WITH THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT UPON US, I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BRING BACK MEMORIES......and take our mind of geneanolgy for just a minute ot two..... Close your eyes.....And go back in time.... > Before the Internet or the MAC, Before semi > automatics and crack > Before SEGA or Super Nintendo... > Way back........ > > I'm talking about hide and seek at dusk. > The Good Humor man, > Red light, green light. > The corner store. > > Hopscotch, butterscotch, doubledutch, jacks, > kickball, dodgeball. > Mother May I? > Red Rover and Roly Poly > Hula Hoops > Running through the sprinkler > The smell of the sun and licking salty lips.... > > Wax lips and mustaches > An ice cream cone > on a warm summer night > Chocolate or vanilla or > strawberry or maybe butter pecan. A cherry coke from the > fountain at the corner drug store > > Wait...... > Watching Saturday Morning cartoons... > short commercials > Fat Albert, Road Runner, He-Man, > The Three Stooges, and Bugs, > Or staying up for Gunsmoke > > Or back further, listening to Superman on > the radio > > When around the corner seemed far away, > And going downtown seemed like going > somewhere. > > A million mosquito bites. > Sticky fingers. > Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, Zorro. > Climbing trees, > Building igloos out of snow banks > Walking to school, nomatter what the weather. > Running till you were out of breath > Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt > > Jumping on the bed. Pillow fights > Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling > down was cause for giggles. > Being tired from playing.... Remember that? > > The worst embarrassment was being picked > last for a team. > War was a card game. > Water balloons were the ultimate weapon. > Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any > bike into a motorcycle. > > I'm not finished just yet... > Eating Kool-aid powder > > Remember when... > there were two types of sneakers for > girls and boys (Keds & PF Flyers) and the only time > you wore them at school, was for "gym." > It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends. > > When nobody owned a purebred dog. > When a quarter was a decent allowance, and > another quarter a miracle. > When milk went up one cent and everyone talked > about it for weeks? > When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a > penny. > > > When you got your windshield cleaned, oil > checked, and gas pumped, without asking, for free, > every time. And, you didn't pay for air. And, you > got trading stamps to boot! > When laundry detergent had free glasses, > dishes or towels hidden inside the box. > > When nearly everyone's mom was at home when > the kids got there. > When it took five minutes for the TV to warm up, if > you even had one. > When your Mom wore nylons that came in two > pieces. > It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb. > > When it was considered a great privilege to > be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your > parents. > > When girls neither dated nor kissed until late high > school, if then. > When all of your male teachers wore neckties > and female teachers had their hair done. > > When any parent could discipline any kid, or > feed him or use him to carry groceries, and > nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it. > > When they threatened to keep kids back a > grade if they failed ..and did! > When being sent to the principal's office was > nothing compared to the fate that awaited a > misbehaving student at home. > > Basically, we were in fear for our lives but > it wasn't because of drive -by shootings, drugs, > gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much > bigger threat! and some of us are still afraid of > them!!! > > Didn't that feel good.. just to go back and > say, > Yeah, I remember that! > Remember when............ > > Decisions were made by going > "eeny-meeny-miney-mo." > Mistakes were corrected by simply > exclaiming, "do over!" > "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. > Money issues were handled by whoever was the > banker in "Monopoly." > The worst thing you could catch from the > opposite sex was cooties. > It was unbelievable that dodgeball wasn't an > Olympic event. > Having a weapon in school, meant being > caught with a slingshot. > Nobody was prettier than Mom. > Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better. > Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable > aspirin. > Ice cream was considered a basic food group. > Getting a foot of snow was a dream come > true. > Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare." > > Older siblings were the worst tormentors, > but also the fiercest protectors. > > If you can remember most or all of these, > then you have LIVED!!!! > Pass this on to anyone who may need a break > from their "grown up" life... > I DOUBLE DOG DARE YA!!! Joe & Lorraine "The Land of Arizona" Visit our Web Site http://www.homestead.com/JoeBuffington/index.html