Everything sublime is as difficult as it is rare. Baruch Spinoza

Friday, January 30, 2026

Ah, the Years


My mother had boxes and boxes of photos that I brought home when I was clearing out her house in 2020. I went through some of them but not all. These past few days I have been spending time looking through some. 

So......the passage of time: 

The back of this photo says I was six. My mother liked curly hair.


No age on this but I would guess maybe eight?


Again, no age. This is a little harder to guess. I would say from eleven to thirteen.


This photo I posted before to show the "don't mess with me" face I already had as a teen. I have a junior high yearbook that places me in ninth grade. I would have been fourteen at the time the photo was taken and fifteen a couple of months later.


This is my junior year in highschool. I was sixteen at the time of the photo and seventeen a couple of months later.


Looking at the expression on my face I think I understand why I never had a boyfriend during my school years. I may have scared them!

42 comments:

Lori said...

How fun to go through all of your old photos. My mother hated my curly hair and chopped it off when I was young. I don't think she knew what to do with it.

Sandra said...

My hair was not curly but about as straight as hair can be! I got the dreaded permanent, Lori.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Fun to see old school photos!

Miss Merry said...

I love your school photos!

Pixie said...

Love the photos and you look beautiful.

Granny Sue said...

What a great timeline. You look to me like a girl who had a mind of her own, a thinker. Not having a boyfriend high school sounds like a great thing to me. Seems like far too much of my time was spent worrying about that. And then got pregnant and married far too young.

nick said...

I don't see anything scary about your face. You just look confident and discerning. Any guy who felt intimidated must have been a bit feeble.

Boud said...

Amazing to have so many pictures. I had two. Total. Now in my son's possession. But then I was the ninth child.
You looked like a person to be reckoned with!

Dreaming said...

I enjoyed seeing the photos...I also got a kick out of seeing a bit of what you are wearing, I think I had a dress just like the plaid with the PeterPan collar, and the pic with herring bone - I know I had a few skirts of herring bone wool.

Rita said...

Love these! I remember how popular permanents were and how bad they smelled. My hair was normally stick straight, too. (You don't look scary to me--lol!)

Val Ewing said...

Oh I suppose curls were in. Not until I became an adult did I realize that all my Aunts permed their hair all of the time. My mom and Grandmother had straight hair like mine. If mine is a bit longer it has some waves but...
dang those are fun! I ought to dig out some of my kid pics.
My dad took so many and I am thankful for it.

You don't look too scary. Though I bet you had a don't mess with me -- personality.

The Happy Whisk said...

You are so stinkin' cute and before you tell me you're not, I put up my hand and smile and say, you are!

Laurin said...

So fun to see your photos through the years!

CheerfulMonk said...

Thank you! ❤️

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

Beautiful photos!

Lori Skoog said...

Great post! Loved watching you grow up!

Anvilcloud said...

The way you were. People who didn’t know me then can’t recognize me in old photos. I was somewhat good looking and had hair.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Looking back over now vintage photos of the way you were can be interesting and glad you shared yours. I had curly hair as a child, but very few photos to look back at. My late father took mostly videos.

Sandra said...

yes it is.

Rajani Rehana said...
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Rajani Rehana said...
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Sandra said...

Thank you, Miss Merry. How I changed then and man, how I've changed now.

Sandra said...

Thank you , Pixie. You are kind.

Sandra said...

Nope, never went to a school dance or any of it, Sue. I was quiet, that changed!

Sandra said...

That is what scares people off, nick.

Sandra said...

I was quiet and studious, Boud. You wouldn't believe the amount of photos there are.

Sandra said...

The only clothing I remember is a poodle skirt and saddle shoes, Dreaming!

Sandra said...

Boo! I hated the permanents, Rita.

Sandra said...

Or they thought I did, Val. But I will say it is part of who I am so it was likely that was in there even then!

Sandra said...

I surrender, Ivy!

Sandra said...

Thank you, Laurin.

Sandra said...

You are welcome, Cheerful.

Sandra said...

Why, thank you, Linda.

Sandra said...

And then I grew old, Lori!!

Sandra said...

I had hair, too, AC! I'm not recognizable, either. But I do see you in the old photos you've posted.

Sandra said...

I have photos back to the early 1900s, Dorothy. The family loved a camera.

peppylady (Dora) said...

I start to write on back of my photos. I have plenty of old photos I'm clueless about.

nick said...

Following on from an earlier post, I've just read The Bell Jar. It's still a great read, with a fascinating protagonist.

"Tommy" said...

You, at an early age, through your college years, matured into a very graceful presence; the eyes tell a lot

Sandra said...

I do, too, Dora. I wish the people at the time would have written who and when.

Sandra said...

It's a good book, nick. I'm glad you finally got to read it.

Sandra said...

Thank you, Tommy. That's very kind of you to say.