The Christmas season is past and we’re in the middle of the January clearance sales. Instead of driving to the mall, I’m becoming adept at online shopping. I prefer ordering items that can be easily measured such as a bathroom rug, but I have bought two pairs of shoes because I couldn’t find what I wanted in any area store. So far, I haven’t had to return anything.
I’m reminded of the old time-catalogs from Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. On one of those cold, snowy days early in the new year, when we felt winter was never going to end, our mail box was brightened with new spring and summer catalogs. The covers featured pretty women decked out in colorful, sleeveless dresses and handsome men wearing polo shirts and slacks. Those books were about an inch-and-a half thick with at least ninety pages featuring everything from bras to bicycles.
The last thing I remember ordering was a set of china dishes called Moss Rose. While thumbing through the pages of Monkey Ward’s new offerings, the modern-looking, round, white plates with a gold edge and trimmed with pink roses captivated me. Ken was in the navy and we weren’t engaged, but I believed we would be married when he finished his four-year hitch.
The books came in handy in many ways. When I was small and ate a meal at Aunt Frannie’s table, she piled the two on a chair to act as a booster seat for me.
Frugal farmers didn’t throw the old editions away when the new ones arrived. The outdated tomes were stashed in the outhouse. The paper wasn’t as soft as modern toilet tissue but it did the job.
Do you remember mail-order catalogs?
Yes, I remember the Sears Roebuck catelog, & also its rotation to the outhouse!! I now appreciate the much smaller catalogs, & I do order from them on occasion. In fact, they came in very handy during this last Christmas season. It pains me some to pay the postage & handling charges, but this is a necessary evil when trying to avoid the virus.