Jane Runyon calls these snippets ‘bits and bobs.’
Mom remembers using gravy to make a stocking line up the back of her legs but she remembers wearing bobby socks instead of nylons. Some women used eyebrow pencils to make the seam line.
My brother told me about my dad coming back from the war (he fought in the Pacific Rim) and his dad (Grandpa) taking him aside and telling him to tell him everything that happened while he was at war (good, bad, ugly). When dad was done, Grandpa said “OK, now forget it. Don’t mention it again. It’s done.” Terrible advice, huh?
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On a trip to San Francisco I took a tour and the guide pointed out the new (as in only 30 years old or so) metal gates and fences around the old homes. They replaced what was torn down/out by the city during WWII. The metal was used in the war effort.
Another “bit”
Rosalie Bourlund’s 1945 parachute bridal gown.
An example of ingenuity on the home front around World War II, a young bride in Texas fashioned a wedding dress out of the parachute that saved her groom’s life while he bailed out over the Rhine near Wesel, Germany.
Another “bob“
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Winoah Drake tells that her grandmother remembered one of her brothers giving a girl one of the ultimate signs of love during the war: his sugar ration. Their mother wasn’t happy about that, but she couldn’t fault him, since it really was a generous act. He joined the Navy soon after that. They didn’t get married when he returned, unfortunately, but I still love that story.
