If you grew up preparing food to store for a winter season, you may know the term “putting food by.”  This term is often used to refer to canning food or preparing crops for the root cellar.

However, in my grandmother’s and mother’s day, putting food by also meant freezing food.  Which leads me to the reason I’m putting freezer cooking, old fashioned cooking, and The Hillbilly Housewife together.

I was introduced to a website called TheHillbillyHousewife.com first by my daughter, Nicole Dean, internet marketing guru.  I thought she was trying to show me some new-fangled gadgetry website thingy that I knew I wouldn’t understand.  But the name Hillbilly Housewife?  That name didn’t fit exactly into Nicole’s niche of internet marketing stuff.  But, I clicked on TheHillbillyHousewife.com anyway and was ready to check it out.

The first thing that struck me was the image.  There stands a woman wearing an apron, tending to a pot of coffee on a very old fashioned kitchen stove.  That scene could have easily come right out of any family scene I remember from, oh… decades and decades ago.  My grandmothers, my mother, my aunts… all these women in my memory, any one of them could have been that woman in the picture.

That image warmed my heart and I immediately had an affinity with this website, and the person responsible for it, Susanne Myers.

What kept me going back to visit TheHillbillyHousewife was the simplicity.  The information, stories, recipes, and topics of discussion sound like the women of my memory;  women gathered in the kitchen, trying to figure out how to blanch corn, how to save money, how to plant peas, how to season cast iron, how to get grease out, how to make curtains, and all those things that make a household run smoothly.

Now, I know what inspired me to go back to visit TheHillbillyHousewife over and over again.  After all, I know my history.  But, what I wondered was:

1) What history does Susanne have with the women in her family that inspires her to write such an old fashioned website?  And,

2) Apart from making meal time easier with a freezer full of food, does the concept of  “putting food by” as a hedge against winter, inflation, or hardship inspire any of Susanne’s writing?

Rather than wonder, why don’t I just pose these two questions to Susanne.  So, without further ado, I present Susanne Myers, The Hillbilly Housewife.

Patti: “Welcome to my blog, Susanne.”

Susanne: “Hi Patti, first of all thank you for having me here on RemarkableWrinklies.com. I love your blog and the fresh perspective you offer. And also thank you for recommending my freezer cooking ebook. I’m glad you are enjoying it as much as I am.”

Patti: “You are welcome, and thank you for coming!  If you would, could you tell us in your own words how you would describe your inspiration for The Hillbilly Housewife.  I suspect you were surrounded by some remarkable women in your life; women who created the sort of home that we would describe now as old fashioned.”

Susanne: “You are so perceptive Patti … yes, my inspiration for the Hillbilly Housewife website comes from some amazing women in my own family and that of my husband. I have learned so much from my own grandmothers and my husband’s “Grandma Griffin”. I greatly admire all three of them. They are (and were – one of my grandmothers passed away almost a year ago) hard working women who always “made do” with what they had on hand. Each of them had 4 or more children and a large house and garden (and in one case an entire farm) to take care of. Money was often tight, and most food was cooked from scratch and most of the vegetables and fruit they grew and preserved themselves.

After I got married and had my daughter, I noticed that there were a lot of skills I was forgetting and I had quite a few friends who never learned how to make bread or cook a pot of stew from scratch. Old fashioned homemaking and home-cooking is becoming a bit of a lost art. The website is my little contribution to make sure these skills don’t become forgotten. Yes, the site is a bit old fashioned and most of the topics certainly are, but at the same time, they are useful to us today just as much as they were to our grandmothers when they were young women.

Yes, we have other options these days that include premade meals and convenience foods we can pick up at the store and of course plenty of restaurants. At the same time, we pay for that convenience and it isn’t always the healthiest food. I know I feel better knowing I can make a batch of cornbread and chili from scratch, even if I don’t do it every week and it’s just as easy (and actually more environmentally friendly and more effective) to scrub my kitchen sink with baking soda instead of a harsh chemical cleaner. My point is that yes, the site is a bit old fashioned, but the information is just as applicable today as it was 50 years ago.”

Patti: “You are exactly right – old fashioned never goes out of style, as strange as that seems.  How about the concept of “putting food by” as a hedge against winter, inflation, or hardship; does that idea inspire any of your writing?”

Susanne: “Yes, it sure does. We have gone through some tough financial times where I wasn’t sure where to get the money to go to the grocery store that week. Having a freezer full of food gives me a feeling of security that no matter what my daughter will not go hungry. It’s also nice to know these meals are there in case I get sick. I had a bad case of the flu earlier this winter and my husband isn’t a big cook. It was nice to know that he could just pull a casserole out of the freezer and heat it up. It gave me the peace of mind to just relax and allow my body to heal instead of trying to push myself too soon into getting up, heading to the store and cooking dinner.

Along the same lines, it is nice to have a few meals in the freezer that I can share with a family member, friend or neighbor if and when it is needed there.”

Thanks to Susanne Myers for taking time from her extremely busy schedule to answer a few questions from this humble blogger.  I hope you enjoy visiting The Hillbilly Housewife as much as I do!

p.s.  Now that you’ve gotten a chance to “meet” Susanne, take a look at the Freezer Cookbook that inspired me to ask Susanne about her inspiration.  Click on the picture below and see if you think this might not be something you can use for yourself – or for a gift!

The least fun of all… finding out how many inches you’ve got to lose.

I’m going to make today’s post short and sweet.

You’ll need to take your measurements today so you have a benchmark.  That will keep you going when the going gets tough.

You may be asking “What about weighing myself?”

Although weighing yourself is important, I believe that measurements give you a better, shall we say, measure of how you’re doing; in other words, if you are shrinking.  Oftentimes, women will see a significant change in smaller muscle groups such as the upper arms before they start losing much weight.  That little difference can keep a person motivated to keep exercising.

Also, we all know muscle weighs more than fat.  With that thinking, your weight loss may be a bit inaccurate.

However, an inch lost from your arms or abdomen is very encouraging.

You may not see a big difference in the first 30 days, but you may see just enough of a change to keep you interested in continuing your fitness program.

Just take these standard measurements – upper arms, above the bust, at the bust, under the bust, waist, abdomen, hips, upper thigh, above knee – jot down the information, then go back in 2 weeks and do it again.  You may not see much of a difference that soon, but you will in time!

Measure again in another 2 weeks and you may be surprised.  Keep comparing to your original measurements and your days should start to get a little brighter!

That’s all I had for today.  I hope you found a fitness program that works for you.  My favorite at home exercise program remains the same – Scott’s FatLossQuickie.  Check it out by clicking on the graphic here.

Be sure to take those measurements today and don’t despair!  It will get better!

It’s only Day 2 of my fitness challenge and already I’m asking you to make exercise a habit.

Now, you’re wondering – isn’t a habit something that only occurs after, say, 21 days?  Isn’t that the accepted time it takes to make something a habit?  21 days?

Not if you ask Aileen Bennett of ThatSpeaker.com.  She has an interesting way of illustrating how we make something we do, good or bad, a habit.

Paraphrasing here, I present Aileen’s theory on making something a habit:

Consider the first cigarette you ever smoked.  (If you were a smoker I can already see the lights starting to go on.)  Did it take you 21 days to make that a habit?  After you lit up your first cigarette, did you say to yourself  “Okay, I’d better keep this up for 21 days so I make it a habit?”  No.

I suspect, like all good first-time smokers you just lit up another one right away, and then another, and then another…  because, dang, that was fun!

You committed yourself to smoking from Day 1!  You didn’t say, “I’ll give it my all for 21 days, but if it’s not a habit by then, I’ll just quit.”  You were IN from the very beginning.  This smoking stuff was going to change your life!  It was going to be cool, make you look older, and fit in with all the other cool kids.  So, yeah, light me up!

From that very first puff, if you were committed to smoke, then doggone it, you were going to smoke!  It wasn’t going to take any 21 days to convince you that this was a habit worth forming.

Okay, Aileen, you are definitely on to something here.  Thanks for the insight.

When you decide on an exercise program, buy your free weights, floor ball, bike, shoes, or whatever you need to begin, you are already committed to making exercise a habit.

You can “light up” every day, knowing that you have already gotten in the habit of exercising, or you can wait and see how you feel after 21 days to decide.

My commitment is to exercise every day for the month of March so that I can keep track of my progress.  I already know I’m “hooked” because I know how good it feels to get fit, and how bad it feels to get off track.

Make exercise a habit in your life.  Make it your resolution to get fit after 50 like your life depends on it – because it does.  Getting fit and healthy should not only be a priority, it should be a habit!

Good luck and I’ll check in again soon!

p.s. Don’t forget to keep track of your progress. Many doctor’s offices allow their regular patients to come in and step on the scale and even have their blood pressure taken. Be sure to take advantage of these services if you can. You’ll also want to take your measurements in the next few days, if you haven’t already. We’ll get into more of this later.

p.p.s.  If you are still looking for a great, quick, at home fitness program, click here to see what the FatLossQuickie program is all about.  This is what I’m doing for my home exercise program because I’ve done it before and it works!

Besides being quick and fun, you get lots of extra goodies when you purchase the FatLossQuickie program.

Take a look and see what you think.

How is fitness defined at different ages and what sort of exercise methods should someone over 50 use?

Is exercise after 50 any different than exercise after 40, or 30, or even 20?

True Store:  My dear daughter, Nicole Dean, who some of you know from NicoleOnTheNet.com made me laugh the other day, which she tends to do often.

I was applying my special super-duper lift and firm cream to my “ol’ lady neck” as Nicole and I call it, telling her how much I enjoy this new cream I have and how it’s worth it to get the best stuff you can afford to buy when you get old because why not treat yourself well…. blah blah blah

… at which point my dear daughter concurs with that thought by saying “You only get old once.”

How do you like that?!

Yes, you do only get old once!  That said, you sure better believe that you need to treat yourself, your body, your mind, and your soul better than you ever treated them before.  Your aging self needs your help now more than ever!

Here’s a little video that I’ve enjoyed that illustrates a bit of what I believe exercise and fitness entails as you are getting past the 50 year and beyond mark.  Please watch and enjoy, then come back and let’s see what you think.

Fitness at Every Age

So, what does fitness mean to you?  That depends on who you are.  Let’s just take a wild stab here and some grossly generalized definitions of fitness based solely on my own experience, and the experiences of some friends my age.

Fitness After 20

What fitness after 20?  We just ran around like crazy, having fun, some of us chasing kids, and some of us starting careers.  We didn’t give fitness much thought unless it became a social event.  We skied, swam, played baseball,tennis, and whatever we could squeeze into our days.

Fitness After 30

We now were busy with our family’s schedule, jobs, household stuff,  and finding less and less time for ourselves.  We started to wonder how we were going to look this summer in our swimsuit.  Aerobics classes were all the rage during that time and we joined up to stay trim and shapely.

Fitness After 40

We’ve been raising our family and busy working hard for the last twenty years or so.  Looking good in our clothes became good enough for some of us.  We were still participating in sports and exercise classes, but not as often.  Many of us also started the dreaded peri-menopause battle during this decade, and some of us became Grandma.

Fitness After 50

Here we are in our 50’s.  Many of us are battling peri-menopause weight gain and don’t know what to do about it.  We can trace our general lack of physical well-being back through the decades and see how it occurred.  Some of us have now passed out of peri menopause and into menopause.  With this passage comes bone density concerns as well as other health and fitness issues.

As we age further, we realize our flexibility isn’t what it used to be; neither is our balance or strength.  The fact that we can’t get into the same pair of jeans that we did when we were in our 30’s isn’t the only concern we have.  Yes, getting back into a pair of jeans is incentive to exercise at any age, but fitness after 50 has taken on a whole different meaning.  We realize that we have to get fit for life!

It’s Never Too Late for Fitness

This is a fact.  At any age, in any physical condition, you can start to regain your life by regaining your fitness.  Exercise after 50 and far beyond is crucial to ensure you maintain the quality of life that you deserve.

Strong muscles and bones, flexible joints, balance, and general physical well-being is more important after 50 than any other time in your life.

This commitment to getting and staying fit after 50 doesn’t only benefit you today, tomorrow, or even next year… but for decades to come.

Watch this short video and see if you can see yourself being strong and full of vitality well into your 80’s.

I want that sort of vitality when I’m 87 years old.  How about you?

If your answer is “Yes” then come join me as I commit to a solid exercise program for the next 30 days.  I feel that once I make the commitment for 30 days, I’ll feel so good that I won’t want to quit.

Are you with me?  Alright!

The fitness program I’ve chosen is the FatLossQuickie program that my friend Scott Tousignant has developed for doing at home on the computer. Click on the picture here to give Scott’s fitness program a look.

The program involves a 10 minute workout with weights and a 10 minute cardio workout.

That’s it!  Quick and convenient! With just two 10 minute sessions your home workout is done!  Then, you can add a walk or a bike ride if you like; that’s what I plan to do.

Won’t you join me and commit to your fitness today and for the rest of your life?

p.s. Fitness is important at every age. Whether you’re 50, 60, 70, 80, or beyond, it’s never too late to feel better, stronger and more flexible. Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program. Then come join me and Scott Tousignant while we commit to the next 30 days of fitness!

p.p.s.  I’ll be checking in here as I do my workouts to stay accountable to you.  I’ll also be watching my diet as I exercise, so I’ll share that information with you, also.  This could get a little scary… committing to exercise is one thing; having to confess my failures is another.  I’ll start with this confession:  It’s 3:45 p.m. and I haven’t exercised yet, although I did eat very healthy.  Okay, off to do my Quickie!!!  Later all!

Yeah, I know.  It can be a tedious subject if you start thinking you’ll have to do sit-ups and crunches every day for the rest of your life.  But, you don’t have to.  You can get and stay Fit After 50 and have fun at the same time!

So, how do you get motivated to get Fit For Life?  What if you just committed to the next 30 days?  And what if the exercises were varied and challenging, even fun?  That doesn’t seem to loom so large and odious, does it.  I know I can accept a challenge like that, can you?

Here’s what we’re up to.  My wonderful daughter, Nicole Dean, over at NicoleOnTheNet.com, and our friend, Scott Tousignant at FatLossQuickie.com have teamed up with me to challenge our readers to “Drop And Give Me 30″ – that’s 30 days of a committed fitness program.

The fitness program I have chosen is the Fat Loss Quickie 10 minute exercise program I can do at home, which is featured here; just click on the graphic below.

I’ve chosen this particular program for several reasons:

1) because it was developed by Scott Tousignant and I know he knows his stuff; he has fitness clients in their 80’s, (which you can witness if you click here to see Scott’s very own “Remarkable Wrinklies” in action, as well as a shout out to yours truly), and

2) because it’s 10 minutes twice a day, personally directed by Scott, via video, and

3) because it can be done in limited space with limited equipment, and

4) because I’ve used this program before and it works.

The Fat Loss Quickie program is an online series of 10 minute exercises that you do twice a day – one with weights and one cardio.  Easy as pie… you’re at home, you click on the link that Scott sends you, do the 10 minutes, and you’re done.  Then, once more that day, you click on the link that Scott sends you, do the workout, and you’re done.

So, here’s my challenge.  Start by picking a program that is easy to stick with.  I know that 10 minutes twice a day is something most everyone can certainly stick with!

If you choose the FatLossQuickie exercise program, go out and get yourself a 65 cm floor ball and some simple free weights.  If you haven’t exercised with free weights in a long time, or ever, choose a couple lighter weights to begin – maybe two 5 pounders and two 3 pounders, or even a couple 2 pounders.

You may be saying “But, I already walk 30 minutes every day, isn’t that enough.”  The answer is No.

Walking alone won’t give you what you need to get fit totally.  You need to do weight bearing exercises for your bone and muscle health – especially us,  ladies.

We need to be working on increasing our strength, flexibility, and balance.  We are NOT trying to get into a bikini, although that would be nice, too, but that’s not our focus here.

I have tried other fitness programs, even had success with some, but I know this 10 minutes twice a day program works very well.  That’s why I keep returning to it after some slug time!

Won’t you join Scott, Nicole, and me as we commit to 30 days of fitness?  I’ll be checking in here as we go through the month to report my successes, and failures.  I would love to have you post your comments here as you go through your 30 days of fitness.

I’m holding myself accountable to you, dear readers.  I will commit to doing my exercises faithfully for the next 30 days.  Won’t you join me?

p.s.  If you still don’t think you can start exercising, or you think it’s too late to get into shape, Click here to read about Scott’s very own “Remarkable Wrinklies” who have been a source of inspiration to many people our age and much, much older!

p.p.s.  Getting fit over 50 years old has some specific concerns.  So, here’s my “Before you start any exercise program…” paragraph.  You know the routine.  Check with your doctor before you start any new exercise program, and discuss any concerns you may have.

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the flag raising on Iwo Jima.

I want to honor the brave men and women serving our country, then and now, by remembering this day in history.

I hope you will take a minute today to say thanks in some small way.

From www.IwoJima.com:

“The first flag raising atop Mount Suribachi, February 23, 1945.

Hank Hansen (without helmet), Boots Thomas (seated), John Bradley (behind Thomas) Phil Ward (hand visible grasping pole), Jim Michaels (with carbine) and Chuck Lindberg (behind Michaels).”

“Photo by Lou Lowery. 10AM, Feb. 23, 1945″

From www.IwoJima.com:

“Four of the Flag Raisers (Bradley, Hayes, Sousley & Strank) appear with their jubilant buddies.  Strank, Sousley and many of these boys would soon be dead.”

Obviously a sobering thought and fact of war.

This is the original photograph by Joe Rosenthal. It was later cropped to become the photo we all know.

The photos and information are courtesy of  www.IwoJima.com.

Please take a moment to explore their website.

Read more about this point in history in James Bradley’s Flags of Our Fathers for adults, or the abridged version, Flags of Our Fathers: A Young People’s Edition.

p.s. My dear hubby, Neale Winker, served in the Coast Guard at Iwo Jima’s LORAN station 1961 – 1962.  He said that was some isolated duty.

Yes, it depends on your age.

The Baby Boomer generation is reportedly anyone born between the years 1946 to 1964.  If that’s true, then Holy Mackerel, our Dads and Moms were busy celebrating after WWII for a long, long time.  Can you really credit (or blame depending on your perspective) the population explosion on celebrating the end of WWII if folks were still “celebrating” into the 60’s?

But, I digress.  We of a certain generation tend to temper our speech patterns, etc., depending on if we’re talking to a person who remembers where they were when Kennedy was shot or not.    I can’t relate my feelings of sitting in front of the television “that day” to someone born in 1964.  So, the whole “born 1946 to 1964″ is arbitrary and produces a vastly different nostalgic process of thoughts and feelings.

Which brings me to this wonderful website called I Remember JFK.  I’ve been reading this top notch “remember when” website for some time now and I really enjoy the plethora of nostalgic tidbits Ron offers there.

You’ll find very detailed posts on everything from Bugles to Herb Albert (wait, aren’t those two topics related somehow?).  Ron gives your memory banks gentle nudges with some perhaps long forgotten muscle cars, vanished toys, and all sorts of memorabilia from times gone by.

But, which decade do you remember when you “remember when?”  I would guess that if you were born in 1946 your “I remember when…” sentence would end drastically different from a fellow Boomer’s “I remember when…” sentence if said fellow Boomer was born in 1964.

My hubby and I are 12 years apart in age.  Let’s just say our CD player has an interesting mix of music.  So, the 19 year spread between Baby Boomer #1 and Baby Boomer #2 must produce a whole stretch of nostalgia that speaks to one but not the other.

I guess because I talk to so many Boomers anxious to discuss “the good old days” that I’ve noticed this chasm in our meaning of  nostalgia.

Do you get nostalgic over 6.5 ounce bottles of Coke?  How about Poodle Skirts?  Pennies in your loafers?  Peddle Pushers?  Dippity Do?  Teaberry Gum?  Black Jack Gum?  Televisions as furniture?  Giant ashtrays?  Ed Sullivan?  The Beatles on Ed Sullivan?  Mini skirts?  Paisley prints?  Madras prints?  Knee socks and shorts?  Davey Crocket hats?  Pebbles?  Barbie’s Dream House?  Real cherry candy ornaments?  Herman’s Hermits?  The Monkeys?  Hip hugger bell bottoms?  Sock hops?

You see the problem?  Just in that one paragraph I’ve bounced around decades of nostalgia.  How is a Boomer to choose?

The answer is – we don’t.  Our memory banks are gathering nostalgia throughout our entire lives.  What I fondly recall from my childhood is not exclusive of the memories I cherish from my teen years, or beyond.

Give I Remember JFK a read and see how Ron gathers all those decades together, ruminates on just how we might have lost something during a few, and see if you can decide which decade was your favorite.

I, for one, can’t decide if one decade has it all over another.

I just watched a clip from “Saturday Night Fever” and still have to love it.  But, I also long for the days when we had three television stations and played outside all day and all night. I get all warm and fuzzy when I think about my embroidered hip-hugger bell-bottom jeans, but still cherish my little poodle skirt. My CD player has everything from The Fleetwoods to Jimi Hendrix to “Hotel California” by the Eagles.

That’s how it is with us Boomers.  We’ve lived long enough to have memories that span decades.

Being raised up north, we didn’t know the hoopla surrounding Mardi Gras -  literally meaning the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

Being raised Catholic, I did, however, know the meaning of the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday being “the last day we can eat candy or meat before Easter.”  That, to a kid and a meat-eater, was reason enough to indulge in gluttony from sunup until late into the night.

Now, living in the south, I see that Mardi Gras means a whole lot more than just Fat Tuesday… it means an industry.  It means a HUGE industry.

As early as January the beads, masks, feathers, and assorted Mardi Gras treasures start to appear in every store.  And I mean EVERY store.  It seems no matter what the store is selling – it can be a bakery – they shove it all aside to put up their Mardi Gras display.

Have I fallen prey to this sort of extreme Fat Tuesdayism?  Sort of.  I’ve gone to my fair share of parades now and caught my fair share of beads, fully clothed mind you.  I have a collection of Mardi Gras beads and masks, and I’ve eaten one, just one, Moon Pie.  (If you’ve ever eaten a Moon Pie you’ll know why I just ate ONE.)

Yes, I must admit the whole Fat Tuesday slash Mardi Gras thing is infectious.  I am supporting our local economy by purchasing all the right stuff to make sure my Fat Tuesday is spent as gaudily as possible.

And, yes, those of you who know me also know that  I have a plastic flamingo wearing Mardi Gras beads.  I have been assimilated by the Borg… er, I mean the South.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.  I will remove the beads draped around my plastic flamingo’s neck and I will make a sacrifice for Lent like a good Catholic.

Until then, laissez les bons temps rouler, ya’ll!

(FYI: if the advertisers shut down the ads, they won’t play. So, until that happens, enjoy!)

Betty White and Abe Vigoda for Snickers

Don Rickles as the Dead Flowers for Teleflora

Stevie Wonder et al for Volkswagen Slug Bug (that’s not a typo – we used to say “Slug Bug”)

Chevy Chase and Bevery D’Angelo for HomeAwayVacation

US Census a la Christopher Guest

Brett Favre – The legend goes on, and on, and on… for Hyundai

Sock Money et al – or weird toys we remember for Kia
Pretty fun. Hope you enjoyed those “remember when” moments as much as I did.

p.s. If you’re looking for the Clydesdale and Bull BFF video, sorry. It makes you jump through hoops to prove you’re over 21 to watch… yeah, I hear ya.

I admit, I got sucked in and I’m guessing a lot of people did who don’t know a tight end from a linebacker.  But, besides the sentimental aspect, what struck me was the heavy hitters using nostalgia to sell their products during the infamous Super Bowl commercial spots.

Does nostalgia still sell?  Or are those of us who remember “real” commercials no longer interested enough to care, or worse yet, to buy?

There is a strongly held belief on Madison Avenue that when we are smack dab in the middle of a rough economy, folks are drawn to images that are familiar, comforting, and with little risk.  In other words, please don’t try to impress me with something NEW… I want my fuzzy slippers and scruffy robe, thank you very much.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of my favorite commercial spots that aired during the Super Bowl – moments that reminded me that laughing is ageless, and nostalgia stills sells.

• Two wonderful legends from the era of classic television – Betty White and Abe Vigoda – in a Snickers ad that made me laugh out loud!  (That’s lol to you youngsters.)

• Funny insult genius Don Rickles, in a Teleflora ad where he does the voice for a box of talking dead flowers.  Classic Rickles.

• Volkswagen does a whole schtick using that old “spot a Volkswagen, slug your buddy” thing.  (In the old days, we spotted a Volkswagen Beetle, punched our buddy, and said “slug bug.”)  Stevie Wonder gets a jab in on his buddy when he spots a red Volkswagen… yeah.  That elicited a few groans and a much appreciated lighthearted look at ourselves.

• I believe the movie “National Lampoon’s Vacation” should be considered a National Treasure.  In an ad for HomeAway, a vacation home rental agency, we are once again treated to Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo in their classic roles as travel weary Clark and Ellen Griswold.  Brilliant.

• Even the stodgy old Census Bureau got into the act with their commercial directed by Christopher Guest and featuring easily recognizable actors and similar themes from his films like “This Is Spinal Tap” and “Best In Show.”

• When nostalgia is mixed with self-deprecating humor, it’s always a winner.  Take the up-down-up-down-up-again Brett Favre.  That poor guy’s got to laugh at himself, and his appearance for Hyundai was evidence of that.  Priceless.

• Other things from our childhood elicited those warm and fuzzy feelings; things like the weirdly fascinating Sock Monkey featured in the Kia commercial.  Did I say weird?  I meant very weird.

• And, speaking of warm and fuzzy feelings, there’s nothing like a baby Clydesdale and a baby bull growing up together to become best of friends, no matter what the obstacles… even a pasture fence can’t keep them apart.  Kudos to Budweiser for giving us that sweet, okay teary, moment.

• Music, like food, brings back memories, sometimes more than an image will.  To review, we heard from Kiss, Electric Light Orchestra, Cheap Trick, Bill Withers, and of course, The Who at halftime.

Does nostalgia still sell?  Well, we’ve got a huge population of folks born between 1946 and 1964 that clearly appreciate a nod now and again to those sights, sounds, and smells from the past.  And when we recognize something, when something is familiar to us, and that something is attached to a new product, we trust that product.  We trust what we know, even if by association only.  Make sense?

Yes, we love our nostalgia and yes, it sells.  Thanks for the memories, Super Bowl advertisers.

p.s.  We nostalgia lovers are not alone by any means.  As I mentioned, Madison Avenue knows that when times are tough we need comfort, and familiar things are comforting.  My friend Susanne Myers, The Hillbilly Housewife, has embraced a return to the old days especially in homemaking and all things frugal.  Click here to take a tour around her website and see if some of her recipes and topics don’t spark a bit of nostalgia in your heart.

Susanne is also curious about your opinion of the Super Bowl ads.  She’s been asking folks via Twitter to weigh in with their favorite Super Bowl ad pick.

Give Susanne a quick shout to let her know your opinion by clicking on the Twitter page you see here.

Then, stop back here again and share your comments with me.  I’d love to hear if you think nostalgia sells, or if we’re just having fun with it and nothing else.  Thanks for reading!