what's new, pussycat ?

... my life as a granny

Published on August 11, 2004 By mignuna In Humor

I was born in 1969. The cool decade, apparently. I made may have technically made the sixties by 3 months, but they never managed to provide me with any sense of inherent 'coolness'. The sixties to me were just the time my parents ran around looking pretty much like young people do today.

My nana explained to me once that 'patchwork' evolved as a way of making use of clothing that had worn out in certain places. These days, these type of 'useful' trends are everywhere. My time has come ! It's the age of grandma chic !.

Suddenly, my weird old habits are funky. I'm not old-fashioned, I'm eccentric. I'm not strange, I'm natural. I love this !. My enormous, batted blue volkswagen bus has become the ultimate reverse status symbol. Well, blow me over with a feather, but I'm cool !.

My young neighbours think my taste is music is fabulously 'retro', environmentalists think I rock because I clean my house with stuff like bi-carb soda and lemon juice. Young women in the street stop me to adore my Yardley 'April Violets' perfume, and even my disinterest in co-ordinating my clothing has become a fashion statement.

Although i'm paradoxically typing these words into the most modern of communication methods, I have little other taste for modern things beyond the electronic.

My closet is stuffed with 60yo linen sheets dating from when my great grandma ran a 'boarding house' as a widow with 7 kids during wartime. They have been bleached, boiled, and handed down for years, and to this day my guests ask me where I got the beautiful linen sheets.

I like old stuff. Englebert Humperdincks' 'A Man Without Love' is one of the best things my father ever taught me. For around 30 years it's been my favourite song. I adore Burt Bacharach and am even partial to a little Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. These used be be shameful things to admit. Welcome to granny chic.

It seems now i can do no wrong. Knitted purses ?. Fabulous !. Furry slippers ?. Divine !. Scarves ?. Heavenly !. Casseroles ?. Oh, SO Oprah !. Growing herbs ?. An utter must for the modern kitchen, darling. Sewing ?. Gorgeously original of you. Home-cooking ?. Very now. I can't lose, I tell you. I'm the height of modern grandma chic.

And whist this faddy world will no doubtless soon leave me in it's 'so five minutes ago' wake, for now I am enjoying the ride. Long live 'April Violets' !.

Comments

dharmagrl

on Aug 12, 2004

I still wear "Earth Shoes"

I wear earth shoes, constantly. You can find them on eBay, or overstock.com has them for about $35 a pair as well.

Miggy, I so know where you're coming from with this! I was a flower power child of the 60's as well. I knit, I know how to quilt, I embroider, I use baking soda and ammonia to clean with, I'm not really interested in having anything bigger better or newer...I don't want to live in the city, I could care less about having a big screen TV...I want to be semi self-sufficient, grow veggies and keep chickens. Dave and I are planning on buying a VW 'bus' at some point and taking a road trip across the USA in it. No motels, no interstates, just us and the road and our bus.

I'm collecting old jeans to make a quilt out of, and I have an idea for one made out of BDU uniforms for my boys....

citahellion

on Aug 12, 2004

You need to post a picture of yourself all retro and hippy-chic, mig....

ShitsNgiggles

on Aug 12, 2004

it seems now i can do no wrong. knitted purses ?. fabulous !. furry slippers ?. divine !. scarves ?. heavenly, darling !. casseroles ?. oh, SO oprah !. growing herbs ?. an utter must for the modern kitchen, darling. sewing ?. gorgeously original of you. home-cooking ?. very now. i can't lose, i tell you. i'm the height of modern grandma chic.

phhh...that's so 5 minutes ago.

mignuna

on Aug 12, 2004

lifts left butt cheek slightly and farts dust.or was that rust? hehe.

oh, you're back ! *smoochy smoochy* !!! i'm soooooo glad. (mutters about "damn time difference")

I still wear "Earth Shoes" for cryin out loud,

earth shoes ? what on earth are earth shoes ? (bad joke, i know, but i actually don't know what they are)

I alone had pain free tootsies at the end of the day....now that was the epitome of "cool."

i agree, sabrina. that is indeed cool. i cannot stand shoes that hurt. it's one of the few things that can really annoy me. i must have comfort !. (ps: i'm so glad you're back. yes, i know i already said that hehe !)

I wear earth shoes, constantly. You can find them on eBay, or overstock.com has them for about $35 a pair as well.

dharma, you wear them too ?. what are they ?. i am going to look for some on ebay now. we never get anything good here !

Miggy, I so know where you're coming from with this! I was a flower power child of the 60's as well.

dharma, it's so funny how we keep having the same thoughts about home life. i really like it !

I knit, I know how to quilt, I embroider, I use baking soda and ammonia to clean with, I'm not really interested in having anything bigger better or newer...I don't want to live in the city, I could care less about having a big screen TV...I want to be semi self-sufficient, grow veggies and keep chickens.

yesssss !. this is my plan exactly !. we drove out to a friends place yesterday to visit their bub, and they have a shetland pony, a mare, cows, chickens & 2 dogs. i barely saw the baby hehe !. i was just thinking 'this is heaven".

Dave and I are planning on buying a VW 'bus' at some point and taking a road trip across the USA in it. No motels, no interstates, just us and the road and our bus.

dharma, i have a vw bus !. she is dark blue !. her name is iris and she is almost as old as me. we're gradually fitting her out for travel, phil has just built a retractable bed-frame in the back with storage underneath. i am sooooo excited !. when you and dave make it to aus, you'll have to take 'iris' for a run 'up the coast', karen

I'm collecting old jeans to make a quilt out of, and I have an idea for one made out of BDU uniforms for my boys....

you are so creative. where do you get time ????. you amaze me !. speaking of old jeans, my neighbour has a friend who makes handbags out of old pairs of jeans. i'm not sure how she does it, but she seems to use the entire pair. hard to explain, but it looks fantastic, she sells quite a few at the 'tourist' markets i believe. i'm sure you'd be able to do that, dharma

You need to post a picture of yourself all retro and hippy-chic, mig

citahellion, despite the various 'how to' articles, i am yet to find a way to post a pic that doesn't involve registering for some horrid 'free' website full of flashing stuff. i have pics of my house on my pc that i'd love to show some people on here, and i'd love to see the same of others, but i can't do it !. (the band blog i had with pics was easy 'cause i just had to copy the web address from the pics posted on their website).

anyway citahellion, i do have a pic on the loserturdmafia website. i won't copy it in here if you don't mind, but it's on this page (my name is vanessa): Link

i don't know if that's hippy or not. but happily you can't see most of my hair hehe. it's much bigger than that bwaaaa haaaa. looks like a broom usually !.

phhh...that's so 5 minutes ago

i hate dry humoUr

ps: jesse ! i love you, jesse !!!!

vanessa/mig XX

citahellion

on Aug 12, 2004

yet to find a way to post a pic that doesn't involve registering for some horrid 'free' website full of flashing stuff.

My preferred way is to e-mail the pic to dharmagrl.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 12, 2004

I was born in 1970...I technically missed the 60's, but have a couple of VERY COOL links to it.

I was born in May 1970, which is 9, count em 9, months after August, 1969...if my parents had been cooler, I could have well been a Woodstock baby.

I was also born 3 days after the Kent State shootings, which people still associate with the 60's (I even had someone argue to me that "Four Dead in Ohio" was performed at Woodstock...sorry, I know my Kent State history).

dharmagrl

on Aug 12, 2004

yet to find a way to post a pic that doesn't involve registering for some horrid 'free' website full of flashing stuff.

MSN hosts for free, and they're relatively benign. You can email them to me as well, of course, and I'll post them for you ...but if you don't do it before next Tuesday it'll have to wait until after September the 15th (I'll be computer less, due to the move)

Miggy, I think that you and I were separated at birth or something..

we drove out to a friends place yesterday to visit their bub, and they have a shetland pony, a mare, cows, chickens & 2 dogs. i barely saw the baby hehe !. i was just thinking 'this is heaven".

That's what I consider 'heaven' to be like as well! Chooks and horses....oh yeah!

dharma, i have a vw bus !. she is dark blue !. her name is iris and she is almost as old as me

That's a cool name.....if you and phil ever make it to yankee land, you should come stay with us and we'll go VW-ing around America's midwest!

I find the time to do 'crafty' stuff...it makes me happy. I feel like I've actually accomplished something when I finish a project. Like I said, I want to make a blue jean quilt for our bed next, then the boys have asked me to re-theme their room...they're into things military at the moment. I figured I'd buy old BDU's at the thrift store (25 cents an item) and cut them up to make patchwork quilts for their beds, then I'm going to buy some of that netting that hunters use and tack it to the ceiling.....but anyway, I digress. I think that we're real rennaisance women, Miggy, and I think that you should come to America for a holiday so I can show you the US of A!"

mignuna

on Aug 12, 2004

My preferred way is to e-mail the pic to dharmagrl

i know, citahellion. everyone drove dharma mad when she had her 'show and tell' thread hehe

I was born in 1970...I technically missed the 60's, but have a couple of VERY COOL links to it

hey, we're almost the same age, gideon

I was born in May 1970, which is 9, count em 9, months after August, 1969...if my parents had been cooler, I could have well been a Woodstock baby.

perhaps they were cool by osmosis ... something got to them on the breeze or something ?

I was also born 3 days after the Kent State shootings, which people still associate with the 60's (I even had someone argue to me that "Four Dead in Ohio" was performed at Woodstock...sorry, I know my Kent State history).

what an interesting way to look at your personal history, gideon. i really like it !

MSN hosts for free, and they're relatively benign.

thanks, dharma. i really do want to do some pics of my 'teepee' house hehe, so i'll do that over the weekend

Miggy, I think that you and I were separated at birth or something

it really is beginning to look that way, dharma, isn't it !

That's what I consider 'heaven' to be like as well! Chooks and horses....oh yeah!

it was so lovely for the baby to grow up that way. amazing.

That's a cool name.....if you and phil ever make it to yankee land, you should come stay with us and we'll go VW-ing around America's midwest!

we would love that, thankyou !. my sister and her family may move to america within the next 6 months, and if they do, i am pretty certain we will visit, as i miss my neice so much. i'd love to tour americas' midwest !. i feel cooler already, just saying that !

then the boys have asked me to re-theme their room...they're into things military at the moment. I figured I'd buy old BDU's at the thrift store (25 cents an item) and cut them up to make patchwork quilts for their beds, then I'm going to buy some of that netting that hunters use and tack it to the ceiling....

you children are so lucky to have an imaginative mother, dharma. it must add so much to their lives.

but anyway, I digress. I think that we're real rennaisance women, Miggy, and I think that you should come to America for a holiday so I can show you the US of A!"

sounds wonderful. (ooohhhhh for some riches right now !). and i bet we could convince marco, he and phil like each other. hehe. what a trip that would be !

vanessa/mig XX

ShitsNgiggles

on Aug 13, 2004

i hate dry humoUrps: jesse ! i love you, jesse !!!!

and i shall never ever forgive you, because i am STEVE, not jesse.

mignuna

on Aug 13, 2004

and i shall never ever forgive you, because i am STEVE, not jesse.

oh steve, i'm sorry. and you have to forgive me. i'd just talked to jesse and it made me do that. damn, if he sees this i'm done for. i will never live this down.

and i'm sorry. i really am. i should have known jesse wasn't that sharp

vanessa/mig XX

ShitsNgiggles

on Aug 13, 2004

Nope, this cut too deep. I must notify jesse immediately.

mignuna

on Aug 13, 2004

Nope, this cut too deep. I must notify jesse immediately.

noooooooooooooo, steve.

not the jesse !. anything but that !. this undeniable proof that i thought about jesse is too much to bear. (for both myself and him, i promise you hehe).

anything but that !

vanessa/mig XX

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