Are you looking for my “not-so Wordless Wednesday” post or are you a fellow shutter bug like me, if so then you’ll find it here. 😉 Otherwise, welcome to the newest edition of Way Back Wednesdays.
Memories shared in this weekly segment are generally random. Sometimes I haven’t a clue where it came from other than out of the blue I’m reminded of something, so I roll with the idea in creating a post built around the content swirling in my head and that’s where I find myself today. Let’s flashback to…
This is the year I turned 13. I was in grade 7. I remember owning suede sneakers like these…
and wearing old school striped top tube socks. Did you?
Also, these were the days when the junior high assigned girls official attire for gym class. Ours were blue and white, though. Naturally, we HATED this horrible, totally uncool outfit.
Plus, it didn’t fit right and this was the day of short shorts!
This commerical came out a few years later but Nair’s “short shorts” jingle ran through the 70s until the mid-80s (and maybe longer). Ya gotta love those short shorts and pretty legs!
I wore low-rise, floppy bellbottom pants that dragged the ground with my daddy’s t-shirts. He never could find a t-shirt when he wanted it and got a bit miffed. I’m sure my mother considered me a rebel but isn’t that the job of a mother? I know my dress code was not “adult approved”. I was way too sloppy and nothing at all like the by-gone era of the late 50 and early 60s when my folks went to school.
How many of y’all remember getting Sears catalogs? I betcha most of you do, right? I poured hours over it flipping through pages wishing for this and that. What fun!
All of stuff above I remember in passing but the mewsic has a way of staying with me hiding in the recesses of my mind. Sometimes I’ll hear a song from the past sucking back in time and others just pop in uninvited. Regardless of how the tune gets stirred its always a pleasure. I pulled together a playlist of mewsic that instantly took me way back to 1974. I hope you enjoy!
What songs do you remember most from this year? Do you have specific memories tied to these or the ones I shared?
[tweetthis]I just went back in time to #1974 with #wbw on Curious as a Cathy! #retro #music #schooldays #fashion[/tweetthis]
Next, I’m visiting Joyce for her mid-week Q&A to give you a little insight of the workings of my brain and others. Feel free to play along! 😉
1. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate. I think a picture tells a open-ended story that can reflect different moods and meanings. I think that’s what this quote is getting at more than anything.
2. Have you ever driven any part of the Pacific Coast Highway? If so what was your favorite stop? If not, is this sort of trip on your bucket list? No, I haven’t been along the Pacific coast but I’d love to make that trip and this is on my wish list for someday. I don’t do “bucket” lists because that implies I don’t have much time. Tomorrow’s promised to no one, so it’s important to live in the moment but it’s okay to dream about doing things in the near or distant future.
- How do the changing seasons affect you? As the seasons change do you find yourself looking more forward or backward? Which season-season transition bothers you most? Why do you suppose that is? I think the seasons do change me a bit. I look forward especially to fall after the hot, humid summers and the awaking of the earth after slumbering all winter with the kiss of the sun on my skin. These seasons are refreshing to the soul. I try to find the joy in winter but the short days made shorter by the gray can be hard some times and this is the one thing I love most about summer — the extended daylight with the beautiful cotton candy sunsets. I think for many it’s a mind-set. No one likes change but I every season is beautiful in its own right, it’s just trying to remember to embrace the moments because one minute it’s here and the next it’s gone!
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It’s your birthday and you get to pick the dinner menu. What are we having? Do you ever lie about your age? Well…if it’s my birthday then I’d probably ask for Mexican food. I can eat it any day of the week! I’d go for Burrito Fajitas, Charro Beans, and Green Chile rice from Chuy’s menu. Mmm, good! Nah, I don’t think I’ve ever lied about my age. I don’t care to tell it. Maybe, there will come a day when I’ll fudge on it but I feel very good being 55. I do more than most for my age and I tell my oldest daughter who’s 29 that 55 is the new 35 and she’s gaining on me. lol
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What’s a life lesson you’ve learned recently? That it’s best to pull back when someone doesn’t want to include you in their life. It’s frustrating and heartbreaking to wring my hands, almost begging “Please let me in your world” when it’s that’s not going happen right now. I never thought this sort of thing possible with my children but I’m living it now and all I can do is trust God to move hearts. I’m here ready for them anytime.
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Insert your own random thought here. This is a hectic week. I’ve been busy researching optical centers in town who can get Hoya lenses. I have an eye appointment soon. I currently have Verilux lenses but they aren’t as good as the Hoya lenses. My script from five years I got Hoya and loved them. I hope they didn’t screw them up some how. That’s generally how companies do things that we like and this is an expensive deal. We can’t afford mess ups! cross fingers On top of figuring this out, I found a compromise made on my CC account last week. I immediately canceled the card but during the process two small transactions went through. Naturally I followed up on these charges but then we got to thinking maybe our information fell prey to that big hack a few months ago, so I spent all day yesterday changing email address and passwords. I still have my work cutout but I have a good start on it. How has this week been going for you?
That’s all for now. At this time I’m unsure how often I will bring these posts to you but I experimenting with my schedule and trying to find my way back to my older style of blogging. I encourage you to keep from missing a single post to subscribe by email to get notifications of the latest mews from Curious as a Cathy. It was such a pleasure to have your visit and I hope to see you this Friday for the return of Battle of the Bands in the Total Eclipse of the Heart showdown! X💋X💋, Cathy
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The very best thing about the 70’s was the MUSIC!! : ) I’m sorry for the relationships you are struggling with, and pray you feel peace in the waiting.
I certainly appreciate your visit and your prayers. One of the best things from the 70s is the mewsic! That decade produced some fabulous tunes! Hopefully, you’ll see this but I don’t know how to get back to your blog since your gravatar does not list it nor did you include it when you left your comment. I’d love to visit and I’m sure others would, too. You may wish to consider making your blog URL part of your signature. Do you know how to do this?
I hated gym class and it’s something I try not to remember much. We wore shorts, white T-shirts, and the tube socks. Back then it was just regular tennis shoes–nothing fancy, but there wasn’t a lot to choose from back then.
Small segments of the Pacific Coast Highway I have driven frequently–those are the parts of the highway that are close to where I live. Many years ago (1992) not long after I moved to L.A. I drove the highway from Santa Cruz back to L.A. with my three girls who were age 10 to 3 at that time. It was fun, but I was pretty depressed at the time due to my divorce from their mother. I’d like to make that trip again with my current wife.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Lee,
You’re right about the limited fashion apparel for gym/fitness classes of yesteryear. Of course, if you ask me I’d rather be seen in the “plain Jane” stuff from the 70s over what you see people wear today. What drives me insane about fashion today is you find people, mostly women, wearing gym clothes while running errands around town and it obvious these women didn’t just come from the gym. People dress so sloppily today!
Oh definitely you need to make that drive again and this time under happier circumstances! 🙂
Hi, Cathy!
Thank you for the kind visit to SDMM asking how my family made out in the hurricane. I am happy now that the storm crisis has passed and it feels great to be able to turn my attention back to blogging and friends like you.
I love this feature. I think it would be interesting and instructive for you to regularly post clothing styles from various time periods. I am eleven years older than you and therefore I remember 1974 as an adult in my mid 20s. When you asked which songs I remember from that year the three that immediately popped into my mind were all by John Lennon who had mounted a very successful solo recording career following the break-up of The Beatles. John’s “Mind Games,” single, released in the fall of 1973, was still on the chart and helped usher in the year 1974. “Whatever Gets You Through The Night” was a huge hit in the fall of ’74 and “#9 Dream” started climbing the chart around Christmas that year..
It was fun to revisit that Nair commercial which made use of the song “Short Shorts,” a 50s hit by the Royal Teens. At the time it was one of the raciest campaigns on television. Your mewsic playlist included several songs I haven’t heard in decades including two covers – Carly Simon & James Taylor covering “Mockingbird” and Grand Funk Railroad doing Little Eva’s “Loco-Motion.” It’s been ages since I heard or thought about the British group Paper Lace and their hit single “The Night Chicago Died.” Who can forget Ray Stevens’ smash hit “The Streak” which reminds us that the cultural phenomenon of streaking was all the rage that year? “The Streak” along with Jim Stafford’s “Spiders and Snakes” remind us that novelty ditties were still capable of riding high on the chart in the mid 70s – much more so than today.
I appreciated your musings in the Q&A section, Cathy. I have learned to embrace the changing seasons because there are blessings to be found in each of them. Even an unwanted event like a hurricane has its benefits. After the storm passes the air is cool, fresh and sweet, and simply returning to your daily routine with all that stress removed from your mind fills you will joy and gratitude. You give thanks for things like electricity and drinking water, things you tend to take for granted most of the time.
I read between the lines of your reply to the question about a life lesson you have learned recently. It makes me sad to know that you are dealing with domestic issues and I hope, as you expressed it, that God moves hearts and the family member who has excluded you will reach out to you again.
Thank you very much for another super post, dear friend Cathy. Enjoy your Thursday!
Tom,
The last couple of days were busier than the rest of the week and am just now finding time to respond. I like starting in order of receipt, so you’re at the top of my list. I’m glad you enjoyed this post. I got away doing this years ago when I got more into the Wordless Wednesday participation but I really missed and am working to get my original post content style back into my while keeping my many other pursuits.
It’s funny I do not remember #9 Dream by John Lennon but “Whatever Gets You Through The Night” I do recall. Thanks for the reminder!
Oh those retro commercials are always a hoot. Advertising and marketing strategists weren’t afraid to make their products appealing to girlie girls and girls loved being girls! The comical ditties of Jim Stafford and Ray Stevens are excellent classics which always make me smile. I think the biggest problem with today’s artists is they just don’t have THIS kind of talent.
You’re so right about the things you give thanks and appreciation for after the passing of a horrible storm and I’m SO happy that you guys made it through Irma okay. Thank you for visiting, dear friend. God blessings to you always!
Those fashions make me very happy that I didn’t go to highschool until the 80’s – thankfully I never owned a pair of flares. Love your answers to the questions, and your birthday meal sounds scrummy. Have a good day.
Pamela,
BTW, you share the name of my baby sister. 🙂 I remember by the mid-70s the fashion transition began moving away from bellbottoms to boot cut/flare jeans, then late 70s the introduction of higher waisted and straight leg jeans which made not for a happy camper. Change is always hard, especially with clothing for me. I eventually got on the bandwagon. It’s funny that my dislike for straight leg pants changed and I still prefer to wear them, even when the throw back styles made it’s run (and still doing it) several years ago. These days I just dance to my own mewsic fashion and care less what others are wearing. Thanks for stopping in for a visit. It’s nice meeting you! Now, I’m hopping over to check out your responses. 😉
Oh my god…those fashions bring me back to the horror of the ’70s fashion. I had blue plaid pants with a White belt. The polyester look was in..ughhh. I was 10 years old and, I guess, in grade 5. My dad had his first hip replacement so I remember visiting him in the hospital. I love that song you chose and remember watching all the variety shows back then. I would love to visit the pacific coast and have someone else drive it with me as a passenger
Birgit,
It seems I had a pair of plaid pants, too. I definitely owned a white belt with a large brass-like buckle. I remember this because the buckle rested my tummy just below my belly button and the metal irritated my skin. I was allergic to it which was a bummer because I loved that belt! I guess it had nickel or copper or both in the materials. Polyester was every where. The static electricity drove me nuts, too!! I’m with you on having someone else to drive me along the Pacific coast. I’m sure that “someone” would be DH if I go. 🙂 Oh the memories of the 70s!
I was 5 in 1974 so I didn’t have a favorite song. I remember the Sears wishbook, so fun to look at all the toys. Nice to learn more about you in the hodgepodge.
Ellen,
Yeah, the Sears wishbook was the highlight of every kid’s life. I remember the anticipation of getting it late fall and always going through the toy section with my baby brother. I always wanted a cotton candy machine but never got one. So, after we had kids we got them a cotton candy maker and we still have it. Speaking of which…I need to make some cotton candy! I bought the sugar last summer but haven’t used it yet. *smack forehead*
I remember the Sears catalog very well. I kind of had a crush on the girl in the green top, in fact. She had a nice smile.
That Nair commercial is based on this song…
John,
Thanks for sharing the mewsic vid Royal Teens “Short Shorts”. It almost seems like I knew this commercial was based on a popular song but I’m not sure why that is unless I heard it. That’s just been too many years ago. Tom also mentioned this interesting bit of trivia. I appreciate when folks such as you fill in with factoids like this making it all the more fun.
Gym class was the worst no matter what they had us wear, and it’s been a very long time since i’ve heard Seasons in the Sun.
Mimi,
The best thing I like about gym class was the trampoline. We didn’t get to play on it too often and our time spent on it seemed too brief. They had a balance beam which was kind of fun but looking back I can’t figure out why the school budgeted that piece of equipment into. We certainly didn’t have anyone to teach gymnastics to us. I did learn how to do a cartwheel dismount and I could even do a split on the beam. I’d kill myself if I tried any of that stuff today. lol My favorite thing activity was volleyball. That was a lot of fun!
I never did like Seasons in the Sun. I must say I did have a pair of short-shorts but should never have worn them! I am a bit older than you so I was just out of high school in 1974 but we did have the one piece gym outfit and I must say the one in your picture was much cuter than our ugly one with snaps up the front. Thanks for taking me way back!
Janet,
I was really tiny in school and every time I got an uniform it was way too big. I hated those stupid things. I don’t think we were forced to wear them in high school but I can’t swear to it. My memory is a bit cloudy. Gym wasn’t my favorite class. It was the easiest but I hated the physical activity. Today, I love exercising…well…I like it a lot better. Maybe it’s because no one is forcing me to do it. 🙂 “Seasons in the Sun” is such a sad song. I liked it but it always left me a bit of dump after listening to it every time. I was strange, I guess. lol