Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Being Snoopy

I've discovered ANOTHER new blog - again new to me. I've just been the snoopiest thing these last few days, but I've really needed some new blogging blood in my reading. Her blog is called Stitchinbythelake.

I've really been trying to turn my life around what with all the negatives that have happened to me over the past months. Ole and I have almost completely left The Circle of acquaintances that have caused all the heartaches, and it's made me feel so much better over the last weeks. I've had more energy and a much more positive attitude about a lot of things. Sleeping better, too. Isn't it interesting how other people (if you let them, of course) can drag your attitude down with theirs.

I've also cut out a lot of the dead wood bloggers that I used to read (snicker). If any of you followed me back when I was writing under The Adventures of Ole and Lena, and followed the little blog war that I got sucked into by The Old Crows a certain clique of bloggers, you'll understand why I used the term dead wood. I was purely an innocent bystander. Turn about is fair play - and that's all I'll say about that.



But I digress. The point I was trying to make is that I've been out there looking for new, fresh writing - with a more positive and upbeat attitude. And I've found several. Granted, I still read some of my old blogging friends - by "old" I didn't mean ancient age-wise (chuckle) - I just meant I've been reading you for awhile. I would never give you up because you stuck by me when things were down and I was being trashed.



Anyway, the amazing thing with the new blog that I found - Stitchinbythelake - is how much we have in common. She's a quilter - I'm a quilter, although I haven't had much time over this past year to accomplish much. I must admit that I go downstairs to my sewing room to work on the stack of ironing that has piled up, and I shed a tear for my wonderful sewing machine that has only been used for repair work over the last many months. I open the doors to my cupboards and look at all the fabric that I have piled there, just waiting for someone to be creative with it. I just know it's crying out to be cut and assembled into something beautiful.



I digress again. I do that a lot, you know. I don't know if it's an age thing or if I just have too much to say. Anyway, when she was in high school she worked in a dime store - so did I. How many of you remember what a dime store was?



I worked behind the soda fountain on Saturdays and one night after school. I'd race down to the dime store, jump into my white uniform, put on my apron (that was the rule, we had to wear them) and race to get behind the counter to serve up all that ice cream and pie and make chocolate sodas for the kids that would come in after school for snacks. Saturdays were really busy because we had the lunch crowd of shoppers and from the retail clothing store that was next door. We did burgers and BLTs and tuna salad and egg salad sandwiches, along with all the ice cream and pie and coffee. We made chocolate cokes and cherry cokes back then, too. I still love a big glass of icy cold Coke with a bunch of chocolate syrup drizzled into it. If you've never tried one, you're really missing something.



Ole worked next door in that retail clothing store. He started out sweeping up the floor at the end of the day and eventually graduated to a shoe salesman in the shoe department on Saturdays. He would come over to the soda fountain for lunch and his breaks on Saturdays. So I'd manage to take my break at the same time if we weren't too busy. Oh, young love, huh?



Oh yes, I was going to tell you what a dime store was, in case you're too young to remember them. Not only did they have a lunch counter, but you could buy just about anything you needed in a dime store with the exception of groceries. There was a candy counter that consisted of a long row of glass bins full of different kinds of bulk candy. You would tell the girl behind the candy counter how much you wanted, for example a quarter of a pound, or 10 cents worth, etc., and she would dig into it with her scoop, weigh it out, put it in a bag and collect your money. You could buy fabric by the yard, shades for your windows plus the hardware that you needed to hang them up, a clothes rack to hang your wet clothing on, bath towels, shower curtains - just about anything you wanted.



The dime store that I worked at was Kresge's, but we also had Woolworth's in town, and Ben Franklin, who just closed all their stores a couple of years ago in our area. Couldn't make it against all the Big Box stores like Walmart and Target.



But Walmart and Target are missing all the ambience of the local dime store. After all, none of today's store have that lunch counter where you sit on a stool next to the counter and have the girl in the white uniform and the apron wait on you.

10 comments:

harrietv said...

8-) I remember dime stores. I think that Kresge's morphed into K-Mart. What place was better for a kid to learn to shop?

Except, when Woolworth's was advertising "nothing over 10 cents," they fudged it. A teapot was 10 cents, and the lid was 10 cents; but you couldn't buy one without the other.

Anonymous said...

My sister worked at the Kresges down here in Bloomington. I loved that place. We also had a G.C. Murphy in the neighborhood, with a snack counter. And one of my earliest memories of Minneapolis was when my dad took me to the basement of the downtown Minneapolis Woolworth's for lunch - and I got to pick out a new Barbie Doll in the toy section next to the lunch counter.

Those were the good old days, weren't they?

Harriet's comment cracks me up. Reminds me - isn't Wall Drug still selling 5 cent cups of coffee? Only now you have to pay more to use a ceramic cup, right?

Anonymous said...

I worked at a Woolworth's when I was first married. Great place!!! We still have a Ben Franklin here, which I absolutely love. No soda fountain, though. it's strictly a crafting store, which is perfect for this area.

StitchinByTheLake said...

Lena in Arkansas Kresge's was called Kress's - not sure why but maybe it morphed into that before it morphed into K Mart. Loved the picture you found of Kresges! blessings, marlene

Anonymous said...

Our town used to have a Woolworths and a Ben Franklins. I used to buy 45's at the Woolworth and check out the fish in the pet department. Ah the good ole days.

Anonymous said...

We used to have a Ben Franklin's in my home town. All the kids used to go and spend their allowances there on toys and other cheap junk. I have a lot of memories of that place. I also remember the Woolworths in Williston, because they had a cool lunch counter, but so did the drug store across the street with a bookstore in the basement.

Anonymous said...

We used to have a Ben Franklin's in my home town. All the kids used to go and spend their allowances there on toys and other cheap junk. I have a lot of memories of that place. I also remember the Woolworths in Williston, because they had a cool lunch counter, but so did the drug store across the street with a bookstore in the basement.

Anonymous said...

I grew up in a tiny town in OK. I remember the dime store well. I loved spending hours there as a child. My Grama worked across the street and on Saturday's I'd go to work with her (no day care in the 70's) so the dime store was my entertainment. My poor Grama, I have no idea how many 25 cent "treasures" I bought her for mother's days and her birthday!

Anonymous said...

I just love it when you wax nostalgic.

We had a McCrory's, a Woolsworth and a Morgan & Lindsey's dime store. The best soda fountain I remember was at the old City Drug Store. It had a huge jukebox. I remember going there on Saturday afternoons and feeding the jukebox nickels so I could hear my favorite song of the week.


Listening to Motorcycle Mama, reading Seventeen or Teen Beat magazines, and sipping on a purple cow...what a way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Mama said...

Just found your blog today through Marlene's. Isn't she grand? Don't know what I'd do without a daily dose of her joy!

Come and visit me at my place and sign the guestbook. I'm looking forward to "seeing" you again soon!