19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Tuesday, April 14, 1914: Was housekeeper today. Mother and Ruthie went on a shopping tour. Oh my, they did bring the things home. Ruth got a hat of the latest creation, trimmed and bowed for the family’s spectations.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Maybe Ruth’s hat had a “wired frill”
. . . Interesting that Grandma’s sister Ruth bought a new hat after Easter. Easter, 1914 was two days prior to this entry. Maybe the hat was on sale.
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Spectations?? Is this another archaic word?
I wonder what else they brought home.
So did I. It sounds like they bought a lot.
Do you suppose Ruthie was impressing anyone with her new hat?
Probably. . . maybe a guy . . . or maybe she just wanted to impress the other girls and women.
That word was used in place of appearance. Another words she was trying to make the family look better.
That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.
Im impressed by it, especially the poster design its gorgeous.
It is a lovely picture!
I wonder what the occasion was if not Easter? I imagine a hat was a pretty special purchase.
I suppose that they wore hats to church every Sunday, but it does seem like a special purchase.
“Now do you like my hat?”
“Yes. I do like your hat!”
I left you a note about the eclipse and when to get up for it.
🙂
The hat is lovely on the lady in the picture but for myself I would not want the wired frill.
I won’t want the wired frill either. . . but of course I’m not in my teens or twenties.
I wonder if they brought home anything for Helena. What a beautiful girl and hat in the picture.
I bet that her mother bought her something
Spectations is probably a form of spectator?
Makes sense to me. The root word is very similar.
I learned a new word!
So did I.🙂
I also wondered if the hat was on sale…?
That seems like the most likely scenario.
Maybe the hat was on sale after Easter and she got a great deal. She can always wear it next Easter!
Diana xo
How true. .. though she’d need to store it for a year.
I wonder if the wired frill was removable?
The hat would be more practical if the wired frill could be removed.
I want to live in a world where such a hat is appropriate!! Just for a few days, though, and I want it to be my choice to wear it, not an expectation.
I’m with you. . . I’d definitely want it to be my choice if I wanted to wear it.🙂
I was wondering about spectations, too
It’s interesting how some words that apparently were commonly used a hundred years ago, have totally vanished from our vocabulary today.
I like the term shopping tour instead of shopping spree – sounds more fun!!
I agree. . . a shopping tour makes it sound really special.