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Written by Ron Swift / Fast Talk
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Friday, 06 June 2008 |
The good ol’ days
Let’s take a stroll down Memory Lane, or, in more hip jargon, take a Blast from the Past.
Remember when?
- We rolled up our metallic toothpaste tubes from the end to squeeze out every last bit of their contents — and sometimes slit open the tube with a razor blade for even more paste.
- We then used a sharpening device to continue using our razor blades.
- Our lawnmowers were the push-reel variety.
- We headed downtown as a family on Saturday night, like everyone else. The band concert in the park was a treat, and sometimes Dad got a 50-cent haircut.
- Grocery shopping was done once a week, often on those same Saturday evenings.
- Milk and butter were delivered to our front porch, eliminating the need for extra trips to the store during the week.
- We bent over to pick up pennies on the sidewalk. Nickels and dimes were big money.
- In the lower grades, we were required to have our own scissors and ruler. And remember the taste of white paste from a jar?
- Many cars came with sun visors, and none had seat belts. The back seats were really cramped. Dimmers were on the floorboard.
- Back windows of our autos rolled only halfway down. And everyone knew how to drive a “stick.”
- We often pulled up to the pump and put $1 worth of gas in the tank.
- Double Bubble bubble gum was a nickel a pack, and it included a comic strip. Another brand came with baseball cards.
- Hula hoops kept the hips loosened.
- We played ante-ante over by throwing a ball over our roof, and shouted “pig tail” when we didn’t throw it high enough.
- Nylons and lipstick were essentials when going out. Some women wore girdles, and all checked to see if their slips were showing.
- We picked up the phone receiver and told the operator a number. But first we listened to make sure no one else was talking on the party line.
- Loafers were in style, and many of us wore white socks.
- Some wore argyles.
- We bought our blue jeans too long and rolled up the cuffs to make them stylish.
- All of our jeans had button flies. And when their knees were worn through, patches were sewn on.
- Some of us received a pocket watch as our first timepiece.
- We went to the movies for 10 cents until we turned 12, when the price jumped to 40 cents, and we were scared to lie about our age because the woman who owned the theater knew all of us well.
- Early television was pretty dopey and was impossible to watch during bad weather. It was a bummer to have the Friday Night Fights fade away in the ninth round.
- Bicycles came in only one size and had only one speed, and all had fat tires.
- We zipped down long hills on rural roads on our bikes, the wind whipping our helmetless hair.
- We played football without face masks or bars, and the batting helmet for baseball hadn’t been invented.
- It was hard to beat a good game of croquet.
- Miniature turtles became pets.
- Those of us in the school band were required to take our instruments home and practice half an hour a day. I’m sure the neighbors were delighted.
- Clove and Blackjack gum were in vogue, and Dentyne was really, really hot in the mouth.
- The largest bottles of soda, which we called “pop,” were 12 ounces. An ice cream milkshake was 25 cents, and “malts” were a nickel more. Floats were 15 cents, and delicious.
- Cotton candy was an absolute necessity at any carnival, where the “carnies” looked scary and we guessed they might have come from some other planet.
- We caught fireflies in fruit jars just after dusk, and the insects were all dead the next morning despite holes being punched in the lids.
- We bathed but didn’t shower because most homes didn’t have showers.
- Half the town turned out at the cemetery on Memorial Day. All of the flowers were real. The school band played patriotic numbers, and the Legionnaires fired a gun salute while we held our ears.
- We spun tops on the sidewalk and played marbles in the dirt without ever complaining about there being nothing to do.
If you do remember most of the above, I’m sure you’re not complaining about those days.
AND FINALLY …
Another great Apricot Fiesta. The weather was superb, the crowd the largest ever, the music pleasing, the gowns of the Miss Apricot contestants beautiful, the parade very enjoyable and the fireworks booming.
 Ron Swift / Fast Talk
And congratulations to “General” Mike Mattos, whose recognition as grand marshal of the fiesta parade was long overdue. Mike looked downright spiffy in his enhanced military uniform, to borrow a term from the past.
In addition, I learned this weekend of two more members in my Anti-Cell Phone Association — the above-mentioned Mike and Oprah Winfrey.
Ron Swift is editor/publisher emeritus of the Patterson Irrigator. His column appears weekly in this space.
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