Vintage Skills and Style in the Modern World
When everything in the modern world is focused on convenience, and “hacks,” and recipes that take 30 minutes, there’s something to be said for slowing down every once in awhile. Tedious projects give us the chance to build our concentration, unplug from the frenetic pace around us, and test the depth and variety of our vocabulary of curse words.
And thus, gingerbread houses.
Yesterday, in particular, I felt like I got sledgehammered by the news. Does gingerbread make it better? It most definitely does not. However, it keeps me going to fight another day, and in a dark and stormy world, I’ll take my tiny hope where I can find it.
So did “smart homemakers” in 1948. I know this, because I happened across the December 1948 issue of Mademoiselle’s Living Magazine, which is, explicitly, the magazine for smart young homemakers.
I love home magazines, and this one, from the late 1940s, did not disappoint. Continue reading “6 DIY Christmas Decorations From 1948 To Try (Plus 1 NOT To)”
There’s a lot to be angry about. A lot to worry over, and shout over, and be deeply, deeply unsettled by. In these times, I think it’s even more important to seek out and recognize the little things that make life better. And thus, old-fashioned pleasures.
What makes something old-fashioned? My entirely arbitrary definition is that the thing or activity should have existed for more than fifty years (in some form or another), and it probably shouldn’t cost a whole lot. Old-fashioned pleasures are most likely low-tech, and usually not terribly fancy.
Here’s this week’s list:
A walkable neighborhood is a glorious thing. I’ve been trying to take walks without any particular destination in mind. The weather has been particularly (and slightly freakily) mild, so it’s been easy to convince myself to hit the pavement.
I’ve lived in the same apartment for six years, and it’s easy to only go on my established routes. “This is the way I go to the train, this is the way I go to the store, here is where I catch the bus…” Mixing things up allows me to discover the new things I’ve been missing, which are often only a couple of blocks away.
Monday’s walk took me around and about Rogers Park, a neighborhood I almost live in, and all the way to Lake Michigan. I felt a lot more like a person at the end of it.
Sourdough is magical.
This is my starter, and it’s kind of like a pet. It requires regular feedings of flour and water, and can’t be left on its own very long. It’s worth it, though. It yields tangy loaves with a crispy crust, and it makes me feel like a harvest goddess. I may or may not dance around shouting, “I have brought forth bread from the very air!” while baking.
It was lovely. (And Yo-Yo Ma was there). The young artists of the orchestra were impressively skilled, and there is something so life-affirming about Bach. I’m grateful for modern recording technology, since it means we can listen to just about anything anytime, but that makes watching and listening to music as it happens, sharing the space with the people making it, is extra special.
Fourth Presbyterian also has a beautiful (circa 1871) sanctuary, so that was an added delight.
I’m half-heartedly trying to read books instead of screens before bed. The other novel I’m reading, Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, is way, way, too disturbing for pre-bed reading. It is almost too disturbing to read at all, to be honest. But an Agatha Christie novel? Perfection.
How about you? What old-fashioned pleasures have you enjoyed this week?
As we’ve talked about before, Chicago was Victory Garden Central during WWII. During the war, 1,500 urban gardens popped up, the North Park neighborhood had the largest garden in the country, and tons of food was produced.
Victory gardening was a way for the nation to prioritize its major agricultural resources. Large-scale farming operations could concentrate of the crops needed to feed armies and keep the homefront going with things that couldn’t be effectively gardened, like wheat and corn. Vegetables, which were nutritionally important, and possible to grow at home, were outsourced to the populace, largely women.
The Peterson Garden Project carries on that legacy, by providing space and education for urban gardening. I garden at Vedgewater, at the corner of Broadway and Rosemont. A garden on top of concrete lot, it definitely meets the “urban” requirement. I can see the Red Line “L” train go by from my plot.
While I am not producing enough food to make it through rationing, it is a nice addition to our purchased food. I am definitely keeping us in greens. The real retrofitting value lies in feeling more connected to the weather, nature, and my neighbors. I’m also able to grow older and interesting varieties of vegetables, that don’t have enough appeal/ease of growing/etc to be available commercially.
Continue reading “How Does Your Garden Grow?”
