Well, it’s almost here…Thanksgiving time! For most of us it’s all about the food. Family recipes are used to prepare many of the dishes that will be served. In some cases these recipes are on index cards and are handwritten. Some cards have a line with the words: “From the kitchen of…” I particularly love…

Looking Back by Mary Ellen Shaw There is a transition period for all of us when we stop being considered a “child” by the older people in our lives. We become “adults”, just like them. Our relationship changes with these people and those whom we called “Mr.” or “Mrs.” often tell us to call them…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Not only do I qualify as an “oldie” but apparently my favorite hobby is classified by some as a “lost art.” I am told that numerous times as customers take a look at my items when I do a craft show. My hobby began by doing cross-stitch items. My mother always…

By Mary Ellen Shaw The method for obtaining information on any subject has certainly changed since my school days in the ’50s and ’60s. I remember my mother getting a set of encyclopedias earned with her grocery store purchases. The books had a green, hard cover and they came into our home one by one…

During my teenage years in the 50s and 60s there were a couple of opportunities in Rutland to get dressed up in a gown and attend a formal event open to the public. One of these was the Cotillion. It began in 1949 and was considered a charity dance to benefit the Rutland Hospital. You…

Some of us (and that includes me) have had our Christmas decorations up since the day after Thanksgiving. But by mid-December “the spirit moves” just about everyone. As you bring out your boxes of decorations you will find them filled not just with “things,” but memories. When I start removing items from the boxes my…

I was watching a talk show recently where the star of “Young Sheldon,” 10-year-old Iain Armitage, was a guest. He was asked what he thought about the various items on the set, many of which dated back to the years before he was born. The show takes place in 1989 and Sheldon was born in…

By Mary Ellen Shaw When you have lived long enough in the City of Rutland to remember the days of cows and horses then you know that you have been around for awhile! Back in the 50s there was still some farmland in the city. One piece of property that had that designation was about…

Conversations with friends always bring up interesting topics. A recent one led us to the subject of people in our lives, who, though much older than we were “back in the day”, later became our friends or coworkers as adults. Such relationships may seem a little awkward at first but can very satisfying at the…

In today’s world you can save money by downloading coupons to your phone and save money as you shop. Of course, if you follow my column on a regular basis you know that I don’t do that from my 2003 Tracfone! Back in the 50s and 60s when I was growing up, my parents didn’t…

By Mary Ellen Shaw If you grew up in the 50s you probably spent a lot of time outdoors. There were no digital devices to keep your eyes glued to a screen. In fact, many homes in our area were just getting their first television. My parents and those of my friends didn’t allow us…

By Mary Ellen Shaw The elements of decorating seem to come together so easily when you watch the process on HGTV. However, that hasn’t always been the case when I have changed the décor in my own home. My inability to make a decision got its launch right after college. I had come back home to…

By Mary Ellen Shaw You never know what you will find when you begin renovations. Our house was built in 1938. My parents bought it in 1944 and it has been home to me ever since, with the exception of a few years of apartment living right after getting married. Upon the death of my…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Having grown up with party lines and phones without a dial, I am truly amazed by the way communication has changed. Dial phones were probably as welcome to my parents’ generation as cell phones are to mine. But what is the history of the telephone? Going back to 1900, there were…

By Mary Ellen Shaw Coffee shops seem to be the trend these days. People want a spot to sit and relax, enjoy a cup of coffee and have something light to eat. Back in my youth, during the 50s and 60s, people did that at lunch counters. Of course, they were not staring at their…