A SOFT YELLOW BLANKET

I  have only a few memories of the rare vacation into the mountains of Wyoming, but the ones I do have stayed with me as clear and crisp emotions as well as images.  I do not recall the cabin itself, where I slept, or even who all was with us.  What I do remember is a closet shelf, mandatory ceiling light shining bright and a soft yellow blanket with satin ribbon binding.  I thought it was the most beautiful and soft thing I had ever felt. I wanted to sleep with it so bad.   You have to understand that blankets  for many people were not the new mass-produced luxury items but were heavy, course things recycled from the military (thin and rough!) or home made quilts out of recycled corduroy, denim, or heavy twill (quasi quilted or tied with yarn).  These tended to be in the various hues of brown, gray, dark, and drab.  No cheerful yellows....and none as soft as the blanket in the closet with its shiny border.   To this day, sometimes when I see a soft, soft blanket or see one in that particular soft warm butter yellow...I remember that one moment of seeing the most beautiful sight in the world. Forget those purple mountains majesty, that rich sapphire blue glacier lake or the fragrant green pine trees....the most lovely was that soft yellow blanket in a mountain cabin as a five year old.

Winter in the Middle of Summer

Brother, me, and Aunt - it was now cold enough I get to wear pants!
It was cold - a glacier lake was nearby and I recall it being very cold, very clear, and very blue.

Vacation Time!

Details are sketchy but this was about 1960 in Wyoming or Nebraska.  A marvelous tourist trap for a child ; stone tepees,  wagons, and other western accouterments.   Note the mandatory dress - no jeans for little girls.  Would love to locate this particular stop in more detail: where was it? Is it still around?  

FLORAL WALLPAPER AND PLASTIC CURTAINS

Home fashions are sometimes very interesting in old photos.  You shake your head and wonder how in the world?  Not realizing they might look around our homes and do the same thing.  Styles, resources, and uses change over time.  Here in a photo from about 1957-58 in Kansas, I am helping my mother do the dishes.  Apparently, it was an emotional experience, as I seem to be saying, "there, there, mommy don't cry."  Either that, or I was saying, "You sure you want me to dry these things?"

When every week was a major laundry experience, the Victorians and Edwardians devoted an entire day to it.  Washing Monday was normally the day used to catch up on all the laundry, starching, ironing, and airing required.  Women judged themselves and each other by the whiteness of their  sheets and shirts  (did she or did she not use bluing to give it that glow?).  They also had unspoken rules about how long the laundry should hang on the line.   Washing machines were often in the 1950's as likely of being a tub washer with a wringer attachment as the more elite and expensive enclosed washing machines. The idea of curtains made from clear or opaque plastic must have seemed something out of a science fiction story. No more washing, ironing, or airing.  So modern....