Tuesday, April 15, 2008

TEELA-WOOKET

Memories from a girls camp in Roxbury, Vermont:

Popovers were served at Sunday breakfast and you were allowed only two. Catholics ate later (after going to mass in town) and got all they could eat!

Uniforms were rented and we wore light blue all week, navy shorts/white shirt Saturday afternoon and all white on Sunday. Shorts had six buttons. Sailor style.

There were two four-week sessions, July and August. Most campers went for both months.

Camp news was sent via Chippy the Chipmunk in the dining hall after dinner on Saturday and awards were presented.

Each week we were allowed to order 25 cents worth of candy from the store in town. It was called "purchase". You wrote your name and order on a small paper bag. You could get 50 mint juleps for a quarter.

We also went to town once a week and could buy a drink and some candy.

Cappy was in charge of all horse related activities.

We rode up and over the hills of Vermont on dining benches lined up on the sides of a truck.

The pond turned blond hair green and was freezing cold.

Junior camp had swings on a bluff overlooking a fantastic view.

Each girl had a checkbook and was allowed $7.50 per month. They made us each buy one tennis ball for eighty cents. Craft and candle supplies were purchased by check.

Hot chocolate was served every morning, in giant metal pitchers.

Every morning cabins were cleaned and inspected and then hair, nails, and uniforms were inspected at flag-raising.

Senior campers were allowed to work as DA's, Dining Assistants. They sat at the head of the table and carried trays of food and dishes from and to the kitchen. Counselors sat at mid-table. The food was fantastic.

We played hand slapping games waiting for the doors to open before meals.

The bugle calls were made with a real bugle.

You could buy ice cream cones in the afternoon.

Watching old Teela-Wooket movies (really old, like from the '20's or 30's) was a favorite rainy day/night activity.

Vespers was held every Sunday night. 

Cabins did not have running water. We had a pitcher, bowl, and slop bucket. Sometimes it hailed and we put our basins on our heads.

The toilets were in buildings called the HULA. It was smelly.

In NYC, campers boarded the train at Penn Station at night and slept on the train arriving in Roxbury the next morning. So fun!

You needed to get in the front of the line to get a good horse which was easy most of the time, but people snuck out of their cabins early after rest period and slithered down the hill. There was nothing worse than getting stuck with a bad horse.

The last night of camp in August ended in mass hysterical crying in the dining hall as we waited to go to the train station. No one wanted to leave friends or camp.

______________

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Just trying to make the world a better place, or things that bug me. A new series of posts:

That is a stirrer, not a straw.
Please do not drink your cocktail through it. Stir and remove. Put it down.
Thankyouverymuch.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Worst Jello Salad, or other Thanksgiving abominations

Hey there! Now that I have opened my blog to non-holiday related issues (and I do have issues), a whole new world has opened up. Too bad I can't get my sorry *** to post. If I could just remember my Blogger password without having to look it up, it would be a big help.
Anyway, now that I've announced a departure from holiday-only posts, I want to talk about Thanksgiving. (The Grinch is a contrary person).
So, last year readers chimed in on the Thanksgiving Meal. This year, let's hear about the worst concoction you have either served or been served. Hint: this would probably involve jello, cool whip, miracle whip, crisco, and/or tofu combined in some way with chunks of canned fruit. And, Newscoma, with regard to your comment on my previous post: no adult beverage should ever be combined with Jello.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Holiday Grinch announces changes to blog, name to remain the same.

It used to be about holidays, now it's about every day.
So the holiday theme was seriously limiting. Not to mention all the other non-topical bloggers who opportunistically pounced on seasonal material considered by the Grinch to be proprietary. ENOUGH! There is something to be Grinchy about 'round the clock, (24/7 in '90's parlance). Holiday Grinch will now be a yearroundgrinch.

Here's a taste of what is to come from your Holiday Grinch:

WHEN will Tennessee let us poor suckers buy wine (and liquor) at the grocery store? This is a ridiculous situation and one that is no longer tolerable. How is it that Walgreens, Costco, Whole Foods, Target, Cost Plus, Kroger, Publix, and all the other mega retailers are not actively fighting this?
Is there a grassroots movement a'brewing? Any petitions out there? I'd like to be able to buy some wine with my groceries before I need a scooter to do it.

Coming next week: my rant against scooters.

Oh, and take your Halloween decorations down!

Yoursverytruly,
Holiday Grinch

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Guess Who's Back....Back Again

Guess who's back...tell a friend.
The Holiday Grinch has been laying low...no good holidays. Who wants to write about about the Fourth of July anyway? Well, along with the back-to-school and back-to-college sales campaigns, I spotted HALLOWEEN costumes at Target today. That would be today, August 9. The day the official temperature hit 104 degrees.
Let the season begin!

Friday, March 16, 2007

The Easter Bunny: Real or Imaginary?

The Grinch wants to know what you think.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

A Wee Limerick For Ya

Here’s a fine tip from the Grinch
There’s a contest I think you can clinch
Win an iPod Nano in your endeavor
To be creative and clever
You’ll see it can be quite a cinch


So follow this link
With a nod and a wink
To the blogger who calls it “Pour Out”
http://pourout.wordpress.com/change-the-world-win-an-ipod is the route
If you win, I’ll be tickled pink!