Being as I had an older sister, and my mother was a Brownie leader, I was a Girl Scout at the tender age of 4. Back in the days before Mini Scouts existed, I was considered the troop mascot. There were very few things I didn't do with the older girls. Meetings were held in our house and for quite a long time the "fly up" ceremonies were held in our backyard. The troop n umber was 1309 and I think we were in Service Unit 4.

If there is any question of the impression Girl Scouting can make on a child, that is evidence that it can last a lifetime! For me and my sister both, Girl Scouting lasted through the 12th grade. We both loved the camping, field trips, and meetings with our friends. For me, it was great because I went to a number of different schools, but the Girl Scouts were consistent. Once I entered Junior High and didn't have to change schools until High School, it was different, but I stuck with it. Part of the reason I could is that my troop by that point - a Cadet troop - was in a different school district.

I had a bit of difficulty with my peers (who doesn't?) and felt very awkward and unaccepted. Looking back I realize there is probably some truth and some insecure falsity to that. Anyway, I loved Girl Scouting in a different school district because those girls didn't know that everyone picked on me! They accepted me for who I was, for better or worse. While I definitely had friends at school who also accepted me as I was (Diane B, I see you out there!), it somehow built up my sense of self to just relax and not pretend to be someone I wasn't.

While working on the never-ending garage cleaning project - which by the way I can confidently say will end by 2013 - I found my old badge sash with 25-30 year old insignia and a packet of other badges that never were sewn onto it. My friend Donna is going to try to get me the missing pieces of my insignia, and then, I think I want to put this together somehow that I can display it, along with the patches from my old patch jacket. I'm quite proud of my accomplishments as a Girl Scout, and proud of the fact that Girl Scouts helped me become the woman I am today. I will probably be a Girl Scout leader if Melody wants to be a Scout. I will happily take her camping and teach her how to make s'mores and sing songs like I'm A Little Piece Of Tin.

As an aside, I always admired the Senior girls who came to the local Sing-A-Long and actually knew ALL the words to the various Girl Scout songs. Wow, to have that memory, I thought! Now I'm the one who will be teaching them, I'm sure. I can still remember all the words to My Name is Ricardo and Fried Ham, Fried Ham. Should I forget, I can call on my sister, mother, friend Sarah, or of course, the Internet.

My sister earned First Class (the equivalent to an Eagle Scout) the last year they were offered, and after that the project was split into two separate awards - Gold Award and Silver Award. I felt a little discouraged and decided not to pursue it. Double the work for a less special award. It sounded so impressive to say "she's First Class" but not so much "I'm Silver Award." 

I will have more Girl Scouting memories to share in the future - it was 12 years after all!

My 2D pal Connie of Forgotten Old Photos accused me of having caught Old Photoitis, and as evidenced by my last post, I think she's right. But, a further symptom has come to light. 

Who Were They?

This is my new, new blog, lol. This will not likely be a daily blog posting, but maybe a frequent posting of 19th century photos. I hope you will visit and enjoy the fashions, history, mystery and speculation of it all. 

I have a new hobby. This is a confession of sorts because I don't need a new hobby. I don't have time for a new hobby. I don't even have time for the hobbies that are old! But, I have to admit it. I've gotten sucked into a fascinating world. There is mystery, intrigue, history (of course) and a lot of guess work. 

I am fascinated by old photographs. I've always loved the old family photos my folks have. My sister and I made a photo album for our Dad with photos in it, some of them over 100 years old, all family. So, I cherish the few I have. Then, this started out with some photos and tin types Pauline gave me to scan. Then I found an old photo of the day website. Then I found my muse: Forgotten Old Photos. The blog readers try to find the ancestors of the person in the photo, whenever there's a name. I am an addict. I check the site early every morning to see if there is a new name to hunt down. When there is, I could spend hours sifting through the information on Ancestry.com and Google searches. When one of us finds a living family member, we turn it over to the site owner, and she gets in contact with them, trying to reunite the photos with family.

Well.....I caught myself before it was too late, but in the few months since I discovered that site, I've been, um, acquiring old photos. Here and there, ebay, antique shops, friends, the like. This past weekend, my friend Cat gifted me with an antique photo album with 28 cabinet cards! She'd had it for years in a box. I caught myself wondering if any of them had names I could start hunting.

Some do. I am practically salivating over the possibilities.

I've decided I need to start a spreadsheet to keep track of everything. There are recurring photographer names, locations, dress styles, eras, men, women and babies, accessories and interesting settings. 

If you are trying to find me, just look in my office. I'm probably in front of the computer or scanning photos. 

I was a bit of a tattle tale goodey two shoes when I was in school, and I learned after being threatened within an inch of my life by Cathy C in the 7th grade that sometimes it's best to hold your own counsel. When I see things that are wrong, unless they are a danger to others, I usually don't say anything.

I will always call the cops on a dangerous driver.

One thing that annoys me is when I see a perfectly capable person using a handicapped parking space. My dad requires a handicapped space, and twice in my life I've been in a cast, requiring that I use a temporary pass. These spaces are designed for people who need them.

Well, my sense of right and wrong was offended recently when I watched a post office truck park in the last handicapped space at a large shopping center. The letter carrier got out, carried a huge load of mail into the store, and I decided I was going to do something about it. I took a picture with my phone, of the truck in the space. I did in fact post it to Facebook, lol, but then I decided another way of handling it was to make others aware that it's not allowed.

I sent the picture to Jim Radcliff, writer for the Orange County Register. Jim writes the traffic law Q&A column. I read it often and have learned much about the ins and outs of our laws. Jim just called to say that my question will be in the print edition of the Register on July 9th, and it is already online here.

I didn't want to get the lady in trouble, and Jim thankfully did not use the photo, as it had the truck number clearly emblazoned across the front of it. I did want to raise awareness, and it appears that I have.

Call me a tattle tale. This time, I don't mind.

When Melody was about 16 months or so, she was fascinated with one of our favorite bands, Weezer. We even have a little clip of her watching them on YouTube. She still likes them and we have adapted one of their radio hits into a potty song. Weezer is a big favorite in our house.

She also loves the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba. YGG is sort of like a kiddie DT hallucination. It's odd on many levels but hugely popular with kids and actually pretty harmless. Well, now we can enjoy both of our loves - Weezer and Yo Gabba Gabba - all in one song. Weezer recently performed an original song "My Friends Are Insects" on YGG, in insect costumes. This from the boys who brought us Buddy Holly and Hash Pipe. I guess it's not so much of a stretch after all.

UPDATE You have to go to EW.com to watch the video. I guess they want to protect their content, and I'm fine with that, but since it's not new, and it's Weezer dressed as insects, it seems a little silly. Click here to go to the video.