October 5, 1935

The party, sadly, is over, but the celebration of my mom's birthday keeps on going.  And it should, because she is one fabulous girl. And she's rocking 80.

My lovely mom, Ellen Flatley Corey, had a big birthday Monday, so last weekend all of my sisters, my brothers-in-law, my kids and all of my nieces and nephews,  several of mom's sibs and some very dear friends gathered to celebrate HER.  It was magical.  After days of fearful hurricane watching, and a couple crappy, cold, rainy days, Sunday was gorgeous.  We gathered at Shorehaven and we toasted mom and we heard and shared stories about this beautiful Irish girl who has touched so many lives and is SO WELL LOVED. 

Ellie posted the greatest hits photos from the weekend on her outstanding blog, but I'm going to crib a few of Billie's pics here, too, because they're superior and I need them and he said I could.  

October 5, 1935  was a Saturday.
1935 The years of depression continued in 1935 with unemployment still running at 20.1% , and the war clouds were gathering as Germany began to rearm and passed the Nuremburg laws to strip Jews of their civil rights, and Mussolini's Italy attacked Ethiopia. The Gallup Poll was introduced and a reformed drinker named Bill Wilson formed Alcoholics Anonymous on June 10th , also for the first time a completely synthetic fibre was produced called nylon by a Dupont chemist. Also this was the year of the birth of "Swing" by Benny Goodman and the world was ready to boogie. Persia is renamed to Iran.  

Average Cost of new house was $3,450.00,   
Average wages per year $1,600.00  
Cost of a gallon of Gas 10 cents  
Average Cost for house rent $22.00 per month  
A loaf of Bread 8 cents  
A LB of Hamburger Meat 11 cents  
Average New Car Price $625.00
Canada Dry Ginger Ale 20 Cents  

Key Events in 1935 in the United States:

• The Boulder (Hoover) Dam is completed.
• The Emergency Relief Appropriation Act creates The WPA or Works Progress Administration to create millions of jobs 
•  President Roosevelt signs the US Social Security Act Providing Unemployment compensation and pensions for the elderly.
•  The Great Plains are struck by one of the worst Dust Storms in U.S. history.
• Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Pacific.
• The first technicolor Mickey Mouse short film is released.
• Babe Ruth hit the 714th and final home run of his career.

 But, you ask, what about the FOOD?    

Enjoy this excerpt from a book popular at the time:

"The Kitchen, A Workshop of Color and Charm.The kitchen should be the pleasant room in the house. There is not good reason for the millions of ugly kitchens in the world. Nor is there any good reason for kitchens that look like white tile lunchrooms. In a kitchen that is gay, cozy, and pleasant, half the labor of cooking seems to be eliminated. In many houses that have been restored and kept in memory of another day, the kitchen is a most interesting and delightful room. When a tour of the house has been made and the kitchen is reached, there is always a sigh of pleasure. A sense of comfort and jollity pervades the place. The mellow walls, the lovely old containers for flours and spices, the gay platters, bowls and cups, the gleaming copper, the rocking chairs!...The modern housewife should try to bet her kitchen the same jolly atmosphere, while preserving a convenient arrangement of furnishings and utensils.  ---Bamberger's Cook Book For The Busy Woman, Mabel Claire [Greenberg:New York] 1932 (p. 18-21)



I would agree that there is "not good reason for ugly kitchens", but what I've really come to understand is it's the not the way the kitchen looks, it's the way the kitchen, and the house, feels.  And the house I grew up in felt pretty great.   It was a house brimming with love.  It was chaotic (six girls in eight years, remember), and yes, we fought -for the shower and the phone and the food - but that house was overflowing with love, support, laughter,  music, order and genuine warmth. That kitchen was the hearth and that home was the rock, the foundation for me and I'm guessing for all of my sisters, too.  And that, Ellen Flatley Corey, we owe to you.  Thank you for providing such an amazing example and being such a phenomenal mom.

A sense of comfort and jollity?  You nailed it.  Happy birthday, mom.