Wordless Wednesday: Dogs Playing Poker Vintage Postcard

Found at Birdhouse Books:  dog play poker, a 1911 vintage postcard

Did You Know Tuesday: The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Sliced bread ... we all grew up with it.  I always liked "butter bread," as we call it in the South, and as you see the little Sunbeam girl eating in this ad.  In addition to Sunbeam bread, I also remember Colonial bread, Wonder bread, Roman Meal, and wonderful smooth whole wheat bread made at the local monastery.   These breads all had one thing in common:  they were sliced.

Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented the first bread slicing machine in Davenport, Iowa.  It was first used on July 7, 1928 at the Chillicothe Baking Company in Missouri (pictured below).  So sliced bread is 87 years old today!  I think I'll celebrate by having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunch.

(Photo credit: "Chili-sliced" by Americasroof)

I think a lot of bread bakeries were regional.  What sliced breads were popular where you grew up?   I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "My Pledge of Love" by The Joe Jeffrey Group (1969)

I've always said that if you are going to have a one hit wonder, it should be a GREAT one hit wonder. "My Pledge of Love" by The Joe Jeffrey Group is one of my all-time favorite one hit wonders.  This retro soul song made it to number 14 on the Billboard Top 100 chart in 1969.  The lead singer, Joe Jeffrey, was actually born Joe Stafford, but changed his name to avoid confusion with classic jazz singer Jo Stafford.  The band released "My Baby Loves Lovin'," but bubblegum group White Plains had a hit with the same song.  Their last release was "A Hundred Pounds of Clay."   Joe Jeffrey appears to be a bit of a mystery -- I could find nothing about him beyond info on this song and basic biography.  I'm not sure what he is doing now ... but he sure released a great song back in 1969.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!  Wishing you a great day and a fun weekend.  

(Vintage illustration by Charles Twelvetrees)

Weekend Window Shopping at Birdhouse Books - Vintage Children's Books and Valentines

Hi all!   Looking forward to window shopping with you at Birdhouse Books.   As always, you will find these goodies:

Birdhouse Books at Etsy

Birdhouse Books at eBay

This is a cute 1969 vintage copy of Bears on Wheels, by Stan and Jan Berenstain.  (I love the Berenstain Bears!)

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb is a cute 1969 children's book by Al Perkins - illustrated by Eric Gurney.

This sweet Hansel and Gretel Little Golden Book is illustrated by Eloise Wilkin.

The Adventures of Bobby Coon is a children's book by Thonrton Burgess, illustrated by Harrison Cady.

Queen of Hearts by Vera and Bill Cleaver is a 1980 children's book about a summer at Granny's house.

This very cute vintage Valentine shows a little boy putting a gold heart into a figural house-shaped bank.  "I'll be your Valentine and say, I'll save my heart for you today."

This sweet 1960's Valentine for teacher shows a girl with a silver headband.

I hope you enjoyed window shopping with me. Have a great weekend!