IT'S ALL IN THE GENE!

Me Thinks Retro. Me Lives Retro. Seriously, I have always asked Retro gals what are the eras they most like and I have heard all eras, from the Victorian era to the more modern areas, the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s ... I used to adore the 1960s but I put that book back in the bookshelf and moved on. I like the car models of the 1950s, the Chevy 56' being my favorite but liking all the models. I am a Depression Era and 1970s' Retro Wife! Yes, those are the eras I like the most and identify with all the loveliness they offer. I asked my husband today as to what he 'observed' my fashion style was and he said, 'a bygone era and very French.' Husbands may be quiet, but they are very observant!

My parents never liked Retro, antiques, or any furniture of a past era that they had lived through. They were modern, consumed flesh in their meals, and were not charmed by Retro. I am the opposite. I have never consumed flesh, limit dairy, am devoted to Retro and antiques thrill me. I have concluded that I have inherited much from generations that are far from the modern era, from ancestors who lived many generations ago despite being compared to my paternal grandfather in terms of personality and personal likes. He liked rocking chairs and trunks and listening to radio talk. Well, the apple does not fall far from the tree, eh?

I used to think that my paternal grandfather had wonderful taste decorating. I also liked the poems that he wrote, his style in fashion, and ... He always wore a hat. He was fascinated by ancestral lands, was nearly a vegetarian. Had he not enjoyed pork so much, he would have been a vegetarian. He lived on vegetables, primarily root vegetables and vegetable salads and fresh fruit. Grandfather introduced me to Little House on the Prairie on television, and was always very kind to me. So I thought he had good taste in decorating and furnishing his homes, in literature, in his choice of a diet abundant in fresh fruits and vegetables, and in the fact that like me he was an avid reader. Ah, well, I guess that I do take after him despite the fact that he was a man! I have four loving grandparents and was closest to this man, my paternal grandfather and to my maternal grandmother. So I guess it's all in the gene!

The Berber and the Romany come out in my love for camels, for the old vardo; the Mexican comes out in the foods that I like, the Portuguese and the French are prevalent in most of what I do and in terms of literature, wholesome and sweet, as I am loyal to "Little Women," but I also like realism, Russian realism and in the arts I qualify for both French and Russian. Yes, it is all in the genes. Grandfather was always writing, typing, reading, and so am I. He learned chords and played guitar, sang a little, and was a good businessman. I am not good in business --in sales, and I am not one to like music as much as I like books, but I believe in having a budget and have control ... in a world of overspending!

PS - My favorite 1960s stove! Do you remember it? I liked Samantha's kitchen so much. What is your favorite era? Most women I ask always answer as I did, two eras. And you?