Thursday, April 3, 2008

"Dear Diary........"

Look what my mother found and gave me .... my DIARY from 6th grade !!!! What a HOOT !!






Let's open it up and see what fascinating observations a 6th grade girl from Hometown, Pa made in the year 1970....
.....oh.... sewing class .... finishing up a skirt (hemming, fixing the zipper and some hand stitching) .....



.......and then there's this page ....

......this riveting entry tells how my friend Cindy and I finished sewing our skirts and that was good since it was our last sewing class anyhow. Then later that day my mother took me shopping and I "got a pattern for myself. It has bell bottoms and a tunic, and there are three easy dresses. I was going to make quilted lounging pajamas with a zipper up the front but I decided not to." (........oooooooo ..... quilted LOUNGING PAJAMAS ..... don't they sound hot and uncomfortable!) OMG ... was I a BORING 6th grader OR WHAT ?!? .... (actually, I guess this just reminds me how much I really love to sew ... even back then .... I was a SEWING GEEK !!!)

....anyhow, there is some fun stuff in my diary about dances and some boy on the bus I liked, and homework, and teachers, and pajama parties, and riding bikes, etc .... nothing earth shattering, just a record of day to day life from a 6th grader's point of view in 1970 .... of no value to anybody but me ..... or IS IT?!? Just think, 100 years from now my diary might be read and found to be an interesting peek at life "way back when" ..... and somebody will say "thank goodness girls wrote in diaries; and thank goodness somebody kept them for future generations " ..... just like the pioneer women who wrote letters and diaries about daily life traveling across the country in a covered wagon .... think about it ... in history class we learned about things from what men kept track of in their "journals" (I'm guessing they didn't call them diaries .... or at least they didn't start out their daily entry "Dear Diary... today me and the guys explored the north branch of the river where we encountered some friendly natives ....") Anyhow, if pioneer women like .......


this lady hadn't kept a diary, we'd never know how hard it was to take care of a family while living out of a covered wagon .... cook meals over a campfire, search for water everyday to camp near, take care of a sick kid, etc ..... (by the way, this picture is from the front of a book I have "Trail of Thread" Historical Letters 1854-1855 by Linda K Hubalek)







.....and, if it weren't for the diary of this
very happening girl, future generations might never know the fascinating details of the life of a 6th grade girl in Hometown, Pa in 1970!!!

.....and come to think of it .... all of you blogger gals out there are carrying on the diary tradition .... in cyberspace! You're all writing about your daily lives, family stuff, cooking stuff, business stuff, and creative stuff ... all the daily little and big stuff that will someday be a peek back into women's lives in the early 2000's ! Carry on , bloggers !!!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)

15 comments:

Dandelion Quilts said...

How fun is that. Did you call your girlfriend and share your discovery...even if you haven't been in touch in years, that can be fun. My bud from the elementary years recently shared some funny letter I wrote her about that age. :) Takes you back doesn't it??

Pat Sloan said...

What a GREAT post maryanne!!! Fun to peek at a girl in the 70s'...

Dawn said...

Ahhh...the homemade-Marcia-Brady-bellbottoms-and-tunic-outfit. Had one, too. And you certainly brought a laugh and smile to my day with your peek into you diary. Love it. Weren't we just the hippest?.......

Tipper said...

Loved the post. How interesting to go back and see what was important to you then. I love your sewing room and Daisy.

Mom IsAmagpie said...

That's a wonderful find. I hate to say this but my daughter has been asking about the seventies because of her American Girl doll. I bet you that some little girl would find that incredibly interesting "no cell phones, oh how did you survive?"
I love the cover of your diary.

Red Geranium Cottage said...

Oh Mary Anne I dont think we have to wait 100 years for us to find your diary intriguing. LOL!!!!!!!!!! We find it very intersting now. LOL!!!!!!! I'm just sayin, do they even keep diaries anymore???? That could be a very valuable antique you have in your hot little hands there. Do I hear 20, what 40, do I hear 60???? 100 DOLLARS for the high bidder on the antique diary. Hugs!!!! LOL

susan said...

what a kool memory! before my mother flipped out and turned into someone none of us knows or loves, i remember checking out my old high school year book. what a crack up! i cannot believe the things written and how seriously they were written. in some fit of maliciousness she threw away all our stuff like that. oh well, on to build newer and better memories.

Busy Little Quilter said...

I love this post, Mary Anne. I, too, kept a diary. In 6th grade I was making my own clothes, too. I am a little younger than you, but I remember the Marlo Thomas patterns. Some of those dresses are back in style now. I guess I was a sewing geek, too, but I am so glad my mother instilled in me the love of sewing.

My mother has passed away, but my sister in law found a diary of mine. She called me one day laughing because she found one of my lists that I used to make. I was really big into making lists, and I still am. The first thing on my list of things to do that day was to "get up". She thought that was so funny that I had to remind myself to get up from bed!

Nan said...

What an adorable diary and an excellent post, Mary Anne! Thank you for letting us in on bits and pieces of it. I will say you're makin' me feel OLD - I graduated from high school in 1970! Whenever you're feeling ancient, remember that fact, okay?
I was thinking just the other day that our blogs are definitely our diaries (or "journals" for old fogies like me!) in cyberspace. We are carrying on a tradition, aren't we?

Bonnie said...

Boy! Did that bring back memories! I was and still am a sewing Geek! In fact, my girlfriend in 7th grade and I made matching pink wrap-around-skirts! And we're still sewing all the time ...now quilts!

Aleta said...

Hello, I happened to stumble across your blog. Your "dear diary" post is adorable. I used to write in my diary when I was younger. After I moved out, my parents gave me the diaries to keep (think they are in the attic now?) Isn't it funny how life seems day to day, but how the years change when we look back?

Also, I love your sewing skills! Beautiful work on your blog!

Cheryl said...

What a great post and loved hearing about your sewing class! How nice to have that diary. You are so right about us bloggers :-)!

Vallen said...

I always STARTED a journal but lost interest after oe or two pages so applaud your youthful exuberance. Nineteen seventy - ah yes, a banner fashion year!!!

Doe said...

LOL! Love this post! My best friend and I came up with our own alphabet just in case some snoop might steal our precious diaries. Unfortunately, i've lost the master code (she can't remember it either) I can't read what I wrote but I kept it hoping the master code will appear one day.

CONNIE W said...

I had a diary at that age too and oh how I wish I still had it. I could use some help remembering! Ha
Yours is a treasure!
xx