50's Chicks, Baby Chicks

I found this blog where a lady is living as if she is in 1955, dressing, using vintage appliances, avoiding all radio or television after 1955, etc. She's doing it for the whole year, and other than the posting on the computer (which her readers supported!) she's being authentic. I'm sure there will be a book forthcoming from this at some time, but I think it's a fascinating idea. For one thing, I recognize so many of the things she is using, the patterns she is sewing with, the vintage frig she bought, the dishes. She's the one who tipped me off to the rip off with lemon Pine-sol.

I think I would make a great fifties housewife. I like cooking, cleaning, laundry. I don't mind staying home all day. I like fifties television and cookbooks. I even think the clothes and hairstyles are so cute.

We drove out to see my dad the other day. He was having a good day and even recognized my husband by name. My step-mom was at church, so he was able to talk to us freely, and his number one topic was my mom. He asked about her several times, how she is, does she live alone, etc. My mom has said if my step-mom dies before he does, she will go out and marry him again. At first, we thought she was kidding, but she's repeated it so many times, we have concluded she's serious. And from the way he talked, he'd have her back in a heartbeat.

He also talked a lot about visiting his funeral plots and having all his arrangements in place. That worried me and I thought about that a lot after I got home. I hope he's not trying to tell us he hasn't got much longer, because he's been doing so much better lately.

He also said one of his hens hid her nest so they couldn't find the eggs, and has hatched ten baby chicks. He put her and her chicks up so they could stay warm, and seemed excited by them, but angry at her for hiding those eggs.

The spaghetti sauce I made the other day from my ex's ex's recipe had too much red pepper flakes in it. I should have known better when I read how much....But, we've decided with a few tweaks, it could be a very good sauce, so I'm not giving up on it yet.

I made a cheese strata to take to card playing yesterday. It turned out well.
I bought some cute chicken recipe cards and a big wooden roll-top recipe box, and I'm redoing my old recipes for it. I like handwritten recipes, and have kept a box for most of my married life, but my box got too full and was bulging. I'm having a good time remembering recipes, ones I received from old friends and boyfriends (One said, "This is my mom's chocolate cake and fudge icing recipe. She doesn't share it with anyone, so I had to beg her to email it to me. When you meet her, don't tell her I shared it with you or she will kill me.")

I have one dear recipe I got from a older Southern lady, handwritten. She was telling me how to make good fried okra. She began, "I fry my OKREY a little at a time." There is a recipe for brownies from my childhood playmate's mom. A recipe handwritten by my daughter when she was eleven or twelve called "Do-Do Cookies". My boys giggled all the time about that one, but loved those chocolate, oatmeal bites that looked like do-do. I'm having a lot of fun.

I have my grandmother's formica top table with the chrome band edging, and red and green flowers, and her icy green chrome chairs in my upstairs bedroom. I have decided to bring them down and use them. A few of the seats are split, and since I'd never find this green ice vinyl to cover them in that looks authentic, I'm thinking of clear tape, duct tape, something. Any ideas? I can put those chairs at the back, and maybe even make some skirts for the seats or something. I loved that table. It was always the one my grandma used. I should be using it instead of hiding it away in the attic.
I'll post a picture of it soon.