English: A gold charm bracelet worn on the arm. Visible charms are a heart-shaped locket, seahorse, crystal, telephone, bear, spaceship, and grand piano.
Well I just celebrated the BIG ONE and I mean BIG! I may have even slipped past being a woman of a certain age…well let’s not go that far!
My husband gave me several pieces of jewelry and while putting them away, I came across a red velvet bag. Of course I knew what was in the bag and was glad to put my hands on it again. In it lie bits and pieces of my life – Charming chapters as it were – Let the memory live again.
I untied the red satin ribbon and reached in to pull out a very heavy, very clangy charm bracelet. I don’t know how popular charm bracelets are these days…I think not. But, in the 1960’s, well just about all my girlfriends had one. My first charm bracelet was a narrow chain link and had several charms, many of them given to me by my friends as a birthday or Christmas present.
I don’t think I wore my charm bracelet in college, however, some years later and married, I realized I had acquired some more charms and discovered meaningful trinkets in my possession that would make appropriate charms. This was going to require a heavy duty charm bracelet! I purchased a sterling silver triple link bracelet and set about adding pieces and parts of my life.
Maybe my determination to create my life’s story in trinkets was a foreshadowing of my life to come: That is one of collecting way too many things and displaying them for all to see and the writing of a blog which is yet another way of exposing yourself to the world.
These are the charmed chapters of my life: (not in chronological order or of importance).
Crossed Tennis Racquets Tennis was a large part of my life when I was married to my first husband. Much of our social life at the country club included mixed doubles as well as tournament play.
Cape Cod: I went to Cape Cod with my then fiancé (first husband). I remember feeling liberated and wild until the fire horn went off in the middle of the night. It was on the wall of the motel (hence the cheap price I guess) and I thought we were in the middle of an air raid! Oh the shame – caught in an illicit act!
Pelican: My son Joel attended Loomis Chaffee , a private high school in Connecticut. The school’s mascot was a Pelican.
Democratic Donkey: I was in my very early twenties when I got interested in local politics. I worked for the Democratic Town Committee in our small predominantly Republican town. I actually ran for office, alas defeated. Still, invited to and attended Ella Grasso‘s Inauguration Ball.
Cowboy Boot: There was a period in my life as a newly single woman when I would frequent a Western bar, and dance the night away. I was a pretty good Texas Two-Stepper!
State of Connecticut: Not my birthplace but where I grew up and lived until I was 51. Life in Connecticut was great and I’m glad my children were brought up there. However, once divorced and single, my little town was no longer for me.
Baby Cup: (engraved Baby Bob) Those wild years between marriages – Baby Bob was someone I dated for about a year. He was QUITE a bit younger than me and I and my friends affectionately referred to him as Baby Bob.
JCL medal: I belonged to the Junior Classical League in high school. I swear I can’t remember what the club did or was all about.
Cross with a Diamond Chip: As part of his strategy to surprise me with an engagement ring, my first husband gave me a sterling silver cross with a teeny tiny diamond chip in the middle for my 19th birthday!
Five Card Flush: I’ve always loved to play cards, I grew up in a card-playing family. In High School, it was Hearts and Set Back, in College it was Set Back and Poker. In Avon, it was Bridge and Gin Rummy.
Devil in Cocktail Shaker: This is one of my favorite charms. I think I got it when I was out of college and working. Just thought it was cute at the time.
Riverboat & State of Louisiana: I’ve been to New Orleans several times and Orleans and enjoyed my stay in The Big Easy every time. Loving me some po’boys, oysters and Hurricanes.
Martini Glass: This one even has an olive on a toothpick in it. And it’s presence is probably self-explanatory!
Graduation Cap: This one is a survivor of the first charm bracelet as is the JCL medal. 1965 Graduation from Woodrow Wilson High School.
1940’s Earring: This one bears explanation. I always remember that my mother had a pendant necklace which was a silhouette drawing of a tropical beach with a crescent moon. It was drawn on a butterfly’s wing. I found an earring with a tiny circle drop pendant with the same scene and adapted it to hang on the charm bracelet. This one represents my mother who died when I was 9 years old.
No Parking Sign: This is a remnant of the first bracelet and is about to be removed because the base of the sign is gone. No Parking was a definite High School charm which needs no further explanation.
Class Ring: The ring is a tiny replica of my High School class ring.
Varsity Banner: I actually had earrings which were small banners inscribed Woodrow Wilson and painted maroon and gray, our school colors. This didn’t get added until much later when I was scouting around for representative pieces.
Cigarette Lighter: Soon to be eliminated to make room for another and certainly no longer relevant, this tiny lighter actually worked. You had to add lighter fluid and a flint and it would light. But it has to go…
1964 World’s Fair Medal: The 1964 World’s Fair was held in New York City and I believe my father went and brought this charm back for me.
The Empire State Building: When I moved to New York City in 1998, I bought this charm. Moving here was the beginning of what I call the second half of my life! Loving life in The Big Apple.
Wishbone: I’m not sure if this charm is a leftover from the first bracelet when someone gave it to me for Good Luck or one that I bought because my Dad and myself always broke the wishbone from the Thanksgiving Day turkey.
Flamingo: NOT for the state of Florida! I have a fairly good-sized Flamingo collection so of course I had to put one on the charm bracelet.
Happy Birthday Hanging Sign: Clearly this needs no explanation but to say it is a survivor from my High School charm bracelet.
Anchor: As a remembrance of my Dad, a Navy man to the end, I bought an anchor charm to keep his memory on my wrist.
U.S. Capitol: My first honeymoon was in Washington D.C. and I bought this charm to commemorate the occasion – that was a lifetime ago.
Three Keys: My first husband was a great salesman and he won awards. I have 3 small keys engraved with his initials and dates for his successes. I think it was known as the Key Club.
Locomotive Engine Car: I managed a restaurant for a short period in the mid 90″s. It was known as The Depot and part of the restaurant was in an actual train car.
I still have to acquire a couple more; I want to memorialize my second honeymoon in Buenos Aires, my trips to South Africa and my cottage on the Jersey Shore. And who knows…surely there are other chapters to be charmed.
Bill Ding and his band of clowns are the security patrol for this blog site. He is a favorite toy from the 50*s. By the way sometimes a blog is just an ego-maniacal stream of conscience.
Pbenjay's Blog 
Herb Reed – In Heaven Not On Earth
June 6, 2012 by pbenjay
Only You (And You Alone) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Heaven on Earth was just one of the many songs sung by the Platters. And yesterday the last living member of that fabulous singing group, Herb Reed, died. Herb founded the Platters in the 1950’s – he was 83 years old when he passed away.
I always liked the song Heaven on Earth, however, it didn’t have a prayer (pun intended) to it’s flip-side phenomenal hit, My Prayer. For over a decade, the Platters produced 40 chart singles including 4 Number One hits. Among their repertoire were: The Great Pretender, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Only You (And You Alone), Twilight Time and (You’ve Got) The Magic Touch.
Headliners of Doo Wop era, their distinctive sound was a bridge between pre-rock Tin Pan Alley and the burgeoning new genre. Only You released in 1955 was their first Top Ten Hit and topped the R&B chart for 7 weeks.
The history of the group is checkered at best. Arrests and charges of drug and prostitution hurt their reputation even though no convictions ever took place. And over the years, the group splintered and several members started groups of their own, each one claiming the name The Platters, which led to lawsuits and injunctions. Finally in 2011, Herb Reed won the exclusive rights to the trademark name and the decision made Reed sole heir to the group’s tremendous legacy.
I’m at the tail end of the Baby Boomers who grew up on Rock & Roll, Doo Wop and the British Invasion. By the time the music of the day turned to Hard Rock, Acid Rock, and Heavy Metal, I was no longer listening to those radio stations. Doo Wop is probably my favorite genre and for me it encompasses Motown Sound, R & B, Bee Bop – just about all the music produced between 1950 and 1966.
KEEP THE MUSIC ALIVE!
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Posted in BY THE WAY, From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books | Tagged Arts, Baby Boomers, British Invasion, Doo Wop, Great Pretender, Music, Platters, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes | 2 Comments »