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Heylormammy — Catalog Dreams
Published: 2010-09-21 21:52:49 +0000 UTC; Views: 631; Favourites: 16; Downloads: 3
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Catalog Dreams...Joni Harms[link]
She could see herself a sewing on that brand new machine,
As she took the time to look through that mail order magazine,
It would sure make her life easier with all she has to do,
But family needs come first it'll have to wait a year or two.
And it came from Seers and Roebuck a thousand pages long,
Everything from A to Z anyone could ever want,
But puttin away a little extra aint as easy as it seems,
So way out here, we dream catalogue dreams.
Dad came in from working, tired as a dog,
He sat down by the fire, and picked up that catalogue,
His eyes fell on the tractor, with a mowing arm and rake,
But he knew that kind of money, was more as he could ever make.
And it came from Seers and Roebuck, a thousand pages long,
Everything from A to Z, anyone could ever want,
But puttin away a little extra, aint as easy as it seems,
So way out here, we dream catalogue dreams.
When supper time was over, Daddy turned to me and said,
Want to do some dreaming? take that catalogue to bed,
Up there in the quiet, laying all alone,I stumbled on a page,
Started a dream all of my own.
Cause if I could learn to play, on that silver toned guitar,
Maybe make a record, and one day be a star,
Dad would have his tractor, Mom her new machine.
I'd buy them all,of their catalogue dreams.
I'm gonna buy them all, their catalogue dreams.
(I couldn't find lyrics on the internet, so I hope I have done these correctly. Thanks for the info Claudia )
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Comments: 61
I've got one just like this, it's fantastic, still in perfect working order and an indispensable part of my life.(and i'm a fella, I don't know what that says about me) Thanks.
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It tells me you can turn your hand to most things,my Dad is a dab hand at using our old sewing machine! And why shouldn't you be able to sew? Good for you
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Ooh what a lovely photo, I had a machine exactly like this one many many moons ago hehe 
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I still have my Granny's one, but it is hand operated, rather as treadle. I still use it too
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I know mine was treadle operated, but I 'think' it had a detachable handle too, not sure now as it was sooooo long ago when I was young hehe
Aren't they beautiful bits of machinery though, I think the old things were much better made, today is a throw-away society which is sort of sad.
Years ago I lived in Southern Ireland for a couple of years, in a tiny little place that only had 7 houses, wasn't even big enough to be called a village
It was really old fashioned and they were about 50 years behind the times (it was fantastic)
Anyway, one lady friend I made there, thought my sewing machine was the most modern thing she'd had a go on (yes, I'd taken it with me)
So I gave it to her when we left, and just maybe she is still using it, or possibly her daughter is, as she loved it too.
-
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You'll never believe me when I tell you that where I live ( and come from) there are only 7 houses too 
Yes I agree, what would the old folk think of how often we throw things away? they would be horrified.
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Oh my goodness, now isn't that a coincidence
I loved it, living in a tiny community, hah now I'm almost in a town center
Yup, they'd definitely be horrified at the waste today.
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May I ask where you live, is it in England?
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Yes it a town called Northampton, in the Midlands.
If I didn't have granddaughters, and a great-grandson, plus poor health, I'd be back to Ireland like a shot hehe
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I have never been there, I never get to travel as much as I would like. Getting off the island is costly. Ireland is a place I would love to go see, never been... yet
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I loved it because it was soooo friendly, and very relaxed and laid back
I hope you get to visit there one day.
If I don't answer you again, just know that I'm not ignoring you, I have to go offline later this evening for maybe a week
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Awww ok, see you when you get back, hope you're away having a good time
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Cute song. Wish I could find it on youtube. Because your link only samples a few minutes. I've think I've heard it before. Lots of children for many generations grew up dreaming on that catalog, me included, especially nearing Christmas. My son also. I'd give him catalogs and ask him to circle what he liked best, but saying we and or Santa might not be able to afford everything.
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It's not on you tube I did look. Roy found me that link, but it plays the whole song for me 
and aww I used to do the same with my pair leading up to Christmas
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We have a machine like this. I like old machines and things very much!
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Aww! That's wonderfully done. Love both your writing and the wonderful photo of an old sewing machine.
Ah, it's so very true, it's hard but without dreams everything would be nothing.
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Lovely. It is similar to the antique one my sister found somewhere during her antique haunts. My mother's mother was a well-respected and fairly well-known seamstress (and her mother, too) in Iowa before she married Grandpa and moved to Canada. Can you imagine the work, considering Grandma sewed all the clothes for all 12 children (7 girls 5 boys), and many of their children, as well as for herself, Grandpa and some of his relatives? She also took in sewing to earn more money throughout the years until they moved back to USA and lived with some of their children, later with my parents/us kids.
My mother hated to sew and therefore never learned how. She didn't like growing up in hand-me-downs and home-mades, and once an adult with her own money, always purchased in stores.
My sister learned how to sew, took classes, did quite well, sewed for her 3 girls, many Christmas gifts, some artsy-craftsy stuff, but tired of it. She does light mending now and then.
I did a ton of mending, and some sewing of my own patterns. Never really got into it. At one time I wanted to design clothes for taller women and for all shapes instead of the generic off-rack. My lalmost 6' tall g'niece had the same dream. We had plans to take college classes. Just more of our dreams gone poof.
Back to Grandma. Amazing that some of her machines didn't even have a foot pedal, she turned the wheel by hand? Others had the foot pedal. None were electric. She created her own patterns because she didn't have access to ready-made ones. There wasn't a whole lot of choice in material either. Mom still remembers the (think it was) yarn-died taffeta that was used for dresses, which Mom said made her sweat and itch and was very stiff and required a lot of ironing.
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Aww thanks for sharing your memories Claudia.
This is a pedal operated machine which lives at the museum.
I still have my Granny's machine, but just like you said, it's operated by a handle you turn on the right hand side, where the wheel is. I still use it if I have anything to sew. Eventually when I get round to it, I will take a few photos of her too. I dearly love that old machine.
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I think I would like a by-hand handle for small mending. However, in making curtains or clothes or hemming things like the former king-sized blankets and sheets, my hand would fall off by the time I was done with just one section.
How old is your Granny's machine? You can still find needles and any other parts for it? Singer brand? Have Roy take a photo of you sometime at the machine, sewing something. A close-up. Of just machine, one hand on handle, one hand guiding material, your face looking down at it -- something like that. Would be cute. Just more ideas from the idea lady.
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I will try to remember to do that the next time I use it.
Claudia, did I get the lyrics right for the song, and is it Seers and Roba?
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I used to love Sears, and its catalog. My family purchased a lot from it, even before I was born. I grew up with Sears stores everywhere, which eventually became malls, including JC Penney. Products were so much better then. Or it seemed? Haven't been happy with Sears in the last 20 years. My last wash two Sears wash machines were crud. The ones before that were great. More recently had better luck with JC Penney, but haven't purchased from them in several years. Quality products seem to be a thing of the past? Even when one pays a good penny (or several bad ones)?
The first clothes I purchased myself with my own money were from the local Sears in the late 1960s. My mother had purchased all my clothes up until then -- always fussy as to what I could wear -- she had to like them herself, and usually kept me dressed in extremely modest, last-year's attire. She was sensible, wanted me to be sensible, and to save money -- and or learn to sew my own.
I was dating a bf during the first separation from ex. He, me, my best friend, and her soon-to-be-husband were going to do SF on NY's eve. Or so we thought. At the same time a couple guy friends at college were trying to draw me out of my shell, especially from the drab-colored clothes I usually wore. They demanded I start buying some bright stuff and flaunt it a bit.
So I bought from Sears a cute stretchy vivid green pull-on short skirt with lovely wavy waistband that showed because I wore a lacy body suit (what's it?) beneath. I loved that skirt. Wore it for years. My rebellion? And because at the time it was "me"? Sometimes wore it with a frilly dressy white long sleeve blouse, tucked in.
As for the SF night out, my friend convinced me to buy this really pretty plumish Edwardian style dress, a sort of (wut?) crepe jersey material, tight-fitting but had a lot of give, very very short skirt (waaaaay too short) (that was the fashion then), low lacy neckline, elbow-length butterfly sleeves, etc. And pair of strappy heels to match. We did my somewhat long hair into a related time period. But I didn't have a suitable coat. Just a sporty thing for college. What Mom loaned me was flimsy like the dress and inadequate for the frigid temperatures that would befall that night. My friend's dress that she designed and sewed, was too sheer too. It was in a beige, belted at waist, long sleeve, tight fitting, knee-length, more practical, more-modern. Material was pretty, soft, feminine.
We had to park my car (the only one of ours that still ran well) far away from our destinations. When we got there (I forget which major hotel) they couldn't find our reservations or else gave them away. The place was booked! So we had to trudge around and around the streets, freezing, looking for availabity! Places were booked. We got lost. Finally made our way back to the car, feeling as if we all were coming down with pneumonia, especially my friend and I with exposed upper chests -- and so tired and disheartened. We finally gave up and went to some generic restaurant, and then home to her aunt's (who lived in the vicinity) to have party drinks and stay up all night. That part was fun.
Her aunt took pictures of all of us in our fancies. The boys were so cute in their suits. All of us smiling. I asked for copies. They forgot. Dunno where the photos went. But I still remember and would love to see them again.
Oops, more memories and 
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Aww love your stories Claudia, I never have so many interesting ones to tell you in return lol
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Yes you do! Even better! You have history and about your special country. Mine are all so subjective, all about me and my emotions, nothing really good. Usually. I love your stories! And don't stop with teaching me how your language sounds. I'm keeping a list. So far only a few.
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Weel my lass, I'll hae tae gee dee a peerie twartrie new wirds ta try ta figure oot!See if du cam wirk oot what I said in dis sentence.
Ok Claudia see if you can try to translate the above 2 sentences and I will let you know how you got on
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Weel my braaly good friend, I'll hae tae gee dee ta tell me what twartrie is, so I can try ta figure oot da wirds. I cam wirk oot most of what du said in that sentence and da udder(other?).
But I still have to look them up in my list. I'm sure if we were communicating even just a few times a week in person or on phone I wud figure oot da wirds and da birds, not sure aboot da bairds?
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Twartrie means one or tow, a few. Udder would be idder, means other yep.
You are doing very very well my friend.
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I do plan to try to phone you in near future. Need to find out what my International plan is. I have unlimited nationwide, I think. Sometime when I feel peppy and not gagging from smoke and pollution. Do you have an answering machine? You should note me the best times to call when you would be at home. I'd definitely try to tell you first in a note. But if for some reason I felt telephone happy and wanted to surprise you, I might. Again, depending upon cost. If costly, 5 minutes max.
Warning, I am prone to being silly or laughing (softly) or launching right off as if we'd been talking on phone since forever. I'm never good at small talk, nor initial greetings. I'm just "Hi, it's me, Claudia! How you doing? But before you can reply, I'll be yadda yadda for a few, and then, "Ok, YOUR turn." Meanwhile you'll have forgotten what my first yadda, as well as sucessive ones were all about, so you can invent your own yadda's. Btw, what is yadda in your dialect?
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The best thing to do would be to talk to me on here first so I can be near the phone. I would be as nervous as Hell lol.
And you can be as silly as you want. I would be a bit quiet as I hate my voice and how I speak, so you would need to talk lots hehe.
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Ackk, but I don't talk lots unless someone gives me a subject to talk about or I have a bunch of events to retell or whomever/I pick up where we last left off (which we do).
Why shouldn't you like your speech? It's lovely. Brit/USA English isn't the only language in the world. There are tons. All beautiful in their own way. None more perfect than the other. Many far more historical. You should be proud you retain your origins.
And why would you hate your voice? I'm sure it is a good voice, hon. Mine is a good voice, when I'm not having throat problems. (Remember, when I had that stroke and died and the out of body experience, etc., my throat became paralyzed as well as the rest of my whole body. I couldn't breathe. It has never been the same. And has grown somewhat worse in time. But when it works, it's a peaceful, calm, kind voice, as I'm sure yours is, too.)
And you cannot be nervous. I will be nervous!
Among all the phobias I acquired during the marriage and ptsd events, phone phobia originated, even though before that, a phone nearly grew out the side of my head all my life. I still have moments where I lapse into discomfort and thinking I need to hang up, but it passes.
So if I can get through that, so can you!
Will be fun. Whenever I get around to it. My BIGGEST concern is we will have too much fun on phone, and will want to talk more, but the cost. There are phone plans. Like I said, need to look into it. So should you. You're welcome to phone me any time if you plan it ahead and can afford.
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I am not very good at phoning people. I don't phone anyone very often. I much rather talk to people face to face, or type on here. Or old fashioned letters. But id someone phones me, I get on fine, I kinda have a phobia about actually having to dial a number, stupid I know.
If you had a web cam, we could talk on that for free. But you likely wouldn't want to do that. I have spoken to a few of my internet friends that way. I am nervous about that too, but have managed to do it a few times.
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