Our house is filled with things that have stories connected to them, all near and dear to our family. My decor style is eclectic. I love to highlight imperfect things.
If it’s tattered, that’s because there’s a story connected to it…
Board Games…
Our family loves to play games. When my 80+ year old mom moved into our home with us, she came with several family keepsakes. One was an old “Uncle Wiggily” (TM) Game board.
The game board is now displayed on a shelf in our game room. (I love shelves.) My mom told me this game belonged to my father’s mother. Grandma kept this game to play with her grandchildren. She had a lot of grandchildren. The game’s cards and tokens are long gone. It’s not in perfect condition, but I enjoy having it for nostalgia.
When I look at the game, it brings back memories of playing games on grandma’s big table, the smell of her coffee brewing (and over brewing) on her stove and the fact that she always kept cookies on hand for her grandchildren. Especially those strawberry, chocolate and vanilla cream filled wafer cookies (which I stopped liking in my teen years).
According to https://boardgamegeek.com: This game is based on the character “Uncle Wiggily Longears” which was in a children’s book created in 1910. The game was first introduced by the Milton Bradley Company in 1916. It was modified in 1923, 1949, and 1955.
“Uncle Wiggily” Game: Grandma’s version pictured above was made circa 1923 to 1946, based on the two-eyed bright red squid on the bottom right corner. (The original game had a one-eyed beige squid.)
Playing Catch…
Another family keepsake on our game room shelf is my dad’s baseball glove. It’s an All Star 727 Ralph Kiner. My dad and brother use to play catch with a softball in our big front yard and this was the glove my dad used. Seeing it brings back memories of the smell of fresh cut grass, pine trees, damp dirt and the sound of a softball hitting the glove.
According to https://www.baseball-almanac.com : Ralph Kiner was the National League home run champion in every one of his first seven seasons in the Major Leagues, 1946 through 1952. I don’t know when my dad got this glove, but I do know he had it before I was old enough to know what a baseball glove was for. I also know that my dad enjoyed watching baseball, so owning this Ralph Kiner glove would fit with his era. My mom guessed that my dad played catch with his older brothers and nephews prior to having his own children.
The little girl in the photo is my mom. She was 2 years old. The photo was taken in Chicago. She was first generation born in the U.S.A. The photo of the teenage boy is my father’s graduation picture. He was 17 years old. He joined the Navy during WWII.
I’ve seen several versions of a “Recipe For Life” on the internet. In my opinion, some fell short, while others involved values I don’t rate high; so I decided to write my own Recipe For Life.
Serving size:
Never can have too much.
Ingredients:
Dreams 4 cups of Hope ¼ spoon of Faith (a little goes a long way) 1 cup of Friendship 7 quarts of Love 7 gallons of Forgiveness 1 barrel of Laughter 2 large spoons of Thankfulness Smiles
Instructions:
Start with Dreams. Add Hope. Add Faith. Mix in Friendship and Love. Blend with Forgiveness. Shake with Laughter. Bake in Sunshine. Sprinkle Thankfulness on top before serving. Serve frequently with a smile.
Some people refer to Boho-Chic and Bohemian and as a fashionable clothing look. Other’s identify Bohemian and Boho as a decor theme. For many years the term Bohemian has been connected with bands of gypsies from Bohemia, that lived artful, hippie lifestyles. I’ve heard people say, “That’s so Bohemian.” And let’s not forget the popular rock song, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
I personally love the “Boho” clothing style. I’ve even considered starting an online store that includes the “Boho” look.
But what does Bohemian really mean?
For me, Bohemian refers to my heritage, and part of my family’s culture and history. As a child, I never saw a connection between Bohemians and gypsies. The only mention I ever heard regarding gypsies was when my grandmother would tease me that she was going to sell me to the gypsies. I’m guessing my grandmother had heard the reference between gypsies and Bohemians when she was growing up.
I grew up influenced by the Bohemian culture…
You see, I’m 2nd generation, born in the U.S.A. on my mother’s, mother’s side. My grandmother was born in Prague in 1906, which was the capital of old Bohemia at the time, located in what was formally Czechoslovakia. Bohemia dissolved into Czechoslovakia around 1918. My great grandmother and great grandfather moved from Czechoslovakia to the U.S.A. via Ellis Island with my (infant) grandmother in 1907. They settled in a Czech community outside the Chicago area.
Dressed in Their National Costumes
The above photos are my Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather wearing their traditional, national costume. National costumes varied based on the region you came from. Variations were seen in the style of clothes, accessories, embroidery patterns, colors, beads, lace, etc. Note the detailed embroidery on my great grandfather’s shirt.
Sokol Club, Chicago, IL
Photo CIRCA 1930’s
The American Sokol Club: A Czech athletic club that hosted Czech Day in Chicago. The Sokols housed Czech social, cultural, and athletic clubs in the Chicago area. My great grandparents participated in Sokol Club events.
My Bohemian Heritage
Not all my family (on my mother’s mother’s side) spoke English. My great grandmother spoke Czech, my grandmother was bilingual and my mother partially spoke Czech. I only used a few words to identify things or address people. I called my great grandmother “Babi” which translates to Granny, from Czech to English. My grandmother was a Naturalize Citizen.
My great grandfather passed away in 1934. My great grandmother eventually remarried a Russian-Czech widower.
The Food We Ate
I grew up eating homemade food most of my peers never ate, unless they were at my house. We ate schnitzel, cooked potato dumplings, raw potato dumplings, yeast dumplings, plum dumplings, yeast pancakes, potato pancakes, braided bread, dill gravy, tomato gravy, Hungarian goulash, sauerkraut and sweet-kraut. We enjoyed kolache and strudel, along with many other homemade Bavarian style pastries.
Bohemian History
The above picture is my great grandmother with her 2nd husband, dressed in their National Costumes, attending a Czech celebration. Note that my great grandmother was wearing the brightly colored kerchief like the one pictured on the right, tucked in at her waist. This gives you an idea of the colors they was wearing. Yes, I have this kerchief today. It was passed down thru generations from my great grandmother, to my grandmother, to my mom to me.
My great grandmother was holding a 1942 Lidice flag. I wondered why she was holding it, so I did an internet search on the name Lidice. I found the following info: “Lidice was a small town in the former Czechoslovakia located about 12 miles from Prague. German forces destroyed the town and murdered or deported its inhabitants in retaliation for the assassination in 1942 of Reinhard Heydrich, a prominent Nazi official.” You can read more about this tragic story on the Holocaust Encyclopedia: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/lidice
Back in Czechoslovakia
I imagine it was very hard for my great grandparents to hear the threat of war near their homeland. After W.W.I (1916-1919) Czechoslovakia remained a stable democratic country; however, they faced heavy opposition from Germany. The Communist Party (founded in 1920) took over Czechoslovakia in 1938. My great grandmother had 3 sisters, 2 moved to America in the early 1900’s.
My great grandmother’s one sister that stayed in Czechoslovakia owned a family vineyard with her husband. When the Communist government took over, they confiscated the vineyard and forced them to have other family members move in with them in order to keep their large home.
My great grandmother returned to her homeland two times, once in the 1930’s and a second time in the 1940’s.
One of my favorite childhood memories: Visiting Babi (my Great Grandmother) in her mobile home. CIRCA 1960’s.
My grandmother visited Czechoslovakia with one of her Bohemian cousins in 1978. While there, they connected with family and visited family landmarks. I have my grandmother’s photos and journals from that trip. I would love to take a trip over there one day, maybe even follow in my grandmother’s itinerary. I wish I was in touch with our Czech relatives today.
So the next time you hear or see “Bohemian” or “Boho” describing a fashionable look; remember, for many, Bohemian means culture and family heritage.
