Uphill both ways!

We have all heard the stories of our parents having to walk uphill both ways in the snow, haven't we?

My father used to tell me about how they put newspaper in his shoes when there were holes. He was the baby so he got hand me downs and they were never in good shape as his stories would go. I remember in the very late 60's or very early 70's buying a pair of overalls. I wore them skiing and I got it caught on the chairlift and they ripped. I loved the holes. My father had a fit that I would wear clothes with holes. He would scream that he works hard to give us no holey clothes so he had a fit when I wore them in public. He would tell me how he had to wear clothes with holes and he hated it. He was made fun of etc. Why would I ever want to dress like this he would ask me. I tried to explain this was not about money, but fashion. He couldn't wrap his head around that idea. 

Now back in my day you little whippersnappers I was not allowed to wear pants to school let alone jeans. So these were just a cool pair of overalls I wore with a tank top or a Tshirt thinking I was cool. I have pictures to prove this ugly look.  My husband thinks I look hot. I find that hysterical. Trust me it was not hot on any level. I was 16 for Pete's sake but I think he was just looking at my boobs again and not the whole outfit. Or as he'd say, "what? you were wearing pants?"  

I loved to wear these overalls skiing because you could really layer a ton of clothes under them. They had big baggy legs and I used to get them at the Army-Navy store. Remember those? For some reason, this was cool in 1972. When my father saw me taking these overalls with me to school he had the idea that I was changing somewhere and wearing this to class. Oh no, not on his watch!

I explained that we couldn't wear pants this was for after school when the ski club went skiing. This was such an argument. I mean really Dad if I were sneaking would I have let you see them so openly?  
Oh, I was not that dumb. 
Finally, my mom had to explain to him that I was taking them to wear skiing and she was certain of it. I had long johns that were to be worn underneath and I showed him that they were coming with me too. 

He conceded and let me leave with them. I find this so silly. He was so worried about me wearing torn overalls to school. In the big scheme of things, he should have been more worried about my pot smoking and going to class than how I was dressed. I wasn't showing anything. I was completely covered up. But my father had some really screwy ideas. 

For example, as my jeans and overalls got more holes he insisted my mother sew them. Oh, I didn't want them sewn. I begged her not to. I pleaded my case. I wanted the holes and the rips. She came up with the idea to put fabric behind the holes if I was insistent that they not be sewn. So instead of a hole where you could see my thigh, there would be fabric sewn in the back of the hole. You now would see the fabric and heaven forbid not skin. The hole was still frayed and that is what I thought was cool at age 16. So I asked if I could pick out the fabric. I did all kinds of fun 70's things. I had a bandana that was the American flag that I used to wear around my neck and she used that. In today's political climate that would get me all kinds of trouble but back then it was everywhere on clothes.

Then others began "filling" their holes with bandanas and fabrics and was now a hit at my school. So my father made me look cool after all. Not what he set out to do. As long as I was covered up he was happy. If I had worn a burka he would have been happy. Or in my father's world, a nun's habit would have made him hysterically happy. Oh, my you have no idea. If my sister Jennifer is reading this she is nodding her head. My dad's dream was that one of his 5 daughters be a nun or all of us really. All of us left the church and went another direction. Thankfully he has no memory of this now.  

This meme made me think of my dad today.