spring

Back in the dark ages, when I was a child, I remember the first signs of spring. One thing I looked forward to was to be able to take off the long cotton stockings I had to wear in the winter & put on knee highes. I can still feel the air on my newly exposed legs.

I'm not sure, but I always suspected I had to wear my brothers outgrown socks because they were usually a brown pattern & truly ugly. In fact I remember fearing that people would think I was a boy because of my stockings. It didn't matter that back then girls wore dresses (not slacks, pants, or jeans) and I had long curls. Those socks made me look like a boy.

Looking back & reading my Mother's diaries, I realise those ugly brown socks probably didn't last that long. She was always darning socks & after 4 boys & my sister, I can't imagine the socks lasting till I came along. After all, they didn't add any synthetic material to the heels & toes to give them more strength like they do today.

I think the problem was they just made ugly brown socks back then. Brown probably didn't show the dirt as bad & the pattern also hid dirt. I really don't remember how we held them up. Probably home made elastic garters. Did I have snow pants? I really don't recall any, but surely I had something of the kind. And remember, we never had a car. (How did we keep warm back then?)