Broken Promise

I promised that I would refrain from constantly writing about advancing age and all its trials and tribulations. So far I think I’ve done a pretty good job at keeping my promise by avoiding the usual complaints we seniors have. Unfortunately I am constantly receiving emails reminding me of what it was like in the “old” days.  I hesitate passing these on because I might fall victim to my old habit of discussing the deterioration of my own aging body, but the other day a dear friend of mine emailed me something that I really thought was not only cute, but very true.  Many of you already know that I love to cook and am also very fond of eating. When the title of his email was “eating in the fifties” I not only just had to read it, loved it, and was compelled to pass it on to you folks.

EATING IN THE FIFTIES

Pasta had not been invented. It was macaroni or spaghetti.

Curry was a surname.  Taco? Never saw one till I was 15.
All chips were plain.
Oil was for lubricating, fat was for cooking.

Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves and never green.
 Cubed sugar was regarded as posh.
Chickens didn't have fingers in those days.
None of us had ever heard of yogurt.
Healthy food consisted of anything edible!
Cooking outside was called camping.
Seaweed was not a recognized food.

 'Kebab' was not even a word, never mind a food.
 Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being white gold.
Prunes were medicinal and stewed.
Surprisingly Muesli was readily available. It was called cattle feed.
Pineapples came in chunks or were round with a hole in the middle, in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture of a real one.
Water came out of the tap. If someone had suggested bottling it and charging more than gasoline for it, they would have become a laughing stock.
There were three things that we never ever had on/at our table in the fifties .. elbows, hats and cell phones!
........and there was always two choices for each meal... 

"Take it" or Leave it”

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Oh' Canada

This photo was taken atop Mont Royal in Montreal Canada.  Marge and I are pictured here with our four children, Bill Jr., Karolin, Kathryn, and Mary Ann. In case you're confused Marge and I are the two old people. Along with the children's spouses our group of ten began the trip with a bus tour of Montreal followed by a week long cruise of the Canadian Maritime Provinces aboard the Holland America Maasdam.  The cruise stopped in Quebec City, Prince Edward Island, Sydney and Halifax Nova Scotia and then a stop in Bar Harbor, Maine and to Boston where we traveled home by bus. 

Tours taken at these ports created some great memories for everyone. Here are some of the highlights:  A tour of Anne of Green Gables, a bicycle trip up and down the hills of Quebec, a trip to view a spectacular canyon, a wine tasting at a vineyard, a sailing trip aboard a 42 passenger schooner, a fabulous Falconry presentation, a trip to Cadillac Mountain in Arcadia National Park, a visit to Peggy's Cove and much, much more.

To top things off, the weather was absolutely spectacular, sunny but not hot and humid,and no rain.  A storm was headed in our direction, but ended up going East out to sea. We were treated to some very good shows and as was expected, the food was excellent (so they tell me since breaking in a new set of dentures did not make me much of an exoert reviewer) as was the "Booze" with everyone having a drink package.  

It was a real pleasure for Marge and I to be able to spend this kind of quality time with our children. Hopefully these old bodies of ours will continue to hold up so we can ave more of these outings.