June 8, 1972 Thurs.
Dear Diary:
Watched T.V. Aunt Helen didn’t work today so we went to her house & from there we (Mary too.) to the Parma Heights shopping center. Went to May’s & Higbiees. I got some blue & red shoes boy style I quess. We came back to Aunt’s Helen house & then we went to Uncle Bills. I got Becky a ring & myself a bottle of nail polish. We ate at Aunt Helens. We kids took a walk around the block. Watched T.V. I got some neat sandals.
BYE!!
Note: We were on a shopping marathon trying to get all the clothes and items needed for a whole year. It could get pretty exhausting but we found cool things. I wish I still had the red/blue shoes although I believe my feet grown since then.
Higbee’s was one of Cleveland’s oldest and largest retailers; it was eventually bought by Dillard’s Department Stores.
June 9, 1972 Fri.
Dear Diary:
Sleeped in. Made Grandpa’s & Grandmas lunch. Watched T.V. After lunch we went to Sears us girls (Mom, Grandma, Becky & me). We got bras. I wear a 34A. I got a real neat new white blouse. Mom got some scooters & blouses. Grandma bought a blouse and night-gown. I also got a pair of hot pants. Stopped at Pick & Pay. Watched T.V.
BYE!
Note: I always loved to make their lunch. It was the same thing every day. Half a peanut butter sandwich with a shared banana. They ate a smoothie blended with a raw egg, milk and banana. They would also have a cup of hot tea with milk.
Scooters are what we now call skorts - a shorts and skirt combination. Hot pants were just short shorts. I can’t believe my mom let me get them.
Pick-N-Pay was a supermarket chain.
June 10, 1972 Sat
Dear Diary:
I learned a new word today transom (means your rear). Went to the supermarket. I got a letter from Missy. I wrote a letter to Dad & Missy. Door bell kept ringing or the telephone. Mary called talked awhile. Mrs. Burns died. Todays Aunt Eva’s birthday. Went to confesion. Priest asked me if I had commited the 6th commandment. Went to church. Watched T.V. Grandpa tried on my shoe. Its going down to 38° tonight. Brrr. Uncle Norm was over.
BYE!
Note: I am not too sure about the meaning of transom. I looked it up and it deals with the stern of a boat. A slang word?
There was always quite the commotion when we came to Cleveland - Mom’s home town - with people coming to see us at our grandparents or calling as it was nearly impossible to call us in Nicaragua.
I found it interesting that the priest asked me if I committed the 6th commandment. I have to admit I didn’t remember which sin it was, maybe murder? I might have killed a bug. In research I discovered that in the Catechism the 6th commandment refers to my chastity, and here I was worried about a bug.
My Grandpa was a lot of fun. His nickname was Red, he was Irish descent and always had a twinkle in his blue eyes. He constantly whistled so you could always hear him before you saw him. I can see him trying on my shoes and doing a little jig and laughing.
Uncle Norm was Mary’s Dad and Aunt Helen’s husband. He had the funniest jokes!
I recall "saddle oxfords" in grade school in the states, popular with the girls.
Dress codes in L.A. back then were generally more conservative than in the states....mom had to intervene sometimes on what we wore "out in public". Certain outfits that my sisters learned were popular in the states, were promptly nixed.
We called those shoes saddle shoes back in the day. I had to have a pair for my bad feet and they were black and black velour in middle. To me they were clunkers and I despised them! That picture looks cute but mine weren't
I love your US stories. I bet it was busy shopping for all you needed. My mom made me scooter skirts. They were comfortable.
MJ
It's funny you called him Uncle Norm, which was probably because Aunt Helen always called him Norm. We always called him Uncle Norb.
I really enjoy following along on your blog. Keep it going!
So much fun! Love these adventures. The family photos are super. Your grandparents’ photo is amazing! Amanda S