It is time for my wooden Pumpkin Men to come out and greet passersby, the FedEx guy, neighbors, and if I had any here, friends. These are about five feet tall and made of wood. One of the members of a "primitives" group I belong to makes them and this is the 3rd Halloween they will be up. And they were reasonably priced, too!
Sometimes I hang a pumpkin bucket or a pail from their hands. This year I think they will be plain until I can gather some discarded corn husks from some of the ditches near the local farms. Then I'll tie on some corn husks.
The photo is before I added strings of lights to the courtyard. I got eaten up by mosquitoes last night but I am so glad the Hallowe'en lights are up! I got up about four times to look at them glowing in the night! I finally found true purple lights (at Walmart), not those red-violet lights often sold as purple. They're too pinky for me at Hallowe'en, although actually a lot of vintage graphics do show pink at Hallowe'en!
And...speaking of vintage graphics, I made up a quick tag set of Hallowe'en bridge tally ladies of yesteryear! Remember all those bridge tallies? Well, remember BRIDGE?
Oh gosh, when I was young, it was played so much more than now, I think. It was a weekly get-together at many homes. Gosh, they even named that collection of various chocolates, "Bridge Mix." I think it was the biggest seller at the Sears candy counter.
By the time I entered college, the bridge tables in the Student Union had given way to the backgammon craze. Backgammon was everywhere, and I never learned to play it or bridge. My husband can play bridge excellently, and learned at about 10 years old. His mother would have numerous tables at her house once a week, and if someone didn't show, she'd grab him and he would sit in. And woe to him if he played poorly. She also held many dances, had studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory, and taught him to dance, which he despises. He does not remember any of it fondly, but I was impressed that she had taken pains that he have the social niceties. My brother nearest to me in age and I were raised like wild wolves.
Many fans of ephemera collect bridge tallies. I think I have one or two in my box of vintage cards and papers. I took these images from eBay auctions and cleaned them up.
As always, USE THE LINK ---> Click for Tallies - because mean ol' Blogger squishes and reduces the image sizes of photos and graphics placed in our posts, making them print ugly. So, go right to the source for better printing.
In the Bridge Mix (chocolates must be capitalized in my book) -- notice my mind goes right back to candy -- I think there were (chocolate covered) raisins, peanuts, almonds, could it be Brazil Nuts also, vanilla creme, a rare "jelly" center, perhaps a licorice center. There was an all-nut bridge mix, too, but we didn't get that one.
Does anyone remember Bridge Mix? If so, what was your favorite piece? What's your favorite candy now? I'd love to know!
Kind regards,
The Olde Dame, Holly
Oh my! I never learned to play Bridge. We tried once with some older relatives when we lived in Michigan. They were excellent players and I had.no.clue. Needless to say my "partner" was very disappointed in me and kept trying to "teach" me to play. She was a retired Math teacher, which I also was not good at, (Math), and I was practically in tears by the end of the game. We never played again. But I love your cute Bridge Tallies. And I remember seeing Bridge Mix at the stores. I think my grandmother might have played...at least I know she used to buy Bridge Mix, but I guess you don't have to play bridge to eat it! Ha Ha! Love your interesting Pumpkin Men. Never saw anything like it before! Very fun post. Always fun here.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain! Math, math, math. UGH! Pinochle (or Pea-Knuckle as I spelled it until college) is another very hard game and the physics grad students (when ex was in grad school) always wanted to play it, and it was so stressful. They'd yell at me if I didn't bid right. No fun! Math, math, math, it's a mania with some!!!
Deletethose are really cool pumkin men, and I like your pation protected by the gate.. I would feel safe sitting there but not from mosquitoes. until 4 years ago, when I was out shopping, i did family dollar store last, i would buy the dollar bag of bridge mix get in the car and drive slowly home in order to eat every piece before I got home, hid the empty bag in with the purchases and bob never knew. I loved all the pieces. the other thing i bought and did the same way is the caremel circles with cream circles, can't think of the name. i love all candy ALL candy. it is an addiction. i gave it up Jan 26 2017
ReplyDeleteI think those caramels with the cream centers are called Bullseyes, similar to Cow's Tails! And they are so good! ha ha very tricky to hide that empty Bridge Mix package! Sorry you had to give up candy in 2017! I am supposed to due to...diabetes! Ugh! Very hard not to falter sometimes.
DeleteI like the Pumpkin Men.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE bridge mix. My grandma always had it at Christmas.
I love Bridge Mix, too...unfortunately...!!!
DeleteYour pumpkin men are awesome! I don't do a lot of decorating, but those are fun :-)
ReplyDeleteI felt I could put up the pumpkin men, decorate the mantel slightly, and call it "good"!!! DONE and dusted!
DeleteI used to get Bridge Mix at my favorite candy store, See's. It was a delightful mix of chocolates. The purple lights will look festive on your porch. I was noticing your porch, and it's BIG. I've never really had a big porch, until now. I was going to do a post about it Monday haha. Only have an orange pumpkin out there now. Your pumpkin men are delightful. And I like that yellow chair sitting out there too.
ReplyDelete~Sheri
ps.....to answer your question.....my favorite candy has always been See's. But with chocolate bars, peanut butter cups and almond joy are up there. ; )
I have heard of See's! Very famous, I think. I think I saw some for sale when I lived near Seattle, maybe I got a box of some with a type of honeycomb toffee inside, or were they meltaways? Something delightful, anyway! I like ALL of your candy favorites!
DeleteMy family played a lot of card games but we never played bridge. A couple of my kids know backgammon but I don't. The bridge mix I think of is cheap chocolates thinly coating all sorts of ungodly things. My favorite candy is dark chocolate with some nut in the center.
ReplyDeleteThe "new" Bridge Mix is not the rich mix of yore...! Still, I'd eat it! ha ha. Your choice of dark chocolate around a nut sounds very good!
DeleteOh, I will never ever forget the candy counter in Sears, and I do remember the Bridge Mix...but, my favorite was the double dipped chocolate covered peanuts. The nuts were just a tad salty under all that chocolate. Delicious! and still my favorite candy. I love your pumpkin men. Never seen any like them. My mom and dad were big card players but never Bridge. Your posts are always fun and interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat's right, those peanuts in the really thick chocolate! So delicious!
DeleteMy parents played bridge and set out Bridge Mix. Everything was chocolate covered, and chocolate covered almonds were my favorite.
ReplyDeleteAnd they say almonds are really good for a person, too. A "superfood" I think!
DeleteI never learned to play Bridge but I still loved Bridge Mix. I don't remember specifically which centres I preferred. probably all of them!!
ReplyDeletePurple lights are very hard to find. Good for you finding some.
I wish I had learned Bridge at some point! But - math-based things are very hard for me. ha ha I seem to prefer ALL the centers, too!
DeleteMy advisor in grad school played bridge. My friend Scott plays bridge. We went to my advisor's house once for dinner and afterwards, we played bridge. I got it confused with canasta, and I was an embarrassment to myself and everyone. Never tried it again.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I've had Bridge Mix or not. It doesn't sound familiar. When I was young, my grandmother (grands raised me from birth) liked a nut candy that had crushed nuts and something sweet on the inside and caramel flavor on the outside. I've never seen them since.
Thanks for the bridge tallies. I tried to copy them, but it required an app. Since I don't own a cell phone, I have no apps. I tried to print them on my laser printer and that was a disaster. Thanks, anyway.
Elizabeth, did you use the link? It goes to a Google Drive file and should not require an app. Maybe it requires a Google account but anyone with Blogger has that. I'm so sorry they did not work out for you! CANASTA is another hard game. I felt Mah Jong was hard, too.
DeleteI never really learned card games growing up. The few games I did sort of learn were not played often enough to remember all the rules, let alone learn to play them well. I do remember Bridge Mix (Brachs brand) but not what was in it besides nuts, and that it was a hard chocolate shell. Can't be getting chocolate on the cards!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Halloween tallies!
I think the Brach's brand is still made! Ha ha remember that M&M commercial way back when? The banditos were getting chocolate on the cards until they switched to M&M's.
DeleteWell now I'm gonna have to make a trip to Walmart (not my favorite store at all) to find true purple lights. I have those dang red-violet ones you speak of. Great pumpkin men! The mosquitoes ... Not so much.
ReplyDeleteAs far as bridge mix,I'm not sure I've had it. Our Autumn traditional candy is salted peanuts & candy corn mixed. Had this each year for decades (Halloween). And bridge card game? Nope. Poker was my game.
I would NOT like to sit across from you at a poker table! I'd lose for sure! The purple lights are LEDs and they are shaped like little domes. The brand is the Walmart one "Way to Celebrate" and they were a little under $6.
DeleteI never learned how to play bridge. But do like card games. I remember the Bridge Mix. Chocolate with any kind of nut or raisen, but I'm not a snob, I'll eat any chocolate in the box at anytime..ooh....chocolate covered cherries. I'm not sure what kind of candy was in the Bridge mix. Brachs, been around a long time. My mom always liked the chocolate stars.
ReplyDeleteI love chocolate so much, too! I had forgotten the Brachs stars!
DeleteKings in the corner? Anybody remember that game?
ReplyDeleteI do remember it, but I can't recall how to play!!!
DeleteBridge Mix...ha ha!! Not only remember it, but still purchase it from time to time. I do NOT like the licorice...and there is another one that is hard and is something I have never been able to identify...it's hard, but not a nut??? Actual bridge? Nope... Growing up on the farm, there was no time for fun and games until/unless it was a holiday or family event...and then the family (on my mum's side) played Sheepshead.... Not me. I've played some poker...but not with large stakes LOL. LOVE your pumpkin men!!! ~Robin~ (Oh...and favorite candy?? Almost anything with chocolate involved (except that weird thing in the bridge mix)...and a few that aren't chocolate too...you know, just not to discriminate. ;-) )
ReplyDeleteMum and I used to play cards - Rummy and Beat Jack Out of Doors. I used to play Cribbage at the pub a friend ran, back in my Dorset days. Can't remember how now.
ReplyDeleteFavourite chocolate - probably something called Topic, which is soft nougat with a thin coating of milkchocolate.
Here in the UK we don't dress our porches (those that have them) like you do in the US. In fact, here in Wales, when my kids were at junior school, a school Halloween Disco was actually BANNED because of the connection to Halloween, which the Chapel folk seemed to think was connected with the Devil!! This was only 25 years or so ago ...
My knowledge of playing bridge is related to Agatha Christie crime! Bridge Mix candy I know better, but it is not my favorite of chocolate. Your pumpkin men are nice!
ReplyDeleteyes, Bridge Mix is my husband's favorite thing........you can sometimes still buy little bags in the candy isle at the stores. I have a whole box of very vintage bridge tally card packets.......they are so pretty. My husband had bought for me an old card display with 4 drawers that I use in my vintage shop. The drawers were full of old greeting cards and the tally cards. They have never been used and some are still unopened. I have not started selling them yet, but I guess I should offer them to customers. How sweet are your pumpkin men!
ReplyDeleteThe Halloween graphics are adorable. And yes, Bridge Mix is so wonderful......here in TX, you can sometimes still find it in small bags in the grocery stores. I just love your pumpkin men!
ReplyDeleteLove your pumpkin men. How fun to have them outside for Halloween. Janice
ReplyDelete