Just to clarify: I do not own any of these dishes. I have no desire to own these dishes. I have eaten many, many meals off of this pattern of dishes.
My parents married October 9, 1954 after a brief whirl-wind courtship. They met in July and married in October and, as best as I can tell, became engaged sometime around the end of August. They were married in my maternal grandparents home in a small, but nice ceremony. My mother had been working and attending classes at the University of Mississippi and in planning her wedding used almost every penny of her saved up tuition money to pay for the wedding.
The wedding was small, but like most brides of the day, she selected a china pattern, a pottery pattern, a stemware pattern, and a flatware pattern. Most likely she went to the jeweler in her hometown to view his offerings for brides to choose from. He may have had a few patterns on display, but probably had catalogs and brochures for brides-to-be to consult. She choose California Ivy Poppy Trail for her pottery pattern; between wedding gifts and her purchases she acquired a number of place settings and serving dishes.
The set served our family well and traveled with us from one Air Force assignment to another. By 1965 there had been some losses and some chips and my parents decided it was time to invest in a set of the fashionable Melmac brand of dishes that did not chip or break like pottery. (Melmac and melamine are used interchangeably. Melamine refers to the chemical substance used to manufacture the almost unbreakable dishes; Melmac is the brand name for such dishes)
After several trips to the Base Exchange, reviewing brochures, and much back and forth, they decided on the Texas Ware wheat dishes. They became the everyday dishes, although we still would switch back to the Poppy Trail from time to time. When I would set the table I would ask, “should we use the wheat dishes or Poppy Trail tonight”. They were part of our every day life and while I did not like them, they were just part of the household.
When we closed up my parents house, there were still pieces of these hideous dishes in the cabinets. There was no discussion about who wanted them and there were no sentimental moments when they were boxed up to donate. I brought home several pieces of the Poppy Trail as I had always liked it and admired its simple, yet classic ivy pattern. It will soon be unboxed and photographed and I’ll feature it here.
Small Simple Things of Life 
There is bit of history in your post. I am sure this dinnerware brought many memories of your parents to your mind.
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I don’t think those dishes are hideous! Now the brown plates are very plain, but the white ones with the wheat are not that bad. By the time I was around (#4 of 6 kids), my family had many mismatched plates. I think we had one or two small plates of this wheat pattern. And I think I picked it often when needing a small plate. That’s the beauty of mismatched plates and cups – you can pick one depending on your mood. 🙂 I do like how these old plates bring a memory to mind. Your posts make me treasure these items from the past.
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The picture is kind to the pattern, but it was rather drab seeming to me. Isn’t it fun, though, how we tend to pick one plate over another? We are automatically pulled to the things that appeal to us, even when young. Individual personalities make life exiting.
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I enjoyed this post, Beth. I have not (as far as I can recall) ever seen either of these patterns, though I was pretty sure it was Melmac with the first photo! I recall when I decided I was tired of the heavy pottery ware I had from my first marriage when I also went to the town jewelry store and registered for the patterns. My mother actually picked them with the caveat that when I came home (I was in college at the time) I could change the pattern. Of course, when I said that was not what I wanted, as she always did the rest of her life, the first question out of her mouth was “what’s wrong with it?” I kept the choices she had made, but when that marriage ended, I gave the dishes back to Mom and bought a set of “very hideous to me now” orange and white Melmac with a poppy design. To this day, when I am shopping and see an eye catching pattern and pick it up and discover it is melamine (or whatever acrylic dish they are making these days), I set it back on the shelf!
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That is funny! Our tastes do change with maturity and life’s teaching experiences. As a young wife and mother I selected the gold flower rimmed Corelle ware pattern. I loved it for many years, but giggle now when I see remnants in thrift stores.
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Mom had a couple of different sets of Corelle, including the gold flower rim and one with blue butterflies. They went to Goodwill when Sis and I cleaned out the house. When I see them, I laugh, too.
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They really were good sturdy family meal plates. I did actually have one that split in half when it met the floor though.
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Ha, I had to laugh! I dropped one a couple of times, but at the time she had carpet in the kitchen so it did not break.
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