Well, the holidays are behind us and hopefully you enjoyed that special time of year. Once January rolls around, my mind gravitates toward spring and gardening. I want to forget that it’s winter. My apologies to those of you who still want to be skiing while I am tending to my daffodils! As many of…

Plans are in the making for a new downtown hotel in Rutland. Reading about it prompted me to think about the lodging options available to people in the 1950s when I was growing up. My friend Mary Jane and I took a fun trip down memory lane, recalling the places we could remember. But to…

Each generation has its own memories associated with Christmas. When I was growing up back in the 50s, there were certain trends from that period that are unlike those of today. I think it’s safe to say that there were more “real” trees than “fake” trees in people’s homes back then. Those looking for a…

The holiday season is upon us. Thanksgiving through New Year’s is a busy time for most people. Was it like that back in the ‘50s? Let’s take a look! Preparing Thanksgiving dinner took a lot more time and effort back then. There were no microwave ovens to heat the various components of the meal. Usually…

There are many things that we do in life because of the memories that are associated with them. When I watch garden shows on PBS or CREATE, people often say that they got into gardening when they were kids by planting and caring for gardens along with their parents. It’s fascinating for children to plant…

Every generation has its fads and they produce some fond memories as you look back at what they were. I grew up in the ‘50s and ‘60s and will share with you some interesting fads from that time period. Drive-in movie theaters were very popular during those years. There was one located in Rutland Town…

In my last column I mentioned that I would be taking a look back at my college days in the ‘60s. Join me as I revisit those days. I spent four years at Trinity College in Burlington. It was an all girls’ school staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. Unfortunately, it is no longer in…

By now the school year is in full swing. Students have decided if they like their classes and their teachers. Going to a Catholic school back in the 1950s meant having a teacher clothed in a black and white habit with only her face and hands showing. The teachers at Christ the King School in…

As sometimes happens when you are sitting next to a stranger for a period of time a conversation begins. Recently a woman asked me if I was from Rutland. I said that I was and then she told me that she had lived in Proctor all of her life. I followed by commenting that not…

If you have gardens you will probably agree that they are always a “work in progress.” Garden areas can consist of more than just flowers. Shrubs and flowering bushes also play a role in your home’s landscape. The time will come when you need to get rid of old overgrown shrubs and start over. If…

When you live in Rutland City with houses very close to one another you don’t expect to see animals and critters that are prevalent in rural areas. But that hasn’t stopped these “visitors” from checking out our urban setting. Back in the ‘50s when I was a small child I remember playing in the sandbox…

There are certain aromas that bring back memories of people and places from long ago. I remember my father sitting on our porch and saying he could smell the rain. Since I was just a little kid it was a mystery to me how he could do that. I told him I wanted to learn…

I often see a “Student Driver” car going by our house. There was no such vehicle back in the ‘60s because Mt. St Joseph Academy, where I was a student, didn’t have a driving instructor. During that era girls didn’t seem to be in any particular hurry to get their license. Boys were more eager…

Many of the things that were part of our lives back in the ‘‘‘50s are so different today. Let’s take a look at some of them. When you wanted to reach someone by phone you picked up the receiver of your desk-top or wall phone, dialed the number and if the line was busy you…

Summer is all about outdoor events! In Rutland we have had the opportunity to enjoy band concerts in Main Street Park for about 100 years. There is not much around today that existed before “my time” but this event did! When I was a child back in the ‘50s I remember sitting on our back…