Do You Remember When?

[fieldlily]

What do you remember when?

I remember when we rented our first apartment for $55. a month. And it had two bedrooms too.

and...

Riding my bicycle to Saturday movie matinees at the local theatre: Roy Rogers, Johnny Mack Brown, Red Ryder, and many more.

There was a place next to the theatre on Main Street where we got flavored fountain drinks ...my favorite was cherry coke..(now they are back but in cans).

Mom using a ringer wash machine and drying all cloths on a cloths line out side.

Dad driving a Hudson. (long extinct now)

Mom bought me a used bicycle (my first) for $5.00 and painted it herself with house paint. I loved it!

We didn't have television but everyone listened to the radio...especially the soap operas like, Stella Dallas and John's Other Wife (no kidding) as well as Lux Radio Theatre and Auto-lite's program..Suspence.

When everything happened at train stations and we went to meet the soldiers coming home from W.W.II.

Collecting tin cans, rationing sugar, and no nylons available during W.W.II.

Working in an office without a computer but only a file cabinet where everything was kept in file folders.

I could go on and on...but it's your turn...and you don't have to go back so far as I did...just what YOU remember when.

 

[keeptrying]

Hi Birdie
Let's see I remember when it was OK to hold hands with a girlfriend and not worry about someone calling you "gay".
I remember not having a telephone, TV or car.
I remember when I use to have a better memory.LOL

 

[Larry_Fout]

There were grocery stores, it seemed, on every block (well not really but there were many of them throughout the community).

My Grandparents owned a grocery and I could have any thing I wanted…I stayed there a lot . Some recollections concerning the store:
Coke was 6 cents and candy bars were 5 cents, and lots of penny candy, but for me they were free!!!
Most liquid came in bottles that had a fee but could be returned to redeem the ”deposit”.
The first paper cartons, that I can recall, were for milk. Covered with a paraffin wax which tasted “yucky”. Later went to polyurethane.
Most transactions were cash but regular customers could out it on the ”bill” which was a receipt book that kept a history of items yet to be paid for.
Buffalo nickels and Indian Head pennies were plentiful.
The “Cash register was huge and had big keys and went you pressed enter you had better be back a little ways or you get a bruised spot

We had the first TV (RCA) in our family so everyone would come over and watch I Love Lucy, Godfrey’s. Talent Scouts and Texaco All Star Theater.

Buses were the main source for mass transit in our city. Where ever there was a “Fire Hydrant” there was a bus stop.

The local swimming pool was a great place to hang out in the summer. Ping pong, miniature golf, cards, restaurant and of course a swimming pool. On Friday nights they had “swim dance night” where they would play music and couples could dance ‘til midnight.

Down town was a great place to go to shop. Various parking lots interspersed throughout the city and parking meters to pay for your parking time and you could walk to your favorite dept. stores, outside of course.

There was also an ice cream parlor nearby that one of my best friend’s family owned. Fountain cherry coke and banana split, yeah!!! it didn’t get much better than that.

 

[fieldlily]

There were grocery stores, it seemed, on every block (well not really but there were many of them throughout the community).

My Grandparents owned a grocery and I could have any thing I wanted…I stayed there a lot . Some recollections concerning the store:
Coke was 6 cents and candy bars were 5 cents, and lots of penny candy, but for me they were free!!!
Most liquid came in bottles that had a fee but could be returned to redeem the ”deposit”.
The first paper cartons, that I can recall, were for milk. Covered with a paraffin wax which tasted “yucky”. Later went to polyurethane.
Most transactions were cash but regular customers could out it on the ”bill” which was a receipt book that kept a history of items yet to be paid for.
Buffalo nickels and Indian Head pennies were plentiful.
The “Cash register was huge and had big keys and went you pressed enter you had better be back a little ways or you get a bruised spot

We had the first TV (RCA) in our family so everyone would come over and watch I Love Lucy, Godfrey’s. Talent Scouts and Texaco All Star Theater.

Buses were the main source for mass transit in our city. Where ever there was a “Fire Hydrant” there was a bus stop.

The local swimming pool was a great place to hang out in the summer. Ping pong, miniature golf, cards, restaurant and of course a swimming pool. On Friday nights they had “swim dance night” where they would play music and couples could dance ‘til midnight.

Down town was a great place to go to shop. Various parking lots interspersed throughout the city and parking meters to pay for your parking time and you could walk to your favorite dept. stores, outside of course.

There was also an ice cream parlor nearby that one of my best friend’s family owned. Fountain cherry coke and banana split, yeah!!! it didn’t get much better than that.

This is great. I also remember most of these things and especially those corner grocery stores. Once I bought a whole watermelon for ten cents at the corner store. Mom was always sending me off to pick up things since it was so close.

 

[Maddi777]

when my kid's were little... I give 'em a couple pennies for candy.... they didn't have penny-candy anymore...lol. Kid's would say... "what's penny-candy, Mom?"....lol. oh yeah, the returnable coke bottles... loved those! Lot's of 'Mom and Pop' stores too.

 

[fieldlily]

when my kid's were little... I give 'em a couple pennies for candy.... they didn't have penny-candy anymore...lol. Kid's would say... "what's penny-candy, Mom?"....lol. oh yeah, the returnable coke bottles... loved those! Lot's of 'Mom and Pop' stores too.

We used to get really little packages of sweetened kool aid for a penny. It was enough for a small glass when mixed with water; but we poured it on our palm and licked it.

 

[nanajojo]

I loved those neighborhood grocery stores.we had one right across the street so as kids my sisiter and I went for penny candy also. it was always put in a paper sack and the candy counter seemed so tall and huge back then. the store had an old stove in it and it always seemed so dark in there. my Mom could charge groceries in that store. ( my Dad was thrilled about that ) people would come in the store to hang around and talk . it was nice to get a cold pop (icy cold in a bottle) thanks for the memories I love them

 

[nanajojo]

I remember all the stores downtown had high ceilings tile I think, it looked so huge to a child. and hardwood floors that creaked ( I can hear them now )

 

[Larry_Fout]

Amen on the creaky floors. Most of the major stores down town had a main floor and a basement with stairwells down to another dept. The top floors were the hardwood creaky kind. The first “modern” building by a national company was Montgomery Wards. They demolished an old courthouse and built a brand new 3 story building with escalators. I think everyone went there just to ride the escalators.

 

[Spudgrandma]

Oh, thanks for the memories. Remember gas wars (it meant something totally diffrent back in the day) and 25 cent gas, those were the days.

 

[Valentine]

Remember when you bought candy, there were those mint juleps that were two for a penny? They were my favorites because you could really get a lot of them for a nickel. Remember playing marbles in the dirt and a "steely" was a really big favorite?? I'm not sure, but I think they were ball bearings, but to us they were fine shiny marbles.

 

[Larry_Fout]

Playing marbles was fun. Yes the "steely" was a bearing. I liked the "cat's eye" marbles. On a bad day a person's marble collection dwindled significantly. Of course some would say I lost my marbles a long time ago

 

[McWilliams]

Oh Birdie, I remember all of the above! Wow! We know it was the 'good ole days' yet truly that is now!!
Some of the memories I'm glad are exactly that!
I remember the safety of being allowed to take my accordion, ride the city bus downtown, cart it across the street right in downtown Houston, take a lesson and return by the same way!! No way would I allow a child to do that today!
Our doors remained open for the neighbors to come and go!
While living a while in Washington DC during WW11 we would ride the streetcar to the end of the line, then walk what seemed to me several miles to get to church, spend the day with friends and return home after the night service!
I remember while there hearing the air raid warnings, stopping our game of 'kick the can' running indoors, pulling the shades and waiting for the 'all clear' signal!
Watching my brother and his friends collect things, as rubber tires, metal and such for drives!
I still have some of my mother's ration books, partially full of ration stamps needed for sugar, sheets, shoes, gasoline and whatever else was rationed. She mostly bought unbleached domestic and had sheets made from that.
I remember all the camoflage on government buildings, little trees and the camoflage paint designs.
I remember the slogans for safety like, 'loose lips sink ships' and others.
I remember going to 'singings' on Sunday afternoons at church where we all just sang and harmonized for hours and loved singing the old hymns, especially old Stamps Quartet songs.
Playing hop scotch, jacks, marbles and arranging 'rooms' out of pine needles during recess to play house.
The scent of fresh sunshine in all linens dried on the line!
Making lemonade with real lemons!
Homemade icecream
All in all we were accountable, responsible to entertain ourselves and to be inside by dark! Until dark we sat outdoors and told ghost stories, scaring the bejangles out of ourself!! Our older siblings loved scaring us to death!
Being paddled for misbehaving or talking in church! Didnt warp me either I dont think! Might help a lot of kids today I know!! LOL
My dad drove an old Hudson and also a Nash! One time he hit a cow and my grandmother told my mom she should have carved off a roast before leaving there!
All the wonderful Burma Shave signs that delighted me!
So many years, so many wonderful memories!!

 

[fieldlily]

McWilliams, did you collect minute man stamps in school? We did and the idea was to get enough to buy a war bond. My dad sold war bonds. He used his Hudson as an ambulance (volunteered it) because so many were off to the war. He had a heart condition so couldn't go, but was in W.W.I. And then there were "black outs" when we pulled down dark shades for practice air raids. This was in Indiana.

My mother worked in a war aide depot driving a tow motor to move boxes. She didn't pose for a Rosy the Riveter sign, but she did dress like the gal on the picture. (Bandana and overalls.) And, of course, heavy bright red lipstick so she would still look feminine in those clothes.

birdie.

 

[McWilliams]

Both my parents were in Washington DC with the Western Union. My dad was also a minister and started a church in Cabin John, MD while we lived there.
Dont recall the minute man stamps but did collect defense stamps. Is that the ones? I loved living there and all the people in uniform were so impressive and there was such an air of patriotism then! So great!

 

[Maddi777]

Birdie... I remember my mom talkin' about the practice air-raids. (I'm from Indiana.) we got tornado sierns now around the city where I'm at... they would be perfect for that again, if the country should get that bad again.

 

[fieldlily]

Both my parents were in Washington DC with the Western Union. My dad was also a minister and started a church in Cabin John, MD while we lived there.
Dont recall the minute man stamps but did collect defense stamps. Is that the ones? I loved living there and all the people in uniform were so impressive and there was such an air of patriotism then! So great!

Well, these were defense stamps. They cost about a dime each and we licked them and put them on a folder until they amounted to enough to buy a bond. They were for sale at school. Had little minute men on them.

My sister was a WAC radio operator stationed in England. Her future husband --a pilot in the Army Air Corp >European theater. My brother was a pilot in the Pacific. Both were skippers of their planes. (B-29 and B-24). We had two blue stars on the flag hanging in our window. Thank God...no gold stars, but many displayed them. (for those who don't know..the gold stars were for those killed ). Mother grew a victory garden.

 

[fieldlily]

Birdie... I remember my mom talkin' about the practice air-raids. (I'm from Indiana.) we got tornado sierns now around the city where I'm at... they would be perfect for that again, if the country should get that bad again.

Hi Maddi, I remember the sirens when there were air raid drills..."Back Home again in Indiana." (on the banks of the Wabash too!!!)

 

[mommysue]

When I was a little girl, all girls had to wear dresses to school, even in the very cold weather. I remember that the last year of a dress code was the year I graduated from high school! Oh well, now I hardly ever put on a dress! ha!

 

[McWilliams]

Well, these were defense stamps. They cost about a dime each and we licked them and put them on a folder until they amounted to enough to buy a bond. They were for sale at school. Had little minute men on them.

My sister was a WAC radio operator stationed in England. Her future husband --a pilot in the Army Air Corp >European theater. My brother was a pilot in the Pacific. Both were skippers of their planes. (B-29 and B-24). We had two blue stars on the flag hanging in our window. Thank God...no gold stars, but many displayed them. (for those who don't know..the gold stars were for those killed ). Mother grew a victory garden.

Exactly, those are the ones I remember. Licking and sticking them in the folder until you had enough for a bond.
We too had victory gardens! I thought it such fun but of course it was serious business for my parents!
I also remember lots of tears at church often when a loved one was missing or worse! Such a sad time but such fortitude and strength was evident! Today I know similar occurences take place for our service people! I admire them so and wish there were great ways to let them know how appreciated they are! My brothers and my sons never served during war times as they always were at the wrong age! I had two sons in service but not during active war time.