Way back in ’83, 20 bucks was a pretty penny for an old-timey picture!

The best State Fair in our state! (responsorial)

Cheesehead By Proxy, “back in Northern Minnesota”: “Subject: State Fair ‘Old Time’ photo.

“I enjoyed reading the recent stories from the family that ran a booth at the State Fair’s Heritage Square. I’m old enough to remember when that was a teen area during the 1960s! But I digress.

Continue reading “Way back in ’83, 20 bucks was a pretty penny for an old-timey picture!”

Memories of Heritage Square: They can’t take those away from her!

The best State Fair in our state!

The Gram With a Thousand Rules: “Subject: Memories of Heritage Square.

“Hey! No fair! When August rolls around, it’s time to start thinking about going to the State Fair. Sadly, this year, we have only the memories of our favorite places at The Great Minnesota Get-Together.

Continue reading “Memories of Heritage Square: They can’t take those away from her!”

“It never occurred to me that Grandma might not have been as interested in pedal-pushers, box-pleated skirts, and Peter Pan collars as I was — or as she pretended to be.”

Now & Then
And: The Permanent Grandmotherly/Granddaughterly Record

DebK of Rosemount: “Cousin Linda has just been consoling me on the death of one of my favorite e-tailers, another victim of the COVID shutdown. By way of commiserating, she mentioned her own grief at the passing of mail-order catalogs — especially the Spiegel catalog, which introduced to the farmsteads of Northwest Iowa the cosmopolitan possibilities of Chicago and other faraway places with bright lights and tall buildings.

Continue reading ““It never occurred to me that Grandma might not have been as interested in pedal-pushers, box-pleated skirts, and Peter Pan collars as I was — or as she pretended to be.””

Mahtomedi woman has a confession to make: She’s neither Irish nor Catholic!

The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

Cee Cee of Mahtomedi reports: “Had a B-M today.

“I know I probably should have heard of this before — but not being Irish or Catholic, maybe I can be forgiven. [Bulletin Board wisecracks: There’s no forgiving anyone who’s neither Irish nor Catholic! No need to, either!]

Continue reading “Mahtomedi woman has a confession to make: She’s neither Irish nor Catholic!”

When you came to St. Paul, where could you find “The Hovse of Qvality”?

Dept. of Neat stuff

Gregory J. of Dayton’s Bluff: “Subject: Neat stuff, Brown & Bigelow Division.

“When we were kids, there was something called neat stuff. It was difficult to define exactly what neat stuff was, but you knew it when you saw it. It could be something as simple as a cool rock or a fancy marble. Being much older but not much wiser, I still like neat stuff and find eBay an endless source of it. To my surprise, much of it comes from our own Brown & Bigelow.

Continue reading “When you came to St. Paul, where could you find “The Hovse of Qvality”?”