A post on Suzi's blog sent me looking for my little box of treasures. She was reminiscing about old songs, including the Melanie song that went "I've got a brand-new pair of roller skates, you've got a brand-new key . . ." She was wondering what a key had to do with roller skates. That's where my box of treasures comes in. One of those treasures is my old skate key. That's it above. My friends and I were quite the sidewalk roller skaters—all over the neighborhood, pony tail flying, and my trusty skate key hanging on a shoelace around my neck.I'm sure you all have your own little box of treasures. Mine resides in the bottom drawer of the armoire. I know Ray has his own on a shelf in his closet. There is little rhyme nor reason about what gets put into that little box.
This perfect little Coke bottle was an advertising thing. A friend of my Dad's was the manager of the local Coca Cola bottling plant in Pocatello, Idaho where I grew up. Over the years he gave us all kinds of Coke tchotskes and toys and stuff. I felt so lucky to get these little Coke bottles in a little wooden case. I adored them. My dolls drank a lot of Coke. This is the only one that remains. It even has a perfect little metal bottle cap on it.
I'm sure I don't have to tell you this was my Brownie pin. What can I say? Brown felt beanie, snappy uniform, crisp salute and pledge, sit-upons, s'mores and that great song: "I have something in my pocket that belongs upon my face. I keep it very close at hand in a most convenient place. I'm sure you couldn't guess it if you guessed a long, long while, so I'll take it out and put it on. It's a great big Brownie smile!" Brownies was the best.
Silver barrett (quite tarnished) with my Mom's name engraved on it.
My Dad's Navy I.D. tags.There's a lot more, but that's enough for now—don't want you nodding off at your keyboards.
What's in your box of treasures? I know you have one.
Oh gosh, I don't really have one! Guess I have bits and pieces scattereed all over the place.
ReplyDeleteWow terry, thanks, and you won't believe it, but that little coke bottle brought back SUCH memories! My gran had the same mini crate you describe. She kept it in a glass display cabinet.. my sister and i were always intruiged by it. Wonder what ever happened to it??? Shows how amazingly effective coke advertising is, their presence is strong, even in darkest Africa!!
ReplyDeleteLots of memories for me in your rememberance, esp the roller skating. We lived on a very long city block, sidewalks all around. It must have been at least a half mile all around the block, with a decent hill. Lots of scraped knees.
ReplyDeleteMy kids never did this kind of roller skating due to living in the country with a sidewalk only 4 squares long.
I think we could clamp on those skates due to wearing leather shoes with the soles sewn on. They would never work on today's fancy athletic shoes.
Thanks for the memory.
oh I remember those keys!! those adjustable skates, those were the days. My mum put all my Brownie stuff into a frame for me years ago, http://www.flickr.com/photos/missdot/611069207/
ReplyDeleteIt hangs in my craftroom!
Absolutely! My collection is scattered, too -- in my jewelry box, the kitchen catch-all drawer, a couple of cartons in the garage, and in my studio desk/sewing table. It includes a bronze, palette-shaped pin from the School Art League, a plastic Heinz pickle pin, my old charm bracelet, an embroidered Daisy "pro-marksman" badge that I earned in day camp.... Hmm, I should go take inventory at some point. Funny, I've never thought of any of this stuff as "treasures," just random crap that I can't bring myself to throw away. But of course they ARE treasures!
ReplyDeleteWow -- what great treasures and memories. And mine includes the song "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold" which was a staple for MY brownie troop!
ReplyDeleteOh, my, Terry, little girls in Pocatello, Idaho, were doing the same things as little girls in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Roller skating and hopscotch were big on our agenda. The key was for tightening the metal clamps of your adjustable skates to your shoes. We did always carry the key on a string around our necks, didn't we? And remember how hot the clamps would get the faster your metal wheels turned? I got many a heat blister through my leather loafers, and let's not even talk about wearing our Keds and trying to skate! Ouch.
ReplyDeleteI was a Scout for 7 years. I have the same Brownie pin. What did they give us the dangly thing for? I remember having my pin before we got it, and it represented something. I just can't remember what.
Fun.
I have a box at home - my parents place in Australia - and it's full of odds and ends that I cannot bare to throw away. An airplane ticket, a stuffed dog, a teacup from a teaset - no idea what happened to the rest of the set. A small china box from my grandmother, a little bird of a cuckoo clock - the rest of the clock is probably in a landfill somewhere.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely idea! Now I may rummage through my apartment once more to find some little gems like this that my daughter didn't make me throw out!!!
ReplyDeleteAs for the skate key, er ... Terry, as a regular reader of my blog, you know that I only used one skate so didn't qualify for the honor of wearing the key around my neck.
Just placing these photos online gives them new life.