Life on the Prairie

 

Tayler

 Dark clouds of war hang over Tayler’s head.

A misfired missile fills our hearts with dread.

Any part of the world could be the place

Where all lives are destroyed without a trace.

 

Non-violence is the vow of Civil Rights.

Marchers and protesters join in the fight.

Bloodshed and assassinations abound.

The key to winning in Viet Nam can’t be found.

 

Kind and friendly Tayler fights her way

Facing her uncertain future every day.

Defending friends and ideas is key.

Forging a path to life’s victory is she.

 

 This blog changes on the first and third weeks of each month.

Reach us at:

jcindy65@live.com
or
www.judithacarroll.wordpress.com
or
www.onceupontheprairie.com


 

 

 

Prairie Girls

Tayler

                                    by Collette

Tayler here. We had our first “duck and cover” drill today. It isn’t like our fire drills where we get to go outside. For this drill, we stay in the classroom, get under our desks and cover our heads with our arms. I really don’t understand how this will save us from the “big bomb,” whatever that is. Why would someone want to drop a bomb on my little school? There are places all over town where people can take shelter if a bomb is dropped. Who would do that?

My dad showed us a missile “silo” on the way to Wichita. He tried to explain how it works, but I don’t understand it. It scares me. When I am afraid I hold my Barbie doll very tightly.

Favorite Outfit

        by Judy

I went to school in the 1950’s. Around the middle of August, my mother and I picked out materials from the fabric department of either the J.C. Penney store or the Montgomery Wards store in our town. Mother thought (and I did, too), I needed a new dress for the first day of school. My favorite outfit was a black and turquoise printed skirt paired with a solid turquoise blouse mother sewed for me. Turquoise is still one of my favorite colors.

 

Surviving a Nuclear Attack

Surviving a Nuclear Attack

                                                    by Collette

Life in the 1950’s and 1960’s for many Americans during the Cold War was about preparedness in case of nuclear attack. Children in schools were trained and drilled about what to do if a nuclear missile was headed toward the United States. These drills ran the gamut from simply getting under a desk and covering one’s head to evacuation. Many schools required high school students to take a Civil Defense course for their protection. Fall-out shelters dotted the landscape of America as families planned for their survival.

Households stocked up on the essentials from canned goods to water supplies. Evacuation centers in towns were established as safe havens for families with no shelters. Those who had basements fortified them for protection and periods of extended occupation. Many baby boomers from this era grew up with a sense of foreboding and eminent danger. The greatest fear was concern about whether the actions suggested for protection would work. Information about fall-out radiation was sketchy and no one really knew how far-reaching and long-lasting it could be.

The following could provide more current and accurate information about survival of a nuclear attack:

 

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_and_cover

www.ki4u.com/guide.htm
www.family-survival-planning.com/nuclear-attack.html
www.secretsofsurvival.com/survival/nuclear_attack.html

www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/preparing-for-nuclear-terrorism.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main Dishes

Main Dishes

                                       by Collette

The following recipes are good examples of what families were eating during the 1950’s and 1960’s. My family ate variations of these recipes.

Oven-Barbecued Chicken
1 frying chicken                                               ¼ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup flour                                                       ½ cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons salt                                                 1 cup catsup
2 tablespoons butter                                          1 cup water
½ cup chopped onion                                        2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce                 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Coat chicken with flour and salt. Brown in hot fat. Transfer to flat shallow casserole. Melt butter in heavy saucepan; sauté onion. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Place sauce over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Beef Casserole

8 ounces of macaroni                                        2 cups tomato sauce
1 pound ground beef                                         ¼ cup catsup
1 small onion, chopped                                     ½ teaspoon salt
1 small green pepper, chopped                          pepper to taste
1 tablespoon shortening                                    8 slices of American cheese

Cook the macaroni according to the directions on package; drain. Brown the meat, onion and pepper in 1 tablespoon of fat. Blend the tomato sauce, catsup, salt and pepper; pour over meat and stir in, then add the macaroni. Pour the mixture into a casserole, crock pot or electric skillet. Top with cheese slices and cover. Bake for 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven, or in the crock pot or skillet on low for 45 minutes.

Pinwheel Cheese Meatloaf

1 ½ pounds of ground beef                        ½ teaspoon salt
1 cup soft bread crumbs                             1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 egg                                                           2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

Mix beef, crumbs, egg, horseradish and salt with ½ cup tomato sauce. Pat meat out into a 14x10 inch rectangle on a large piece of foil. Sprinkle 1 ½ cups cheese to within ½ inch of the edges. Roll from shorter side; seal ends. Transfer to pan, seam side down. Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven, then remove from oven and pour remaining tomato sauce over meat. Bake 15 minutes longer, Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves: 5.

Fads from the 1950's and 1960's

Fads from the 1950’s and 1960’s

                                                    by Collette

Barbie dolls were the hot item in the decade starting in 1950. The dolls were so popular that they had their own designers to clothe them. My sister and I had Revlon dolls which were the same size as Barbie, but probably cheaper. And we had no designer, except my mother. She was a great seamstress and tried hard to help me become one, but I do not have that talent. (That’s a whole other story.)

While we were in school, Mother made lots of things for these dolls to wear as part of a Christmas present. The dolls had ball gowns, school clothes similar to ours, slacks and blouses and even satin pajamas. I remember being so shocked she had made all of the outfits without me knowing about it. (I was a big snoop looking for concealed Christmas presents each year.) My sister and I adored those dolls and spent hours playing with Lois and Helen, the names of the dolls.

Although I did not have a poodle skirt I had a skirt with a dog on it and my sister’s had a cat. We wore the appropriate number of can-cans under them, too. I remember the starched white blouses, anklets and the saddle shoes that accompanied the outfits, also. For some reason, my mother dressed my sister and me with the same kind of clothes, but usually different colors. I know Mother stretched my hair from pulling it so tightly for my pony tail. (It did stay in place all day though.) Maybe that’s why my hair was so thin?

We had hula hoops and slinkies and most of the other inexpensive things from the time period. We  girls even used our own money to buy 45 rpm records of the new rock and roll music. I liked to watch American Band Stand. (I also enjoyed the Saturday morning line-up of Fury, Sky King, Roy Rogers, Mighty Mouse and all the other cartoons.) We didn’t have a television for quite a while, but when we did, my sister and I enjoyed most of the westerns.

I hate to use the word idyllic, but that’s how I remember this time. It was a fun period, filled with good times with my sister. I have to admit I do think we fought quite a bit and knew we would never be friends, but we are.

Shopping

 

 

 

 

Shopping

                                       by Judy

“Mom, I love this. I’ve got to have it, pleeeeze,” my older daughter begged and held up an article of clothing I knew no child of mine would ever wear out of the house.

“Mom, every girl in my class has these jeans. I’ve got to have them, pleeeeze,” my second daughter said. I could feed the family for two weeks for what they cost.

Shopping for school clothes with my daughters was an important August outing for my girls and me. It more often than not included some mother-daughter spats, but we survived. Sometimes my daughters tried to abandon me in the sensible clothing department while they made their way to the area where they might find shorter shorts and halter tops. They couldn’t lose me, though, because while I might not have seen them, I always heard their giggles three clothes’ racks over.

Each year, we rushed from store to store and spent dollar after dollar. Then just as if a switch had been turned on, my buyer’s remorse kicked in, and I could not spend one more dollar. The girls quickly learned if they really wanted an item of clothing, it needed to be at the top of the list.

Yes, shopping with the girls was a challenge, not so with my older son. He always studied the clothing selections in at least six different stores before he gathered a variety of shirts, jeans, and shorts.  Laden with the many articles, he disappeared into a dressing room. I passed the time reading.  When he exited with his choices in hand, I pulled out my credit card. He appreciated the value of a dollar, and the total cost was always under budget.

My younger son was almost as challenging as the girls. He saw no reason to try on any article of clothing. He preferred to estimate how much he had grown from year to year. In fact, convincing him to leave the house for the shopping trip, getting him out of the car and into the store was not easy. He was more than happy to continue to wear last year’s clothes, no matter how tattered, torn, or if his jeans hit him mid-calf..

I miss those back-to-school shopping trips.