Nostalgia

Isn’t it funny how certain things, a word, a movie, or an item can trigger memories? I was/am cleaning out my cellar going through boxes and boxes, re-arranging things and coming across loads of genealogical information in the form of old family letters, lots of letters actually v-mail items from World War II that my father sent to his then fiancé – my mother – and his parents, as well as letters from friends they knew in England at the time. Some are in said shape and doubtful if anything can be deciphered from them others are clean and crisp considering they have been stored in a somewhat dank cellar for several years (in excess of 10). Plus some have been through the wars as in 1972 when the basement flooded due to Hurricane Agnes when she deluged our area with torrents of rain and the creek along the back property line overflowed. The basement would not have flooded were it not for the outside entrance which acted like a funnel and channeled the water down...sighh

Anyway one project is to take those letters and transcribe them into the computer and then make a book of some sort – a window into the times from my father’s and others perspectives. A daunting task that no doubt will take hours (years) to accomplish, or perhaps I should scan them first and see how that goes, still daunting considering the number of letters etc...

But during my cleaning I came across a small Blue Fenton Glass Shoe ...

And memories came flooding back to me a bit of nostalgia. The shoe was a gift to my mother that I bought using my allowance and lawn mowing monies when I was 11 or 12. I remember going into the Valley Gift Shop (long since closed) in the Valley Plaza a store that was filled with various glass items, figurines, dishes, collectibles, cards, etc. One of those quaint family owned shops not corrupted by the corporate consensus and chains of mediocrity that we have so much of now. In fact the owners of the shop (I forget their name) lived three doors down the street from where I live and I remember they always had two poodles – which always seem to be in their front window and barking excessively at you as you walked by on the street...LOL.

Memories...