Julia Sneden
Julia Sneden was a writer, friend, wife, mother, Grandmother, care-giver and Senior Women Web's Resident Observer. Her career included editorial work for Sunset Magazine, 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios as well as teaching. Julia was a passionate opponent of this country’s educational system, which she felt was floundering. She will be greatly missed as the heart of this website and this editor's friend of fifty years.
Julia Sneden's archive of articles.
Julia Sneden Wrote: Going Forth On the Fourth After Strict Blackout Conditions and Requisitioned Gunpowder Had Been the Law
Julia Sneden wrote: "Being outdoors on a humid North Carolina night amid fireworks and fireflies has become my favorite July Fourth memory. Oh, these days I am happy to watch the various displays on television, in air-conditioned comfort, but it can’t replace seeing my boys’ awed faces, or the sound of their “oohs” and “wows!” or the relaxed, casual feel of the impromptu crowd. It was Carl Schurz, a 19th century German immigrant who grew up to become a US Senator and later on was the Secretary of the Interior, who gave us the famous remark: 'My country, right or wrong: if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.' " more »
Julia Sneden Wrote: If The Shoe Fits ... You Can Bet It's Not Fashionable
Julia Sneden Wrote: My mother was a mini Imelda Marcos. She kept upwards of 40 pairs of shoes well into her 80's, and was crushed when she had to give up high heels following a heart attack at the age of 89. Her sole criterion in buying shoes was style, not comfort, and she was very proud of wearing size 5½ long after her feet had grown to 6½. While she had a pair of old oxfords for hiking and gardening, I never saw her wearing anything but high heels for shopping, visiting, teaching, church-going, and general around-the-house wear. She loved shoes so much that she would order a pair that caught her fancy from a catalogue. If they didn't fit, she would give them away unworn to a friend or the daughter of a friend, to an employee or to the churchwomen's sale.
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Julia Sneden Wrote: Relationships: The Tale of a Hairdo
Julia Sneden wrote: "I was reared in a household that included both my grandmothers and a great aunt. Their mantra, designed to counter possible vanity, was: “If it’s clean, shiny, and combed, your hair will do.” My hair was usually clean, thanks to the swimming pool, and like most towheads, it shone in the sun “with more than oriental splendor,” like the Parsee’s helmet (per Rudyard Kipling)...Tidy was another matter. My skimpy braids never met a ribbon I couldn't lose. Hair spray helps to deal with its resistance to discipline, and while it has grown longer by fall, it is no help at all in terms of warmth, since by then I have started my annual reverse-season shedding." more »
Julia Sneden Wrote: Puzzling: Jumbled Words, Anagrams, Crosswords, Cryptograms, Acrostics, I Love Them All
Julia Sneden wrote: 'But what of the more immediate kind of memory trouble? I'm referring to the sort that finds me standing in front of the refrigerator, suddenly wondering why on earth I opened the door, or going down to the basement pantry for paper towels and coming up with a jar of salsa instead. Those things are, I think, more a matter of losing focus than of true memory. I've always been distractible, but these days it's as if the problem has gone onto steroids. It does help to stay calm and try to recreate the moments just before I undertook whatever it was I've forgotten, but while I can often repair the damage to the errand, it's harder to repair the damage to my self-esteem." more »