I have virtually nothing to say today, so here are a couple more cards from the bag of childhood detritus I wrote about the other day. I scanned these thinking I would blog them in that earlier post but they didn't fit, and now I'm glad I have them left over!
The one above is an Easter card my grandparents sent me in the late '60s or very early '70s. The inside says something like, "Look who's here with bells on to wish you a Happy Easter!" (The Easter poodle?)
The card looks very 3-D from the scan, but the yarn and flowers are actually printed from a photograph, so it's just a flat piece of cardboard. The poodle's fur has a sprinkling of glitter that doesn't quite come across in the scan.
This one is from an older woman my mom employed to stay with me and my brother in the afternoons when we were done with school, and to help out around the house with things like cleaning and dinner preparation. She was more than a babysitter. My brother and I saw her as a surrogate grandmother, and she was with us for several years through my early childhood. I loved her dearly and have only fond memories of her.
Anyway, yes, that child is praying. Mrs. Kirkland was a Southern Baptist, and was quite religious. She had the painting of the blue-eyed Jesus in her living room and successfully urged my mom to send us to Vacation Bible School when we were kids. We were Presbyterians, and Mrs. Kirkland's brand of Christianity seemed rather strident to me even then, but my mom figured it wouldn't do us any harm and I suppose she was right. I'm not sure it did me any good either, though!
I'd call that an Easter lamb, not an Easter poodle, but why the heck not have Easter poodles? Disappointed it's not actually 3D.
ReplyDeleteHa! I didn't even think of a lamb, but of course that's what it is. LOL
DeleteLike Lynn Marie says, that poodle is a lamb.
ReplyDeleteAwww...sweet cards. I bet you were an angelic little boy!
ReplyDeleteMrs Kirkland's handwriting style was just like my mother's. I guess they may have been around the same age but if my mother had been looking after you you would have had your bottom spanked quite regularly for being a little cleverdick.
ReplyDeleteEveryone of Mrs Kirkland's generation was taught legible cursive writing - nice to see and easy to read. What sweet mementoes!
ReplyDeleteI have a few of those old cards. I treasure them -- or maybe what I treasure was the love behind them.
ReplyDeleteI never knew my grandparents, gone long before I was born, so it's always interesting to me to see things like cards and wishes from grandparents.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone send Easter cards anymore? I remember getting them as a child but then they vanished ...
ReplyDeleteBut then almost all cards are vanishing these days.
I think you should stick to the Easter Poodle. Lots more fun.
ReplyDeleteI remember going to the Vacation Bible School at the local Methodist Church. They weren't very stringent about religion so we did lots of crafts. What I mainly remember is making felt boards that you could show stories of Jesus on. "Here's Jesus, walking." Etc.
Also, (and I am still resentful about this) they had fat crayons. You know- the ones they give really little kids and I hated them. They had ONE box of regular thin crayons which they only let the cutest, thinnest girl in the class use. I hated her.
Easter lamb, as others have mentioned. I have old cards like these, too, as my Mom made a scrapbook of them when I was born. I still send cards now as people do like to get mail, I think. It's easy to find cute cards at resale shops.
ReplyDeleteA lamb makes more sense than a poodle but I didn't question your description. Bunnies and lambs so why not poodles? That little boy is well groomed and probably obedient. No picture of Jesus but my neighbor down the street has 9 crosses hanging on the wall in their sitting room. That's a thing here, something I noticed from all the estate sales my sister and I went to.
ReplyDeleteYes, to the Easter lamb (with a little mint jelly)! LOL
ReplyDeleteGo into any Dollar Tree store and they have tons of cards for every occasion imaginable!
I think you have a gold mine of stories from the stuff sent from your child hood.
ReplyDeleteHaha.... yes, a lamb. Not a poodle. That kitten on the front of the birthday card is precious!!
ReplyDeleteI had a poodle as a child and he use to get what they called a "lamb's cut" at the groomer.
DeleteThat little "poodle" is cute and so is the kitten. You have quite the package full of memories.
ReplyDeleteI never noticed the poodle was a lamb. lol
ReplyDeleteMy brother and I had a kindly neighbour who looked after us when we couldn't go to school due to illness (my mother was a teacher) but she wasn't religious. She was a lovely person and took good care of us. Like you, I have only good memories of her.
You had lots of loving adults in your life. The cards must bring back many great childhood memories.
ReplyDeleteEaster Poodle needs to be a THING. (but it's a lamb, poorly envisioned though it is) I had several adoptive grandparents: Grandpa Bill was my mom's principal and we thought the world of him.
ReplyDeleteWhat a heartfelt glimpse into your childhood. Those cards really capture not just memories, but the warmth and unique relationships that shaped your early years
ReplyDelete