Just delightful, Jim! I do hope this might be a series of postcards from you. Coincidentally, I gathered a collection of old postcards ca 1910 for my home town of Santa Cruz. I only collected the ones with messages, as they were such a testimony to the era. One card I had said simply, "Mrs. Laurel, Please tell Hannah I brought the cows in. Yrs. Sidney."
Thank you Sharron. I hadn't realized that you shared this interest. Sidney's way of conveying his message seems to have been fairly common. I came across a collection of a few cards from a woman who was trying to schedule a wallpaper installation with a firm across town.
Love this. Makes you wonder why Sidney had to tell Hannah this. Did he find them wandering on the road? Did a sudden cold spell necessitate rescuing them from the field?
Exactly, Virginia. Jim has such a great idea here! Imagine all the story prompts to be found on the back of an old postcard! Another one I had was, "Dear Mabel. We are doing what we can down here. The boy is nothing but trouble and the girl ain't no better. Jay."
This is brilliant, Jim. I can't help thinking how such a postcard would be written today. For a start it would be a Facebook post or something, ie public. I love the fact that it leaves us with so many questions.
Incredible Jimbo. Really, really enjoyed this. We just aren't as resilient - or just flat out tough, as those before us. We just aren't. Things like this are like time capsules. We could all learn a lot from times past and the people who lived them. Thanks for sharing. - Jim
Letters and postcards are wonderful time machines. When I found a letter y father wrote to my mother when he was 22 (before they got married), it gave me a completely different perspective on him. Extremely emotional.
I can imagine. It's hard to picture our parents being young and in love. Hard to acknowledge that they had the same desires and aspirations as us. Thank you for the comment, Martine.
We inherited a treasure trove of old postcards from my husband’s mother. It’s fascinating to read them. It’s also wonderful to view the meticulous penmanship of a bygone era. Thanks for this delve into the past.
The most reliable history lessons are the ones that are told to us by the people who were there. I like to read newspapers and magazines of the nineteenth century, which also are available at those antique shops and flea markets. I've learned as much or more history from them than from my lessons in history class.
Great point, Chip. It's a bit of history that hasn't been run through a filter. I used to find old newspapers stuffed in walls on some of my remodel jobs and would take them home to read. Thanks for the comment.
This was so neat to read, Jim! A few weeks ago I read an old newspaper from my town…1920s I believe. Some of the stories gave me a chuckle, and others made me realize that people back then were truly made of tougher stuff.
Maybe they were tougher, maybe just more realistic. In any case, it's fascinating to read these little insights into the lives of our not-so-distant forebears. Thanks for reading and commenting, Justin. Appreciate you brother.
Sometimes I think about how we might learn the answers to the questions. Maybe it would be possible to find family members who know more about Jessie, Blanche, and Harold. Probably far-fetched, but I do wonder. Thanks for the time capsule, Jim. Nicely done.
Thank you Victor David. If they were anything like most families, they are lost forever, save for this postcard. One of my regrets is not asking enough questions of my parents and grandparents while they were still available.
And life goes on. This is a reminder that every life is full of stories we'll never know, but glimpses like this give us inspiration for living ours or writing others.
Just delightful, Jim! I do hope this might be a series of postcards from you. Coincidentally, I gathered a collection of old postcards ca 1910 for my home town of Santa Cruz. I only collected the ones with messages, as they were such a testimony to the era. One card I had said simply, "Mrs. Laurel, Please tell Hannah I brought the cows in. Yrs. Sidney."
Thank you Sharron. I hadn't realized that you shared this interest. Sidney's way of conveying his message seems to have been fairly common. I came across a collection of a few cards from a woman who was trying to schedule a wallpaper installation with a firm across town.
Pre-telephone! And postal delivery twice a day, so it made sense. I love that you have these, Jim.
Love this. Makes you wonder why Sidney had to tell Hannah this. Did he find them wandering on the road? Did a sudden cold spell necessitate rescuing them from the field?
Exactly, Virginia. Jim has such a great idea here! Imagine all the story prompts to be found on the back of an old postcard! Another one I had was, "Dear Mabel. We are doing what we can down here. The boy is nothing but trouble and the girl ain't no better. Jay."
I'll bet the boy was supposed to bring in the cows.
This is brilliant, Jim. I can't help thinking how such a postcard would be written today. For a start it would be a Facebook post or something, ie public. I love the fact that it leaves us with so many questions.
Thanks Terry, You're right, postcards seem to have been used as texts or social media posts are today. No emojis though. (Thankfully)
Indeed! 😃
Wise guy!!
Incredible Jimbo. Really, really enjoyed this. We just aren't as resilient - or just flat out tough, as those before us. We just aren't. Things like this are like time capsules. We could all learn a lot from times past and the people who lived them. Thanks for sharing. - Jim
Thanks Jim. I have collected a few more that also reflect this same spirit. Some are a little harder to read so I started with an easy one.
I agree.
Letters and postcards are wonderful time machines. When I found a letter y father wrote to my mother when he was 22 (before they got married), it gave me a completely different perspective on him. Extremely emotional.
I can imagine. It's hard to picture our parents being young and in love. Hard to acknowledge that they had the same desires and aspirations as us. Thank you for the comment, Martine.
Hey Jim. Love the fact that a picture, a few sentences, and a 1 cent stamp were still too valuable to throw away. Great one, Jim.
Thanks Ron. Yep, Glad many were saved.
We inherited a treasure trove of old postcards from my husband’s mother. It’s fascinating to read them. It’s also wonderful to view the meticulous penmanship of a bygone era. Thanks for this delve into the past.
Thank you Rebecca. Yes, they are fascinating to read--this could become a real rabbit hole for me. And yes, the penmanship!
I'm thinking prompts!
Yes! You and me both.
The most reliable history lessons are the ones that are told to us by the people who were there. I like to read newspapers and magazines of the nineteenth century, which also are available at those antique shops and flea markets. I've learned as much or more history from them than from my lessons in history class.
Great point, Chip. It's a bit of history that hasn't been run through a filter. I used to find old newspapers stuffed in walls on some of my remodel jobs and would take them home to read. Thanks for the comment.
This was so neat to read, Jim! A few weeks ago I read an old newspaper from my town…1920s I believe. Some of the stories gave me a chuckle, and others made me realize that people back then were truly made of tougher stuff.
Maybe they were tougher, maybe just more realistic. In any case, it's fascinating to read these little insights into the lives of our not-so-distant forebears. Thanks for reading and commenting, Justin. Appreciate you brother.
Great idea to research and speculate about the meaning of the message, Jim. I enjoyed your approach and the feedback it stimulated.
Thanks K.C. I have a bunch more that I might feature here between stories. Yes, the feedback was very rewarding.
Sometimes I think about how we might learn the answers to the questions. Maybe it would be possible to find family members who know more about Jessie, Blanche, and Harold. Probably far-fetched, but I do wonder. Thanks for the time capsule, Jim. Nicely done.
Thank you Victor David. If they were anything like most families, they are lost forever, save for this postcard. One of my regrets is not asking enough questions of my parents and grandparents while they were still available.
And life goes on. This is a reminder that every life is full of stories we'll never know, but glimpses like this give us inspiration for living ours or writing others.
Thank you Virginia. So true that everyday lives are unknowable but these glimpses are inspirational.
This is great, Jim. These postcards tell stories and leave much to the imagination.
Thank you Ron. Yes, I may use some of these to spur my fiction imagination.
I so love this - made me smile - thank you !
Such a nice comment, Nic. I love to make people smile. And thanks for making me smile too.