Category Archives: Nostalgia

Curses!

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Ellen Ross

My new stationery arrived just the other day. I had picked it out at an adorable store, All She Wrote. Denise, the manager, was super-helpful and together we chose an ecru-colored, slightly-textured paper with my name, cell phone number and email … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoca School, Nostalgia, pop culture | 2 Comments

Respect

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Ellen Ross

Dear Readers, do you know where you were on December 10, 1967? I do. I was in Madison, Wisconsin. My boyfriend Jon had just taken me to dinner here. (A pretty fancy joint on a sophomore’s budget.) But that was … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Nostalgia, pop culture, The 60's, University of Wisconsin | 14 Comments

“It’s Here”

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Ellen Ross

When I was a teenager on Chicago’s North Shore, dating usually meant going to tried and true venues. Like Friday and Saturday nights at the Teatro Del Lago movie theater in Wilmette. Or the Edens theater in Northbrook. Maybe once … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Dating, Music, New Trier High School, Nostalgia, pop culture, The 60's | 19 Comments

Welsh Witch

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Ellen Ross

Tuesday May 26 was Stevie Nicks’ 67th birthday. In honor of that milestone, let me take you all back to 1976. Here is her first appearance ever on television with Fleetwood Mac. They’re doing Rhiannon on the Midnight Special. Remember, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Nostalgia, pop culture, Television, Tributes | 6 Comments

I Scream, You Scream

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Ellen Ross

If you’re not from Chicago’s North Shore, you might not immediately recognize this beloved institution. It’s Homer’s Ice Cream Parlor in Wilmette, Illinois. Home of famous, fabulous ice cream. Especially peach ice cream in season. Its eighty years has been … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, food, Nostalgia, pop culture, Winnetka | 10 Comments

Candyland

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Ellen Ross

In the latest issue of The Hollywood Reporter, actress Juliette Binoche spilled the cacao beans. During the filming of the 2000 film Chocolat, she discovered that her co-star, Johnny Depp “actually didn’t like chocolate.” “He was spitting it out after … Continue reading →

Posted in food, Memoir, Nostalgia, pop culture | 16 Comments

Seventeen

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Ellen Ross

Calling All Girls: If the names “Enid Haupt” and “Colleen Corby” ring a familiar bell, this post should be on your “must read” list. When I was a pre-teen growing up on Chicago’s North Shore, I was rabidly interested in … Continue reading →

Posted in Magazines, Memoir, New Trier High School, Nostalgia, pop culture | 11 Comments

Just My Type

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Ellen Ross

HERE I GO AGAIN. Dear Loyal Readers and New Subscribers, Forgive me. I’ll soon be off on another trip, and the exigencies of the blog can not be optimally-managed long distance. Letter From Elba will be back in your email box on … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, New Trier High School, Nostalgia, pop culture | 27 Comments

Hair

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Ellen Ross

Quick Quiz: Have you ever logged any time under the apparatus pictured above? Have you ever used any of these? Are empty frozen orange juice cans merely containers for the beverage from Florida to you? Or when you see them, do … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Memoir, Nostalgia, pop culture | 10 Comments