Collecting: Stay Sweet and Have a Neat Summer!

The little sis is graduating from high school today!  As I have previously mentioned on this blog, I am OLD - not in age alone but in emotion and mentality.  There must have some split-second moment like the flash of green when the sun sinks behind the horizon when age took a hold of me.  Subconsciously I have taken to using phrases like, "There just aren't enough hours in the day," "I can feel it in my bones," "Heh?" and "Have you seen my defibrillator?"  Her graduation is doing nothing to stave off this process.

In keeping with the momentous occasion of her graduation, I decided to share a bit of Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"

My grandmother, Garnet, and her autograph book.
Her portrait is from her high school days - maybe graduation.

Only kidding.  Is there a high school graduation on earth where this book isn't referenced or simply read aloud?  No, instead I thought I'd share some quotes from my grandmother's autograph book from her graduation from Sturges Junior High in 1938.  The quotes written inside are truly priceless.  While, in 1938, these phrases may have been hackneyed, I find they are far superior to "Stay sweet and have a neat summer."

Some of my favorite entries include this gem that pre-dates texting by many decades:

"YY U R

YY U B

I C U R

YY 4 ME"  

and...

The design of the pages inside the autograph book are pretty neat too.

Some of the entries are charming but much like Hannah Montana's meteoric rise to fame, they don't make much sense.

"When you get married

and live upstairs,

don't come down

and borrow my chairs."

"I'm writing on pink

to save the white

for your boyfriend

to write on tonite."

"Love me dear?

Sure do.

Kiss me dear?

Scared to.

Cold dear?

'bout to freeze.

Want my coat?

Just the sleeve."

My grandma was not too cool to have her parents' autographs.

The comments ranged from the sweet to the somewhat profane.

"Remember me early

Remember me late

Remember me at the Golden Gate"

"Listen my children

and you shall hear

the life time story of Garnet dear.

First in her diapers

and then in her dress and now in the 8B

I wish you success."

"Some kiss by a gate

Some kiss by a rose

But I think the best place

is just below the nose."

"Buffalo Bill went up the hill

to see the Indians dance.

Buffalo Bill came down the hill

with arrows in his pants."

"Earth to Earth

Dust to Dust

If strangers don't kill you,

High School must."

"Earth to Earth

Dust to Dust

If it wasn't for boys,

girls lips would rust."

"As you slide down the banister of life,

Remember me as a sliver in your ---"

The most ubiquitous turn of phrase was,"Yours until the catfish have kittens."  My favorite, however, is, "Yours until the ocean wears rubber pants to keep its bottom dry."

"Yours until the mountain peak sees the salad dressing!"  Happy Graduation Mary!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny