'Tis the Season for a Trip Down Memory Lane

The weather has suddenly turned chilly in Southern California. My neck of the woods has gone from 85 degrees and dry to 65 degrees and breezy. Winter is on its way. We even had our first rain. I'm now dodging falling leaves on my morning walks.

'Tis the season to start thinking about holiday gifts. For some reason, my husband has gotten on the mailing list of several catalogs. My youngest child always gets a kick out of all the cool doodads and potions we never see at Target. One of our favorite catalogs to browse through is The Vermont Country Store Catalog. They have lots of practical items for folks who live in colder climates. Things like real wool blankets, long johns, etc.--amazing stuff you rarely see in Southern California. But the the gifts that really grabbed my attention were the blast from the past stuff--toiletries from the 1960's and 1970's.

Does anyone remember Sweetheart soap? How about Lifebuoy? My granddparents had both, Sweetheart for the ladies and Lifebuoy for the gentlemen. Says a lot about how our society has changed over the years. Now we have unisex deodorant soap 'cause girls now sweat too, not just perspire.

Here's one of my favorites that brings back fond memories from my junior high school days when suddenly your hair need to be washed on a daily basis, which was so not fun--Psssssst-instant spray shampoo. My thirteen-year-old really had a lot of questions about this one, like, "What did you say when you told your mom to pick up some more Psssssst at the store?" I tell you, for a thirteen-year-old trying to keep swear words out of her speech in the presence of adults, this was a major dilemma. "Well, Honey, p-ssed wasn't exactly a popular word in my day. We just called it the name on the can, Pssssst." "Sure, Mom. And Grandma bought it? Right."

How about Tigress or Maja cologne? Have you ever had that deja vu feeling when a certain perfume from your past drifts through the air while you're out shopping? There are still a few scents from the 1980's that transport me back to a time when I was tall, thin, blonde, and single! Oh yes!

There was one more item in the catalog that is a must have. If you haven't laughed up to this point, this is it--the big finish. Tired Old Ass Soak. No lie. This stuff promises "to wash away the years of abuse your tired old body has taken." "This Soak is No Joke" It has rosemary, eucalyptus, and vetiver, whatever the heck that is. It's aromatherapeutic. Handy stuff. Since we writers spend endless hours sitting on our tired old asses, I figured this is the perfect gift for your writer friends. Check it out at www.vermontcountrystore.com

Happy Fall!

Lorelle

posted by Lorelle @ 7:20 PM