Nostalgic Memories of America

August 17, 2003 | Myself

[hardhead]

This is a Sunday afternoon exercise in fun and memories of days-gone-by. We do a lot of fightin' and arguin' here in FR during the week, so on Our Lord's day of rest, how about relating your memories of things that have passed on into the dustbin of American history - things you yearn for or wish were still among us.

Have you caught yourself saying to your kids or your friends, 'well, when I was a little kid, we did it this way' or 'we didn't have any money but we were happy'.

[Quix]

Jumping out of a huge maple tree into an enormous pile of yellow maple leaves with Papaw nearby yelling to all the cousins to "go higher" and mamaw on the porch yelling "Git down outta there!"

. . . and the great flight from the bowels of the tree into the wonderfully cushiony pile of autumn smells and fun.

[potlatch]

Good one!

[foreverfree]

bump

[potlatch]

Here is a related thread of growing up in the 40's and 50's; http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/816903/posts

[potlatch]

Can anyone remember when TV's had TUBES?? The TV would go 'out' and you'd take the suspected tubes down to the 7-11 to test them and buy what you needed!

[potlatch]

it's clear that we all played outside MUCH more than do kids today.

No doubt about it! I taught Physical Education in the 80's, and the kids were starting to get lazy, even then!!

[sushiman]

The " corner store " , and mom and pop stores . There was a wonderful little store called " Charlie's Grinder Shop " about a block away from us . He sold " grinders " , which are submarine sandwiches in CT lingo . Genoa salami , choice of American or provolone ( sp ? ) cheese ; tomato ; shredded cabbage , oil/salt/pepper on the Italian bread ...Delicious with State Line potato chips and a Pepsi ( fave in my house ) ! He also sold penny candy , comics , household items , some groceries ...and you could CHARGE there . Well , at least people he trusted could . My friends spent so much time sitting on the porch in front of his store yakking , quaffing Pepsis , sucking on Fudgicles , checking out basebal cards , discussing the latest horror or space alien movie we'd seen at the Saturday matinee for 25 cents ...Those seemingly endless summers in New England ...The puffy white clouds floating by in azure skies ...Neighborhood baseball games ( We actually held our own World Series with trophies and my fried Toby played the National Anthem on his violin ! ) ...Stargazing ...Like others have said ALWAYS outside ...Bought a while football so we could play in the dark ! I could ramble on ...but all you guys 40+ and over know where I am coming from ...Beautiful memories nobody can take away from me ...

[ladyinred]

I don't know if this is a dream or not, but I seem to remember from my kidhood, you could buy a package of straws that had chocolate on the inside. You stick them into a glass of milk and after a couple of slurps, voila' - chocolate milk.

Oh YES! I had completely forgotten about those, you are not dreaming. They came in strawberry too, but I liked the chocolate. We also had straws full of koolaide type powder candy you ate from the straw! I can't remember what they were called right now!!!

[ladyinred]

Well, from the minute Thomas (our grandson) wakes up, all he wants to do is watch the Howdy video. Nuff said.

Oh that is great. Buffalo Bob taught such good values to Howdy! I loved the Howdy Doody show! So happy to read that Thomas loves him too!

[ladyinred]

This could be the very simple answer to the "child obesity" problem the lib-media are always wringing their hands over.

Oh for sure. My hubby and I were just talking about this today in fact!! We played outside all day as kids and used our imaginations. My parents would never have let me stay inside watching tv all day, not that I wanted to. In fact, I am still outside all day in the summer! LOL

[ntnychik]

mmm...Fizzies and root beer popsicles...I'll add to that visits to the corner store for penny candy like root beer barrels and those candy dots on paper. Also reaching down into the icy cooler for a 5 cent Tru-Aide. Having enough bottle deposit money to get a coloring book and Crayola 8 color crayons, and a black and white composition book with all the weights and measurements on the cover and one pencil for back-to-school. Getting a Toni home perm on the night of Miss America with all the men out of the house, and having mother/daughter talks and betting on our favorite, Lee Meriweather. Taking my first transistor radio to the Presque Isle Beach at Erie, PA and listening to the best Rock & Roll songs ever, smelling the Coppertone and watching a heat mirage rise from the hundreds of baking bodies. Going to the hardware store with Dad on Saturday morning, watching the guys sitting on their backwards-facing chairs chewing the fat and supervising our selection of individual nails from the rolled-down paper bag displays.
Riding my bike no-hands down Sunset Boulevard. Cherry milkshakes at the Dairy Queen. Explaining to my parents that I HAD to go to the latest movie on Friday nights with my Catholic boyfriend so he could have a McDonald's hamburger (15 cents) at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Wax end wrappers on the Sunbeam bread. Shock when the price went up to a quarter. Entering the Little Miss Sunbeam contest. Trying to make the longest leap from the swingset. Playing kick the can. Converting the 1 car garage into a neighborhood playhouse (Thanks for the help, Mom). Thanks for the thread!

[ntnychik]

Blue dog: Flub-a-dub?
I still have my brother's Howdy Doody marionette and my Princess Summerfallwinterspring doll.

[faithincowboys]

I was talking about Ike, not JFK. But Kennedy also had a flair and could engender idealism in people-- of course, we had no idea about his many picadilloes.

[Burn24]

Ringolevio on the streets of Manhattan. Creamsicles.

[rockfish59]

I was talking about now, not the 50's! =^)

This was a good anti-abortion (to me, anyway) movie!

[backhoe]

Were they 8oz. bottles?

Way back then ( the fifties ) I think they all were, but Ward's served fountain Cokes. Friends of mine owned Island Auto Parts, who had the last nickel Coke machine in Glynn County, up till the mid 1970's.

[drew]

Yes! I loved those gliders, they were great!

[netmilsmom]

>>I watched "To Kill a Mockingbird" with my kids a few weeks ago, and I told them how much my childhood was like that. Going anywhere in town that I wanted, as long as it was within walking distance and I was home for meals. So much freedom, and so much fun.
"To Kill a Mockingbird" took place in the 30's, and I was a child in the 60's - but the southern childhood of long summer days and bare feet was the same.
I don't know when it disappeared, but my kids surely didn't have the same kind of freedom. <<

This is sooo true.

[SLB]

Growing up in rural Wyoming in the 1950/60 era is something I will always treasure. From having the responsibility as a 4 or 5 year old caring for livestock ranging from calves to horses to chickens; to the hunting and fishing experiences as a teenager.

I remember the first TV I saw set up in the display window at the Montgomery Wards store. At night there was always a crowd there watching it. We got our first set in 1959.

I had not been back to Platte County in several years except for cursory visits unitl last summer. We went to see my parents and spent a good portion of the trip driving around my old haunts. It sure brought back the memories. The good and the bad. The fishing with my dad and Uncle Alec (he could spit on the ground and catch a fish there, or so it seemed). Deer and antelope (prong horn) hunting with my dad and Uncle Art. Uncle Art had lost an eye to a corn stalk sword game when he was 6. He was a crack shot. I had the pleasure of reminiscing with him and another uncle at my dad's funeral last December.

Just writing this brings the memories flooding back. Both of these uncles were a part of my growing up, and now that one is 90 and the other is 87 they will not be here much longer. Glad I was afforded the advantage of gleaning from their wisdom over the years. I hope the generations Y or Z or whatever will take the time to learn from the experience of those who have gone before as we have.

[Proud2BeFree]

One of my daughter's friends was telling us at church last night about how they "peeled the corn". LOL I got a huge laugh out of that one!