Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Green Shag and Ham

Some people claim that it's unnecessary to go to the thrift shop every week.
But what they can't adequately explain to me is: how would I have known that Christmas ought to be spent with the Old-Hams if I hadn't found that out at the thrift shop? How on earth would I have known what I needed?

Fortunately, I rarely listen to sensible advice, and last week while shopping all alone on a Wednesday evening, I found the Old Hams. There I was in the midst of strangers rifling through the VHS tapes, the Christian fiction novels, elderly sheet music and the ultimate temptress; That Stack of LP's.
I couldn't contain my mirth, and I pelted forth in bursts of merriment at the additional joy of seeing the album of my dreams marked down from $4.00 to $1.00! Where can YOU get a ham for a dollar anymore?!

I very nearly floated home on the windchill in eager anticipation of cradling him gently on my turntable.
The children would be so pleased.
I began to take in some details that had been previously overlooked.
The unity in footwear!
The matching dog/flooring choices!
And I really wanted to be able to google: "What ever happened to the girl in the pink who clearly didn't want to be born an Oldham; whose parents insisted she not run away before the family picture, and who flatly refused to wear the requisite grey and white ruffle wear?"
But it was harder to accomplish than what you might think.

I didn't need Google to tell me that her big sister didn't need an attitude adjustment. It was abundantly clear that she and her dad shared a lot of common interests and were pretty close.
I was also able to deduce that her mom was totally on program. She loved pretty much everything about her life- her mantel, the kettle that rested there, her blue fireplace, the perfectly tapered and lit candlesticks, the elaborately wrapped gifts, her hair, her boots, her broach, her thighs, her glasses. She loved her dog, her carpet, her daughters snacking choices (ham) and her husband's multi talents.

The other sister still hadn't really found herself. That came hours after the release of the LP, when she gazed with pride at her family, her place in it, and the dog that had hopefully, partially concealed her identity.
What happened then was a brief but intense period of wayward rebellion, after which she resumed her rightful place at the family table. Legend has it that she learned to play the triangle AND the tambourine, which greatly endeared her to the entire genealogy of the OldHams.
****
Now, try and explain to me how I might have surmised all of that if I hadn't gone to the thrift shop last week. If I had saved that dollar and put it towards my mortgage, my life would not be anywhere nearly as enriched as it is today.
Nor would yours.
Tonight, I'll be on the lookout for some: really tight go go boots, some mantel accessories, matching blazer outfits in "L" and "XL", gold tinsel, and a pinecone wreath. I just hadn't known until recently how badly I needed all those things.

11 comments:

Rosa said...

Can you say WOW so great and he really does look so much thinner standing. I however prefer the sitting shot.

janice said...

You can buy his CDs and DVDs at dougoldham.com but they are more than a dollar, and none of the pictures are so rich as this. It appears he passed in July, and never changed his style. Nor did his wife, who is, naturally, named Laura Lee, and still has big glasses and bigger hair.

WOW!!

(verification word HAMONSU - it knows about the ham theme WOW again)

joyce said...

yeah, I was thinking of taking some tips from Dougie, and never be photographed sitting down ever again. He has way more chins and a pretty huge Panace when he sits like that, casting a shadow on his offspring.

I spent an unnatural amount of time on google looking up Doug Oldham, hoping to figure out what happened to his daughters. He lived to the ripe age of 79- that buffer in front of him didn't cut many years off at all.

He actually has a gorgeous voice, and all the laughing I did over the record case swiftly died on my lips when I listened to him singing like a chubby angel.

Too bad your v word wasn't "ham-on-Laura-Lee". Ham on Sue sounds good too....

Judy said...

Awww. Doug died?

christine said...

oh. i loved this. so precious, so very precious.
The people who don't "do thrift shops", just leave more for us.

Rosa said...

Hey Joyce I'm off to the thrift stores in Brandon. Hope my luck is as good as yours.

Anonymous said...

I always look forward to you "view" of life!!

Merry Christmas to you and you family

The Naked Chef

Roo said...

...off to google the oldhams...

Anonymous said...

Love it...I had boots like that....black though...they were the "coolest". That's how I "snared" the old man :) L-lew

tanya said...

I thought my husband was the only one who could go on and on about a record he got for cheap at the thrift store...(heck, I thought he was the only one who bought records at the thrift store). Somehow it's much more entertaining when you do it though.

jenn said...

I have never heard of the Oldham's!

But I love how you created a whole story around one picture.
very impressive!