Saturday, April 18, 2015

A Museum Day

Gloomy days are just made for museums. As Danny pointed out, rain just enhances the dusty odour of libraries and museums-something we all find comforting. We made sure to visit a library today as well. We get so few rainy days, might as well take advantage.

The Sarpy County Museum is just a short trip from home located in Bellevue, Nebraska. I've visited the museum when the annual yard sale is going, but somehow never manged to get there when the museum was open. I'm glad we finally made it-this was time well spent.

Hrumph! I get out for an afternoon, and still find myself in the kitchen! I really cannot win. This was a rather high-end 1930's kitchen complete with an electric ice-box, mixer, and Hotpoint oven. The washing machine however was still a hand-crank and roller model. There's a rug beater on the wall, but they also had an early electric Hoover. I realise most visitors would groan at the amount of work involved in 1930's housekeeping, but having spent twelve years on a farm with water and electricity that were often fickle, I think I have a better-than-typical understanding of how much work is involved. You could put me on one of those reality television shows where people have to live like it is 1800, and I'd do fine. I might not enjoy it, but I'd be OK.
Did I mention it was raining? It was! If I must wear a plastic rain bonnet, it should be accessorised appropriately. We ran into a neighbour this morning, and though I was at a loss to explain why I had a tiara on over my rain bonnet, she did accept my argument that, "Someone had to be the strange one in the neighbourhood, and I'm the only one with the wardrobe." I like her, she still knows how to laugh (unlike so very many others).

Unlike the kid mocking me behind the umbrella. 



Outfit Particulars:

1950's/Early 60's dress by Andora, New York-Thrift World
Belt-Goodwill
Shoes-Goodwill
Tights-Walgreen's
Handbag-Etsy
Necklace-Ages ago in Boston
Gloves-Mum's
Earrings-Hand-Me-Ups
Rain Bonnet-Ben Franklin
Vintage umbrella-Sequels Thrift Store, Council Bluffs (located inside the Dairy Queen, which is so wonderfully American my head almost explodes thinking about it)
Fragrance- Shalimar (and lots of it!)



"Get back in the kitchen" You say?


Enjoy your weekend. 

P.S. 
Look at my garden enjoying the rain. We've already been harvesting spinach, rocket, baby kale, and pea shoots. 

10 comments:

Beth Waltz said...

That is a lovely lace dress-up dress, Goody! Much nicer than the usual mother-of-the-Midwestern-bride lace: dare one speculate it was once worn by the most Worthy Matron of the local Eastern Star?

Never mind the puppette barking behind you. It's extremely unlikely she'll ever learn how to "pour out" at a formal gathering. Methinks the original owner of that frock not only knew her way around the 30s kitchen, but could dispense "china or india? milk? one lump or two?" with poise, even aplomb.

Not sure about the tiara over the rain scarf...where did you find a genuine plastic rain scarf?! Did some poor woman go home with a dripping Pat Nixon set?

Propagatrix said...

A thrift shop in a Dairy Queen. Pure bliss. I would never leave.

I have not been to a DQ in years and years, and I am severely lime Mr. Misty-deficient.

Curtise said...

I think a tiara over a plastic rain bonnet is just perfect! And the dress is a beauty, very ladylike.
Hope you poked Danny with that umbrella... xxx

Bibi said...

Love that lace dress!
I used to have a huge collection of '50's clothing - I still have one of my mom's 'bullet bras' & a gut & butt squishing panty girdle that would do that dress proud.
I have never been to a Dairy Queen. The only thing close to a DQ (I Think?) we had in NCalifornia was Foster Freeze. Did I miss anything marvelous?
Up here at the Himalayan Hovel we'd call that '30's kitchen positively 'mod & upscale'. We suffer year round 'load shedding' - it gets down to only 4 hrs of electricity a day in the winter when the Great Gandaki river gets low. Two solar panels, 2 invertors, & if all else fails a generator that runs on diesel, kerosene or petrol supplement our meager power supply. The water truck comes up the hill to fill the tank on the roof & the underground cistern on Fridays only. I don't think most Americans could handle all our 'inconveniences'.

Goody said...

@Beth Waltz

Ben Franklin sells all the Totes gear (rain bonnets, shoe covers, etc.) but I'll bet you could find them online at places like Amerimark or Vermont Country Store.

@Propagatrix
The Dairy Queen was originally adjacent to a filling station that went out of business. The thrift store turned the soda coolers into shoe displays, and you park where the tanks would have been. Next time I go, I'll get photos-the place is really something.

@Curtise
He's lucky I'm so good natured...

@Bibi
Dairy Queen started out as a seasonal place to get soft serve ice cream dipped in that chocolate shell. Eventually they expanded to year round, and added food. We would go occasionally before Danny developed nut allergies, but that sort of thing is out for us now.

You're right-I don't think most Americans could handle that, except perhaps for the people living off-grid. "No Monday night football?!" Yeah, they'd freak out.

Sue said...

That is a seriously gorgeous frock!! And I think the Tiara a top of your rain bonnet is perfection, you do it so well. Nothing like a trip to a museum to amuse one self!

Helga said...

Oooo, I love the colours of your Vested Gentress frock, and the cardigan is to DIE for! And then you go and tantalise me with 2 other gloriarse examples of heavenly frockage! I may swoon! The details are divoon...
I was wearing a favourite 80's paisley frock the other day that hasn't been on the blog in years. Paisley is the bomb. You are the bomb.
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Goody said...

@Sue
You're coming into the rainy season now-feel free to do the same tiara. Sometimes I wear mine to do housework-reminds me who runs this place.

@Helga

You're back! Hooray! I've missed you.

Mim said...

Ooh, what a wonderful dress. Your conversation with your neighbour made me laugh! But if you've got a tiara, might as well flaunt it. (Have you seen the splendid photo of Princess Margaret wearing the enormous Poltimore tiara in the bath?)

Goody said...

@Mim

I always liked Princess Margaret- she didn't give a toss what people thought of her. Why not wear a tiara in the bath?