We slept in beds that had sheets “clotheslined dried” smelling wonderful… We’d pile in and go to the drive in… sometimes 5-6 cars lined up… nowadays, it’s a Extra Value meal along with a Redbox movie..
We’d go exploring… on foot… not surfing… we passed handwritten notes… no generic Times New Roman text messages…
Drugs came from the Pharmacist when you were sick…. An addict was someone the walked the streets of New York…
"Visits" weren't cell phone calls on the way to the salon... they meant drives across town.. usually included coffee, tea, maybe even a beer for the adults, and Koolaid and cookies for us kids...
"Home schooled" meant the kids from the next block kicked your ass in whiffle ball that day in your front yard.
Instant Messages in the day were “Tim, it’s your turn to bat”, “all-ee all-ee in free”, “first one to see the street lights on!”, “aw crap, there’s the Flanigan’s dinner bell.”
Drives around town were affordable… and it never failed you’d meet friends out and about doing the same thing… no cell phones for parents to stay in touch, we simply knew when we had to be home..
It was Ok to wear base paths in the front lawn… climb up old, majestic trees… and walk to town by ourselves…
Insteada Mario, Yugi, Wi, EA Sports - we played gin rummy, didn’t pass go to collect $200, and spelled out the name of the love of our life on the Quiji board….
HD TV’s of the day were ‘Help Dad” there’s a tube out again…. Families gathered to watch Ed, Marshall Dillon, Andy and Barney… as we aged, we even got to be included to watch Johnny…
We played Baseball in the summer, Football in the fall, and Basketball in the Winter… if it wasn’t that season, our ball gloves, helmets and basketballs stayed in the closet… One good pair of Converse worked for all….
We made our own birthday cards, stamped them, and handed them to Zeke - who threw a bone to Gabe….Back then “E” was just a letter someone forgot to put at the enda our family name…
After gathering the courage to ask a lass out, we knew it would be followed by a 20 minutes “looking over” in her parent’s living room prior to going out… Details of the date ending time were verbalized - and penalties were enforced if that time wasn’t met… Grounded didn’t mean “already gotta handle (in 7th grade) as to what he’s going to be when he grows up.’
Guilty to admit I’ve been divorced twice - back in the day, your brother was your brother, your sister was your sister, you mom was your mom, and your father was your father.
There was more grass than concrete - and it was somehow prettier to look at… Small towns were proud, not in any hurry to reach out, build, to butt up agin’ the next town.. Sure, we had the elite areas of town, and the middle class, and the poorer areas - but, as kids, we were blind to it.. And we all were included in the good times… That involved races too…
Speakin’ o races.. When’s the last time you saw two kids race on foot?… run down a slip and slide?… catch a crawdad?… fill a jar with lightning bugs?.. Play jump the brook?… Have an ironed on knee patch on their jeans?…
Bitter of progress, growth, technology, the new ways? No… you can’t fight, stop, change all that… I am happy about growing up when I did…Perhaps ole Buck O’Neill termed it best. Buck lived thru the era that wouldn’t allow him to play in the Major Leagues due to the color of his skin…Bitter?… Sullen?… Grudge?… Nah, Buck wrote a book and entitled it “I was right on time.”
Children of the 60’s… we were right on time… Happy day.. Let’s not lose the traditions.. .take your grand kid to catch a bluegill.. Organize a game of hide and seek.. Buy a pack of ball cards and see if they enjoy the taste of gum as much as we… Drive ‘til you find a place that sells mugs of root beer… giggle as you play Operation together… top it all off with a peanut butter and banana sandwich… right on time… Love, Victurd.
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