For the guys over 35, good memories

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shawn394

shawn394

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2006
Messages
170
Location
Roswell, NM, USA.
Black and White
(Under age 40? You won't understand.)

You could hardly see for all the snow,

Spread the rabbit ears as far as they go.

Pull a chair up to the TV set,
'Good Night, David. Good Night, Chet.'

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.

My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in icepack coolers, but I can't remember getting ecoli

Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then.

The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.

We all took gym, not PE.. and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym)
instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened b ecause they tell us how much safer we are now.

Flunking gym was not an option... even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.

We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.

I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.

I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.

Oh yeah... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!

We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked.

Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then we got butt spanked again when we got home.

I recall Donny Reynolds from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that?

We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive?

LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA, AND TO ALL WHO DIDN'T- SORRY FOR WHAT YOU MISSED. I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING
 
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And you could ride your bike to school on nice days - 7 miles one way. Problem was, there was a rack full of bikes already there, so parking was a problem. NOT a bike lock in sight, but nothing disappeared. We didn't LIKE EVERYone, but we didn't STEAL from ANYone.

Yes, our thread on guns made me think about how different we are now.:(
 
during the summer holidays over here and at weekends we would disappear up into the hills from dawn to dusk and only returned home to be fed...our parents never asked where we were or told us not to leave the street. We played on rope swings attached to huge trees and swung out over gullies that were 60' deep.

The kids these days dont know how to enjoy themselves
 
telling Mom "I'm going to xxxx's house" and the response was "Be home before dark"...not "will they have peanuts in the house?"
 
I remember how during the summer after a night of rain and you woke up to bright sunshine and how clean the air smelled. I'd get my fishing rod, get on my bike and ride about 7 miles to Greenough Park and hike probably 3-4 miles up Rattlesnake Creek, fishing as I went, or chasing water snakes or frogs. And I was only 11. Wow, I really miss that.
 
While I don't fit into your target age group, I certainly relate to and have fond memories of all of the above. Had rabbit ears on all tvs in the house as recently as 5 years ago. Still have rabbit ears on the tv in the guest room. Less than 20 years ago, many of us brought guns and bows to school regularly - stored in either the principal's office or in coach's office during the day, picked up at the end of the day to go hunting in the woods behind the school. Archery was part of gym class.
 
that reminded me of the worst snow storm of my life. I was in the third grade and we got 3 feet in one night. they piled all the snow from a nearby stores parking lot into one huge pile. we played king of the mountain for hours. We where there before the store owner one morning. When he arrived all he had to say was a gentle "you kids be careful and play fair with the littler ones". And by no means did we have to have fair explained to us, it ment let them win at least half the time. When he thought we might be getting to cold. he brought us hot chocolate. You would never see that today, he might be held liable for some childs obesity. The city blocked off a street with a good slope to it so the kids could sled for an afternooon, and nobody seemed to mind, they where to busy visiting with each other. The only bad thing I can remember about the worst snow storm of my life was that water still came out of the kitchen sink, and the food we had to eat actually had to be cooked not just heated up. wonder how we survived?
 
I remember parents not fearing to send their kids to school and seeing them safely returning home with respect and education.:) Today I don't think that such worry free attitudes and beliefs are as prevalent as our 'yesterday'.:( We've lost 'something' along the way and we'll never get the 'innocence' back.
 
I'm only 25 and don't really have a true concept of what it all really meant, but just hearing about it makes me miss it. And the fact that my 2 boys have to grow up in this crap we have today just makes me scared.
 
Shawn,
First TV I ever saw, I was in 5th grade.. saw Hoody Doody show as a school outing..
2 room school.. 3 students in 5th.. about 12 in the 6 thru 8th..all in one room.. one teacher.

We didn't have lakes nearby, we swam in the stock tanks.. just bulldoze a hole in the ground and wait for the rain to fill it up.. sometimes there were cows, sometimes not.. sometimes there were snakes, sometimes not..

I remember being on a high school field trip to some farmer's place, we didn't take water, so when we got thirsty, if the tank wasn't muddy, just brush back the scum and take a drink... then discovered a dead cow on the other side of the tank.. didn't get sick or die from it.

When I was about 11 or 12, we lived at the end of the road.. there was a wire gap across the road in front of our house... like some of the other over 40's, the neighbor boys and I used to take off into the woods and be gone all day... we made bows and arrows, put nails in our arrows so we could stick them in trees, usually since it was summer we were always barefooted.

At 6 I jumped off a log in the garden and landed on a board that had about 6 nails sticking up.. I think I got 5 of them... my mother sat be on the front porch with the wash basin/pan on the floor filled with kerocene.. my first tetnus shot was at age 19 when I got inoculated in the Navy.

I've been stung by every kind of bee, wasp, yellow jacket and scorpion that we had in east Texas.. put snuff or earwax on it...

My father did not even have a key to his house.. and a few we lived in probably didn't even have locks on the doors.

Life was much simpler back in those days..
 
As I wipe the tears from my eyes after remembering : 1954 Dad set the 8 inch TV up in our door way with a Magnifying glass in front of it on friday nights for the Gillette Friday Night Fights and all the neighbors would gather in the hallway to watch,(we watched the test pattern for 1/2 hour before the fights started) .Then in the late 50's ducktails and sideburns,Bill Haley and the Comets, Saturday Night Hop and Baseball was played with-out parents, now the 60's and I'm in my early 20's and married and bought my first house and the payments were $92.00 a month and Dad said was I crazy paying that much a month for a house, yes life was great and its a shame that our children and grandchildren will never know the simple life..... But if we think back our parents thought we missed growing up in their day having to work at 10 years old to help feed the family during the depression and life came to easy for us.Yes I really think my generation,my children's generation and my grandchildren need to thank the greatest generation, those who lived during the depression and fought in WWll maybe we need to be knocked down a peg or 2 to bring back the values of the 40's,50's and 60's.
 
Someone else actually went to one of the schools? [:0]:D:D

I need to copy this post because my children and grandchildren never seemed to quite believe me when told of my experiences.[:p]


Originally posted by ozmandus

Shawn,
First TV I ever saw, I was in 5th grade.. saw Hoody Doody show as a school outing..
2 room school.. 3 students in 5th.. about 12 in the 6 thru 8th..all in one room.. one teacher.
Click to expand...
 
Sounds a lot like my life growing up. We'd go on a two week vacation and not lock the house so the neighbors could put the mail and papers inside for us while we were gone. I never went to the hospital for stitches... Dad took care of it all.
 
Yep,the night a dad took all the kids out in the neighborhood for ice cream,,we piled in the back of is pick up and sat on the wood plank floor,back then wood wasn`t an option it was standard.10 cones was a buck.. Carl
 
We had a 1 room hunting camp at a small lake and spent all summer there. No running water or electricity. One of my favorite memories was watching the glow go out on the coleman lanterns. We swam, fished, hunted frogs and just played hard until it got dark, then we all gathered on the lake front and put out lines to catch hornpout (catfish to you southerners)while the adults told tales and talked. No phone, no television, heck we even had an outhouse just no halfmoon on the door. I looked at the price of waterfront land within 3 hours of my house and could not find anything for under 60k and that is for 1/4 acre building lots with shared waterfront. It's all been bought up by wealthy out of staters for summer homes and covered with Mc Mansions they only visit a couple weeks a year. Times have changed a bit too much for my tastes.
 
Oh what a difference between then and know.
Getting leeches on you swimming in the creek. Ticks from playing in the woods. They used to oil the road to keep the dust down and we would have a blast riding our bikes thru it until mom caught us. We never gave it a thought.
Now we don't leave the house without 3 cans of off and sunscreen and of course you can't go anywhere without the cell phone and directions from mapquest..
 
Wow I remember most of this and I'm only 30ish. Of course I was raised a little different then most people my age. I'm kinda of between two worlds. I remember how much better things were but at the same time I appreciate modern technology as well. I just think somewhere along the way we lost some values. Kinda scares me to think what things will be like 50 years from now.
 
I'm only 30ish too, Rob...if you consider 56 to be 30ish. I remember all of these things and more. It's hard to think of things this way, but believe it or not, THESE are the goold old days for our children or our grandchildren. I can remember my parents and my grandparents telling me how much better things were "back in the day". Every generation has its own "back in the day."
 
Shawn, you forgot a few things, and Roy, I'm right there with you, buddy.

We never locked the house... no need.

Deer rifles and/or shorgins in the back window of nearly every pickup... even the kids that drove to school... and none of them ever got stolen.

Kids could actually "walk" around town... for miles... and no one had to worry about some pedophile nabbing us.

If we got "licks" at school, we also got them when we got home.

Loosing was part of the game and selfesteem was not a factor.

If you got picked, or made the team, it was because you were good enough. Selfesteem was not an issue.

If you didn't make the team, you practiced until you were good enough, or moved on to something else. No thought was given to bruised egos. Ego equated to arrogance, but if you could back it up, you'd probably be named team captain.

Even better, your grandparents gave you each a dime to go the the store a half mile down the road. And that dime got you a coke (generic term for soda... soft drink... in Texas) and a candy bar.

We said the Pledge of Allegiance every day in school. We believed it, lived by it, and "Old Glory" was something to be proud of.

We knew the names of every neighbor on the block... and then some. And if a neighbor needed help, we helped... no question and nothing expected in return.

If a policeman caught you doing something wrong, he put you in his car, drove you home and let your parents take care of the problem. Even in larger cities. In the small ones (I lived in both) he probably knew you and didn't have to ask where you lived.

You shared drinks with friends and didn't give a thought of what "disease" they might have.

I could go on, but I've taken up enough space. Thanks for the walk down memory lane, Shawn. It brought both a smile and a tear, or two. I only wish my grandchildren had the opportunity to grow up in such an uncultured and spirit breaking society.
 
What a great post! I enjoyed reading each and everyone of the replies. If anyone under the age of 30 or so is still reading this, next time Leave it to Beaver is on TV, watch one show. Yeah, the parents were a little goofy, but that is basically the way it was.... Except my mom chasing me and my brother aroud the house with a wooden spoon lol Naaaa she didnt hit us, but it scared the c*** out of us. I think one of the main differences of this generation and mine, is that we were afraid. Being afraid ? That was good? Yeah, our parents and teachers just thought we were showing respect, but we were really scared. We were also allowed to be kids....:D
 
Lou is probably right, I am trying to imagine this conversation fast forwarded to 30 years from now. My son is setting and writing this. What will he say? I remember all the friends I made on myspace? or reflect on all the late evenings he spent with his Halo video game. I don't think this is the worst era to live in. the 30s have it beat. adn the 60 could not have been much of a picnic for a man with a family to raise. but yes something critical has been forgotten and I have to agree with Roy. I think only a good knock down for americans will give it a chance of being remembered again. My father does not see much about my teenage years that is worth remembering, but I do. I am sure that will be true for my son as well. I do know one place that I still since that spirit of community and good will toward others, security, honesty, and standard of integrity. It is right here in this group.
 
I’ll be 50 in a few days and I remember we only had 3 channels on the TV. We use to watch Lassie, Leave it to Beaver, The Rifleman, you know all those moral shows that actually taught us something each and every show.

We always knew where the keys for the car were. In the ignition. Never worried about anyone stealing the car.

I remember at my uncles farm driving cabless swathers and then there’s that old Massey Ferguson Super 92 combine, I use to have to jump on that lever to engage the cylinder. That was back when I was 14. We use to put in 90 hours per week easily. Try to get a kid to put in more than 40 hours per week now and you’ll be put in jail. I go out to the farm now and everything has a cab. They all have AM, FM, CD even satellite radio. It’s like driving a Cadillac out in the field.

Remember church back then. Hear a great sermon and the pastor would talk about passages that were relevant to our lives. Now a days it seems like the Pastor talks for a few minutes then it’s nothing but singing (not hymns) and dancing the rest of the service.

I remember the gas wars and getting gas for .25 per gallon. Remember when all the gas stations had people come out and fill your tank, check your oil and wash your windows for you? I remember station attendants getting mad at me for getting out and starting to pump the gas myself. I also remember when air to fill your tires was free.

Why did it seem like we had more to do back then. All we had was a football, baseball, basketball a shotgun and a bike. Now a days the kids all say there’s nothing to do.

I remember the only time we bought new clothes was just before school started. We would drive to Fargo and hit the Kmart. Oh yeah, a new pair of sneakers, 2 pair of pants and 3 shirts. Never knew what name brand clothing was. Everything has to be name brand now. My daughters even buy jeans that already have rips in them. They charge an arm and a leg for them too. I don’t get that.

Remember when Kool aid was a special cold drink. Now its all this Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle and 100’s of other sodas to choose from. Remember the milkman use to deliver. Remember 5 cent packs of baseball cards. Now they’re like 2 bucks for a cheap one. Most of the good packs are $5 and up now. We don’t get gum anymore either.
 
Great post, great memories. At 67 I can relate growing up without my Dad from the age of 3. However, Mom had a 2X4 that she used to keep me in line. Yeah, a 2X4. Still, as all the old-timers used to say: The good ole days.
Vern
 
I am 44 and every bit of this sounds familiar.

I remember taking a dime to the local convenience store (about 3 miles away), walking barefoot and returning with a large bag of candy. Most of the time we would take the short cut through the woods, never thinking about putting shoes on first. (Okay, maybe the barefoot is an Alabama thing.)

My high school principal lived a block away from us. Just the sight of him talking to my dad on the street corner was enough to make me confess to things I had only thought about doing.

When I misbehaved, I received what we called a "belt whupping." It wasn't child abuse, it was behavior modification. No child ever thought about calling a lawyer.

I said "yes sir," "no sir," "yes maam" and "no maam." I knew that a "belt whupping" would likely follow the times I didn't.

I remember, in the 5th grade, this group of men came to my classroom, gave us a Bible, and told us they loved us. Today, members of that same organization can be charged with a "hate" crime if they step on public school property.
 
Lets see------Dad only told you to do something once---never any question about it-----the term "cutting a switch"---mom could get her point across real fast. I still hate willow trees. Disrespect was unheard of. Children where seen Not heard. If you got your homework done you might get to watch one hour of TV on a school night.
Parents always knew where their kids where.
 
Lots of <s>old</s> good memories here. This really made me smile. Barefoot all the time, quarter Saturday movie. Fishing everyday. You didn't have to be told to close the gates.

I bet I have heard "You're one of those Jones boys" about a thousand times. Last time I heard it was 20 years ago. I forgot my tie for my grandmother's funeral and the guy that ran the only store in town that sold ties did not ask for an ID on the check, he just said that line.

How about comedy? Red Skelton was on PBS in black and white a few years back. One of my then teenage sons asks what's so funny. Next thing you know, he is rolling too. No words, just fun.

Thanks for the post. It made my day.
 
Some of my childhood memories: Walking to school with a chill in the air and clear sky's above, being the remote control for my dad, 8 Track tapes, Beta, Pong and yes I would sit there for hours watching that ball go back and forth, Tree houses in the highest part of the tree, underground forts with tunnels, home canned fruits and vegetables, spending summers bailing hay for the entire community, riding motorcycles in the local hills, looking something up in the "Set" of Encyclopedia's, knowing how to spell, having only 13 TV channels, driving at 16 (actually started at 12), street races with no one getting hurt because there were deserted roads, riding a bicycle, a smoking section at High School, and so much more.

What do I like now? Computers so I can respond to blogs like this

Safe Turning...........
 
Yep, lots of good memories........I loved playing "kick the can" with all my brothers and all the neighbor kids, it was great fun.
 
Originally posted by thewishman

Just got the mail - invitation to my 30!!! high school reunion this summer. Thanks for the great memories!

Chris

P.S. I STILL have rabbit ears on my TV.
Click to expand...

Chris,

Think about this, before you go. Do you want to remember Matilda as that gorgeous young thing you dated or the slightly overweight, sixty year old she has become??? She's also become CEO of some high-faluten' company, so she thinks the world should listen TO her. What you have done, who cares????

In your memory, they are forever young. You were friends, you had much in common. I think it is better to leave it that way. But, that's just me.
 
Oh my, what a thread this has turned out to be. It's almost as much fun as reading turning posts! I'll turn 68 tomorrow and can relate to just about everything that has been posted here so far. One thing I didn't read (or perhaps missed) is that I can remember the pre-TV days when all we had was the living room radio that the entire family sat around every night to listen to the news, the Green Hornet, Sky King and many many other great programs that most folks don't even remember any longer. I also remember that dinner time was when the whole family sat around the dining room table. The kids would set the table, mom would prepare the dinner and then we would actually discuss something every night. Imagine that - actually talking to your sister or other members of your family. Oh yes, I forgot, we always said Grace before every meal - without fail! In the summer evenings we used to lay (or is it lie?) out on the front yard grass and try to figure out what the clouds looked like. Our cell phones were two tin-cans connected together with a string! Pea shooters were the rage and no one that I know of ever lost an eye. I had a carbide cannon that I used to load the barrel with worms and watch them splat against the side of the house. We built tree houses in the neighborhood woods. Ah yes, so much fun. Guess we didn't know what we were missing based on what kids do today. My own kids, who are now in their 40's are now beginning to ask, Dad what did you and Mom do when you were kids? I think they have trouble believing the things my wife and I tell them.

One big thing that was taught to all children in those days was respect. Respect for adults and everyone/everything else. You did unto others as you would have them do to you - sound familiar? If someone loaned you a tool or a toy, you took care of it and returned in as good or better condition than you received it.

Guess I've ramble on long enough but this thread really struck me with lots of great childhood memories - THANK YOU!
 
Playing outside even at night under the corner streetlight.

Just opening the door and walking into your best friends house without knocking and calling their parents mom and dad too.

Woah!!..remember this?? When you were sick and the doctor actually came to your house instead of you going to their office?

Walking up hill both ways for atleast 5 miles barefoot in the snow just to go to school? oh wait..that was my grandfathers story..lol

would be so nice to live like that again.
 
Streetlight? We didn't have too many of those until I was older, but we played outside at night under the stars. And we had little light pollution so we could see thousands of them. I remember the early years of the satellites too. We would lie on our backs in the yard and watch them go across the sky (pre-geosynchronous days when we were trying to top Sputnik).
 
OK, here's mine...

Lying in the grass in the front yard staring up at the stars... just lying there talking about everything... mostly about fishing tomorrow...

...walking out the back door, about 2 miles in a straight line to get to Leech's pond. Had to carry a zebco 202 (plastic body back then, but pretty bullet-proof) and the $3 fiberglass rod. (a $5 rig in case you had to run, just drop the pole and haul @$$)

Riding bikes at night until 11:00, sitting under the street light at the end of the nite just to talk some more!

getting a 'fountain made' Cherry Smash at Trout's drug store... Mr. Trout worked the fountain, I used to ask him for just a bit more cherry.. he would say "well... don't do that for just anyone, but I will for you" (I dunno if he really put that much more in, but I suspect he said that to everyone)

Walking out the back door in early December, and returning with the best Christmas tree ever... every year was better and better.

Walking downtown to the movies, maybe a 2 mile walk, even at 10 it wasn't that big a deal... had to stop by the horses and unload that pocket full of sugar cubes ... and a carrot...

...yeah... I think about those a lot...
 
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Yea, but... remember party lines? And that gabby neighbor that wouldn't ever get off the phone? You also suspected she would listen into your conversations.

My mom still doesn't have locks on her doors.

People walk in, she doesn't have a doorbell.

Hunting season, every pickup still has the rifles in the window. Oh, doors aren't locked either.

UPS guy knows where you live, work and what you drive. Puts your packages in your car(unlocked) or leaves them at your moms house.

FEDEX guy drives you nuts, cuz he doesn't.

When someone gets cancer, the whole community pulls together and holds fund drives/benefits. That involves the whole county, 2500+ square miles. People in the neighboring counties pitching in too.

My wife cutting her hand on some glass, going to the clinic (they have appointments available) and getting it fixed up. Then going to the hardware store and having people run out asking if she's ok, they had heard she had hurt her hands. (She's a massage therapist) All within an hours time.
 
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