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01-19-2019, 10:22 AM
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#41
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Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 5,656
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skipro33
My first girlfriend was in the 3rd grade. (Don't worry, so was I...) She was a Brownie. On the days she'd wear her uniform to school, I'd snatch her beanie away from her. That's how she knew I liked her.
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LOL, that was you. In grade school, I remember being chased by the boys during recess after lunch, and on the way home from school. (There was a lot of chasing, but I don't remember ever getting hurt.)
I remember playing outside, reading at night by the nightlight or under the covers, going to the beach in the summer and coming home covered in sand. I would ride my bike for hours. I was horse crazy, read about them, drew them, rode them, dreamed about them. In high school, I would go to Eisenhower park and play tennis with my friends. Played some basketball as well - poorly. Not allowed to date until age 15.
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Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
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01-19-2019, 10:25 AM
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#42
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Fair Lawn
Posts: 2,938
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Great thread. Like so many others, I recall going out to play and not having to come home until dark. But here's one I haven't seen anyone else post:
I was no older than 10. My mother often sent me to the supermarket to pick up a few things. No problem, except I had to cross a major thoroughfare to get there. No problem, I did as I was told -- asked any adult to help me cross the street. I have several memories of adults doing so while holding my hand, of course. I'm still here to talk about it, but it's still scary to think about, now.
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01-19-2019, 10:54 AM
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#43
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Placerville
Posts: 1,788
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Take all the tubes out of the TV, go to the supermarket and test them on the tube tester. Buy right there any tube that failed.
For entertainment, we would see a huge spotlight in the night sky and the whole family load up in the car and drive to find it. Usually it was a car dealership.
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01-19-2019, 11:00 AM
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#44
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,134
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We called the spotlight in the sky "Speedy". We would get so excited when we saw Speedy.
__________________
And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.- Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
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01-19-2019, 11:15 AM
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#45
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,078
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At age 8 they rebuilt the road we lived on, the cable that brought TV channels was destroyed. No TV for the next 5 years.
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01-19-2019, 11:17 AM
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#46
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Northern Illinois
Posts: 16,543
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Quote:
Originally Posted by folivier
Anybody else used to undo the speedometer cable when you took out your dad's car?
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Luckily the speedometer/odometer stopped working before I reached driving age. And the car would start without the key in it. It was great. Everything would have been fine if my sister hadn’t tattled on me when I took the car (prelicense) for a ride.
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01-19-2019, 11:20 AM
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#47
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,078
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Quote:
Originally Posted by folivier
Anybody else used to undo the speedometer cable when you took out your dad's car?
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My brother did. Unfortunately for him the gas gauge didn't work, DF used the milage to know when to fill up. DF was double ticked when he ran out early and DB got busted.
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01-19-2019, 11:20 AM
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#48
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 145
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Rode my bicycle 10 miles to a friends house out in the country. Ditch skied (water skiing in an irrigation canal behind a friend's pickup. Outran the cops in my hot rod, pulled into a parking lot in town. When the cop pulled up, we gave him the description of our friend's mustang... that flew by just moments ago. Good times.
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01-19-2019, 11:23 AM
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#49
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Placerville
Posts: 1,788
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Clothing was fun. Middle school I wore nehru jacket and large peace symbol medallion. Back then, you would be sent home for not tucking in your shirt tails and no T-shirts allowed. Had to be button-down front with collar. Long sleeve in winter and short sleeves after spring break.
Principle had a paddle and he used it, but still better than telling my dad what for...
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01-19-2019, 12:21 PM
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#50
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 239
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Lots of hide and seek in my neighborhood when I was little. Buckets of great little hidey holes.
Lots of bike riding for miles and miles around in a suburb in Southern California starting around age 9 for me. No one worried about anything beyond a skinned knee.
I remember the government bug sprayers, too. The poison was distributed by plane. The radios did tell us to stay indoors on those days and not play outside. As another poster wrote, it's amazing we are all here to tell the tales.
The public schools were terrific, especially the wonderful summer programs with lots classes in art, music, theatre, math camps, etc. Every kid I knew went to college.
The best part: Disneyland opened soon after I was born. We kids went 2 -3 times a year on discount group tickets. With the girl scouts, with a school group, with parents buying D and E tickets at work for cheap. I thought I was living in the luckiest place for kids in the world.
"E Ticket" was a saying. If we thought a movie was really great, it was an E Ticket movie. If a kid wrote a great short story at school, it was an E Ticket job.
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01-19-2019, 01:10 PM
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#51
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 4,353
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Walked to school or rode a bicycle. This was in CA, so the only kids that rode the bus was the short bus. Hardly any kids were dropped off in cars by their parents. Biggest potential problem was having your bicycle stolen, had to lock it up.
We rode our bikes all over town in summer, many miles away through fields and over railroad tracks. We knew all the cheap places to get a drink or quick bite to eat. Just be home by dinnertime. Never wore any sunscreen, and also no bike helmets. Skateboarding also was becoming popular, so shorter distances around the neighborhood were lot of times on skateboard, again without any protective gear.
Once driving age, we would cruise on the main street of town. It was starting to be outlawed or at a minimum you were hassled in many cities by this time, but we had a lot of fun doing it. Always had to wash the car Fri, so it would be extra clean for Fri and Sat nights. Remember the gas crunch and waiting with my parents in line for gas. That was a little before my driving age, so once i was driving it was only a matter of the increased costs by then. Those costs were significant for a kid on min wage pay.
The DDT spraying reminded me of when in CA the fruit fly invasion had them spraying malathion from helicopters flying over cities. We used to joke and call it "Brown's Air Force", can you even imagine that happening today in CA with all the crazy environmental laws there now
I remember Disneyland and the ticket books with limited numbers of the various class tickets. Disneyland was a great place for kids for sure! Then the competing amusement parks opened and had the one-price admission and unlimited rides. Perfect for kids that wanted the higher level exciting rides.
Phones were all dial type, then touch tone came out. Phones were leased from phone co, then later you could buy them, again from the phone co.
__________________
The problem isn't artificial intelligence, it's natural stupidity.
You can't spend yourself to prosperity.
Semi-Retired 7/1/16: working part-time (60%) for now [4/24/17 changed to 80%]
Retired Aug 2, 2017; age 53
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01-19-2019, 01:10 PM
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#52
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Huntsville, AL/Helen, GA
Posts: 6,002
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Wore shoes and long pants to go to church in the Summer. Otherwise it was hard feet and shorts all Summer.
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01-19-2019, 01:11 PM
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#53
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,078
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skipro33
Clothing was fun. Middle school I wore nehru jacket and large peace symbol medallion. Back then, you would be sent home for not tucking in your shirt tails and no T-shirts allowed. Had to be button-down front with collar. Long sleeve in winter and short sleeves after spring break.
Principle had a paddle and he used it, but still better than telling my dad what for...
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My buddy and I skipped a day in our junior year. We knew the punishment was 3 swats from the vice principal and detention. Of course we were busted.
Went into receive the paddling and my buddy wore long johns that day. Quickly discovered by the VP, he would adjust his swing he said. I watched as my buddy took the first two, he was red in the face. Third shot and the paddle broke!
I was relieved until the VP walked to a closet, there was a dozen more! It was still worth it. [emoji12]
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When I was a kid, I........
01-19-2019, 01:14 PM
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#54
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
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When I was a kid, I........
Well, this whole “growing up” thing is still a work in progress...
My memories don’t extend much beyond starting elementary, which is also about when we moved “to the country”, as noted in another thread, to a split-level on an acre, but still surrounded mostly by farms and woods. As with many from small towns, life consisted of family, school, or church activities, the distinction of which was often blurred. As I got old enough to participate, there was CYA, Little League, Cub/Boy/Explorer Scouts, and 4-H. A favorite social/church activity was a visit to the roller rink. Ditto for the bowling alley. Summers brought Little League, lawn mowing season, camping, and swimming, with all transport via bicycle. Went to both church and Scout camps. Watched baseball on TV with the likes of Gibson, Mantle, Mays, and Killebrew, the games called by Dizzy Dean and PeeWee Reese, and collected their baseball cards in bubble gum packs. Drank Big Red and Fanta Grape sodas, bought at Crip’s, a little shack just off of school grounds. Smoked Borkum Riff in a corncob pipe. Yes, and grape vines... Played sports (poorly) in high school, and was in the Chorus. Didn’t necessarily keep me out of trouble though... [emoji12]
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire
...not doing anything of true substance...
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01-19-2019, 03:32 PM
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#55
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Placerville
Posts: 1,788
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We had a party-line phone. Different rings for different people. Ours was one long, one short. But we would listen in anyways, at least until they caught on and asked if anyone else was on the line!
Our phone # was MElrose-14998 or ME1-4998. The local exchange was included as a name in the dialing plan.
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01-19-2019, 06:34 PM
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#56
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Independence
Posts: 7,280
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormy Kromer
I was driving a John Deere tractor on our farm at age 8. A "B" with a hand clutch since I couldn't reach the foot clutch on our other tractors. My dad told me John Deere made those tractors so kid's could drive them. Keep your shoes tied or you'll get caught in the fly wheel or live PTO....
Had a BB gun at 6 and a .22 at 10. Living on the farm was like a year around camping trip. The house was only needed for eating & sleeping.
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The Popping Johnny with it's brass compression relief valves and random smoke rings was great - but the Ford 9n was such a civilized perfect sized do-it-all little run around the ranch rig it was my favorite.
__________________
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
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01-20-2019, 01:06 AM
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#57
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 656
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Hunting in the brush/trees for bottles. $.02/bottle. Cash in the bottles, go to the bowling alley and play pinball, 3 games for a $.25. Favorite pinball game of all time was Tom Tom.
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01-20-2019, 02:42 AM
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#58
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 2,745
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A shoe store owned a 13 inch black and white TV which the owner sometimes placed it on his store window. Kids and sometimes adults will gather in front of the store to watch free TV. This was in late 60s in Korea in outer part of Seoul.
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01-20-2019, 04:20 AM
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#59
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,359
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Among several things my parents did that would've had them thrown in jail today:
My dad had a station wagon. He'd put the tailgate down and we would stand on the tailgate, holding onto the roof rack while he drove around town, sometimes at a good clip...we pretended we were firemen who rode on the back of the truck like that in those days.
I was also allowed to take out his 17 foot sailboat from the time I was about 7. Life jackets on board, but not on..."he can swim"..."just stay in the harbor". Never could understand why other parents wouldn't allow their kids to come out with me until I was about 15.
I got a BB gun when I was about 9. I asked my brother to shoot me so I could see how much it hurt. (what an idiot!) It hurt alright...all I had on were light pajamas and he shot me right in the chest from 6 feet away.
And yes, there was the Estes Rocket phase where I almost burned the house down...
Imoldernu: yes, I remember the test pattern on WBZ! TV had no afternoon programming so there was the test pattern from around noon until around 4 when "Dateline Boston" would come on. Listening to the Lone Ranger on the radio.
Saturday 7 AM, Three Stooges anyone? I doubt today's parent would allow kids to watch them now.
Running down to the drugstore every night to get cigs for dad. 23 cents! My brother called them "Dad's batteries" "Dad's batteries are low so we need to get him more".
__________________
Living well is the best revenge!
Retired @ 52 in 2005
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01-22-2019, 04:42 AM
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#60
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: The Great Wide Open
Posts: 3,789
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skipro33
Clothing was fun. Middle school I wore nehru jacket and large peace symbol medallion. Back then, you would be sent home for not tucking in your shirt tails and no T-shirts allowed. Had to be button-down front with collar. Long sleeve in winter and short sleeves after spring break.
Principle had a paddle and he used it, but still better than telling my dad what for...
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I went to a Catholic grade and high school; had to wear a tie, dress shirt and dress pants/shoes. Girls wore skirts or dresses. It was to prepare us for the "corporate world, but I do admit it controlled behavior and eliminated clothes jealousy between students.
I didn't have to wear a tie underground in a coal mine as it would have been a safety hazard, although one time I had a bizarre guy that worked for me wear a bow tie.
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