I believe in the age-old saying, “Laughter is the best medicine!” A day doesn’t go by that I don’t laugh or chuckle at something. A few weeks ago, shopping in the grocery store with my wife was no exception.
Senior Day at Albertsons typically occurs on the first Wednesday of every month. On this day, customers aged 55 and older can receive a 10% discount at particular locations. Out of a warped sense of humor, and no apologies forthcoming, I sometimes refer to Senior Day as Dinosaur Day, or Geezer Day.
Older folks like myself were plugging up the narrow aisles, indecisive about what they were looking for, and not very observant of where they rolled their buggies. After a couple of near accidents, I quickly changed the name of Dinosaur Day to Obstacle Wednesday, because I could tell it was going to take plenty of patience maneuvering through that crowd.
While rolling down the soup aisle and attempting to not bump anyone or be hit, the image of a postcard I’d recently come across popped into my head. This card shows a cowboy riding a giant jackrabbit while punching cattle. I suddenly imagined myself riding the same and trying to lead seniors to the checkout stand, sometimes lassoing them.
For a brief few seconds, I cracked a smile thinking of such. It’s probably best that none of the older folks around me knew what was going through my mind. A few sour ones would definitely be offended as they easily are.
The card I refer to was mailed from Tucson, Arizona, in 1941, to Mr. and Mrs. C.V. Vinson in Weatherford, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens were the ones sending it. The Stevens had a great sense of humor for picking this card out. Their brief message to the Vinsons also had a humorous tone.
“7/9/41
How about sending you one of these ‘bunnies’ to use to round up your cows. We are on our way to California and are spending the night here in Tucson, Ariz. Will write you a letter when we get located. Hope you are both okay.
Mr. and Mrs. Stevens”
I discovered that the folks receiving the card owned the Circle W ranch in Weatherford, Texas. This much is known from the address the postcard was mailed to. Conrad Van Vinson, along with his wife, Huey Maude Seela-Vinson, were longtime ranchers there. The couple was married on February 22, 1925. They both lived long lives.
It appears from my research that the senders of the card were friends of the Vinsons from church. Mr. and Mrs. Jessie F. ‘Jess’ Stevens lived in Weatherford for most of their lives before retiring to California. I’m sure they got as much a laugh out of sending that card as the Vinsons did receiving it.
Humorous postcards used to be quite popular, but like anything, they are becoming rare to find. Locating a revolving rack of postcards in a store isn’t common anymore. Funny postcards have a rich history dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when inexpensive printing methods made it possible to mass-produce colorful, humorous images and jokes on cards.
These postcards became a playful way for people to communicate, often reflecting popular culture, regional humor, and social trends of their time. During their golden age, from about 1900 to the 1950s, funny cards were widely collected and sent, especially as souvenirs from travels or as lighthearted greetings among friends and family.
Over time, their popularity has waned, but vintage humorous postcards remain cherished collectibles, offering a window into the humor and everyday life of the past. Sadly, some things have changed over time, although I’m ever so thankful that my sense of humor hasn’t.
I like to write junk... 