What Do Paris, France, and Miami, Florida Have in Common? Moi!

A humorous look back at my childhood growing up in Miami, Florida. I almost went to Paris, France.

Growing up in Miami, Florida is a wonderfully multicultural experience. Hanging out in Downtown Miami is the best fun ever for kids who have no money. The bus ride only cost ten cents (back in the day). If you had an extra twenty-five cents, you could stop by Woolworth or McCrory’s and buy a quarter-pound bag of cashew nuts and share it. That’s what my late sister and I used to do. We thought we knew all about downtown and that there was nothing we had not seen that we did not want to see again and again. But one day we decided to be adventurous and travel a little bit further than we usually did. We turned down a street, and we were immediately transported to Paris, France. Of course, we were still in Miami, but it sure felt like we were on the streets of Paris.

People were sitting and eating at a sidewalk cafe. There was an artist painting a picture. He was a light-skinned man, but his complexion had been kissed by the sun, so there was a hint of bronze color. Not very tall, with a trim, slender build. He was wearing a black beret as if he were a soldier; a black T-shirt, and black pants. He had a dazzling smile and the most amazing blue eyes. Blue like the sky!

When he noticed that I was admiring his artwork, he looked directly at me. He was about to say something when my overprotective sister grabbed my arm and started dragging me away. “Let’s go! We have to catch the bus and get back home!” I could have protested, but she was right. It was getting late. Downtown was fun during the day but not a safe place for two young girls at night. No matter.

That day, a memory was created that I would always cherish, and it has a little mystery.

Wonder what the man was going to say to me?

Was he going to ask me if I liked his painting? Was he going to ask if he could paint my picture? Was he going to try to pick me up? He looked French, and I imagined that was something French men did when they saw young girls. Give me a break! I was about 12 years old and watched a lot of television. Anyway, I’ll never know what he was going to say to me. From that day, whenever we would go on our outings, my big sister would insist we stay on the safe streets.

Paris, France is on my list of places to visit at least one time in my life. 

Realistically though, it looks as if that may never happen. Oh well! There’s always virtual travel via the Internet. When I dream of Paris, I see a city for artists, poets, and lovers, oozing with diversity and great food! Because of that one day when my sister and I decided to turn down that one street we had never been on before, I like to think that Paris is like Miami, only French. So that means — technically — I’ve already visited this fabulous city and could scratch it off my list. But I won’t!

* * * POST NOTE: No sooner than the 2015 new year had begun, we were all saddened by an horrific event, the massacre at Charlie Hebdo. Can no longer think of Paris through the eyes of an innocent child. It is now interrupted by the memory of this tragic event. #CharlieHebdo

Celebrating Womens History Month With My Childhood Memories of Elizabeth Arden

When I was growing up in Miami, Florida, my favorite department store was Burdine’s. It no longer exists. It was bought by Macy’s. Macy’s may have bought the store, but they did not buy my memories. I still have them, and they are intact. One of my memories that is crystal clear was the perfume counter. You could find all kinds of high-quality perfumes and fragrances, such as Elizabeth Arden. To me, the letters “E” and “A” in that name mean exquisite and alluring fragrances for women.

The real name of the woman who started this American company was Florence Nightingale Graham. She attended nursing school in Canada for a while, but eventually dropped out. She moved to America (Manhattan, New York), lived with her brother, and began to pursue her own interests in developing skincare, makeup, and other beauty products for women.

She entered into a business partnership with another woman by the name of Elizabeth Hubbard; however, the partnership only lasted for 6 months. From that point forward, she was determined to establish her presence in the business world on her own. She took the first name of her business partner, “Elizabeth,” and the name of a farm, “Arden,” and created the trade name in 1909. It is now 2026, which means that, for over a century, America (and the rest of the world, as her products are sold in over 20 countries), has associated that trade name with the most desired beauty products for women. Elizabeth Arden products include a wide range of fragrances, cosmetics, and skincare essentials.

Ms. Graham passed away in 1966 at the age of 87. She is buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in NewYork. The name on her grave is Elizabeth N. Graham. She is, without a doubt, one of the most inspiring and phenomenal businesswomen of the 20th century.

• FUN FACT:  Ms. Arden was the 1st to introduce matching nail polish to your lipstick! #VintageAd

(Image credit: Elizabeth Arden Products Sold at Selfridges, Flickr.com) 

RECAP Fascinating Facts about Elizabeth Arden

1. Her real name was Florence Nightingale Graham, and she was born in Canada. Elizabeth Arden was incorporated into an episode of Murdoch Mysteries under her birth name, Florence Nightingale Graham, in Season 12, Episode 7 (“Operation: Murder”). She later created the name “Elizabeth Arden” by combining “Elizabeth” (to save money on signage) with “Arden”, taken from a nearby farm. (Source)

2. She built one of the world’s first global beauty empires. By 1929, she owned 150 beauty salons across the U.S. and Europe, and her company sold 1,000 beauty products in 22 countries. (Source)

3. She helped make makeup socially acceptable for “respectable” women. Before Arden, cosmetics were often associated with actresses or “low-class” women. She revolutionized beauty culture by teaching women how to use makeup and promoting it as elegant, scientific, and ladylike. (Source)

--- Learn More:

Daily, Investor’s Business. “Elizabeth Arden Created Worldwide Cosmetics Industry.” Investor’s Business Daily, 26 Aug. 2015.

Kimmer, Retro. “WAR PAINT: ELIZABETH ARDEN - VS-  HELENA RUBINSTEIN.” RetroKimmer.Com, 14 Jan. 2011. 

View Elizabeth Arden products here.

Floral Diversity: High School Memories and Porcupine Quills

Years ago when I attended Catholic high school they sponsored what's called a “Retreat”. It's an event where you just … get away! It lasted for about a week. You don't have to go to class, you have no access to telephones or television or radio. Back then we didn't have cell phones or the Internet or video games. The Retreat was for spiritual growth and spending quiet moments in meditation and praying to God. We had group sessions where we candidly discussed our thoughts and read scriptures.

And since it was a bunch of silly immature high schools girls stuck in one place with not much to do you could visit each other's rooms, have pajama parties and pillow fights, style each other's hair, paint each other's nails, and stay up most of the night laughing and talking about insignificant things. We could do that until the nuns came and told is we had to turn off the lights and go to sleep. LOL.

The place where the retreat was held was absolutely mind-blowing. I wish I had taken a photograph. But cameras were also not allowed. One thing I remember was a particular flower that grew in the garden. I had never seen it before and nobody seemed to know the name. When asked to describe it, I said “It's looks like pretty pink porcupine quills with white and gold tips.”

Well! Thanks to the Internet, I found a photo of that lovely flower and it brought back some nice memories. The flower is called Crimson Bottlebrush. OK. Yeah. It sort of looks like a bottlebrush. LOL.

Image credit: KeiraSoleore on Twitter

Hope your day is as lovely as this flower.

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How to Grow Bottlebrush | Gardener’s Path 

Original source

Opinions and Perspectives ~ What are Some Historic Events You Lived Through?

NOTE:  Donald J. Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States.  I decided this blog post could use some major edits and revisions.  So I published a brand new post.  Click here.

I am an old lady with a Tumblr account, and I can tell the Tumblr community has a lot of young people. I stumbled across a post, and the person was saying they were very upset about living through a historic event RIGHT NOW. It was a reference to our 2024 presidential elections.  Trump won!

But then I thought to myself:  How many historic events have I lived through?

At the time, those events were also upsetting.

Let me think. I've lived through:

1. Introduction of new technology: Television (50s) and Internet (90s)
2. 3 assassinations – John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.
3. 3 POTUS Impeachments – Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump (impeached twice)
4. The passage of the Civil Rights Act
5. Neil Armstrong walked on the moon
6. Richard Speck - 1st serial killer or mass murderer I knew about
7. The Vietnam War and “Flower Power”
8. Iran-Contra Affair
9. Fall of the Berlin Wall
10. Oklahoma City Bombing
11. Sept 11th Attack
12. Death of Osama bin Laden and several other high-profile terrorists
13. COVID-19 Pandemic
14. January 6 Capitol Riot
15. Yom Kippur War in 1973 & 50 years later same conflict, same people, on Yom Kippur AGAIN!
16. Several Landmark Supreme Court Decisions from Roe v. Wade to the overturning of Roe V Wade
17. MASS SHOOTINGS – 1960s at the University of Texas; 1980s at a McDonald's in California; 1990s at Luby's Cafeteria in Texas and at Columbine High School … It's 2024, and NOW there are so many mass shootings that we maintain a database of the incidents.

There are more. On my various social media accounts (Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) [**], etc.), I have "marked" other historic events after Trump took office. It's grueling and tiresome.

These events are memorable. But so far, I lived through them.

Original source

 [**] [NOTE: My X account is set for my posts to be publicly visible for public viewing. But for some reason, people who aren’t signed in to the platform can NOT see my account activity. The appropriate box in MY privacy and security settings is unchecked, which means the posts should be publicly visible, But they are not! If you are not signed in and you visit my profile page, it shows “@cmoneypinner hasn't posted”. THAT'S A BIG OLD LIE! I post plenty! Anyway! It's a free social media account. Elon Musk, the owner of X, who claims he promotes and protects free speech, can likely blame technology for not allowing MY public posts to reach a public audience.]

History and Fun Trivia About Barbie

I like vintage stuff and I like trivia.  A Barbie doll is a doll I always wanted for Christmas but for some reason my mom would never buy me one.  I did get a doll for the holiday.  But it was never a Barbie.  WHY??  WHY??? WHY???  My mom said she could not afford it.  I had several siblings so on her limited income, she had stretch her money to make sure we all got toys and that we had a good Christmas meal.  Once I grew up and realized the sacrifices she made to make up happy, I understood.  But as a child not getting the gift you want from Santa Mom is really kind of traumatizing.  You know what I mean??  LOL.

At any rate, did you know: 

• “Barbie dolls were invented by Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, Inc., an American toy manufacturing company founded in 1945. After observing her daughter play with paper dolls, Handler was inspired to create a three-dimensional version of a career-minded, adult doll. She even bought the rights to the German-made doll Bild Lilli, and modeled her version after the figure. By 1959, the first Barbie doll made its official debut at the New York Toy Fair.”

The word used to describe a person who collects dolls is plangonologist.   Some collectible dolls  range in value from just $10 to an impressive $2,000.

REF; The Guide to #Vintage Barbie #Dolls: Prices, #History and Styles

There are all sorts of Barbie Collectibles.  From famous entertainers like a Barbie Lucile Ball; women in history like Susan B. Anthony and Helen Keller, female characters from fairy tales like Snow White and from popular fantasy, like Galadriel from Lord of Rings.  And of course there are collectible Barbie dolls to celebrate the anniversary of Barbie, when she was introduced to the world.

Image Credit: Barbie Signature Mattel 75th Anniversary Doll, Original 1959 Doll Reproduction in Black and White Swimsuit, with Wrist Tag, Gift for Collectors, Multi

Have you ever owned a Barbie doll?

What Did We Do to Make Sharks So Angry?

Growing up in Miami, Florida, going to the beach was common.  I can remember spending an entire day at the beach many times.  It was nothing but fun!  Being attacked by a shark never crossed my mind.  But times have changed.  Some people who go to the beach these days don't have the same memories that I have from my childhood and teenage years.

This was a really sad news report and it seems like I hear similar reports every 2 to 3 days some place in the world where there are beautiful beaches.  Talk about a vacation with a horrific memory! This family had just arrived in The Bahamas for a vacation and the woman was attacked and killed by a shark. They had only been in the country for a few hours.

• Bull shark kills snorkeler near Green Cay, Bahamas | Miami Herald 

Here's a quote from the article: "Bull sharks, which are known to be aggressive, can reach up to 11.5 feet and 600 pounds, National Geographic Kids reported. They live up to 16 years in the wild. They eat fish, turtles, dolphins and other sharks. Most attacks on humans occur when sharks mistake them for prey."

Mistake a human for prey?

• The shark can't tell the difference between a human and a turtle or fish? (O.o)

I'm thinking we need to design diving suits in a way that the sharks don't mistake us for food!!

I'm not joking. I'm being dead serious about this!

I watched a movie where Angelina Jolie was swimming under water. When she encountered a shark, she punch it in the face. Yeah right! That's how we fend off a shark attack. I don't think so!

* * *

"According to the Florida Museum's International Shark Attack File, the U.S. has reported 1,563 unprovoked shark attacks since 1580 – the most of any country in the world ..." 

REF: 

Where do most shark attacks happen in the US? - Fox Weather

Shark Smart Tips

Ten Safety Tips to Reduce the Risk of Shark Injury

11 Tips to Keep You Safe From Sharks, According to a Shark Safety Diver

Have a safe vacation! 

5 Random Facts About the JDV Blog Publisher

Thank you, subscribers, followers, and visitors. You come here from time to time and read my writings. Thought you might like to get to know me a little. Here are 5 random facts about me. Hope they make you laugh and feel comfortable, as if you've always known me.

(1) I’ve never been to heaven or Oklahoma. But I do like The Beatles. (I make corny references to songs and movies in a regular conversation all the time. LOL.)

(2) When I was about 7 or 8 years old, I misspelled a word once because I had copied the way my father spelled it. My teacher marked me wrong and told me my father was WRONG! I talked back to her … in defense of my beloved father …and was sent to the Principal’s office for being rude and discourteous. (Although the principal laughed and said she understood because she knew my dad. However, she still had to punish me because I couldn’t be allowed to get away with talking back to the teacher in front of the other students. I took my punishment defiantly and proudly. ) About 10 years later I visited my father’s country and what do you know? That’s how they spell that word in his country. So! My dad was RIGHT!! I felt so vindicated. LOL. Wish I could have shown my teacher.

(3) Growing up in Miami, Florida, I experienced a lot of hurricanes. The hurricanes did not upset me. What upset me was the fact that the names of the hurricanes were all FEMALE. I never complained openly about it though. But I guess somebody complained because when I got older they started giving the storms MALE names. Hurricane Bob (1979) was the first hurricane with a man’s name. (Fun Trivia) Bob was not a memorable storm. Hurricanes Cleo and Camille KICKED BUTT!! I remember them!

(4) We have several video games in our house. I have never played a video game. Not by myself or with any of my kids. I don’t know how to work the controllers. LOL.

(5) I had a father, 7 brothers, 1 husband, and 5 sons and to this day, I do NOT know how to tie a necktie. Frankly, since I wasn’t going to be wearing them, I never saw the need to learn. Besides! Why should I bother to learn? They sell those clip-on neckties with the tie knot already done. That was my flawless logic and I was sticking to it! Then one day, one of my daughters said she was putting together an outfit that reflected her personality. She asked if she could borrow one of her dad’s neckties and if I could help her tie it. I didn’t see that coming! She had to figure out how to tie that tie herself. LOL.

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Related Link:
A Few Bio Facts About the Blog Publisher | My Blog Stop!