As I set out to paint yesterday, I took trinkets down from shelves and tops of cupboards. I washed off years of dust and grime. Gathered my tools and dressed in a proper uniform. My white painter pants from 1990. They’re no longer white, though. They’re filled with layers of every color we’ve painted in our house and our rentals over the years.
When I washed my canisters, I remembered back to when I was first introduced to home decorating.
The year I entered high school, my parents bought a new home. It was a double-wide, mobile home. Before it arrived in its two parts to be rolled into place, it had to be constructed to buyer’s preferences. My mom let me participate in the process by helping pick out the colors of walls, wallboards, flooring, toilets, tub, carpeting, etc.
Hints of ‘Hey, I kinda like home decorating stuff’ thrilled my impressionable soul. Back then choices were limited. And paneling was in. Lovely, it meant I didn’t have to paint, YAY!
What did I know back then? I had little to compare it to, other than the single-wide mobile home we were moving out of.
All I had in there was my tiny bedroom. Brightly decorated in lime green and yellow shag carpeting, with white and pink accessories. I loved that room but was glad for our new home and my room with neutral colors and space to move around in. I went from a twin-sized bed to a double-sized bed. And was blessed with my grandparent’s antique bedroom furniture. That set became mine. I still have it today.
I remember feeling like a teenage queen, minus the splashes of neon green.
In our kitchen, adorning the countertops, were a set of Treasure Craft canisters and two cookie jars.
I moved and dusted them when it was my turn to clean the kitchen. I was in charge of baking. I’d fill cookie jars with delicious sugary treats for the fam. Chocolate chip cookies were my specialty. I was in a baker’s heaven with all that space.
Life seemed so simple back then.
Both of my parents worked, my brother and I went to school, and we all connected for a meal at the end of each day. On the weekends I cleaned and baked cookies. I talked to my friends on our rotary phone. Or I sprawled out on my carpeted flooring while I listened to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 on the radio station.
I was a naive teenager. Never in my wildest thoughts or dreams did I think the world was #@%!ED. My parents weren’t into sharing their thoughts about political views with us kids. They both worked for unions. They did complain about interest rates back then, thus a mobile home versus a new construction type home.
All that mattered to me and my brother was that our parents brought home paychecks, we had food and beverages for meals, clean clothes thanks to electric washer and dryer, heat and handmade quilts in the winter, and fans to cool us off in the summer. We never had air conditioning.
I got a job so I could enjoy A/C. That job also gave me my own paycheck and freedom to drive a car so I could hang out with my friends. I lived to see the reality of gas prices going over $1/gallon. My 7th grade Social Studies teacher had predicted that would happen.
As a teenager, other than what my teachers told me, I wasn’t connected to the news of what was going wrong in the world.
We didn’t have social media. Bullies were bullies in person. You either fought back or walked away to stop them from making you feel like sh*t. We didn’t get bombarded with the message that we weren’t enough. We weren’t spoiled either. Every penny earned counted. And what we chose to do, or not do, made a difference in our lives.
…my thoughts wandered with each push of the paint roller, I eventually got to the point where I could pause the project…
I looked around and saw the canisters sitting on the counter, my thoughts flashed back to my teenage years – filled with an innocent hope for the future and all the time in the world to fill cookie jars.
…the maturity of our culture is deteriorating…Throughout the rich and developed world, we are not living through a crisis of wealth or material, but a crisis of character, a crisis of virtue, a crisis of means and ends. The fundamental political schism in the twenty-first century is no longer right versus left, but the impulsive childish values of the right and left versus the compromising adolescent/adult values of both the right and left. It’s no longer a debate of communism versus capitalism or freedom versus equality but, rather, of maturity versus immaturity, of means versus ends. – Mark Manson
My memories of tougher times or challenges have faded over time. Ten years ago, I painted the same room I’m painting now. It was exciting and it took me forever. I’m adding 3 more layers of treasured paint to the history of our home and my painter’s pants.
Mr. said to me as he checked in on my progress, “So how’s the little project feeling to you now?”
Me: “Well…I forgot how much work it is to repaint this room. Our house was a #@%!ED up mess back then, kind of how it looks right now. And…I’m not even close to finished with the first layer of paint. How did I do this with kids running around back then?”
I’m sure my parents struggled at times when I was growing up. We had our share raising our kids, too. But, was I, or am I, without hope? Nope.
Post Inspiration – Lens-Artists #67 – Layered – check out Amy’s beautiful layers challenge here.
PS – My computer died…my paintbrush is still wet…guess that means I’ll be MIA for a bit! Hope you have a great week – see you on the other side of my painting project! I finished that book, by the way, – and I would not recommend it.
🙂 Bon courage!
I’m sorry about the computer, see you soon Shelley! (those gas prices in the 70’s WOW!!)
Thank you, John!!! Those gas prices would be really nice now wouldn’t they!!?
Heck yes! That would take an enormous financial burden off of the public but I can’t help but see this as being done on purpose. Another means with which to control the public at large.
Sorry to hear about the computer. 😟 But I do love your painter pants…great memories, no? Ha! I have a really old pair of blue jeans that are my paint paints. They also tell me when I’ve eaten too much, as they get too tight. LOL. But I do like to see all the colors from previous projects. And I too wonder how I did that with little kids running around. Good luck…I did that in my laundry room/bathroom last year and it’s amazing how much work it is…I forget over time, I guess.
Thanks, Laurel. The computer woes are real this time around. Mr. tells me it’s because I don’t delete on a regular basis. Sigh –
Yes, I love my painter pants and I’m with you on the fit indicating the ability to stick to a diet or not!!! LOL!!
All the little prep details and patching cracks, washing walls, on and on and on…all those things that I normally don’t notice are glaring as we remove everything to prepare for painting. This round is the ‘last time’ we’ll be doing this kind of overhaul again!?! Famous last words. 😉 Thank you for your encouragment and support, I do appreciate it!
What a lovely story of your painting past. I also listened to Casey Casem as a teenager. Plus I also remember the rotary phone and in-person bullies only. Good luck with the computer repairs and painting project and I’ll be curious to hear why you don’t recommend that book.
Thank you. Ah…the good ol’ days. Thanks for the well wishes, I need them. 🙂
That book review…let’s just say that while the author thinks he did a spectacular job writing it, I’d rate it as a very thorough research paper with WAY too many references to other people’s writings. I enjoyed his ‘voice’ in his first book, this one has very little of his and lots of other people’s thoughts. Not that they are bad, it just was a very hard read with disappointment at the end, just like his first book was. 🙁
It does sound like a hard read – disjointed perhaps. And then to end with disappointment. Not fun.
Yes, indeed – in one section I read, every line was a referenced quote for several pages in a row. I envisioned post-it notes scattered around his desk and then he grabbed each one and penned it to the page. In all fairness, I do admire his efforts and his accomplishments of writing two top-selling books. He has a very interesting voice if he lets that shine versus quoting everyone else.
You have the perfect view to stay relaxed while painting, I remember the gas price hikes, we went to Canada just across the river in Buffalo to fill the tank, have a good week
Thank you, Alice! It was easy to cross borders into Canada back then too. Hope you have a great week too!
Really nice post of painting and reminiscing.
Thank you, Sue, I appreciate your encouragement!
I hope you get your computer fixed soon. Times were simpler when we were growing up. I think we were all forced to be mature enough to understand that you can’t have everything (unless you also work).
Thank you, Dan, me too – it is taking forever to get what I need from it before it is buried in the computer hall of shame.
Yes, we definitely were taught to understand the connection between stuff and working for it. Hope you have a great week and that work doesn’t throw you another project you didn’t plan for!
Thanks Shelley. This will be a busy week, but it won’t be busy much longer.
On the homerun stretch to retirement!! Enjoy the last moments you have with the company and your co-workers.
Thanks!
Hate computer issues. Looking forward to seeing the new colors in the kitchen. My bedroom was painted bright yellow with black shag carpets. I was in heaven!
LOL – me too – on computer issues and looking forward to seeing the colors change in the kitchen.
Wow – that’s a fascinating color combination!! You didn’t carry it on with you into your studio? 😉
LOL no, not in the studio and I didn’t even go with the pinky-orangy color that I also love.
LOL – I love the colors you chose for your studio. You do love lots of colors, I bet it was hard to choose. xx
Hope you’ll get your computer back soon. I still use PC though I depend on my iPhone da lot. Enjoy reading your painting story, Shelley. layered, indeed. 🙂
Thank you, Amy, I hope I get back to a fully functioning work station soon too!
I appreciate your words of encouragement and for the opportunity to play along on your challenge. Your layer photos are gorgeous. I’d enjoy visiting that place!
Thank you so much! 💗🙏
You’re welcome!!
Very nostalgic – on the down side, it’s a big project, on the plus side … well, you still fit in your painter’s pants. 🙂
Thank you, Linda – it is a test of ‘weight stability’ to pull those pants out and see if they fit when each new project appears. 🙂
Beautiful. 🙂 In 1980 I was ten and it was about that time or a couple of years later that I started to listen to Casey Kasem as well, on national Slovenian radio back in what used to be Yugoslavia. It is only now that I see his name written down for the first time. So I finally know how it is spelled. And when I heard his voice… memories came flushing. Slovenian speaker spoke over him which annoyed me because I wanted to listen to his American way of talking. Your bon appetit photo with the view is wonderful. Happy painting.
Thank you, Ms. Excessive :-)! I’m impressed that you can listen to music and hear another language at the same time. My brain must not be that versatile ;-)! I’m glad my post brought back happy memories for you.
Thank you for the kudos about the bon appetit photo. That is the only regret I have about our updating and repainting. That sign had to come down. It represented many happy memories of the time in life when I placed it on the wall. I’ll find something appropriate to replace it, or maybe open space will lead to possibilites for my imagination instead? Time will tell! Thanks for stopping by, I’ll be by your blog again soon!