure! I love hearing from you, but I like to know who's who! Thank you so much!

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  4. I enjoyed reading about your summer trips. My dad drove race cars and put on races at county fairs in Iowa, MIssouri, Illinois, Kansas, and Minnesota. I went with him to most of those states except Kansas. One year he had a race in Canada. He did his own advertising, so we sometimes just put up posters for those events. When I was i he fifth grade, he and my mother bougjt a nine passenger station wagon (1957 Ford) so he could have room for all the paraphanalia he took on those trips. We also had a cot that we used when the second seat was put down. . The third seat came out when we traveled, We needed the extra room. Peace and blessings.

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    1. Sounds like you had some very interesting and fun trips with your family too! Somehow I can't picture you in the race car circuit, but I bet it was a lot of fun back in the day!! You should write more about your adventures! Sounds very interesting!

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  5. You describing your summer trips with family to see relatives, reminded me that we would go back to see my dad's family in Tennessee and my mom's family in Ohio and others who lived in Indiana. It was a long car ride from California. Seemed we changed how we traveled every summer, to break the boredom. We went back in a truck and camper - we pulled a trailer one summer, and a couple of times we drove back and stayed in motels and ate out. I should do a post on that now that I think of it.

    Thanks for the great idea...(post pending)

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    1. Oh, please let me know when it is posted. I would love to hear about your travels! Sounds like you had some fun trips too. I can imagine it would be a very long way from California! We only stayed in a motel one time that I remember, because the weather was too bad for camping. And we ate a restaurant for the same reason...too wet to light a fire and all our clothes were wet, etc. Daddy had to make his dollars really stretch back then...no credit cards! made for some fun and exciting adventures!

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  6. I enjoyed your trip down memory lane and the pictures too. Hope you have a wonderful day.

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    1. Thank you, Cathy. Sometimes I get on a roll and can't help myself. LOL. I find myself wishing we could go back and do it all again...but then again, I'd want A/C in the car, and maybe a camper instead of tents. LOL. Have a blessed day my friend.

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  7. This was such a fun post, Pamela, and thanks for sharing your family's summer road trip in words and photos. Growing up, my parents never took family road trips and I never thought to ask why we didn't travel. Perhaps, it's "why" Patrick and I enjoy road trips now, although his parents and he did take a few. It's amazing how everyone fit into that smallish car and how well your parents prepared. Like yourself, I too feel ill when we're driving on windy roadways.

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    1. I am glad you are making up for lost time by traveling now. Of course, it's not quite the same as it was back then, w/o AC, cramped in a car with six people all squished together in the heat...getting car sick in the mountains...Oh, yes, those were the days, my friend! LOL. Truly, I do have great memories of those trips and am so thankful my parents took the time to make it happen. We had such fun, even if our blow up air mattresses went flat during the night and we'd wake up on the hard ground in our tents...LOL.

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  8. What a lovely post, great old photos, they even bought me back to memories of family picnics.

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    1. Thank you, Connie! I'm so glad you came along for the ride! I would love to hear about your family picnics or travels. It's fun to hear how life was "back then" for us "mature adults" now. LOL. Have a blessed and wonderful day.

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  9. What a fun "trip" down memory lane! I have to agree your parents had vacation skills on point!! I am thankful that I do not remember cars without air conditioning. I have also never camped a day in my life. Everyone I know who has (or grew up camping) has the best memories....but I'm still not convinced. So much nature!!? Ha. Here's to a blessed June ahead! Thanks, again, for sharing your photos and your memories!

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    1. Oh, Jennifer, you don't know what you missed! But I am not anxious to go tent camping ever again. I wouldn't mind a nice camper, however. I love the outdoors. We saw so many beautiful things we never would be able to see just staying on the main highways. And yes, be thankful you didn't ever have to live w/o AC in the car! Esp. in the south! Trust me, it was not much fun, but we didn't know anything different back then. No one had it in their cars or houses! Now I couldn't live w/o it! Spoiled! LOL. Thanks for visiting. I think you need to plan a camping trip through the mountains just so you can say you did it! LOL

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  10. My husband drove a light blue 1963 Falcon when we started dating (in 1972). I could always hear it coming a block away if our windows were open! This brought back memories of summer vacations-we visited my grandparents for 2 weeks every year. My brother was always car sick, but I never was.

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    1. Oh, the Falcon must have been a popular car back then! I know my Dad was proud of it, but we hated the pukey green color! LOL. You are fortunate that you didn't get car sick. It's no fun. I still have to be careful on winding roads. Yes, our trip north usually took 2 weeks, and it was so much fun. We often stopped at special sites along the way to see interesting things (as long as it didn't cost anything! LOL), but just the trip through the mountains alone was pretty magnificent! Thank you for visiting. I love hearing about other people's stories.

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  11. I love this so much! For most of my growing-up years, each Summer my parents would load me in the back of our '52(?) Ford Crestline (later a '60 Fairlane) and take off for mother's parents in Minnesota or his brother in Sarasota. Who knows, we might have actually crossed paths somewhere on the great American highway system. Tho' I had no siblings to vie for elbow room, I've a vivid memory of the red plaid cooler filled with little cans of Donald Duck orange juice. A few years ago, I spotted one just like it in a vintage marketplace and had to bring it home. Only later when I got older, I could read to my heart's content, pretending I was somewhere else. Anywhere else, lol. Yep, eating our lunch on roadside concrete picnic tables was all a part; thankfully(!) neither of my parents ever suggested camping. Every now and then I get a kick out of re-reading mother's '57 travel journal, realizing how very tight money was and check out every motor court/motel room before agreeing to spend the night. Can you imagine!
    If you're interested, Pam, I've posted about her journal before. https://mevely317.blogspot.com/search?q=travel+diary

    Sorry to be so long-winded!

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    1. Thank you so much for telling me about your previous post about your mother's travel journal! I just went and read it, and I loved it so much! That is quite a treasure...and shows us just how much the cost of things has changed over the years. You were fortunate to not have to vie for elbow room in the car. You can imagine how 6 of us were squished in that somewhat compact car. I still don't know how we did it. Oh, and of course, no seatbelts back then, and I rode up front between my parents. "Those were the days, my friend...we thought they'd never end..." Oh, that plaid cooler is quite the find! They are quite collectible now!! Thank you for sharing your memories with me. I love it when a post stirs up pleasant memories!!

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  12. I loved your stroll down memory lane. We had a white Falcon:) I also remember road trips and stopping to eat at picnic tables with food we brought. Life was quite different then. I am amazed at how much went in a trunk as well. Oh and without air too. I noticed the above commenter. Yes, windows rolled down and those little windows at the front to open to push it to other places. My kids would not have an idea what those were.

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    1. Oh, I know, those little vent windows in the front were great to help direct the air to our faces. There certainly was no hope for our hair in those days! Of course, in the picture of me above on that horse, you can tell that I really didn't care too much about my hairdo! I wasn't out to impress anyone back then! Yes, those were such happy memories. We also played games on the road, like the Alphabet Game and also a game called "Bury your horses!". I may have to explain that one another time, but it was great fun, especially riding through horse country in Kentucky. Have a great day my friend.

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  13. Hi this is Cheryl sunlitpathway but I am on my iPhone and it won’t let me post a comment from my google account though I am signed in. Don’t you just love it when posts seem to write themselves as you are typing. Sometimes that happens and I wonder “wow how did that all get there?” I love the pictures and your memories of traveling. Amazing mom to be so organized planning and cooking meals. I like your old photos and the new ones of your pretty black cat too. I love the Bible verse about all things working together for good for those who love God. Sometimes my mind is full of questions but my heart just wants to trust God because He knows best

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    1. Thank you, Cheryl, for letting me know who you are! I understand the issue. I'm just glad you came to visit. Yes, I appreciate my Mom more and more over the years as I look back and wonder how on earth she did all she did. She also worked full time, and still managed to cook good food, sew clothes for me , keep a clean house, and then when we wanted to take a trip she had it all organized from day one. It was amazing. Yes, to your last statement...we do have questions often times, but we have to trust in the Lord to do what is right in all situations, whether we understand it all or not. Someday it will make sense to us, but until then we just have to trust Him. (((hugs)))

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  14. Of course, I LOVE that beautiful black cat!! The vintage photos are also great, Pam. Great memories!! xo

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    1. I wish I were more of a "cat person". This cat (which one, I don't know now!) seems to want to "possess" me when I walk out the door. It trips me up when I try to go down the steps...she won't let me come back inside without getting in between me and the door...meowing all the time. I know she is well fed by our neighbor, but I don't think she belongs to anyone. But I am not wanting a cat at this time, especially not inside. I wish you could come and get her (them!) LOL.

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  15. Those were much slower and quieter times, Pamela. We did the old family pilgrimage from GA to MA every summer. What a long trip! At least, we didn't have to camp - lol! Your parents were so creative!
    Thanks for sharing these precious family memories with us.
    Blessings!

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    1. Oh, Martha, to me, the camping was the best part!! We had so much fun exploring the campsites in the Smokies...we saw bears and found lovely rocks in the mountain streams...I still have one...and made lots of happy memories. It was hard work setting up the tent and blowing up our air mattresses (by mouth!), and then having them go flat in the middle of the night, or rain coming down and getting everything wet that was too close to the sides of the canvas tent...but we sure had fun. My mother might not have enjoyed it as much as we did, but I never heard her complain. Those were the best of times...

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  16. Wonderful memories! I liked the ad with poor grandma in the back seat. And I really enjoyed the description of shopping, riding the escalator, having a delicious lunch, and all while watching a fashion show! Not everyone has those kinds of memories. ☺️

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    1. Thank you, Vee. Yes, I will never forget the shopping trip to Lazarus. It was a big department store downtown Columbus, and riding up to the top on the escalator and having lunch with real "ladies" was quite a treat for us young girls. I still am not too sure what the great excitement was all about in having a stuffing with gravy for lunch...I think because, if I recall, it was only 25 cents a plate...and it sure tasted good! LOL. But to see models modeling the latest fashions...that was really a treat!! Especially for this country girl from Florida. Thank you for visiting and enjoying this with me!

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  17. While motion sickness in the car was not much of a problem for me, my father was a pilot, and back in my childhood the planes weren't pressurized, so I usually (always) got sick and had to keep that paper sack handy!! To this day I cannot handle riding in a small plane (think: 4-seater), but I'm very content on the air lines.

    Thanks for the names of those bushes (via email) earlier this week. We now have one of each from Lowe's. One has been planted and the other will get planted tomorrow morning, when it's cooler outside.

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    1. Oh, yes, I can imagine it would be difficult to keep from getting motion sickness in a small plane like that, especially in any kind of turbulence. I do okay in an airplane, but we've been blessed to never have any real serious turbulence when flying. I am glad you found the plants you wanted. I know they will look very pretty in your garden! Yes, do the planting in the early morning coolness, which nowadays needs to be before 9 a.m.! Have a blessed day and weekend.

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  18. You reminded me of my childhood vacations! For our family, it was Oldsmobiles and it was just my parents and me. When we lived in NM, we'd go camping in the Ruidosa Mountains and I'd get carsick every time we went. When we moved to NY, it was Niagara Falls one year, Lake George and its attractions another year and sometimes to Maine to visit my aunt and uncle. Loved reading about your memories!

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  19. I did enjoy your trip down memory lane. Reminded me of some trips with my parents only we were not crowded in the car. How wonderful to have those photos that you shared. Oh my on the two black cats that are visiting you! Have a nice weekend.

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