OLDER THAN DIRT Hey Dad," one of my kids asked the other day, "What was your favorite >>fast >>food when you were growing up?" >> >>"We didn't have fast food when I was growing up," I informed him. "All >>the >>food was slow." >> >>"C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?" >> >> >> >> >>"It was a place called 'at home,'" I explained. "Grandma cooked every day >>and when Grandpa got home from work, we sat down together at the dining >>room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed >>to >>sit there until I did like it." >> >> >> >>By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to >>suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I >>had to have permission to leave the table. But here are some other things >>I >>would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have >>handled it: >> >> >>Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore Levis, set foot on a golf >>course, travelled out of the country or had a credit card. In their later >>years they had something called a store card. The card was good only at >>Farmers (now Myers). >> >> >>My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was mostly because we >>never had heard of soccer. I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 >>pounds, >>and only had one speed, (slow). We didn't have a television in our house >>until I was 11, but my grandparents had one before that. It was, of >>course, >>black and white, but they bought a piece of colored plastic to cover the >>screen. The top third was blue, like the sky, and the bottom third was >>green, like grass. The middle third was red. It was perfect for programs >>that had scenes of fire trucks riding across someone's lawn on a sunny >>day >>Some people had a lens taped to the front of the TV to make the picture >>look larger. >> >> >> >>I was 13 before I tasted my first pizza, it was called "pizza pie." When >>I >>bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung >>down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too. It's still >>the >>best pizza I ever had. >> >> >> >>We didn't have a car until I was 15. Before that, the only car in our >>family was my grandfather's Ford. He called it a "machine." >> >> >> >>I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in the house was in >>the >>living room and it was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to >>listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using >>the >>line. >> >> >> >>Pizzas were not delivered to our home. But milk was. >> >> >> >>All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers. >>I >>delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which >>I >>got to keep 2 cents. I had to get up at >> >> >>4 AM every morning. On Saturday, I had to collect the 42 cents from my >>customers. My favorite customers were the ones who gave me 50 cents and >>told me to keep the change. My least favorite customers were the ones who >>seemed to never be home on collection day. >> >> >> >>Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the >>movies >> Touching someone else's tongue with yours was called French kissing and >>they didn't do that in movies. I don't know what they did in French >>movies. >>French movies were dirty and we weren't allowed to see them. >> >> >> >>If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want >>to >>share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just >>don't >>blame me if they bust a gut laughing. >> >> >>Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it? >> >> >>MEMORIES from a friend: >> >> >> >>My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and >>he >>brought me an old tomato sauce bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper >>with >>a bunch of holes in it. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter >>had >>no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. >>I >>knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to >>"sprinkle" >>clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old. >> >> >>Older Than Dirt Quiz: >> >>How many do you remember? >> >> >> >> Count all the ones that you remember not the ones you were told about. >>Ratings at the bottom. >> >>1. Cho Cho bar >>2. Drive ins >>3. Candy cigarettes >>4. Soft drink machines that dispensed glass bottles >>5. Coffee shops or milk bars with tableside juke boxes >>6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with foil >>stoppers >>7. Party lines >>8. Newsreels before the movie >>9. Packards >>10. Blue flashbulb >>11. Telephone numbers with 2 letters and 4 numbers >>12. Peashooters >>13. Wash tub wringer >>14. 78 RPM records >>15. Metal ice trays with lever >>16. Studebakers >>17. Cracker night >>18. Using hand signals for cars without turn signals >>19. Bread delivered by horse and cart >>20. Head lights dimmer switches on the floor >>21. Ignition switches on the dashboard >>22. Heaters mounted on the inside of the wall >>23. Real ice boxes >>24. Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain guards >>25. Soldering irons you heat on a gas burner >> >> >>If you remembered 0-5 = You're still young >>If you remembered 6-10 = You are getting older >>If you remembered 11-15 = Don't tell your age, >>If you remembered 16-25 = You're older than dirt! >> >>I might be older than dirt but those memories are the best part of my >>life.
Age is in the eye of the beholder! I clearly remember 22. Fond memories: xm 1224 (or eight dozen one dozen, two dozen) - my Dad's business phone number. My rugby coach used to drive us to matches in his Studebaker. Cracker night on 5th November. Helping my uncle with milk deliveries during school holidays. However, am I older? I remember cars with push button starters.
until i was 3 or 4 one of my neighbours in warrandyte still had a 'nightman' come to collect the chamberpot from her outside toilet. i was scared ****less by this because the name just sounded terrifying.
