Teenage Years ~ Tuesday 4

It's time once again for Tuesday 4 brought to you each week in memory of Toni Taddeo and hosted by Annie of Cottage by the Sea.

1. Did you have a teen heart throb? Wanna tell who it was and maybe why? Maybe there was a teen actress you looked up to?

I didn't have much of a focus on singers or actors back when I was a teen.  I was too busy with school and keeping up grades, helping out at home, going to church and just enjoying the day to day life. The closest I came to having a heart throb  was an older teen, David Cassidy of the Partridge Family.  

I used to enjoy that show in general and I paid attention to each of the actors and actresses on the show.  Susan Day would have been a young actress I. looked up to and also Marie Osmond of the Osmond Family. Marie was just starting to make her own name as a solo singer.  The few times I purchased Teen Magazine (anybody remember those?),  I would see David Cassidy, Susan Day and Marie Osmond featured in them.  They were the huge superstars of their day. At least in my young recollection.

The photos I've shared of my teen idols are what they looked like back in the day when I followed them on the television and in the teen magazines. They were all a few years older than me.  It's sad that David Cassidy struggled so much with his alcohol addictions. It seemed like he tried hard to overcome it but seemingly lost the struggle.

2.  When you were a teen, what song  made you happy when you heard it playing?  Did you and a boyfriend/friend have 'Your" song?

I enjoyed the theme songs from the Partridge Family & Gilligan's Island. Those were the popular television shows I remember from my youth.

I didn't have a long term boyfriend in high school.  The boyfriend I did have and I, did not have a song as such.  But he liked to listen to Johnny Rivers and Johnny Winters who were popular at that time. I particularly remember the song covered by Johnny Rivers called "Solitary Man" and I grew to like it a lot. Much later I heard the song as originally recorded by Neil Diamond and I was able to see him in concert when I was new to Vancouver after having moved for university studies.  

My teenaged boyfriend was a very nice young man, a few years older than I and very respectful. We didn't break up as such since we were not so  serious.  I guess we just drifted apart due to my family's long distance move and his knowledge that I had plans to move even farther to go to university.  There were no strings and no future 'together' plans.   Years later, I learned he died of natural causes.  He was very young age and if I recall correctly he had some heart issues. I was saddened when I learned the news and grateful that the Lord protected me from certain heartache at a young age. from these mellow songsters I enjoyed the rock and roll band, the Rolling Stones.  I wrote here about going to their concert last summer. It was a gift to me from my youngest brother and I enjoyed it a lot.

3.  Were sleep overs a  thing in your area?  How about sweet 16 parties?   Were they the thing to do or not?

Sleepovers were a thing but not really in my circle. In any case, my mother would never let us stay overnight at someone else's house. She didn't mind us visiting and playing but we had to be home by a certain hour. I think there's a lot of wisdom in that.

4.   You are suddenly transported back in time and you are 16 years old.   You've got school tomorrow. Lay out your outfit for tomorrow and tell us what it consists of.

My outfit was fairly simple. It would have been a checked wider leg pant with cuffs and a pullover top (short sleeves) in a coordinating colour.  The top was a pullover top but not a t-shirt. 

Similar to these pants but a different colour.

I might also have laid out a striped bell bottomed denim type pants with a button up blouse. I also wore jeans and even had a pair of what was called elephant pants.  A pair of pants with extra wide legs. I didn't wear those ones very often.  We didn't have an excess of clothing back in those days. We had 2 or 3 outfits for school, one or two outfits for church or dress up occasions, night clothes and outerwear. Times and needs were much simpler then.

The shoes I wore would be a casual shoe with a platform heel, not terribly high, with lace ups. I believe the brand was Cougar.  I couldn't find a photo of the shoes but the leather ones below are similar. Mine were plain leather not stitched top or on the sides.

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I used to also wear Wallabees, a suede lace-up shoe which I loved and which were popular until well into my university days.  It seems Wallabees come in a variety of colours but where I lived the options were beige or brown. Inevitably I opted for beige. For dress up occasions, I wore low heeled pumps.

Sadly I don't have any photos to show my outfits from those days. My mother was the family photographer and historian.  But there was a long period of time when she didn't take any photos and where my baby brother , was busy destroying the photos she did have.  It was during his terrible two phase of development.  

It was fun walking down memory lane with you. I'm looking forward to reading about your teenage years. Thanks for stopping by.

A Gorgeous Day

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Here in my part of the world we will soon transition to Spring and planting season or growing season.  While I'm not so much into planning, I absolutely do love all the new growth, greenery and colour that will be in abundance.

I took these photos on Thursday for Skywatch Friday.  

It was a glorious, sunny day and a harbinger of better days to come though we're going to get a lot of rain, maybe even some snow this weekend.  We need it for our water table.

Happy Friday to each of you. Thank you for visiting my blog.

Home Sweet Home ~ Tuesday 4

Hello!  Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where each week we are asked to consider 4 questions on various subjects.    The goal is to get us thinking, considering, talking and getting to know ourselves and other bloggers.

1.  In some places people name their homes or properties. What would you name your home and why?

I haven't named my home and I have no plans to name it.

If you would not name it, why wouldn't you?

I'm just not the type of person to name things.

2.  Are you more of a romantic or a pragmatist when it comes to your home or apartment's decor and color?

I'm a pragmatist.  I've always tended to buy things I like at an affordable price point. These days I still do that though I often have to restrain myself from spending more.  I have basically everything I need and things are mostly functional.  I do need to purchase some larger ticket items like appliances and possibly furnishings in the next few years.  I like to 'soften up' all the practical items with all kinds of textiles and plants but the plants don't last long in my home due to heating issues and lack of natural light. I confess that I would probably spend far more money on higher end, sometimes higher quality furnishings but I simply don't feel good about spending because there are just too many other good 'causes' that are more worthy.  I think it's important to be a good steward of what we have and that includes our income.

3.   Do you have enough room in your home? Storage space, kitchen cabinets?  What would you add or subtract from your home?

I like space. A lot of space.  I've always liked a lot of space though I don't really, really need it. I live in the heart of the city where space is at a premium.  My home, though on the smaller side (not quite 1000 sq. ft.), is actually quite a lot larger and has more storage than a lot of the condos on the market in my city and surrounding areas today.  Even so, I'd like far more cabinet and closet space and a bigger outdoor space with a shed to keep gardening implements and furnishings when not in use.

We do have a storage locker in the basement.  This is where I keep things I don't need to access very often and things I need to deal with at some point.  For example, I have a lot of the photos my mother had. She had many and a lot of them are ones I gave her. Before I can whittle them down I need to have a lot of time to just focus on them. Thankfully I've already whittled down a lot of my own.  In the storage unit I also have things that belong to a brother and one of my nephew's. We also keep things like a moving dolly and tires which need changing out a few times a year.

Indoors, the closet spaces have to keep hats, coats, boots, shoes and clothing.  Since I have no linen or other closets, I also keep extra things in the closet spaces including all my hobby items, extra blankets, linens, suitcases and so on.

Little by little I'm getting rid of excess and to make sure it doesn't build up again I have also reduced what I purchase.  Once these tasks are more or less done, I'll look into purchasing a storage sofa and/or a storage bed.  This would really help to keep all the extra pillows, sheets, blankets and let me get rid of a blow up bed.  My DH believes that what we have now, is better quality than most of what can be purchased these days and he's right. It's more challenging to find what we want in good quality without also spending a lot more money.  In any case, I've really been restraining myself from both major and minor purchases. It's probably wiser to complete my decluttering and downsizing to see what is left before I spend more on storing things.

4.  Is your place really home sweet home ?  Would it be hard to leave it ?   Are you firmly rooted in your abode or would you move if a better opportunity came your way?   

My home is comfortable and cosy enough.  Whenever I've had people over for a meal or to stay they've told me that. I've also been told that my home is very peaceful and this makes me happy because I strive for comfortable, cosy and peaceful.  I usually have a patio garden as well but didn't have one last year. The garden gives me a lot of joy though I do find it a lot of work since I don't consider myself a true gardener. I do it because I have a decent garden space and I do love colour in the garden in the summer. It's a wonderful place to enjoy during the growing months.

I will enjoy my home more after I've sorted and decluttered many items I'm currently storing in the living areas.  I keep them there to remind me of what needs doing and when I get the time I will deal with it.  Until then it remains as visual clutter and causes me discomfort.  I'm very slow about doing what needs to be done because I'm juggling a lot of other things at the same time.  I keep plugging because I am making progress.

I am quite firmly rooted in my abode.  I live in the heart of the city. I have a beautiful view from my patio and front rooms.  I life within easy driving, walking or public transit to virtually everything I need.  I also have storage space and a parking space which in this city are premium amenities.  However I always keep my eyes open for something else that may appeal to me at the right price.  

Things I'm looking for: a unit that isn't up too high (I have to be able to get out if there is a fire), and has access all on one level, easy access to shops especially food shopping, access to public transit and services, a nice patio, not too close to other buildings such that another home owner can readily see into my unit, car parking, lots of indoor space, good storage and not in need of renovations.  It would likely have to be in an older building that already has a renovated suite since the newer units are very small with even less storage space than I have now.  So far I haven't found a place that comes close without it costing a whole lot more.  If I do find something to consider, my DH would of course have a look at it and see what he thinks. He is pretty easy going about most things and he often has an interesting perspective that helps when it comes to making final decisions about household and other matters.

In closing, I'm very interested in reading what others have to say about their spaces.  Thank you for stopping by.