The Year

The United States in 1973

I was living the summer before my final year at Buffalo High School. These things were going on in the world around me:

January 1 of 1973 began on a Monday.

President: Richard M. Nixon
Vice President: Spiro T. Agnew
Population: 211,908,788
Life expectancy: 71.4 years

News: Nixon, on national TV, accepts responsibility, but not blame, for Watergate; accepts resignations of H. R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman, fires John W. Dean III as counsel (April 30).

Economics:

Median Household Income: (current dollars):  $10,000 – 12,000
Unemployment:   4.9%
Cost of a first-class stamp:   $0.08

Super Bowl: Miami d. Washington (14-7)

Movies:

The Harder They Come

American Graffiti

The Exorcist

The Sting

Last Tango in Paris

 

Books:

Do With Me What You Will by Joyce Carol Oates,

Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon,

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut,

(Source: Infoplease.com)

Prices:

Average Cost of new house- $32,500.00

Average Monthly Rent- $175.00

 

A gallon of gas- 40 cents

AMC Javelin car -$2,900.00

Eggs -45 cents a dozen

 

(Source: thepeoplehistory.com)

 

 

The Waiting Summer: eXplanations

 1973

Is that cheating? Using X in that way? Oh well - you think of a word that begins with X for me. 

 

 

You need to know that I am not 17 in this photo but 16. The point of the photo is the dress. This is the dress I made that I wore to get a job in The Arrangement.  P.S. I am sooo darn cute. Seriously.

 

Me without makeup, but I must say I love this photo enough to marry it. Not sure why.

 

Look at those high waist maroon pants. Whew... nearly to my chin. I don't remember the blouse, but I made the seersucker jacket. I wore a lot of things with a long sleeves under a short sleeves. Can you see the red in my hair?

 This is me trying not to be photographed but featured in my post I Strum. You can't see, but my jamming partner and I are NOT alone in his room. The room was full of jammers. Yes, I was the only girl, but my friend's mom was in the next room. And, trust me when I tell you that, I was scrappy enough to beat them all to the floor, if needed. Oh and that's my guitar in the front.

 

First of all, I want to say that there has never been a prettier mom than I have. She remains beautiful. And look at her hair,  how cute is that all flipped up? I think this photo of me looks like my nine year old granddaughter. I may even see my attitude in her, but we won't talk about that. The picture was actually taken in March on my 17th birthday.

 

 

This is who I cut out of the previous picture, my ittle bitty sister (middle) and brother (far left)  -- except he was as tall or taller than me. Look at his cool hair.  This is the table where my mom taught me how to count money back to my customers in The Count Down.

 

 

New photo: I think I was 17 here because of the clothes. Could my shorts be any shorter? Believe it or not yes, the summer of 1974. Here it looks like I'm saying, who me? I'm not. I'm watching to see what my dad's doing AND pulling up my tank top. This is the front porch I dropped the flaming towel from in Tea Towels and Trouble. Guess what? I kissed plenty of boyfriends in that swing. Don't tell my folks.

 

 

 

These were my favorite bells of the time. You'll have to believe me when I tell you that the bells on those things earned the title of elephant leg. (Sigh) I also totally loved my halter top. I talk about my elephant leg bells in Signs of the Time.

 

 

Here's the rest of the photo. My bro got a haircut  it appears.

 

Well that's all the eXplanation I have for now.

 

P.S.S. If the A-Z doesn't end soon, I may lose my mind.