Remember when...

[dpuckett]

Old Age Barometer

How many do you remember ?



1. Blackjack chewing gum

2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water

3. Candy cigarettes

4. Soda pop machines that dispensed bottles... ... ... ...

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25. Washers with wringers





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 anyone your age



If you remembered 16-25 = YOU'RE OLDER THAN DIRT!

Put me in the "Dont tell anyone your age" category (12), and I have yet to hit 30. But I grew up in Southeast MO, which sets me back about 15years from the rest of the country.



I remember riding our bikes down the big hill (gravel road) by our house in 3rd or 4th grade. It took lots of nerve to get going real fast over the top, as gravity would take over, and it seemed you topped 60 by the bottom.



Black and white TVs. We still have a set of rabbit ears. Except for reruns of some shows, MASH on weekends, and StarTrek after that, and the local news 3-4x/wk, we dont watch TV. I like Abbott and Costello, Lone Ranger, Red Skelton, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin. Most of the older movies (pre 1960) had a lot more class than anything put out today. Today's movies are good in their own right, but they still dont hold a candle to those of the 30s, 40s, 50s.



I know what points and condensors are (sorta- I know it has to do with the ignition system). Mom had a 65, 73, and 75 Ford growing up. She never gave much over $1000, and this was 10 year old trucks.



yes ma'am, yes sir, thank you. Not much please, though. I still use them all to this day. Girls werent nearly as trampy as today's teens.



You waved to passing drivers, whether you knew them or not.



You didnt get arrested for defending yourself in your own home; your child didnt get suspended/ expelled/ arrested for fighting back against that bully (though I did get called into the principal's office a time or two) on the playground.



Playgrounds. And tag, baseball/ kickball games. Kids werent doped up on Ritalin (sp?). ADD was a math function capitalized. Not making the team this year. Getting an "F" when you got the all answers wrong. Self esteem was a secondary notion- your behavior was more important. Getting my butt warmed in K-mart for not minding. Mom didnt get arrested for child abuse.



I remembered the 10, 2, and 4.



My girlfriend:

-starting tractor driving at age 8

-worked cattle about that time

-worked long hours in the hot sun at her mom's nursery and pet shop in middle school summers

-had homework, and it took first proirity

-bought he first house at age 21; second at 23. Plans to move to Wyoming sometime... ...



Both of us know exactly what's in every line of the aforementioned songs.



Daniel

 

[bighammer]

Cigarette machines-- Sneaking into the local motel and dropping 2 quarters and a nickel to get a pack.

 

[Neal Cassady]

Turning on the TV and going to get a snack while the tubes warmed up.

Turning off the TV and watching the picture disappear into a tiny dot.

 

[bighammer]

Turning off the TV and watching the picture disappear into a tiny dot.

... and watching the National Anthem signoff just before.

 

[donnier]

Funny part is almost everything that has been listed here brings back memories.

Here s an idea, timewarp the kids of today back and see how many of them survive:-laf

Then bring them back to the present.

Id bet they would be more appreciative of "stuff".

JMHO.

 

[DCreed]

they wouldn't survive... remember small pox?

 

[daytripper63]

Funny part is almost everything that has been listed here brings back memories.

Here s an idea, timewarp the kids of today back and see how many of them survive:-laf

JMHO.

Without a Playstation or gameboy or X-box... They would not know what to do :-laf

 

[bighammer]

Without a Playstation or gameboy or X-box... They would not know what to do :-laf

There's another one. I remember the kids down the road (who had EVERYTHING) getting an Odyssey (I think that's what it was called) and playing Pong. Can't remember what year those videomachines came out, but that's old. Video games have sure come a long way.

 

[fest3er]

... timewarp the kids of today back and see how many of them survive ...

Someone recently told me he has an old phone in his basement. Teenage kids were over with his and one asked to use the phone, and he graciously showed her to the phone.



She picked up the handset and paused with a confused look on her face. "How do I dial this? Where're the buttons?"



And how many folks remember using the switchhook to make a call when the dial was broken?



When it was safe to walk to school? And ride your bike all over the place?



Free maps at gas stations? I still have a collection of them.



I don't remember (personally) four of the 25 on FOXY's list; I guess I lived a sheltered life. But I do remember 'my' first phone number: SO2-8147. I vaguely remember postal zone codes; ZIP codes were in effect before I had to write letters and such. I remember a time when a letter addressed as:

Wood

John

Mass

would be correctly delivered to John Underwood in Andover, Mass.



Ah, there's nothing like being awash in nostalgia.

 

[daytripper63]

Remember Marlin Perkins Wild Kingdom

View attachment 66678

 

[donnier]

For the members that would remember Sid Ceasar, What was the name of his show?

 

[fkovalski]

For the members that would remember Sid Ceasar, What was the name of his show?

Uhm... . that would be "The Sid Ceasar Show. "



it was actually "Show of Shows" I think.

 

[fkovalski]

ooops double post- my bad

 

[PRout]

HAM radio was the next step. In those days the licenses were not give aways. I studied morse code for weeks and took an electronics class at night at the local college to master the theory (we didnt have the questions in advance). Now being a HAM license is about as difficult as checking your email. As evidenced by the decline in the conduct on the bands.

Bingo! Kinda sad huh? Looks like those changes were partially lobbied for my the big radio manufacturers to have more potential customers, but the bands sure are not like they used to be. Yes, we had the 40 meter "War Zone", but it was pretty much confined between 7. 250 & 260, otherwise if you stayed out of that spot there were swapnets on 7. 240 run on saturdays by Clarence w6dfg, and on sundays it was "Radios that Glow in the Dark", and other people that were celebrities from the 40's & 50's on there. That band used to be my favorite until the vhf twirps started learning to build hf antennas, now its like cb on hf (fowl language, jammers all over, etc).

Added since im on a roll about radio stuff: Its also sad that most of the "real" old timers that i used to talk to since being a teenager (and learned a LOT of radio theory from not to mention the incredible stories they had to tell from the old days) are mostly silent keys now. . Just lost another one a few months ago. . RIP WA6FCW (a ham for about 50 yrs), I miss you.

 

[JOdell]

Being only 36 I don't remember alot of that stuff. But there are fond memories that I have growing up in a rural town. Safety for one.



P. S. I have a 2 1/2 year old and a baby on the way, and we ALL eat at the dinner table everynight without the TV. DAD'S RULE. That was my Dad's rule and his before him. Some things need to stay the same. -Jason

 

[CumminsBu]

I remember sitting on my dad's lap when driving on long road trips and he would let me turn the wheel.
We had to put our seat belts on before going on a Military base.
Only Babies were in car seats.
The only plastic on my Tonka's was the wheels.
Ride an all steel bike with no helmet.
Pop cans with a small mouth.
You bought soda in a restaurant by the pitcher, no all you can drink.
Wooden water skis.

 

[WDaniels]

If you remembered 16-25 = YOU'RE OLDER THAN DIRT!

I remember all of those. I may be old but I don't remember how I got here.

I also remember when you got into trouble at a friends house, his parents would give you what you deserved which most of the times was a spanking. Then by the time you got home his parents called your mom(which was a oliver2-1234 number and on a party line to boot) and you got another spanking from mom because the neighbors had to spank you. Then mom would say "You just wait until your dad gets home!" Then dad would give you what for because the neighbors had to call your mom because they had to spank you and dad was really Pi**ed because mom was embarassed because the neighbors had to spank you, not to mention that mom had to whip you. You didn't do that to many times before you learned it was much better to be good than be bad. Today there must be at least a dozen law suits in that. Glad I went through it tho.

WD

 

[daytripper63]

How many of you here would love the opportunity to beat some sense into the neighbor kid... :-laf