[Dakotabound]

This has several anonymous postings on the web, so I have no idea who the author was.

Posted for your reminiscing pleasure on this Saturday in January.

[Redleg Duke]

I can identify with this posting. My first recollection of a McDonalds was at the Traffic Circle in Columbus, GA in about 1956. As to fast food, that was a luxury!

At the same time, I remember learning the math tables and being tested, with the goal of becoming a "Minute Man".

Yes, despite the threat of polio and small pox, life was much better then. Much simpler and more honest.

I remember talking to a college student from New York City back in the late 60's at the University of Wisconsin. Being a Wisconsin native, I politely asked him how he liked Madison, then one of the premier cities to live and raise a family. He told me that it was okay, but needed some of the "vices of New York City to make it worth living in." I would dearly love to get my hands on that pompous, "sophisticated" puke for just five minutes today. I'd give him some "sophisticated vice" to last him the rest of his miserable life...all two minutes of it!

[Pintobean]

Thanks for posting this.

Weirdly, I relate to some of that even though I was born in 1972. I grew up with relative who were 50+ years older than myself.
The house we lived in was a renovated/former dairy with cold concrete floors and a wood stove for heat. Back before the depression,and subdivisions, they had cattle and horses. Grandma grew much of her own food and canned it. I didn't eat fast food until I was like 10 years old or so and that was when my dad and I snuck away to Mc Donald's. I didn't discover the joy of pizza until I was a teen. Grandma always cooked dinner every night and on holidays and the other women helped clean up afterward while the men went outside and lounged.
Girls didn't call boys, it was too forward. There were strict rules for dating.

I feel old now. lol

[RnMomof7]

Hey I remember ration stamp and oleo you had to squezze in a bag to give it "color"...and skimming the cream off the milk

[hardhead]

Fast food in the 40s was margarine that was pre-mixed - you didn't have to sit there and stir the food coloring packet into the white margarine - but it cost more and who had any money? Buying meat at a butcher shop and not packaged in a lot of plastic at Walmart. I seem to remember my parents giving me a quarter once a month on a Saturday. The quarter would get me into a double feature, a cartoon, a short subject, a bag of popcorn and a nickle soda. We grew everything - everything - we used except flour, coffee and sugar. I caught fish, picked berries and sold them to housewives for pies, went crabbing (Eastern shore boy), dug sassafras, wild onions, lambs quarters, gatherned nuts, and all for free. We didn't have any money and didn't worry about it.

[Ex-Wretch]

Born in '50. Ah yes, I remember ...

Going to Sunday mass ... and no stores were open that day. Also, no food for at least 12 hours or liquids for an hour before church (if you wanted to go to communion, of course)

Playing baseball in the middle of the street. Always lots of guys to play with (also having to go get the ball out of Mrs. Lewis' yard after banging her awnings - nasty chore)

Riding our bikes at night behind the mosquito abatement trucks that came down the street and getting lost in the fog (all the while breathing it in because it smelled good)

Being home sick and Dad bringing me home a 45rpm song I loved called "Black Slacks"

[dennisw]

bttttttttttttt

[snippy_about_it]

All these things ring true. What the heck happened? We left our doors unlocked, we were polite, kept our hands to ourselves, behaved or got whacked, no whining, no back talking.

We had a tv at times, when we did we could only watch an hour a week, I don't even remember what show we watched. We read and played outside, made our own games, it was great. One old car and ate at home. On special days, usually Dad would go out and buy glazed donuts.

I didn't have pizza until I was probably 16 and I'm only 48 now. How the years have changed.

[BunnySlippers]

I remember milk in waxed cardboard in the market with crimped tops ... or in bottles what were delivered. I remember buying bread ... all of it in waxed paper, not plastic bags. I remember the Helm's man and the ice cream man with various treats. I remember a HUGE Mar's Bar for .05 cents ... black babies candy ... and training to take my First Holy Communion with Necco Wafers.

[jellybean]

Please add some of your wonderful memories...

[Ex-Wretch]

How about shoe-locs? I loved those things and because they were so cool. Also, putting those half-moon metal cletes on my heels and sounding sooooo clicky cool walking down the hallways at school!

[Naplm]

Born in 1965, 20 years ago, if someone told you someday folks would pay a buck and a half for a pint of water, you would have told em they were crazy, my dad drove a semi truck, the thing was loud as a hurricane and its smoke was coal black and thick, you could get a candybar for 15 cents, you had to stop 3 times for freight trains when going across town, G.C Murphys and Sears were the big
department stores, the speedlimit was 75 on 2 lane highways, most business and shopping was done downtown, no such thing as a stripmall.

[Lynne]

Born in 51 and remember all this stuff!! A guy down the block worked for RCA and had one of the first color televisions. The whole block went down to his house on New Years to watch the Rose Parade (he still has New Years Day open houses).

The older boys actually let us little girls play with them with NO sexual or other problems!! They gave us rides on their bikes and in their boats (we are on a lake), they let us play touch football, etc. They actually looked out for us.

We never locked our door. On Sundays I wore a frilly dress with white gloves and a hat to church. We had block parties on the lake. All the men on the block got together every Saturday and drank, are you ready, Horlacher Beer.

The Moms I knew stayed home, Dads worked, and people were still able to buy a home and raise a family and send them to college on one salary.

So many memories.

[Texican]

Dakota:
I was born on June 5 1924 and grew up in the 1930's. We were almost like the "Okies" in the Grapes of Wrath. We ate lots of macroni and cheese, or Macroni and tomatoes. Lots and lots of pinto beans, and one sumer we were so bad off we had to eat Maize. Now that is not something that you wanted to make a steady diet of. Sundays we got pinto beans with ham hocks, that was a real treat. Lots of corn bread, butter milk, and turnips.
I am 78 years old and still remember eating young tumble weeds for greens. I got a lot of whipins, (not that I needed them though) ha ha. and I still grew up with out any kind of a police record. Our first TV was a Hoffman with an amber screen, all the neighbors would come over to watch the KEYTV logo (San Luis Obispo, CA.)as there was no programing yet. My first car was a 1928 Model "T" Ford Touring Sedan, used of course. I taught my wife how to drive it, (big mistake, she still drives and it drives me crazy.) However, in my estimation, we are now living in the best of times. I would not even think of going back to those days. I love living TODAY and make the most of every day.
The very best to you and yours.

Semper Fi
Tommie

[Dr. Luv]

For "people like us", these are the good old days. While I have some fond memories of growing up in rural Georgia in the 50's, having people hiss "ni**er" when I got on the bus is not one of them. Give me 2003 any day....

[JoeSixPack1]

As all memories are a snapshot in time etched on your brain, returning to the simpler life is but an ambition.

[slimer]

Thanks for the memories.

I saw a theater play called "Boomers" in San Diego a few months back. It replayed the era from the fifties to the present through music and talk. It was wonderful and brought tears to my eyes.

God Bless.

[Fiddlstix]

Great Post

[Exit148]

OK -- enough of you 40's kiddies. '31 here.

How about all your books in your own desk at school, and if you were at someone elses desk, you wouldn't even think of peeking in.

Jack Armstrong, Henry Aldrich (couldn't stand the wimp), The Shadow, The Green Hornet. Oh how our imagination was allowed to flourish.

Paper dolls? Anyone remember them? Penny loafers? P-Jackets?

Of course Pearl Harbor meant the start of 'stars' in the windows, and every gold star meant that a serviceman from that family had died.

Howard Johnson was the standard and when MacDonalds came by years later, they were intruders. "Over 10,000 sold!!" So big deal what, I thought!

I have decided, that with all the wonders we have now, the remote, microwave oven, internet, ATMs ----whatever ----the best invention of all is ----Kleenex!! (I'm just getting over the cold of the century, so I am an expert on this!)

And when we left home for college or some sort of higher learning, the most complicated, sophisticated thing we brought with us was a portable radio!

Would I go back? In a second ------- but just to visit. LOL!

[tubebender]

Was born in 33 in western Fresno County and my first encounter with "Fast Food" was a little trailer on Main Street that sold burgers, hot dogs and the BEST DAMN TACOS" ever. This was in the late 40s in San Joaquin Ca. The town looks like a third world hell hole today. My first pizza was in Redding Ca in 1956 at a place called Sharkeys I believe.

[M. Peach]

What a fantastic read - it was very entertaining.

Did anyone ever raid the neighbor's pomogranate tree?

Huh, no one? ummmmm never mind - move along, nothing to see here...