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We never even considered wearing a pair of shoes in the summertime. We never even entered the house till dark unless it was for the toilet or FOOD. Our clothes had holes and patches on them...real designer clothes nowdays. We played hardball with taped up used baseballs and bats. We played ragtag..shinty with tree crotches and that old taped up hardball. We took our old beat up bycs and peddled 5 miles to the nearest lake to go swimming. ALL local family (aunts, uncles etc)got together at each birthday, Thanksgiving and one day around Christmas time.

We raised our own food and sold what we didnt need...man I hated picking beans.

That was then..when there was but one TV station available and it didnt come in half the time. What would happen if that was the case now? We were money poor and happy beyond belief. Your only as poor as you think you are.

The thing that strikes me is that most all suburban kids today are absolutely incapable of organizing their own pick up games. The old days of the two "understood" best player/captains stepping out from the group, and picking from the crowd in talent/capability order ... like happened every damn day in my childhood ... are prohibited by the touchy feely Social Worker types. Somebody's self esteem may be hurt.

If you took ten kids today, and asked to form two five player Basketball teams, they'd look like the extras from "Night of the Living Dead."

But, as boys growing to men, that was a useful exercise. You knew where you stood. If you were one of the last two or three guys picked from 14 of your buddies in pickup baseball or basketball EVERY DAMN TIME ... you had one of two choices 1.) you could work night and day to get your skill to the sports level where you earned your pals respect and maybe play high school sports or 2.) you'd say **** baseball, work day and night to learn to play rock guitar, where you'd sleep with beautiful 25 year old women from age 17 to 60.

A very valuable life lesson.

That was then..when there was but one TV station available

Johnny on the Spot? Deputy Don show out of Traverse City? (I was there on my birthday so damn far back I don't remember exactly when) I think the only station available up there in northern MI was out of Traverse City....