I think about this birthday every December 12th… and I know I’m a day late, but yesterday  morning – that’s what I thought.  Don’t know where he is, but he is a kid whose birthday was the day after mine in grade school.

It is day 3 here in southern Illinois, and I am enjoying staying in one place.  I arrived here Sunday after a fairly short road trip of 6 hours.  The trip was fairly uneventful, with the exception of seeing a bald eagle dive bomb my car on the highway.  That was incredible – he was so close up and then whoosh!

Sunday and Monday were beautiful days in the high 40’s… sunny and no wind.  I could almost fool myself into loving winter weather.

My latest entertainment, aside from the fact that the Nutcracker wars started on Ovation TV, is the Wayne County Home Bureau Party – Game Book, circa 1950.  It has fascinating hints and ideas that I am pondering how to apply in the future.

Let’s start with the anniversary shopping guide, which according to the book is the latest approved classification.  Approved by whom, it doesn’t say.  The first year anniversary a suitable gift would be plastic dishes or a lazy Susan.  Oh, I think we can all agree that both of these items would be terrible gifts for a first anniversary a sure guarantee of making it a last anniversary.  For the second year, how about aprons for Him and Her, or perhaps bun-warmers…. we’re talking bread here.

Let’s skip to the eighth year, back in 1950 the blender was the gift to amaze your friends after making it through eight years of marriage.  And for possibly the most anticlimactic of all, for the tenth year… a cookie sheet.  This list makes me grateful for 2011 as does this nice little saying that I found at the end of the list, “Don’t save all your smiles for the parlor.  Use a few in the kitchen.”  Oh dear.

Also in the book are a number of party theme ideas that I can’t believe were popular back in the 50s.  They range from tedious to boring to downright in appropriate:

• The Good Neighbor Tour – an international progressive dinner (OK, not so bad, but wait) – the suggestions here are dated, so it’s just good clean fun:  Begin with cocktails of spiced fruit juice and canapes to start your guests off in high spirits.  Yep, spiced fruit juice really gets me going.  Follow that with a Scottish meat pie and a whispering palms Hawaiian salad (international?  Yes, because remember, Hawaii wasn’t a state until 1959).  And then travel to Paris – using lots of flowers to decorate your dessert. Hmmm, flowers surrounding a cake equals Paris?  I am missing something.
• What about a Barefoot Party?  Your guests arrive and must throw their shoes in a communal bag. Later games will include, “Guess whose shoe,” etc.  BOR-ING and kind of ick.
• A Hobo Party – Invite your guests to come dressed as a Hobo.  “Remember, Hobo’s don’t work, so make your entertainment effortless.”  Send your invitations on scraps of brown paper bags using wording such as, “Kum Irly and Git a Gud Sete.”  Vittles can be cooked out-of doors or it could be  a basement party…. Um, in a word…wrong!

Despite the above examples, there are some fun or interesting ideas that may be put to use at a future family camp or group gathering.   I will go on record by saying that I am still scratching my head about the Hatchet Relay Race.  Sounds like a bad idea.

Well, today is an excursion day.  We head to senior aerobics and then driving to Indiana to shop for shoes.  Doesn’t everyone head to Indiana for shoes?  Just me?  Ok.

As ever,

K. Quinn