While pouring through thousands of pictures, for the Boardman relocation film that was made a few years ago, memories of those years came flooding back from the deepest recesses of my mind.
The day we arrived in Boardman, March 1953, there were just 153 people in the whole town. We moved from Pasadena, CA, so the shock was unbelievable for me.
The town consisted of a Post Office, General Mercantile, and two grocery stores. That’s pretty small after Pasadena.
I found pictures from the 1960’s of houses that belonged to friends long since gone, and others of the Columbia River, and snow, lots and lots of snow. There was one picture of the steel electrical towers in the desert that had been turned into pretzels during a twister wind back then.
It’s strange how simple pictures can conjure up memories you thought were lost forever. More pictures, more memories, bringing back those memories…priceless. What a great way to spend a weekend.
Something else I found, while scavenging for photos, was an article about my parents from 1964. The article told the story of my parents who were spending their first year alone, after being married for 35 years. For all of their married life they had taken care of others in addition to their immediate family. They cared for their parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, and as if that wasn’t enough, they cared for foster kids at the same time. Dad worked two jobs his whole life, just to make ends meet. They were good Christian people and I loved them very much.
After reading the article over and over to feel their presences, I turned the paper over to be greeted by an advertisement from the Mayfair market, in Monterey Park, CA, where my parents lived after selling the house I grew up in.
Now, talk about nostalgia, this really brought back memories of how low the prices were in 1964, at least, in comparison to today. If we had prices like this today, the budget might come out even at the end of the month.
Check out these prices: Salad oil for $.19 a bottle, eggs at $.37 a dozen, and bananas were 2 lbs. for $.25. Terrific! How about ground beef for $.35 a lb. or pork roast for $.29 a lb. and porterhouse steak at $.95 a lb. I’ll bet you would love to be able to buy French fries for $.10 a bag. I wish those prices were in today’s grocery stores, maybe my Social Security check would last a whole month.
I have been looking for a new pair of dress shoes and I laughed when I found an ad in this old paper for high-heel pumps for $5.99, with a matching handbag for $1.99. Now I could afford those shoes. And I would love to have the nylons that were listed for $.29 a pair.
There is one more thing that caught my eye in an ad. You could join the Gym n’ Swim for $1.00 a visit, with a workout designed especially for you. Try that today.
When you make out your shopping list this weekend, remember, this isn’t 1964. But, don’t you wish it was…at least for the prices.
Things sure have gone up in price during the last few decades, but so have wages. Although, the wages are a little slow in catching up with the cost of living.
Things change rapidly over the years, but pictures and memories don’t. Bring out your wonderful old photos and the memories will follow.
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