Ridin', Reinin' and Writin'

Does anyone remember when autograph books were the craze? Do school girls still have them? Do they even know what they are of have they been replaced by Facebook and smart phones?

I think my mom and dad gave me an autograph book the Christmas I was in grade six. The only reason I know this is that I found it in that trunk I mentioned in my last blog and many of the entries are dated. The first page is all about me - my signature (same name!), pasted-in photos - one on my horse, Rocky, and one carefully cut-out of another photograph.

There are more entries of sage advice (from my teachers mostly), silly ones (from my friends, especially the boys!) and  sentimental ones. but the ones I value the most are those from my father, mother and grandmother. Here, in their own handwriting, are those entries:

So many things have changed in the last 50+ years and change is good. I have fought hard not to be one of those senior citizens who talks too much about the 'good old days", but when I look through this autograph book and remember those times I wonder if children are really any happier with their computers, televsion and cell phones. Do they still play marbles, jacks and pick-up sticks? Do they still jump rope at recess? Or are they texting their friends?

If I may offer one piece of advice, it's this: If you are not squirreling away memories now, start today. I certainly didn't know how much this would mean to me now but I so thankful that I always liked to 'save' stuff!

My trunk yielded a plethora of topics for future posts to this site - a scrapbook full of memorablia of my childhood, all of my report cards, high school exams, many, many birthday, Mother's Day and thank-you  cards, now-yellowed clippings of my family and even a few children's books and toys. I think I'l walk down memory lane for a bit... Check back if you want to walk with me.  I'm going to be posting more often than once a week until I get this out of my system.