X-rayed is discussing my sister’s eye for fashion on The Gold Hat Lives On. I was going to respond but decided to make a post of this.
My sister was obsessed with fashion, from birth. We actually published a “family newspaper”. This was news that took place, in the middle of the desert where we lived. I was about 9, she’d be 11 and our brother would have been 8.
Our newspaper was written, using carbon paper, in between typing paper, now called, copy paper, several layers thick. Each edition was 2-3 pages long.
We sewed the pages together with a sewing machine – seam, right across the top. You think I am kidding, but I still have a couple of issues, right now today, in my possessions.
We were all writers / reporters, for the paper, responsible for our areas. My sister did the fashion section, of course… complete with illustrations! Bell bottoms are all the rage, see? And Sack dresses!
My brother was the “hard news” reporter. Hard news, being the dead, diseased rabbit we found. He wrote about who discovered it (the dog) and what he thought ought to be done about this.
Do you know what I wrote? You should be able to guess. Editorial? Opinions! Letters to the Editor?
I’m posting this because it shows what kids get up to when they don’t have a phone or TV. Their actual self, emerges. It’s uncanny really.
Could it be that people, bloom like flowers, if you don’t mess with them? I think this the case.
The embarrassing family picture? Who has Venus in Leo, do you think? LOLOLOL
This picture would have been taken at the beginning of the school year, I can tell because we have shoes and also, my sisters are wearing clothes my mother sewed and they fit. They would outgrow them by the end of the year.
I am wearing something that came from a box of clothing someone gave my family. Obviously, I love and I love myself, in it. I was a happy girl with big plans!
That’s Henry of course and one of his sisters. It’s an adobe house in the background, with stucco. We built it, with Henry in charge.
Note that Henry is a triple Capricorn. My sisters and I are all Cap rising and my brother is a Capricorn moon. But we’re also strong Jupiter types. Everyone in that picture, intends to LIVE in any way they damned please.
Loved this post! Kids huddled together and a dapper grandpa. It’s not embarassing- I am not unfamiliar with adobe, my grandparents and even parents when young- lived in a house made like that. The house still exists and it’s nostalgic. And I am no stranger of hand-me-downs as well. That’s exactly why my taste developed because when you have little, you can go a long way from there. Here’s a brief capricorn motto: Base to ace.
Adobe is mud. You can search this blog and probably find pics.
I know what it is, I said I am not unfamiliar with it. My grandparents house is built like that too.
I’m sorry I misunderstood.
No problem! 🙂
The doggies 🙂 Were you always a dog lover? This is a wonderful picture of you and your family. I love looking at old pictures. Nice post. ❤️
Thank you! The little dog was the first dog of my life, a fat chihuahua , named, Peanuts. He was actually my eldest sister’s dog. She got lost on a mountain with that dog. 10K feet, freezing temps, wearing shorts and no shoes.
500 people went to look for her. This was the first time I ever saw a tv, too. We still lived in town and our neighbor had one.
We were sent to the neighbor’s because adults were all over the mountain, searching. We walked in and their kids were sitting in front a tv. I sat with with them, the news was on. The first thing I heard was, “*My sister’s first and last name* has been missing for twelve hours. The temperature will drop below freezing. Fear is she’s fallen over a cliff…”
The neighbor mom, walked over and turned off the tv. That was it. My tv experience lasted less than 60 seconds.
No shoes climbing a mountain?…very weird!
No, she lost her shoes, while lost.
She was not found. She, herself, found an empty park ranger jeep – the ranger was out looking for her. She climbed in and was found, sitting in jeep, with her dog and no shoes. She said she lost them in a creek.
Basically, she was hiking with, Henry and my father… they were all avid hikers, especially Henry and my sister (double Sadge, cap rising). She ran ahead on the trail and was lost.
This is the mountain, Henry, climbed, 127 times. My sister might have climbed it at least ten times, and she left for CA at 16 years old. So yeah. She was a climber and this was not the only mountain my family climbed.
My point was, this was the family dog, but really hers. She was very close to this dog, due to this experience.
Like you’re lost on top a mountain, overnight. She walked all night, found the jeep in the morning. At some point, she stepped into a creek in the total darkness… shoes came off?
It’s not like she had hiking shoes or boots. She would have been wearing canvass sneakers with her toes poking through…cost a dollar.
She lost her shoes crossing a creek…Pretty much sounds like a sitcom, like Malcolm in the Middle!
Are you kidding me?
This is a young girl, wearing shorts and a flimsy t-shirt, in the utter darkness, in freezing temperatures (28 degrees), walking around, all afternoon, all night, all overnight, all alone with a chihuahua! Heavily wooded with cliffs.
holy shit Elsa, the *first* time with TV and here TF it is getting all personal, saying your sister may die. THIS was your introduction? bloody hell!
Yes! It’s a true story. The impression was that everyone should brace for the discovery of her body! I was four years old and remember this, vividly. Like, did I just hear this and I did hear it; it was a girl (woman) who said it, with that “sad, this is important”, expression her face. Then *click*.
oh my, that’s hilariously horrific!* Hey Elsa, time for your intro to the this whack new medium in the form of of a very specific prophecy of intimate family DOOM, with a serve of faux concern. that turns out to be incorrect. No wonder you were the Editor!
[*not dismissing the horrific, it’s gonna do a huge number on a kid]
no, I was not the editor. My sister was. I wrote opinion pieces, I’m sorry, I wasn’t clear. I also wrote letters the editor, suggesting new ideas for our paper. I pontificated, basically.
On the trauma, it was okay. Not for my mother.
She was frwaked, My mother stayed home in case of a call or something. The other kids were all home, until sent to the neighbors.
It was more surreal. People we didn’t know brought us food. Casseroles and stuff. White Corningware,
I recall being nervous. ears wide open. I knew we were waiting to see if she was dead, but I didn’t think she was. I had the same ability then as I do now. But I was young and everyone called me dumbest all the time, so wasn’t sure.
The mountain was easily an hour from town, but there was a huge search party. Girl and her dog.
This was front page news, when they found her. Huge picture… I have it. My father is holding her, she does not l9ok comfortable or glad to see him, lol. I think they found her ay 9 am or so. I think they got home about noon or one. My father was happy. My sister and the dog both looked to be in shock, My mother was glad to see her but I remember her scolding her for running ahead and getting lost. There was more food than I’d ever seen in my life.
Life was normal, within a few days.
Wow. That’s a trip. Very interesting story. I’m glad she was found safe. I bet that did shake her up. That sounds terrifying.
Your childhood life is so fascinating to me. I’ve never been to a desert before. Never seen a cactus irl besides the tiny ones you buy at the store. Never seen an adobe house. It’s all so fascinating to me. The place, the era, the people. I love your stories.
thanks for that overview, it sounds so surreal, I suppose all one can do is observe and absorb the moment. Yours is a life of momentous moments <3
The only thing that looks weird is the catcus. Great shot. Love the adobe house. Bot hot and cold in the desert, adobe is perfect house for that (Sorry lm telling you what you know). Lovely post. The newspaper.Imagination and the doing of it together. Play with purpose.It teaches.
Tv and phones (what age do kids gets those now and why?) and tablets, etc…
I’ve been reading a book on history of psychiatric meds…it’s horrific that they are forced down so so many children these days, young too, increasing numbers! I can’t read what it does to them without crying. Poor kids, it’s a theft of lives.
we never had a tv until I was 6 or so, and then it was tightly regulated. thankfully reading was a non negotiable skill hammered in forcefully. Unfortunately, the adults were also too busy striving to actually bloom, and mowed down those around them to bowling green turf of uniformity. Sibling and I made a lot of worlds from books. I learned how to learn. It never stops.
I am intrigued by Henry’s sister, Elsa. What were his siblings like? And thank you for sharing these images. You can *feel* the energy of them!
Henry’s sister’s name was, Osa. Aunt Osa, to me. She lived in town and was his younger sister, as I recall. I believe he has nine siblings. At least one of them was a preacher (Presbyterian). She was always decked out like that, but this may have been the only time she came to the desert… we usually only saw her when Henry took us to town. If was never a major visit. Generally he was helping her with home repairs and the like. I do recall her house used one of those black skeleton keys. I don’t think she had kids.
Her house was old lady-ish and normal, as opposed to Henry, who slept in his front yard. It had carpet (which was extraordinary to me… never really saw any). She had a floral couch and a rack with a magazine. Side tables? We didn’t have any of this stuff.. decorating. My mother painted life size bullfighters on our doors and walls. That was our decorating…not that I’m complaining.
Osa died before, Henry… I think all of, Henry’s sibs died before him, except maybe one.
I think she came out to see the house, and to see her brother more than to see us. I don’t think she had any kids. She was very nice and genuinely warm and somewhat elegant and polite. Henry’s people were raised right, for sure.
I do have pictures of Henry’s childhood home and family, which are pretty extraordinary. If I get a chance, I’ll look. I have not dug around for many years.
this is very earthing, your recalling of kin, thank you. They look literally like good standing people. It sounds so cliche, but that shit is either in the bones or from a fine refine. You do them honour.
I do know the feel of totally diverse worlds within the fam [as well as society] and just how *foreign* it can feel when traversing/conversing other ‘territories’!
while I have no stories for you, as thanks I would like to leave you Frank Teodo’s <3
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-11/frank-teodo-secret-cave-cairns-sugarcane-farm/101425622
This story of Italian settlers in Australia is fascinating. So true, I still treasure the tales told to me by folks who were elderly when I was a child, and regret not asking for more back then!
I love all these stories! And more photos would be terrific! There needs to be a giant repository for all this, a huge indestructible time capsule, beyond the internet.
I still sew my own clothes, knit, cook and do things the Swamp Yankee way because I spent most of my days hanging out with people born around, erm, 1910. 60 years older than me.
We had a blast. My Grampy (Leo, lots of Leo on both sides) had a big green Ford pickup we traveled in.
I was his ‘pal’, nicknamed ‘hop toot’. He would sing- ‘O Sole Mio’ as we delivered bee hives to various farms. Ya, an assistant beekeeper at 6 years old.
They were radio people, no TV. Even if there was one, it was so much more fun to play Gin Rummy for nickels and make piecrust with lard.
My Cap sun in the 7th weighing in.
Never even thought about misbehaving. I was just one of the geriatric gang. I would never act up ot I wouldn’t have been able to escape my dingaling airhead parents (Gem & Aqua).
or taken on any more cool adventures.
This is hilarious. My oldest sister used to sing, “Oh solo mio! Vampire bat!” But you have to string out the vampire – Vam-piiiiiiire bat!”
Seriously. At the top of her double Sadge with Mercury in Sadge, lungs. Mars in Scorpio, btw. She’s funny as the come. Just ridiculous and very LOUD.
Uranus and Pluto in Virgo were squaring her sun and moon when this happened.
I’m so glad we’re talking about this. Of course I participate in the ‘real world’ (yes I am. Try, trying…) but for heavens sake.
Enough already you bored, boring people with your face in a phone.
Teehee! Wouldn’t it be cool if everyone had a book in their face instead of an electronic device?
At the bus stop. Try to pick up the cute guy, “So what are you reading?”. “The Art of War.” “Sun Tsu? Hey I study aikido…”
I remember doing those family photos around Easter when we would be in our best clothes. It got to the point where us 6 girls would make dork faces, squint, or stick out our tongues when told, “Say Cheese!”.
Fun!
Lovely picture and fun memories 🙂. I definitely think creativity can flourish without modern interferences such as cell phones/internet.
When I was growing up the TV shows were so much more imaginative and enjoyable than they are today. Shows like; “I dream of Jeannie”, “Bewitched”, “Mr Ed”, “Land of the Giants” etc.
I remember as a child all of our imaginative play and funny ideas we’d come up with. This really benefited our growing minds. I’ve read articles on how children who creatively play, are able to comprehend and learn new concepts easier than those who don’t. It’s so important for children of today to not be restricted to screen time only.
Great feel-good post, Elsa. Thanks for sharing.