Here are a few things I remember that anyone born today will never even know they existed ---
1. Riding in the rumbleseat of my best buddies car with a sweet young woman.
2. Getting my first pair of "long pants" instead of knickers (for you Brits - knickers are NOT ladies undergarments).
3. Hitching rides on the running boards of cars.
4. Going to the Wednesday Matinee movies and seeing - a Flash Gorden or Buck Rogers seriel, two cartoons, a newsreel, two feature films and getting a free comic book. All for two bits.
5. Creating a "band wagon" and riding around singing, and dancing when V-J day ended World War II.
6. Hay rides in the country.
7. When a "big" thing was stopping at a diner for pie and coffee...and the coffee was a nickel a cup.
8. Playing your favorite song on the juke box for a nickel
9. The malt shop --- in our case it was "Kay's Sweet Shop" --- as the local hang out for kids of all ages.
10. People sitting on the porch and actually being happy when the neighborhood kids dropped in to say hello.
11. Everybody's Mom being home whe you dropped in at buddies' houses.
12. Being told "Why don't you go out and play" by your Mom when you got underfoot.
13. When the biggest threat a teacher could make was "LeRoy, how would you like me to tell your father about this?"
14. When everybody (and I mean everybody) removed their hat and stood at attention when the flag passed by.
15. When someone getting a new car was reason for everyone in the neighborhood to drop in for a visit to look it over. And, if lucky, get to go for a ride in it.
16. When everyone in the neighborhood (or town if you lived in a small town) knew you on sight, knew your parents and had absolutely no qualms about correcting you if you misbehaved. (Or, reporting it to your parents if they saw you smoking or doing something you shouldn't be doing.).
17. When you even knew who every dog in the neighborhood belonged to and whether or not you should catch it and take it home if you saw it running loose.
18. Swimming in any near by creek or pond where the water was deep enough.
19. The little flags in all the windows with a star for every servicemember from that household -- gold if they had died in action, blue if they were still living.
20. Ration books, stamps and tokens.
21. Putting a set of "baloney skins" on the car until you could afford "retreads"
22. Gas Wars where the price got as low as fifteen cents a gallon.
23. Squeezing the margarine to get the yellow dye mixed in to make it look like butter instead of lard.
24. Five cent bottles of soda pop and candy bars.
25. Penny candy and penny post cards.
26. 3 cent stamps to mail first class letters and an extra penny for airmail.
27. Sears and Roebuck Catalogs that were 2 1/2 inches thick ( Montgomery Wards, Speigels and JC Penny's as well) coming in the mail twice a year.
28. Steam locomotives with the distinctive steam whistle rather than the darned air horns on modern trains.
29. When a long freight train was maybe 35 cars rather than 150.
30. When most people had never flown in an airplane - or even wanted to.
31. The TV network logos that filled the screen when there were no TV shows on ---- usually several hours every day.
32. Major Bowes Original Amature Hour on radio.
33. Jack Armstrong - the all American Boy
34. Sargent Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and his lead dog "Yukon King" meeting the "Challenge of the Yukon" every afternoon on radio.
35. Pickup baseball and football games, held just about anywhere where there was enough room.
36. When it was safe to walk just about anywhere you wanted to go.
That's just a few --- there are many more.
Those are some of the things that make me happy to have lived and grown up during the time that I did. We might be "richer" today but I wouldn't trade my life lived for one starting today for anything. While things are still pretty good today I personally think those of us over 70 had it the best. Particularily when we were young.
1. Riding in the rumbleseat of my best buddies car with a sweet young woman.
2. Getting my first pair of "long pants" instead of knickers (for you Brits - knickers are NOT ladies undergarments).
3. Hitching rides on the running boards of cars.
4. Going to the Wednesday Matinee movies and seeing - a Flash Gorden or Buck Rogers seriel, two cartoons, a newsreel, two feature films and getting a free comic book. All for two bits.
5. Creating a "band wagon" and riding around singing, and dancing when V-J day ended World War II.
6. Hay rides in the country.
7. When a "big" thing was stopping at a diner for pie and coffee...and the coffee was a nickel a cup.
8. Playing your favorite song on the juke box for a nickel
9. The malt shop --- in our case it was "Kay's Sweet Shop" --- as the local hang out for kids of all ages.
10. People sitting on the porch and actually being happy when the neighborhood kids dropped in to say hello.
11. Everybody's Mom being home whe you dropped in at buddies' houses.
12. Being told "Why don't you go out and play" by your Mom when you got underfoot.
13. When the biggest threat a teacher could make was "LeRoy, how would you like me to tell your father about this?"
14. When everybody (and I mean everybody) removed their hat and stood at attention when the flag passed by.
15. When someone getting a new car was reason for everyone in the neighborhood to drop in for a visit to look it over. And, if lucky, get to go for a ride in it.
16. When everyone in the neighborhood (or town if you lived in a small town) knew you on sight, knew your parents and had absolutely no qualms about correcting you if you misbehaved. (Or, reporting it to your parents if they saw you smoking or doing something you shouldn't be doing.).
17. When you even knew who every dog in the neighborhood belonged to and whether or not you should catch it and take it home if you saw it running loose.
18. Swimming in any near by creek or pond where the water was deep enough.
19. The little flags in all the windows with a star for every servicemember from that household -- gold if they had died in action, blue if they were still living.
20. Ration books, stamps and tokens.
21. Putting a set of "baloney skins" on the car until you could afford "retreads"
22. Gas Wars where the price got as low as fifteen cents a gallon.
23. Squeezing the margarine to get the yellow dye mixed in to make it look like butter instead of lard.
24. Five cent bottles of soda pop and candy bars.
25. Penny candy and penny post cards.
26. 3 cent stamps to mail first class letters and an extra penny for airmail.
27. Sears and Roebuck Catalogs that were 2 1/2 inches thick ( Montgomery Wards, Speigels and JC Penny's as well) coming in the mail twice a year.
28. Steam locomotives with the distinctive steam whistle rather than the darned air horns on modern trains.
29. When a long freight train was maybe 35 cars rather than 150.
30. When most people had never flown in an airplane - or even wanted to.
31. The TV network logos that filled the screen when there were no TV shows on ---- usually several hours every day.
32. Major Bowes Original Amature Hour on radio.
33. Jack Armstrong - the all American Boy
34. Sargent Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and his lead dog "Yukon King" meeting the "Challenge of the Yukon" every afternoon on radio.
35. Pickup baseball and football games, held just about anywhere where there was enough room.
36. When it was safe to walk just about anywhere you wanted to go.
That's just a few --- there are many more.
Those are some of the things that make me happy to have lived and grown up during the time that I did. We might be "richer" today but I wouldn't trade my life lived for one starting today for anything. While things are still pretty good today I personally think those of us over 70 had it the best. Particularily when we were young.