My dad always asked me to keep a hankerchief in my pocket

[steve2470]

Me, being the slightly rebellious teen I was in the 1970's, complied sometimes but resisted usually. Ok ok, logically speaking, it was a good idea! The problem with hankerchiefs, as we all know, is that they get soiled pretty dang fast, especially when you have a runny nose and a cold. A small packet of disposable kleenex is much more practical.

Did one or both of your parents ask you to do the same ? My dad was born in 1917, so maybe this was a southern depression-era thing ? He also made me put cardboard in my holey shoes on one occasion, despite us having enough funds to buy new shoes. It's ok, he was an excellent father. The Depression obviously made a huge impact on him and on my mother.

I miss my parents, both gone.

[Siwsan]

1. I'm sorting though my late Aunt's possessions, and found a box of beautiful 'ladies hankies'

I remember all of the aunties, uncles and grandparents used them. Big white ones for the men, little flower print with lace edging for the ladies.

[steve2470]

2. yes, his and mine were white and large nt

[Siwsan]

5. I have no doubt I will run across some of my uncle's, too

I remember my parents using them, when I was young. My aunt put them aside when she discovered Puffs tissues with lotion. Heavens forbid if I bought her anything, and I mean ANYTHING, else!

[mopinko]

20. i bet they'd make a beautiful quilt.

i saw a pic of an absolutely lovely quilt made from bit of hand embroidered hankies, pillow cases, etc.
an easy way to make an extraordinary quilt.

i wish i had my mom's collection. i remember swiping them and using them for barbie dresses as a kid. 1 hanky, 1 or 2 rubber bands, done. (yeah, we were pretty poor.)

[Siwsan]

23. I'm thinking about using one, somehow, in a shadow box

Put a few other 'ancestral' items in with it and give it to my grandniece to give her some family history keepsakes.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. My Dad never made me carry a handkerchief, though he always did

He had a pile of nearly ironed and folded ones in his top drawer and always took one when he went out. He certainly used kleenex, but he probably learned that growing up. My Dad was born in 1928, lost him in 1990, and I still miss him all the time, too.

[steve2470]

17. .......

[Laffy Kat]

36. Growing up, I remember helping Mom with ironing.

I must have ironed hundreds of those. I liked them because they were easy to iron.

[fleabiscuit]

4. Same era, I still don't feel prepared if I try to leave the house without a 'hanky.' :-)

[jberryhill]

6. My dad always had one on him

That and a small pocketknife.

It really does seem to have been a "thing" with folks born in the 20's. Also from the south.

[PearliePoo2]

8. YES, a little pocket knife! Guys would use it to clean their fingernails, among other uses! nt.

[steve2470]

9. yes, he also always had a pocketknife too

For whatever reason, he never recommended that for me.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

31. Never without one.

[PearliePoo2]

7. My dad always carried a handkerchief. My mom actually ironed them! He was born in 1918 in Montana.

As a kid, I always gave him monogrammed (WMC) white handkerchiefs as a Christmas present!

I really miss my parents too.

[steve2470]

10. ......

[mopinko]

21. yup. actually ironing was my favorite chore.

i remember ironing those hankies that we bought him w particular pride and joy.
had one of those pop bottle sprinkler dealies. i loved the smell.

i dont even own an iron now, but. .

[Laffy Kat]

37. Oh, I remember the sprinkler bottle dealies!

Mom put a sprinkler head thingy on a soda (or what we called coke) bottle. I remember the smell, too. I also remember my mother putting some of the laundry, still damp, in the freezer because it was easier to iron them that way.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

33. My mom used to iron...

our underwear and bedsheets. But they were hung to dry outside, even in the winter, always fresh smelling without the *+p they try to sell us now.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

11. My Dad was born the same year...

Yes I was taught to always carry a hanky. I, too, was a rebellious teen in the early '70's, so I carried a large blue or red kerchief to use as a hanky. "You better not pull that disgraceful thing out of your pocket in church", he warned. His voice literally crackled with anger and embarrassment when he saw me with it.
They learned much during the depression. My moms parents lived with us. They immigrated from Poland, farm people. We were taught how to get the most out of everything. Hated it then, "Just buy another one.", I used to complain. Now I value those lessons as my primary education in recycling. Passed those lessons on to my prodigy.

[steve2470]

15. I get whatever thriftiness I have from them

My mom would use paper bags from the grocery store for trash and would recycle other stuff. My dad would gently scold me for keeping a credit card balance: "It don't make no horse-sense to be paying interest", he would jokingly say, and yes, he knew proper English.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

30. Are you my long lost brother?

I can make a roasted chicken last four days feeding two. Still make my own veggie broth by saving all the skins and tops, root ends from onion.

Plant the potato eyes for next year. Green onion ends, they go into the ground. Here in Michigan they survive the winter surprising you with bounty in the next spring.

Save every screw I don't use at this time. Still straighten nails for the future. Never throw out a piece of "left over" wood. Will either be a firestarter OS split and used for shims in the next project.

Taught myself how to make rope out of the stupid plastic bags they pass out now. Recycle my dogs feces with garden waste and grass clippings to make the best compost you can have.

Always rembember, please, teach the young ones, they may need the lessons more than we ever did.

[steve2470]

32. you are far more thrifty than I, kudos! nt

[tnlurker]

12. I always carry a hankerchief.

I started as a teen in the 70's from my father's example. He was born in 1925. I also have Kleenexes close by everywhere I am(work, car, home). I use mine as a last resort back-up in case I am not near my Kleenexes.

I rarely use them...but when I need then I always have one handy.

[denverbill]

13. My Dad always did and my Mom ironed his as well.

I didn't carry one until a couple years ago and since I'm pretty regular about it. They have a lot of benefits:

1) They are much stronger than Kleenex so you don't blow your nose right through them like you do Kleenex.
2) Their size and absorption mean you can use different parts of it over the course of a day, so you get multiple uses of it. Perfect for average days when you just get an occasional sniffle, sneeze, or small spill.
3) One handkerchief costs less than a box of Kleenex and last for years.
4) You never 'run out' of a handkerchief. Even if you've used it extensively you don't throw it out so it's stlil there for emergencies.

I still keep Kleenex around for days when I forget or days when I've got a cold or something, but my usual go-to is the hanky.

[Fla Dem]

14. Well facial tissues (Kleenex) weren't introduce in USA until 1924.

They were introduce mainly as a facial cleaner to removed cold cream.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_tissue

It's very possible his family as I'm sure other families during the depression years, couldn't afford to buy tissues and used reusable hankies. Hankies users always gross me out. Whenever I'd see someone blow their nose and then stick the cloth back in their pocket, eeewww.

[steve2470]

16. good point about the 1924

I'm sure my dad probably regarded facial tissues as a waste of money too. He didn't use his hanky very often and he didn't catch colds or have a runny nose very often.

[Canoe52]

18. My dad was born in 1931

Always had a red or blue handkerchief and a pocket watch. His morning routine after he ate breakfast was to pull his watch out of his pocket and wind it, set the time if it was off, then put it back in his pocket.

[steve2470]

19. Slightly off-topic: my mom used an ordinary glass jar for sugar....

Of course, there's nothing wrong with this, but some people like to have a special vase or container for sugar or condiments. We could afford to have one, but nope, she used an ordinary glass jar. To this very day, I use HER glass jar and remember her this way. God bless you Mom, sorry I wasn't a better son than I tried to be.

[PearliePoo2]

22. OH, another thing I remember my dad had in his front pocket was...

a coin purse (I think that's what it's called). It was a green, flexible plastic, oval shaped thing that you squeeze the ends to open.
I guess it was so your coins (change) didn't wear holes in your pant's pockets. Anybody remember those things?
My dad never wore jeans until about the 1990's and only then when he had a dirty work project to do.
He always wore 'trousers', usually a tan or dark green color.
Thanks for starting a post where all of us can remember with fondness, little traits of our parents.

[steve2470]

24. I remember those but my dad never used one

My pleasure, about the post

[philly_bob]

25. My father (b. 1904) always carried a clean handkerchief.

His dissolute son handles the situation by grabbing a handful of paper napkins when he eats at a fast food restaurant and cramming them in a pocket of his backpack.

Oh, how far we have fallen!

[steve2470]

26. dissolute, great word! haha! nt

[Atticus]

27. Message deleted by DU the Administrators

[steve2470]

28. my dad also carried a pocket comb!

Remarkable that these habits seem pretty widespread.

I was also a lucky child in many ways.

[hibbing]

42. haha..mine too n/t

[Phentex]

29. Could be southern. My husband isn't that old and he carries one...

although be damned of they are going to be ironed.

[steve2470]

34. ironing is definitely the unnecessary icing on the cake lol nt

[Solly Mack]

35. We each got a box every year. The salesperson would carefully place the hankies

between soft tissue paper nestled inside a slender gray box.

My dress undies came the same way. I wore dresses for the first 10 years of my life and had matching stockings and frilly undies.

I had stockings in every color. My nursery school teacher called me Pippi.

I once had a teacher take me around to other teachers to show off my crinoline and frilly undies. I got angry and let rip with a string of profanities. I have been fluent in cursing since around age 4. A neighbor would give me a quarter to go home with the new curse word of the week. He did this to shock my mother.

You see a little girl in a starched dress with a full crinoline and ruffled socks and undies and then hear her say a very adult word, you tend to laugh. Either from nervousness or surprise. My mother, not so much. She did not approve.


I was finally allowed to pour tea during a neighbor's weekly get together and told an off-color joke I didn't understand. I was still young. I was banned from the weekly afternoon tea.

I don't wear frilly undies or crinolines anymore. I also don't make tea time a ceremony. But I still buy hankies.

[steve2470]

38. your post cracked me UP!

Your subversive neighbor! BWAHAHA!

[Skittles]

39. my grandmother did

she correctly asserted you never know when you'll need it

I definitely prefer the small Kleenex tissue packs now, and thanks to grandma, I have included them in packages I send to soldiers overseas

[Aristus]

40. If the goal is to hand to a crying woman something to help out,

then make sure it is a clean, unused handkerchief. That's what I was taught.

My mother taught me to always stand when a woman enters the room. That one has gotten me some incredulous looks in the past; a few of which, I have been told, were looks of approval.

[hibbing]

41. My dad carried one his whole life

He used it a lot too, this thread brought up a vivid picture of him in my mind. He was from the midwest and was born in the 30s.

I'm loving this thread, even though it brings up some sadness.


Peace