“I’ve always loved the first day of school better than the last day of school. Firsts are best because they are beginnings.”
Today is a wonder. Right now it is only 77˚, and the humidity is actually bearable. I still need some plants. The heat has kept me from roaming the aisles at Agway, but Henry needs food so I have no choice. I have five cans of the food Henry won’t eat which is unusual as Henry seems to eat everything except kiwis.
When I was a kid, the only school shopping we did was for new shoes, school supplies, and, maybe, a new blue skirt or white blouse, my school uniform. My mother took us all to Thom McCan. We needed our feet measured. That was the only fun part. We got to see our feet in the x-ray machine then we stood on the silver slider. We got sturdy shoes to last the whole school year if our feet cooperated. We went to Woolworth’s for school supplies. I got to pick out a new school bag and a lunch box. I also picked out my new pencil box. I remember it had pencils, of course, an eraser, a pencil sharpener, a small ruler and a protractor, usually red. I never did find out what to do with protractor.
Before school started, I’d spend time organizing my school supplies. I’d put them on the bed and then into and out of my school bag over and over. It took time putting my supplies in the right place. I’d walk around with my school bag across my chest until it felt right. When I was happy with everything, I’d pretend to be going to school and would walk around the house with my school bag and lunch box.
When I was in the fourth grade, my friend Maryalyce who sat in front of me, I think, had the same lunch box. By then we had graduated from lunch boxes with cartoons and TV characters. I remember we both had a lunch box with a pattern, almost tartan. Miss Konopacker, our teacher, made us keep our lunch boxes under our desks. Maryalyce would switch boxes as a joke, sort of. Mostly she envied my lunches. My mother was a lunch box maven.
I have a lunch box and a school bag. They are quite the worse for wear. I even have a pair or two of sturdy shoes.
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August 6, 2020 at 2:03 pm
oh Kat, did you miss one today with your shoe theme…the very wonderful, late, Kirsty MacColl
August 6, 2020 at 4:42 pm
Hi Kat,
Back to school just ain’t what it used to be. Last night I saw on the news that the Ft. Worth public school system was giving away lap to computers to kids whose parents couldn’t afford them. This year many school districts won’t have live classes, others will try it with social distancing and masks but starting school after Labor Day. I think remote virtual school is here to stay even after the pandemic is over.
When I was a kid our back to school cloths consisted of a new pair of tennis shoes and a couple of pairs of blue jeans and tee-shirts In the Dallas schools kids could wear tee-shirts, jeans and tennis shoes. In Texas we never called them sneakers or dungarees as we did in NYC.
As for school supplies we shopped using the list provided by the teachers. I stopped using a lunch box by the third grade and my mother packed my sandwich in a brown paper bags she got from the grocery store. The textbooks we used were loaned and we made book covers out of brown paper from the larger grocery bags. The first day of school was always exciting because we never knew who our teacher would be or who would be in our home room class.
Today it’s sunny with a high in the mid to upper 90°s. It’s only 96° now. We’ve only had two 100° days so far this summer when nine is the average and it’s been wetter than usual.
August 6, 2020 at 8:52 pm
It’s hot! And I ran out of ice cream today!!! In the evening I took my bike and bought new one, I’ll survive 🙂
School starts on monday here and kids have to go to school, it’s mandatory. We’re still not ready for reasonable online lessons. The virus will rejoice.
August 7, 2020 at 8:43 am
Hi Birgit, here in Michigan its an enormous issue and being determined in each community. My local school district has closed it down for the Fall session and will zoom only.
Such a disaster – assemble a group and the virus will feast upon everyone
August 18, 2020 at 3:52 pm
So much I’ve enjoyed but haven’t had a chance to say anything about. (There hasn’t been a whole lot of time lately.) I’ll try to catch up a little.
Love the shoe set. I was particularly struck by the early Marley, and by Bobby Bland’s “Shoes” for the unusual metaphor and nicely dark sound. He really sings with feeling.
August 18, 2020 at 4:42 pm
Rowen,
I was surprised by the number of songs about shoes, but I still had to check to make sure it was a new song on Coffee or it had been a while since I’d last posted it. I was amazed I didn’t have more crossovers. Lot of shoe songs!