Fifty Fridays #7

This is the first time I've had for blogging this week.  That means a whole lot of visiting coming up.  Keep the tea kettle boiling, folks, I'm headin' over.

But first things first.  It's time for the Friday photo.  And this one makes me smile.  It is Easter Sunday and many years ago - as you can see.  That's my Mom and me before or after church.  I think we're standing in the back yard of our house.  I remember that back part stretched on and on into the woods. Dad would have taken the picture using my mother's lovely old bellows camera with the cool viewfinder that looked like a cube-shaped eye on top of the camera.  . 

My mother made all my clothes.  I thought all mothers did this.  And, of course, Easter meant a new dress.  My mother was very fashionable and enjoyed making clothes.  So, when she asked me what I wanted to have for my Easter dress,  I immediately said a mauve dress and a light gray coat.  Poor Mom.  She was so distressed.  I can remember how hard she tried to talk me out of that choice.  They were 'old lady' colors.  They were the colors that she remembered widows wearing when they came out of their deep mourning colors of blacks, then  into the less deep purples and dark grays until they got to these lighter shades.  Certainly not suitable for a 7-year old. 

But she relented and found a pretty mauve nylon seersucker.  I'll never forget how that fabric felt:  all pebbly when I ran my hand over it.  White ribbon ties and a light gray duster coat to go with it.  Oh, I was stylin' for sure.  I'm not wearing my hat but I remember it was a white straw with little white flowers.  You had to have a hat.

In this photo, I feel as grown up as I possibly could.  Check out my Mom's gorgeous dress.  And she has the de riguer white shoes.  It was Easter, after all.  Time to get out the white shoes, white gloves and store away all the winter stuff.  Me? I had black patent Mary Janes.  Oh, happy day! 

The bag Mom is holding was also a fascination for me.  It was hard-sided and made of gray - sort of silvery - snakeskin.  I loved that purse. 

Easter was always a big fashion day when I was a girl.  Is it still?  I don't think so as we can get new clothes whenever now.  And there don't seem to be the same fashion rules.