Vintage Bowels...er...I mean Bowls

Aging is sad in many ways. There are things to look forward to of course, but so many others cease to be relevant and no longer bring us happiness. On the other hand, sometimes, a memory and all that goes with it can still bring us that joy.  

My friend thought I was crazy I'm sure. Ever since I can remember, part of our interaction has been about downsizing, minimizing, and de-junking our houses. I have made some, albeit not huge progress. For that, I apologize in advance to any family members who will have to pay for dumpsters after I'm gone. Just know that it could have been a lot worse.

This past week, we (friend & I) had occasion to visit a barn called Craftworks. The lower floor consisted of all the sorts of things people eventually get rid of, donate to thrift stores, and sell at yard sales. The upper level had a lot of lovely new items like furnishings, pottery, knick knacks, and giftware. It's an amazing huge place providing lots of fun and nostalgia, and it's totally worth visiting.

While there, I spotted two items downstairs. Alas, I finally saw the Tom and Jerry punch bowl set that I had been yammering about and actually wrote about in a blog (August 16th, 2019, "Tom and Jerry, Where Are You?"). I had enjoyed the Tom and Jerry drink on a trip that year, but I decided to pass on the set when my friend said, "Our experience was a wonderful memory but we don't need to own something we probably will only use once a year." She had an excellent point, one which I had already realized.*** 

I moved on, eyes scanning the room. Records? Jewelry? Ornaments? Pots and Pans? Vintage Clothing? Furnishings? Then, I spotted it! Excitedly, I made my way toward a large yellow pyrex bowl. Yes, a bowl. I picked it up. I held it. I admired it. I cradled it. I didn't need it. I bought it.                                                      

Why?

When I was between the ages of two and six, my family lived in a couple of different shacks on an island in Red Lake. By shack, I mean...well, shack. They were something that author Jeannette Walls would have considered luxurious. We dragged water from the lake to boil for cooking and washing dishes. 

Entertainment consisted of birthday parties, church, Saturday night dances, and card nights.  Everyone congregated at our home for card nights because it was probably the one with the largest space for several card tables. Not to brag, but our outhouse was also the nicest and we had heat from not only a wood stove, but also a new oil burning one. Those draws, plus the fact that mom always created the most magnificent coffee cakes and tortes were probably the reason for our frequent visitors. Since we had no fridge, it also meant that company had to take home leftovers. 

One night, my parents won a bridge game. The next day mom excitedly displayed her winnings. It was a set of four colourful pyrex mixing bowls, just the thing for an avid baker. They were bright. They were beautiful. They were certainly appealing to me as a small child.

 After that, whenever I helped with the dishes, I begged mom to let me dry the big yellow bowl. I was five years old and the bowl was really, really, big. She'd always give me the smaller red or blue one. I eventually worked my way up to the green, but never the yellow.

I know the bowls moved to Toronto with my parents. They also moved to the suburbs. They were still around when my mom passed away. Then, they disappeared. 

A couple of years ago, I found the red bowl at a thrift store. Now I have the yellow. Not mom's originals, but still...

Sounds strange, but I am making it my mission to find the rest of this set. I'll probably never use them and they may end up at the dump one day, but I hope not, especially since I discovered that the vintage set now sells for between three hundred and seven hundred dollars. My research also unearthed some other cool info. 

Original Cost in the 1950's

Thrift stores and garage sales, here I come!

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*** NOTE - I still have the Tom and Jerry mix that I purchased in 2019 in my freezer. 

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Memories of Two Dresses - Dress #2

 In 1989, I purchased a dress. It was made in Italy, and came from some kind of boutique type store in Markham, and it was designer I suppose. It wasn't my style...way too shiny, fancy and frilly, but for whatever reason (divorce), my whole mindset had changed. It wasn't that I had much money, on the contrary, but this dress spoke to me. 

      It said, "When you get invited to a garden party by the Queen, you'll be prepared."

I never had an expectation of attending such an event, it was just the thought of it I suppose. So I took this stupidly expensive dress home and put it in my closet. There it sat. It moved with me from house to house to house. Whenever I donated or tossed out clothing over the years, I'd look at the dress, put it on, dance around the room, then fold it back up carefully and put it into its now designated box in the closet.

It's hard to believe that thirty five years have gone by. This dress has been around longer than the the method of photography I just used after it occurred to me that I didn't actually have a photo of  this now vintage dress. The Queen was gone. The dress remained unworn in public.

In June of this year, I had an opportunity to attend an outdoor function labelled "garden party". I wracked my brain as to what I would wear. Information describing the party included, fancy attire, hat, gloves if desired. I pulled out the dress. Hence the photo.

It just wasn't quite right...too long, layers of lace making my upper body look wider than it actually is. What to do? Might this be my last opportunity to finally wear it, or option B, did I want to be buried in it and make that the last?

Decision made, I located a tailor in town and described my vision. Of course, my vision cost a fair percentage of the original dress price, but I didn't care. After all, this is 2024 and no longer 1989. She kept commenting on the lovely colour but that didn't get me any kind of discount. Anyhow, it was finally happening. 

I hauled out my silver sandals which thankfully, I had not yet donated, ordered a fascinator from Amazon, and I was ready. Boy was I ready.

The party turned out to be a lot of fun. The weather was hot but the rain held off. I sat with two friends. There was a fashion show, and a fantastic array of food items including a candy bar. Several people commented on my dress. I shall wear it again...on my next birthday, so, if you'll be attending, please pretend you haven't seen this dress before.