The Sears and Roebuck Catalog 1991

Sears and Roebuck Catalog – memories bounce out as I sit here and thumb through the pages of the colorful Christmas Wish Book.  At the same time, John is looking at the “big” catalog and grumbling about prices.

Sears is the only place we can find those wonderful coveralls that John wants to live in.  I’ve threatened to bury him in them if I outlive him.  He would like that!  He just declares that they are not sized like they used to be – what really has happened is that since he quit smoking he has added some pounds, and that’s where the sizing difference comes in.  It’s virtually impossible to find short coveralls anywhere else.  It’s equally hard to find a man’s shoe in size seven.  It must be nice to be small!  I, too, have trouble finding clothes, but for altogether different reasons.

When I was growing up here on the Windy Knoll, I remember that at this time of year, we always kept an order going to or coming from Sears.  Sometimes whatever we ordered was the wrong size and had to be returned.  I would wear the Christmas book out thumbing through it and making my list.  Of course, I did not get all that was on the list, but had fun wishing.

We ordered lots of goodies from the catalog- yard goods, scrap bundles (for making quilts), clothing to fit whatever the season – and then there were the school supplies. I remember in the fall, when the new catalog arrived, the first thing I did was to look at the new book satchels.  I always got a new book satchel and after the order was sent off to that Ponce de Leon address in Atlanta, I religiously met the mailman until the order came.  It was most disappointing to unpack and find something ordered did not come, or find that something was not satisfactory and had to be returned.

I shall never forget the fall I was a senior in high school, I ordered enough maroon-colored cordudroy to make a new suit and Mrs. Marvin Elrod in Crossville made it.  She was a wonderful seamstress and I felt so dressed up wearing that outfit.

The mail-order houses were a great help to country people, and I don’t know how we would have made it without them.

Come to think of it, mail order houses (there are a lot more of them now) are still a big business and I enjoy using them.  In fact, I still look forward to receipt of the orders, just as I did years ago.  Instead of just watching for the mailman, now I listen for the sound of that UPS truck. Of course, Jake alerts us to the UPS arrival with his fierce barking.  Our Atlanta daughter sees to it that we stay on lots of mailing lists, as she also enjoys shopping by mail. Guess I passed that tradition on to her.

Shopping by mail — it’s just one of the small pleasures of country living.