Ol' Bill

I must be old, I remember all of these things!

Go back...before the Internet ... Before
semiautomatics and drugs...before SEGA or Super
Nintendo... Way back...

We're talking 'bout hide and go seek at dusk. Sitting
on the porch, Simon Says, Kick the Can, Red Light,
Green Light. Lunch boxes with a Thermos...that broke,
Chocolate milk, going home for lunch, Penny Candy from
the store, Hopscotch, butterscotch, skates with keys,
Jacks, Mother May I? Hula Hoops, and Sunflower seeds,
Whist and Old Maid and Crazy Eights, Wax lips and
mustaches, Mary Jane's, saddle shoes and Coke bottles
with the names of cities on the bottom,

Running through the sprinkler, circle pins, bobby
pins, Tom Mix, Tennessee Jed, The Lone Ranger, Lassie,
Mickey Mouse Club, Red Skelton, Jack Benny,
The Ed Sullivan Show... all in black & white.

When around the corner seemed far away, and going
downtown seemed like going somewhere. Bedtime,
climbing trees, making forts in the backyard... A
coaster made from orange crates and an old skate,
backyard shows, Lemonade stands, Cops and Robbers,
Cowboys and Indians,

Sitting on the curb, staring at clouds, jumping down
the steps, jumping on the bed. Pillow fights,
"company," Ribbon candy, Jackie Gleason as "the Poor
Soul," white gloves, walking to the corner store, walking to the
Community Center, Being tickled "to death", Running
till you were out of breath, Laughing so hard
that your stomach hurt, Being tired from
playin'... Remember that?

Not stepping on a crack...or you'll break your
mother's back... silhouettes of Lincoln and
Washington...the smell of paste, book bags...

And what about the girl that had the big bubbly
handwriting...who dotted her "I's" with hearts?? The
Stroll, JuJubes, white tee shirts & sock hops.

Remember when... When there were two types of
sneakers for girls and boys (Keds and PF Flyers) and
the only time you wore them at school, was for "gym."
And the girls all wore skirts.. And how about the girl
that really looked great in that tight wool one? And "Hot"
was what your car got when it had a leak in the radiator,
not some babe's derriere.

When it took five minutes for the TV to warm up. When
nearly everyone's Mom was at home when the kids got
home from school. When nobody owned a pure bred dog.

When a quarter was a decent allowance and another
quarter a huge bonus.

When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.
When girls neither dated nor kissed until late high
school, if then. When your Mom wore nylons that came
in two pieces. When all of your Male teachers wore
neckties and female teachers had their hair done
everyday and wore high heels.

When you got your windshield cleaned, oil checked,
and gas pumped, without asking, for free, every time.
And, you didn't pay for air. And, you got trading
stamps to boot!

When laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes, or
towels hidden inside the box. And flour came in real
cloth sacks with flowers printed on them that some girls
made clothes out of...

When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him
or use him to carry groceries, and nobody, not even
the kid, thought a thing of it.

When it was considered a great privilege to be taken
out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents.

When they threatened to keep kids back a grade if
they failed... and did.

When the worst thing you could do at school was flunk
a test or chew gum. And the prom was in the auditorium
and we danced to an orchestra, and all the girls wore
pastel gowns and the boys wore suits for the first
time and we stayed out all night.

When a '57 Chevy was everyone's dream car...to
cruise, peel out, lay rubber or watch submarine races,
and people went steady and girls wore a class ring
with an inch of wrapped dental floss coated with
pastel frost nail polish so it would fit her finger.
And no one ever asked where the car keys were, 'cause
they were always in the car, in the ignition and the
doors were never locked. And you got in big trouble if
you accidentally locked the doors at home. No one ever
had a key.

And lying on your back on the grass with your friends
and saying things like, "That cloud looks like a........".

And playing baseball with no adults to help kids with
the rules of the game. Then...baseball was not a
psychological group learning experience, ....it was a
game.

Remember when stuff from the store came without
safety caps and hermetic seals, 'cause no one had yet
to poison a perfect stranger.

And...with all our progress... don't you just
wish...just once...you could slip back in time and
savor the slower pace ... and share it with the
children of the 80's and 90's...??????

So send this on to someone who can still remember
Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, Laurel &
Hardy, Howdy Doody and the Peanut Gallery, The Lone
Ranger, The Shadow knows...Nellie Belle, Roy and Dale,
Trigger and Buttermilk...as well as the sound of a
reel mower on Saturday morning, and summers filled
with bike rides, playing in Cowboy land, baseball
games, bowling and visits to the pool...and eating
Kool-Aid powder with sugar.

When being sent to the principal's office was nothing
compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving
student at home. Basically, we were in fear for our
lives but it wasn't because of drive by shootings,
drugs, gangs, etc..

Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger
threat but we all survived because their love was
greater than the threat.......

Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say,
"Yeah, I remember that"?

Hope you are having a great day,

Ol' Bill!

srg

Wow. We've come a long way baby. Is that evolution?

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end!

will

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I'll add one; In the dark, laying on a quilt on the lawn of my Grandparent's farm house looking up at the night sky with my youngest aunt teaching me the constellations from her high school science book. My 3rd grade science book didn't have an Astronomy section.

We may be old, but not old enough to remember before "semi-automatics" since the first successful semi-auto(aka self-loading) military rifle was the 1885 Mannlicher and the first successful semi-auto pistols were in 1892. Yeah, I am a bit of a gun nut.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Yeah, I agree. You're all old.

Me, too.

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Those were the days! I am old because I remember 98% of these.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

It's a shame how far we haven't come.

rbmacc Loc: DeQuincy La

Wow you hit a nerve! Yeah I can remember all of that and I'm proud to say I can. "Thanks For The Memories"

Tom467 Loc: North Central Florida

Thanks for posting, you made my day.

Jack B Loc: Mount Pleasant, SC

I have several B&W photos of Tom Mix. These were taken when I was around one year old. One is of Tom Mix on his horse. The second is of Tom Mix holding me as a child. Mother was standing next to us. Of course, I do not remember the event. My age on 8/30 will be 83.
Jack B

Beowulf Loc: Aquidneck Island, RI

I also remember doing and experiencing all these as well. For Jack B., Tom Mix's horse was named Tony. I also remember some favorites like Johnny Mack Brown, Tom Tyler, Hoot Gibson, Buck Jones, Rocky Lane and Ken Maynard.

Jack B Loc: Mount Pleasant, SC

That brings back memories of Saturday morning and into the afternoon at the Bijou and Royal Theaters in Wilmington, NC. Mother would give me a quarter. I would meet some of my friends at one of the above theaters. For 25 cents, I would by a ticket for 9 cents, popcorn for 10 cents and a drink for 5 cents. And have a penny left over! The walk there and back was about 2 miles each way. What memories!!!!
Jack

rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

You're just a youngster!!!!!

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, times have changed. I don't see kids outside very often. When I was a kid, I was always outside. Of course, my parents always locked the doors as soon as I left the house, and I wasn't given a key.