I spent my Youth riding in 50’s and early 60’s Cars with no Seat Belts, riding in Pickup Truck Beds, hopping on my Schwinn Stingray without a Bike Helmet and going Target Shooting in the Mountains with my Older Brother.
Oh yeah, I had one of those Chemical Sets and played with Mercury and goodness knows what. I knew not to eat anything that was in there.
Surprise, I’m still breathing at age 63.
My brother and I got to play with mercury a couple of times when Mom dropped the glass fever thermometer on the tile floor, shattering it. She went for a broom while the mercury immediately rolled itself into a ball. We poked it on the floor to divide it, and rolled the two balls back and forth in the palms of our hands.
When I'd spend the weekend with my dad, I'd stand up in the back seat while the top was down. I loved the wind on my face going over the San Mateo bridge.
I also had a chemistry set, and set off a firecracker in Drama class in 8th grade. It was the intro for my speech on "Chemistry Fun at Home." Got an A for originality. Damn, that sucker was loud when it exploded!
Just turned 63 last month.
I'm still a rebel. When I pick up my grandson after school, I'll buckle him in the back, without a car seat. Of course, we're only going a half mile, and he's nearly 7.
Of course, I keep an eye out for law enforcement.
You can't be 63. I'm 63. Because I did all of the same stuff when I was a kid, I figured that I was the only one left in the country in my age-group ...