The name really began a long time ago with F. Scott Fitzgerald and his book The Great Gatsby. I first read the book and then saw the movie, and of course fell in love with that time period. My husband and I began many years ago to collect furniture from the period and began to relate to the stories our relatives told about that time. My mother and aunt were both what you would call "flappers," living through this volatile period with the stock market crash and then the depression.
My mother came to the United States from Ireland the year The Great Gatsby was published. She was a teenager and joined her sister who had immigrated a few years earlier. When the stock market crash happened people lived in limbo for many years during this period without jobs, without lives! My mother married when she was older and also had children as an older mother. It was many years before the economy began to recover.
My aunt and my mother
It certainly does remind me of what is going on now, those high flying days at the beginning of this century , the crash, the job loss, the long climb back to prosperity
Oh by the way, they have just cast Carey Mulligan (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) as Daisy Buchanan in a remake of The Great Gatsby!
This is very interesting Eileen and I like your Christmas colors as well!! Also I just noticed the photo with your amaryllis staking system... what an amazing idea! We were gifted many bulbs by a 80+ year old friend who says he's getting too old to manage his collection... he actually offered us a thousand bulbs! We gently refused!... L
ReplyDeleteI often think of the courage of women like your mother and sister who left their families and travelled halfway around the world to a totally unknown future. It just astounds me ... I don't know if I would have half as much courage.
ReplyDeleteLove your old black and white photo, but then you know how much I love those old photos.
My husband's Great-grandmother came out from Ireland all by herself back in the very early 1900's ... and her mother then sent the youngest sister out the very next year. I can't imagine what they felt when they landed in this hot dry spot in north Queensland back in those days!!
Sadly, they never got to see their family again ... it was a hard life for both of them.
Great story. I love the history you shared about your family. I'll have to check out your Ebay page. :)
ReplyDelete1,000 bulbs Larry, I would have no idea what to do with this many amaryllis. I forget who gave me the idea of using branches, but it does work and looks natural.
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Bernie, my mother had lots of stories and loved living in America but always was very positive about her childhood.
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Hi Cher,
ReplyDeleteI do not have the Ebay page anymore, but I should recosider with all of the stuff I have!
Eileen
What a great post Eileen. So much fun digging back into our roots!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
Dear Eileen, What a fascinating story with, as you say, so many parallels to the current times. Like most periods of history, events seem to follow a cycle, but it is good to think of those true pioneers who really did struggle through some exceedingly difficult times. What a wonderful photograph of your aunt and mother. It is so interesting to keep family archives.
ReplyDeleteEileen, loved the photo of your beautiful mother and aunt and the peek into your history. What a great keepsake!
ReplyDeleteEileen, thank you for this post! I love history, and your post is a reminder that history is a living thing, it's about our parents and it continues in us. Your aunt and mother were such beautiful women!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary Anne, my relatives had a lot of interesting stories.
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Edith, I think you are right about the cycles. The younger people think that this has never happened before, but if can happen once it can happen again.
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Hi Karen,
ReplyDeleteI have many things around my home to remind me of my relatives just like you have so many lovely pieces from your mom. I know we both treasure them.
Eileen
Thank you Tatyana for your kind comments. My aunt was the gardener, not my mother, so I am always thankful that she put up with me as a child following her around the garden asking too many questions.
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Eileen I love that picture ! .. also any movie related to that time .. I think "Flappers" were very gutsy women : )
ReplyDeleteI was going to explain that I have a name change for my blog but it looks like it corrected itself on your blog roll (I lost mine and I am trying to create it again)
just in case though .. here is my new spot http://canadiangardenjoy.blogspot.com/
Joy : )
Joy, I am sure we will both be seeing that new Gatsby movie. I just can't believe it can get any better than Robert Redford!
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What a wonderful story and lovely picture of your mom and aunt. You can tell they had a wonderful sense of style and so do you!
ReplyDeleteThanks GLoria, it is always a great time to look back.
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Loved the story and the seasonal colors of the post. The ever-changing graphics always keep your blog fresh looking.
ReplyDeleteI must say that I have always wondered if you were a fan of the Great Gatsby and now I know the whole story! It was very interesting to read the story behind the name of your blog. I have Irish roots on my mother's side. Her father's parents came over during the days of the potato famine in Ireland.
ReplyDeleteI remember the movie the Great Gatsby well. It had a huge influence on fashion of the day. I also have read the book and loved it. Hopefully, the new movie will be as good as its predecessor and the novel. In case I don't get another chance, have a great Thanksgiving holiday!
Hi Jennifer, I am having trouble seeing anyone other than Robert Redford as Gatsby, maybe Brad Pit!
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