To say “a simpler time” might be misleading. I guess you could look at it as exercise to get up and turn the TV channel.. walk to the the den to grab the “EFG” encyclopedia…
Was driving out in the country to play golf.. 2 lane highway, 45 MPH, curves – hills – aplenty. How did we do it? Did we go pee a bit when a semi approached from the distance? Howinthehell did we ever get a left front tire changed? Motorist’s assist? HA! The hell would they park?
Passing could lead to a coronary.. having a tailgater is why we smoked.. and ashed out the wing, remember those? What kid today knows the true meaning of “roll up the window”? The hell is an inner tube?
TV’s with tubes? Mercurochrome cured everything and a butter knife down the back stopped nosebleeds.. I remember the 10:30pm Johnny Carson show was a family ritual.. Rare is the night my eyes are still open at 10:30pm… VHF/UHF? Test patterns?
Baseball was by radio – unless you were fortunate enough to be on the Game of the Week (seems to me it was always either the Yankees or the Dodgers.. ) Dirt was hidden in shag carpet, waterbeds were the bomb (until they burst, or, the heater went on the fritz.
Sleeping on sheets dried on the clothesline, yum! Fried chicken straight from the chicken coop – “Oh Granny, you didn’t?”..
We worked our fine motor skills turning/tuning the radio dial.. We caught (and saved in jars) lightning bugs.. WHY? A trip to the grocery store with pop bottles in a wagon yielded an ice cream cone, two packs of baseball cards and a wax bottle – remember those?
We walked to school by ourselves, or, with the neighbor who was 4 years older, or 3 years younger.. and mom’s only fear was “look both ways when crossing”….
Ya knew what year virtually any car was, and model change was a HUGE event. The phone cord stretched from the kitchen to the dining room – and we’d never heard of the ‘five second rule’ should an orange slice make its way to the floor.
Dogs helped wash dishes and somehow we survived. Playing an album was awesome – until your younger brother did a handspring and landed two feet from the record player, ruining the album forever..
Police were respected.. By teachers we were directed.. Our parents backed the principal.. I don’t ever recall “a problem” with an adult leading/working with little leagers, cub scouts, girl scouts and the like.
Who knows what ‘antiquated’ lifestyles children of today will write about 50-60 years from how.. This much I know – I’m glad I saw it, lived it, loved it – and I will hopefully take that same fervor into tomorrow – the Good Lord willing.
May your day be keen, swell, groovy, The Most. Don’t pop the clutch, dig? Right on, let it all hang out (that’s gnarly).. keep on truckin’.. don’t be a square… peace out. Love, Victurd.
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