When I Was Young....

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    Hello All
    It occurred to me as I was reading a post by Chilibill that when we pass this mortal coil we have also passed the last opportunity to communicate as we did when alive. This medium of posting on the net is one way of offering those who live on a chance to learn about things from days gone by. Chilibill posted that he had learned of the existence of a cemetery that had some interesting history. The location of that cemetery was not far from a place he had been many times. The location of this piece of history was shared because something private ( in this case a ranch that is becoming more accessible, seemingly, to the public, ) was visited by senior members of a community. It is not my suggestion that senior members should feel most comfortable posting here. We are all of us ensured to be senior to the generations that follow us. Nor is it my thought that this thread be limited to ' Serious Reminiscing ' or definitivly accurate recollection. Could I be so bold as to even suggest that embellishment is only one creative step over the line which is a good neighbor ( sometimes) to reality.


    This post is more a fleshing out of a topic idea then an actual contribution.
    As we live in many parts, of this good earth the range should provide good grazing. For any who pass by I wish you peaceful days.

    Greetings from North of the 49th

    Hello All
    My neighbor passed on recently. He was predeceased by his wife some years back. He was born in Scotland, and he was a very good man. He helped out when he could and it was good living next door to him. When I was young, death meant a loss and now it seems more a completion of a very special thing. We have had a small wake ongoing since his passing. I have not partaken of alcohol as the wake for John Wayne ( Mr Morrison) in 2007 will be the occasion of my next drink. I just came in from pouring a libation for a man who was passing the house and who did business with my neighbor. I remember when funerals often involved a procession of cars the would travel in a long group from funeral home or church to the cemetery. Very few drivers would interrupt the flow of those cars which in some cases would flow through traffic without stopping much if at all. Weddings would often mean a stream of decorated cars and much horn honking and waving from other cars in a congratulatory salute to the couple starting a new life. Open caskets and for some the last kiss or last touch of living hand to hand of the deceased person were not uncommon. I am glad that I believe, that this traveller will go to find his wife and be reunited. I was 21 years old when John Wayne passed on and I have not as yet been part of a wake which is going to change in the fall of 2007. I think that many members will be doing something each in their own part of the world. I believe this is a good thing. When I was young I didn't, talk this much ( I talked more :rolleyes: ) things are looking up. so long neighbor
    hold the fort and pick me a good horse we will ride together agin some day.

    Greetings from North of the 49th

    What are some things that have changed since we were young? What is getting better?

    Greetings from North of the 49th

    Quote from kilo 6

    What are some things that have changed since we were young

    What is getting better?



    Almost everything, and certainly not for the better, IMO.

    I came of age during the Forties and Fifties. Back then there was no political correctness, no "diversity or multiculturalism", hyphenated names or nationalities, we were ALL Americans, with hardly any of the political partisanship that characterizes our society now.

    Kids were very polite, especially to elders, always saying yessir and nosir, and never, ever using profane language for fear of getting their mouths washed out with soap.

    Movies were much better.

    I could go on and on but why bother - it's not going to change anything.

    De gustibus non est disputandum



    I have to weigh on a few of your comments as well, Stumpy, because although I came of age in the 60's, I agree with many of the points you're making.

    Without a doubt, "political correctness", IMO, has to be one of the WORST concepts that's been so embraced in recent years as progressive.

    If you're a public figure - or even a non-public figure for that matter - you're hard pressed to express any sort of an opinion or comment that won't offend some racial / religious / gender or other special interest group. I shake my head in amazement at times at just how "thin skinned" some people have become and how easily they can be offended at some real or imagined slight.

    I recall visiting a forum once and the topic of conversation was the notion of profiling and alot of Muslims (young men in particular), for example, were expressing their outrage and anger because they were being "unfairly" profiled at airports.

    I decided to weigh in and made the comment that if 99.9999999% of the world's terrorist activities were being perpetrated by "middle eastern looking" Muslim men between the ages of 25 and 40, then it just stands to reason that they're going to come under more scrutiny than an 80 year old lady who hails from China, for example.

    Of course, I was immediately denounced as an Islamophobe who was contributing to the stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists.

    So I made the comment that if the majority of the worlds' terror, for example, was being perpetrated by Scandanavian Christians between the ages of 50 and 70, then it would just make sense to put them under more scrutiny.

    But I guess facts have nothing to do with reality anymore.

    I also tend to agree with your comments about kids as well. For all of the so-called "advancements" and "progress" we've made in recent years in the area of "sensitivity" towards others / psychology / etc, I'm not sure things have gotten any better. When I was younger and I had a problem with another kid in school, we'd duke it out for a few minutes and it would be over and forgotten.

    Now I'd be afraid that I'm going to be knifed or shot during recess because I looked at somebody the wrong way and he took it as a sign that I was "dissing" him.

    And, of course, nobody is to blame anymore for their actions. I took an axe and killed my mother, but it wasn't my fault - she didn't breast feed me enough when I was a baby. It was her fault that I bashed her head in with an axe.

    A kid takes a gun to school and kills other students and teachers, but it's not his fault - he's not to blame. It's the violence we see in the movies or video games that's to blame.

    It just goes on and on and on.

    And you're right, Stumpy, I don't believe it's going to change.

    Murray,


    I must confess, I never saw this topic back when you first started it. Thanks for "resurrecting" it.


    When I was young, kids in school (at least most of them) would not think to talk back to a teacher or be disrespectful. If you caused any kind of trouble, it was to the office, and there was a wooden paddle (with holes, to reduce air resistance - you know, move faster to its "destination"). It didn't take too many visits with that paddle to get a kid in line. And if you got the paddle at school, your parents didn't run to the school and cry "child abuse" - oh, no, if you got in trouble in school, you got in bigger trouble at home. Adult authority was upheld all around.


    Nowadays, if you lay a hand on a kid, you would have Child Protective Services knocking on your door . . . not a good thing :vomit:.


    I grew up in that time, and I lived in fear of my dad sending me into the next week if I back talked him (not because I was at the receiving end of his hand much - I wasn't). I didn't flinch every time my dad walked by, but I had a good healthy respect for him, and I NEVER called him a name in my life (at least not out loud, to his face - I knew better).


    It was certainly a different time, wasn't it??


    Mrs. C :angel1:



    I see you and I had similar childhoods, Sue.

    It sure was a different time, and IMO, a much better time.

    De gustibus non est disputandum

    Wow! This could be a complex question for the ages. Growing up we were to respect all adults by saying, "yes sir" or "no sir," and "yes mam" or "no mam." We actually played outside and came in for supper. We trusted our neighbors. I can remember when I drank water from a water hose. We would have neighborhood ball games all summer long, and very seldom be inside the house. It was a treat to eat out once a month. We went to bed when told by 8 or 9 pm.

    Baseball season started in April and lasted until August; Football season started in September and lasted until November; Basketball season started in December lasted until February. Sports use to be competitive and the best players played because they worked hard to earn it. If you didn't make to cut you played in the lower league until you earned your way to the upper league.

    School started after Labor Day (September) and got out around Memorial Day (May). We had homework and couldn't play until it was done. We didn't drug our kids to get them to behave, we actually spanked them including me. When a teacher discipline a child the parents continued the discipline action. You actually flunked when you didn't make the grades.

    We only had four stations on TV. ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS. They went off the air by midnight. The shows were actually entertaining and not the commercials. We didn't see drugs on commercials. The News were factual and not bias. We didn't actually know everything about the celebrities unless they died. And they were role models.

    I'm just starting off. Cheers :cool: Hondo



    Quote

    "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it"

    - John Wayne quote

    Every once in awhile one of my friends or older relatives sends me one of those emails with attachments that say "remember this" and then they name stuff that was popular or existed during my youth such as huge 5 cent RC colas, etc, nickel candy bars, etc, etc, etc.

    I'm sure you older members have probably received the same type of emails.

    I've always been a nostalgic person anyway and regard my childhood and adolescence as the happiest times of my life. Sure miss it.

    Considering the state of today's world I am, quite frankly, glad I don't have that many more years left to see the world I knew go down the tubes.

    De gustibus non est disputandum

    Another thing I really miss is the fact that the U.S., in the Forties and Fifties, was almost self-contained, or self-sufficient, in just about every commodity there was. We didn't depend on anybody for anything.

    I remember reading magazine and newspaper articles back then telling how we were the world leader in not only raw resources, such as oil, iron ore, steel production, automobile manufacturing, coal....you name it and we had it. Now we not only import much of the raw materials we use (such as oil) but a lot of our manufactured goods also.

    I remember reading that Admiral Yamamoto of Japan made the statement "Now we have awakened the sleeping giant", or words to that effect, after their attack on Pearl Harbor. And he was right. Well, the sleeping giant has become seriously crippled, IMO.

    I am definitely not a fan of globalization.

    De gustibus non est disputandum

    Hello Stumpy.
    Admiral Yamamoto had said"It is the same thing to antagonize the United States
    when it antagonizes all over the world "and opposet the start of the war.

    BTW, when i was young,dogs were running freely about hills and fields.
    eating something that the human left. They had many lovers and children in the town.
    Many of dogs lived for about 10 years.

    and at present, Dogs are made to be tied and to stroll.The dogfood with the vitaminn is supplied and are made to inject sick prevention,made to receive surgical castration.
    I heard that there's a dog that lives long by becoming Alzheimer.

    whether dog is happy,god only knows.

    regads,
    H.sanada

    Sometimes kids ask me what a pro is. I just point to the Duke.
    ~Steve McQueen~

    I remember as a child I paid 25 cents for a cola, candy bar, and a bag of chips. I don't think we had a sales tax on food back then. Boy have things changed. Buying those three items today, it would be over $3.00 plus tax. WHAT A BARGIN!

    I know I am one of the younger ones or maybe middle, but I do remember when gas was 35 cents a gallon. When I received my driver's license, it was all the way up to 53 cents a gallon. I was very upset because it would cost me around $8.00 to fill up. Can you imagine paying $8.00 to fill up you car? Very upseting isn't it?

    Cheers :cool: Hondo



    Quote

    "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it"

    - John Wayne quote

    Quote from Hondo Duke Lane

    I do remember when gas was 35 cents a gallon.



    I can remember paying 15 cents a gallon as a teenager in the early Fifties. Back then, oil was about 2 dollars a barrel.

    What is infuriating is that the stinkin' Democrats, pandering to the environmental nuts, keep blocking proposals to drill more wells in this country, either offshore or in Alaska. Not only that but they block proposals to build more refineries or almost anything, such as nuclear power plants, that would lessen our dependence on oil and/or gasoline from other countries.

    De gustibus non est disputandum

    Quote from Hondo Duke Lane

    I remember as a child I paid 25 cents for a cola, candy bar, and a bag of chips. I don't think we had a sales tax on food back then. Boy have things changed. Buying those three items today, it would be over $3.00 plus tax. WHAT A BARGIN!

    I know I am one of the younger ones or maybe middle, but I do remember when gas was 35 cents a gallon. When I received my driver's license, it was all the way up to 53 cents a gallon. I was very upset because it would cost me around $8.00 to fill up. Can you imagine paying $8.00 to fill up you car? Very upseting isn't it?

    Cheers :cool: Hondo




    :teeth_smile: - funny comments Hondo.

    I remember growing up in southern California as a boy and the ad for McDonald's at the time was a burger, fries and a large drink and change back from a dollar.


    Mark

    You folks are just bringing about a lot of nostalgic memories to this dude. I can remember when during gas wars some gasoline was down to 17 cents a gallon. We'll never see that again!:cry_smile:
    Cheers - Jay:beer:

    Cheers - Jay:beer:
    "Not hardly!!!"

    The first movie I saw was Bambi after it's third or fourth release. Do you remember when they released movies and the cost was 75 cents.

    I also got to see my first John Wayne movie as a re release at the drive in. It was McLintock! Don't remember the cost, my parents picked up the tab, and I wasn't driving yet. They don't have re releases like they use to. Of course who could forget the drive-ins. They are a part of the past now.

    We even dressed up to go out back then. I mean shirt and ties, and sometimes a suit coat, while the women wore dresses. And I don't mean church, but almost every time.

    One summer, my friends and I played the longest baseball game. It started when school was out and ended just before we went back to school in the fall. I think we played over 400 innings that summer, but it was great. Oh, we won that game by the score 316 - 272. Forget about the ERA, and strikeouts or even home runs, but what a game.

    Cheers :cool:



    Quote

    "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it"

    - John Wayne quote

    Quote from Hondo Duke Lane

    The first movie I saw was Bambi after it's third or fourth release. Do you remember when they released movies and the cost was 75 cents.



    Believe it or not, Mike, I used to pay 10 cents back in the Forties and early Fifties. And 10 cents for popcorn.

    Can't remember now but "Bambi" might have been the first movie I saw also but in its' original release.

    De gustibus non est disputandum

    Another thing I miss from the old days are the sight of Trailways and Greyhound buses. Lots more people used to ride the bus back then, including me. When I returned from my first tour in Germany in 1962, I rode Greyhound all the way from New York to Oklahoma City.

    I also miss the wailing whistle of those old steam engine locomotives on the trains. And the sounds of propeller-driven airplanes.

    De gustibus non est disputandum

    Quote from Stumpy

    Another thing I miss from the old days are the sight of Trailways and Greyhound buses. Lots more people used to ride the bus back then, including me. When I returned from my first tour in Germany in 1962, I rode Greyhound all the way from New York to Oklahoma City.

    I also miss the wailing whistle of those old steam engine locomotives on the trains. And the sounds of propeller-driven airplanes.



    Never rode on a bus except for the chartered ones for church choir tours. That does not include the school bus. I never rode a train as a passenger. We took a field trip while I was in school and rode a train or maybe it was the boy scouts. Anyway, where I live we never had passenger trains. The closest was in Atlanta.

    Cheers :cool: Hondo



    Quote

    "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it"

    - John Wayne quote