Q: The good old days seem so much better than now. I wish we could go back. Everything was way better back then. Don’t you agree?

A: Golly Gee Willikers, on some accounts,I would absolutely tend to agree with you.  It’s hard not to wax nostalgic about he way it used to be. Listening to, or reading the news these days, you cannot deny there are a lot of terrible things going on in the world.  I have to say, my tender friend, that it hurts my heart, too. Unfortunately, we cannot go back in time, as that technology has not been created yet (though science has contributed some pretty spiffy things in the last hundred years). Honestly though, if we did have the ability to go in the way-back machine, we would have to admit there have been some pretty bad things all throughout history. We can look back fondly at some of what transpired, but we really must learn from the rest.  At this point in time, the best we can hope for is that we all work on ourselves and help one another on a daily basis for all time. I’ve said before that this concept starts at home… So to that end, on a lighter note, today I actually WILL go back in time with some household tips from the mid-century (also a very turbulent period, if we want look back at some history books). These word-for-word tips are from a calendar that still listed all of the President’s birthdates, so while not necessarily better times, let this be your flavor of olden days, to tide you over with some slices of positivity that those who came before you used:

• Green peas are improved with the addition of carefully sautéed tiny green onions.
• Put strips of adhesive tape on the soles of tiny youngster shoes to prevent sliding on bare floors.
• Mix lima beans with crisp bits of bacon. You’ll have a dish to brag about.
• Don’t have your coiffure bulging with bobby pins and straggly ends. Keep it neat.
• Sliced tomatoes are “super” with a thin spread of honey and a good sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.
• Protect silk stockings from deterioration from light and air, by sealing them and glass jars.
• Serve canned sweet potatoes baked with orange sections in a casserole.
• Oil paintings can be cleaned without injury with a slice of Irish potato.
• Diced beets served in a lemon butter make mighty good eating!
• Soak tarnished silverware in sour milk for about half an hour, then wash in soapsuds.
• Five Ingredient Sweetheart Salad: 2 pork (or beef) hearts, 2 sweetbreads, 4 cups celery, 1 diced cucumber and plenty of mayonnaise.

Sweetheart Salad? Oh, no-no-no. Not everything was all that great and glorious, back in the day. While some things are most definitely not-so-good these days, you have to put some things in perspective to see that not everything is all bad either.

xo -t.