I need to acknowledge Dana for putting this idea into my head with her post about 1987.
I remember the early 70's. We got 2 tv channels. Black and white at our house. I remember playing outside with the neighbourhood kids until after dark with no adult supervision. I remember spending hours playing on the tire swing Dad put in the big maple tree for us. I remember trusting all my neighbours. I remember never being afraid.
I remember my great aunt didn't get electricity or a phone until 1973 because there weren't any lines outside the village limits. She didn't have indoor plumbing either, so I remember outhouses. I remember party lines. How do you think people got their gossip?
I remember walking 2 miles to school every day with my brother, regardless of the weather. I remember having the time to play outside after school, and still get all my homework done. I remember that almost everybody who lived in our village had a job there - at the mill, at the gypsum mines or on the oil hills.
I remember having one AM radio station that played every kind of music, from rock to country to jazz to classical, and the one that was all talk shows and news. I remember get-togethers in the kitchen on Saturday night to play music or cards or board games.
I remember summers without sunscreen or bug spray, without responsibilities or worries, without ever turning the tv on, without video games, without ever being bored. I remember riding to the beach in the back of Dad's pickup truck. I remember cars that only went 50 mph and had no seatbelts or airbags or baby car seats.
I remember winters of sliding, skating on the marsh and snowball fights. I remember the wood stove which warmed us, welcomed us, fed us and protected us during frequent power outages. I remember nights under homemade quilts with no heat on, seeing my breath sparkle like diamonds in the dark.
I remember having to keep my room clean, help with dinner, wash dishes, rake leaves, shovel snow, weed the garden, feed the dog and and a hundred other chores without expecting to get anything for it. I remember caring what my parents and other adults thought of me, and behaving accordingly, because I knew I would be held responsible for my actions.
Damn it, I remember being a kid. And I feel sorry for kids today. They may have all sorts of stuff, but look at everything else they missed!
6 comments:
Great memories!
I remember touch football in the street. And hide and seek until it got too dark to see.
I remember riding bikes to 7/11 for slurpees in the afternoon.
Mostly I remember being outside a lot.
Thanks for this post Coco!
Coco - I agree. I remember being outside a lot. I remember playing in the front yard more than the backyard. I remember actually talking to my neighbors. I remember that watching tv was something we did as a family. I remember being excited to get the newest board games for Christmas. I remember being able to hop on my bike, go to a friend's and staying there without having my parents worry. Life seemed to be so much simpler then.
I tell my son this - who is 7, and he is amazed. He doesn't understand life without TV or his video games. I wish I could de-sensitize him...
Great post Coco! I too remember playing outside from morning til dusk. I grew up in a very, very small town, and everyone worked for either the electric company or in the coal mines....or drove many miles to work at some other job in some other town.
Oh and TRAV...why don't you ever read my blog? Kinda hurts, ya know....
Ah, such wonderful memories!!!!! I remember some great stuff, too!!
Thank you Coco! That was beautifully written and wistfully read.
Lynn
Yes, great memories... I will share some very distinct memories on THE COUCH tomorrow...
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