Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

I have recently read some posts and stories about the past, and of course it always gets me to thinking.  I miss the old days - I really do.  I know many things are so much easier today, but there are many things missing from the old days.
We had a complete sense of safety.  Kids played outside and roamed the neighborhood and no one was really worried.  Granted, everyone's parents kept an eye open for everyone else's kids - but there was such freedom to roam and play.  We never locked our doors.  We never worried about someone bothering our property.  There was just a total feeling of safety.
We all looked out for each other and if someone was in need - there was always someone there to help.

I remember so much about being a 50's/60's child.  It was a time of new items hitting the market.  It was a time of limited TV.  It was a time when family was everything.  It was a time of innocence.  It was some of the best memories of my life!

I remember on Friday night (every Friday) Mom made hamburgers and homemade French Fries.  If for some reason we didn't have potatoes - we had baked beans.  I always looked forward to that night.
We had BIG Sunday dinners at noon, every Sunday.  Odds were that it was never just Mom and Dad and me.  There was always family - brothers & sisters, aunts & uncles, cousins - who ever showed up.  Somehow there was always enough! (Truth be - Mom just did without so everyone could eat).

There were always homemade cookies in the cookie jar.  My favorites were big iced sugar cookies or oatmeal cookies.  Mom always made her own pies and cakes.  My favorites were pineapple upside down cake and cherry pie.  She made donuts, eclairs (oh my), and potato chips!
Favorites for meals were meatloaf and mashed potatoes, beef Manhattan's (still a favorite).  Momma made the absolute best 'meat pie' on the planet!!!!!  I have tried many times and they sure don't taste like hers did. (mine are good - but not like hers).

I can remember  how maybe once a year we got a canned ham!  I thought that was fantastic.  It was a big deal.  Remember how you had to roll the key around the outer edge to open?
Spam was also one of those things I looked forward to, because it was different.  It didn't come in our house often, as Mom only bought what was absolutely needed - but if Daddy had any say about it, we got a can of Spam once in a while.  He liked it with breakfast.  Did you know that Spam was originally called 'Spiced Ham' in the late 30's?  The name was shortened to Spam.  Funny, I still enjoy this every now and then.
Every big family get together or holiday had some sort of Jello salad on the menu.  I remember grandma always made a green Jello with shredded carrots and cottage cheese.  YUK.  I always dreaded that!  Jello was just coming to light in the market - and it was a great and inexpensive way to stretch food.  It became very popular and it seems there was NO LIMIT to the horrors of how to serve it!!  I must admit I really do like Jello today and I do make a creamy fruit and nut Jello salad around the holidays.  A family favorite.  But so many of those salads looked and sounded so gross! (to me).
I always wanted Mom to buy TV dinners - they just sounded exciting to my child brain!  I knew some of my friends had them at their houses.  I always got a big NO.  I didn't have anything like a TV dinner until I was grown.  I look back now and realize that our food we ate was sooooo much better - but as a kid they sounded exciting.  I always wanted Lipton dry chicken noodle soup as well.  I would beg at the grocery store for Mom to get a package of this.  Once in a great while she would cave and I would get some.  How exotic I thought that was!

I remember TV was very limited and black and white.  I think the first TV came in our home when I was very, very little.  I remember Saturday morning cartoons - the GOOD ones, and there was Captain Kangaroo every morning.  We always had to watch Lawrence Welk and Daddy had to watch wrestling every weekend.  Sometimes we got to eat in the living room when he really wanted to watch wrestling.  I thought that was so much fun - it was like a picnic!
Ed Sullivan was a favorite (I remember seeing the Beatles first appearance), and Mom loved Queen for a Day and the 50/50 Club.
Movie favorites were White Christmas and the Wizard of Oz.  What special nights those were. Oh, there was also Frosty The Snowman with Burl Ives every year.  Loved those old time shows.   I almost forgot the Wonderful World of Disney.  Remember the commercial around Christmas with Santa 'sledding' down the hill on a Schick razor?  LOL

Holidays were fun and much simpler.  Homemade cookies and candies galore.  Mom made her spiced fruit rolls for many gifts.  Lots of the items we got were homemade clothes.  Everything single thing was wrapped - so it looked like a lot, even if it wasn't.  Of course Santa always left a doll or teddy bear sitting out under the tree!
What a year that was - I got a tricycle and a baby too.  Look at all those presents - it always looked like tons, because every book, color book, and item of clothing was wrapped.  Yep, that's little me!!!

Daddy always got a carton of cigarettes from my aunt & uncle - the special holiday carton!  LOL.  We always knew that was going to be his gift.  He always got handkerchiefs or underwear from me!  Surprise - not!  My aunt always brought me some kind of fruit/nut roll dipped in chocolate.  I always knew it was coming - and I hated them (what a crazy kid).  No problem Daddy volunteered to eat them.
I loved getting ribbon candy (I liked the thick kind) and little filled hard raspberry candies.  Those are still a favorite - if I can find them I buy them.

Saturday morning was always grocery day.  I used to get so excited to go.  It was just the most fascinating, brightly lit, exciting place to me.  So many things to look at.  Things I had never heard of or seen.  Remember there were no malls yet - so grocery stores were a big deal!  Daddy would always wait in the car and Mom and I would walk the store.  She had a very set dollar amount to spend (I remember like $15) and always managed to spend it wisely.  We got basics - because all the good stuff was made at home!
I believe we shopped Standard Grocery most often.  Once in a while A & P, then Kroger came in the area and we went there.  Mom  always collected green stamps from Standard and yellow stamps from A & P.  Daddy often got yellow stamps from some gas station as well.  Many a gift was 'purchased' with those stamps.
                                                Remember these?  What a treat that was!

We never got soda pop at our house very often.  We always got a 6 pack of little bottles of Coke at Christmas - because Daddy insisted that Santa got tired of milk!!!!
Once each summer I got to go with Dad down to the hardware store and pick out a whole case of assorted pop.  It came in the old wooden crates and the had every Nehi flavor my little mind could imagine.  Daddy would stand and talk with the owner (Daddy LOVED to talk) and I would decide on pop in the back room.  I had orders to get a few grape - as that was Dad's favorite.  This case of pop would last the entire summer and was only enjoyed on those super hot days.  What a treat!

My goodness I could go on forever.  I hope I didn't bore you with my reminiscing.  Some days I just get so nostalgic.  I truly miss those days.  Thank God for memories - because memories can sure make you smile and sometimes leak a few tears as well.
I know not everyone had good childhoods and I am so sorry for those who didn't.  Maybe for a few minutes you can read about mine and smile a little.

I have so many memories and stories.  Maybe I will tell some more stories another day.
I hope I took you back to quieter and more simple times and made you smile just a little.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!

62 comments:

  1. Long time lurker, and infrequent commenter, here. Your posting brought back so many memories. I too am a child of the 50's and 60's growing up in a small town. Home cooking was the norm at our house too and we always had a large meal early Sunday afternoon. Do you remember playing outside until the street lights came on? I haunted our local library and read anything and everything as TV was limited to one station in our area. I hadn't thought of Fizzies in years but the advertisement brought back the smell and taste like it was yesterday. Many thanks for the trip down memory lane!

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    1. I am so happy this post got you thinking about the fun things those times brought.
      YES, stayed out playing or riding bikes till dark or it was dinner time. Playing jacks on the front porch was always a fun afternoon as well.

      I read a ton in school. We used to get stars for the books we read (had to read them aloud to parents) and I won the most books read in first and second grade!
      Glad you enjoyed the trip. Hope to see you around more often!

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  2. I loved this stroll down memory lane! I was born in 1956, so a lot of your memories are also mine. I'm feeling a little nostalgic myself, as my dad's funeral was yesterday; you know how you see people you haven't seen in a long time and stories are exchanged. I was an only child and my mom worked outside the home, so we did have some of the convenience foods you mentioned; they seemed good at the time, but homemade stuff is always better. I have lots of memories of homemade goodies from my grandma, who kept me while my mom was at work; I have her to thank for my cooking ability today. Some random things that stand out in my memory are: frozen pot pies that came in colored aluminum tins, the most scrumptious barbecue in a can (It may have been Castleberry brand), and Bunker Hill sliced beef in gravy served on toast (another thing I'm truly sorry isn't still made). Mom worked in a drug store at one point, and had to work Saturdays. I remember after dropping her off on Saturday morning, Dad would take me to the donut shop for a glazed donut and hot chocolate; very special times. He would take me to the dime store every year and give me money to buy Christmas gifts for family members. I still have a battered china statue of a collie dog that I gave to my maternal grandma when I was about 5. She would talk about Mike, the collie they had when my mom was growing up and I bought that for her as a remembrance. She kept it for about 35 years and I got it back when she passed. I think Mike cost $.50 but is priceless to me.
    Carol in NC

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    1. Carol I am so sorry for the loss of your father. Those are such hard times. Funerals do tend to bring people we haven't seen out of the woodwork and oh the stories. I do love those stories.
      I always wanted those little pot pies - we only got them on occasion. I don't remember the BBQ or beef/gravy at all. One of my other favorites was chipped beef gravy over toast!

      Love the dime store memory. Nice that you had those special days with your Dad. I remember getting to pick out special gifts at Christmas too. I have a vase I got my Mom when I was little. It is pretty I will show that sometime. Love that your grandma kept the doggie statue and you got it back. Isn't neat how the most inexpensive things and the memories (which cost nothing) are the best things?
      Thank you for adding your memories. I love hearing about other's stories.
      Have a good day!

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  3. Love your trip down memory lane! What wonderful memories, and I'm glad you had a happy childhood. The Christmas picture is adorable.
    My childhood was the good old days too. I had the best parents and the happiest childhood. We would celebrate Christmas eve with my grandmother and aunts. Mom always made the best rolls which I have never been able to duplicate. We would drive to Daddy's sister's for a few days in the summer, and this was before we had a/c in the car and before the interstate was finished. Seems like it took forever.
    I remember my brother taking me to the drive in to see the Apple Dumplin gang. We would have 2 channels to watch on tv, so Sat night was either Hee Haw or Lawrence Welk. Sunday was Disney and Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.
    I don't remember the fizzies, but tv trays were a treat, weren't they, maybe once a year.
    Ah thanks for the memories.

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    1. Oh my goodness I forget about Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. I remember Hee Haw, but I was a little older then.
      Those trips were long weren't they, before Interstates? Grandma lived about 65 miles away and it seemed like it took days to get there!
      I wonder if anyone in the family has grandma's roll recipe. You might ask around. Sometimes though I think it was just the love they added that made things so yummy and memorable!
      I am glad you have happy memories as well, and enjoyed the trip.
      Thanks for adding your story!

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  4. Reading your post was like visiting my own childhood, even though I was a 60's-70's child. Sunday dinners at noon, home cooking, playing outside all the time...great memories. I'm glad I was raised when and how I was. Time seemed to stand still. Remember how long summer seemed? I miss that. Family was always together. Even extended family. Thanks for sharing your memories.

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    1. YES, summers seemed to never end. Now they last 2 weeks! It was such a good and innocent time - I am glad we all got to be privileged to grow-up during those times.
      Seemed like we spent all out time outside when weather was permitting.
      Thanks for sharing!!!!

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  5. I remember all of these things. How fun. Ribbon candy was forbidden at our house after we almost lost my brother choking on a piece. When he went limp and started to turn blue, my mom and a neighbor headed for the car with his little limp body flopping as she ran, but she tripped going out the door and they both flew across the step. Mom landed on him in the drive way and that candy shot out of his throat. I still think it was a miracle. I also had an Aunt that bought the same gift every year that I hated. Now she is my favorite Aunt.

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    1. My goodness, how horrible that must have been. I can understand why it was banned at your house. Of course it was a miracle.
      Same here with my aunt and uncle. I have the fondest memories of them now. I am sure she looks down and laughs at me a lot. I used to think she was crazy because of how she was about feeding all the neighborhood cats and all the critters. NOW it's me!!!!!!! I guess the nut doesn't fall far from the tree!

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  6. I loved reading about your childhood. I really hope you feel like sharing some more memories sometime.

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    1. Thanks Debbie. I get lonely and my mind just wonders back. I am glad people appreciate the stories.

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  7. Wow, I used to like those raspberry candies too. What brand, if you remember was it? I like your stories of childhood also reminds me of mine also.

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    1. I believe Brach's. If I find any this holiday season, I'll make sure you get some!!

      Thanks - I know I ramble on - but so many of us lived through those times. Nostalgia is always fun!

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    2. I'm going to look for them out this way. Thanks for thinking of me.

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    3. Sure. We have each others backs!!!!

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  8. Absolutely wonderful memories!! I remember begging mine mother for a dime so we could go in a kiosk and get our picture taken. I never did get that dime. And how about those beautiful hot summer days drinking kool aid. Even that was treat for us. One day mine mother accidentally made a pitcher of kool aid with hot water. Well it wasnt thrown but we had to wait a whole day for it to cool down so we could drink it. No nothing was ever wasted.

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    1. Those photo booths were always interesting to me. I think I was a teen before I got to go in one!
      Kool-Aid was the bomb! Kool-Aid and peanut better sandwiches on the front porch with a friend = kid's picnic.
      We usually drank water or tea and Kool-Aid was a treat.
      Glad you enjoyed.

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  9. I was a kid in the 80s, but being a kid in the 80s Yugoslavia was very much like being a kid in the 50s America!

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    1. How cool. I guess things are the same more than they are different. Would love to hear some stories some time! Chime in and share whenever!!!

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  10. Those fizzies were the greatest thing. I would quickly take it and pop it in my mouth instead of in the water. I loved how they felt on my tongue.

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    1. Oh my goodness - I bet that was fun! Condensed carbonation!
      Neat memory.

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  11. I grew in the 60's and 70's on the farm, so there weren't friends around to play with but my dad was a great one to play hide and seek with us in the warm evenings after he came in from the fields.

    Christmas was much like yours, except that my mom's birthday was Christmas Day. People dropped in throughout the day, neighbours, friends and family. Mom liked liqueurs so one year when I was about 10-12 I gave her, what I thought were, 6 liqueur glasses. Instead they were shot glasses! Oh, and the unwanted gift was a box of maraschino cherries...I don't think any of the family liked them.

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    1. How sweet of dad to play hide and seek after a full day of work.
      That was fun having people stop by all day Christmas - it seemed like the special day just kept on giving.
      Oh my that is funny about the glasses - I bet she loved them any way!
      I guess we all got that one gift that wasn't liked. That is hilarious to me - there was always that one!!!!

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  12. I really enjoyed reading this...some of our is similar. Oh, how I love the Wonderful World of Walt Disney, and one no one ever mentions is Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom! and I still love the old cartoons....

    Like you, some of the things sounded wonderful...a tv dinner...or even a can of Campbell's soup. And they are still a treat for me...sometimes when mom had to go grocery shopping, she would bring home a couple cans of Campbell's vegetable beef soup, and that was such a treat. Now I get one, but am always disappointed.

    Do you remember the rolls of chili...it came ina roll like sausage and I can still find it every now and then. Mom might get a roll of it and we would have it with crackers...what joy!

    I could go on and on...just wanted to say I really enjoyed this. Oh, about locked doors...we went for years and years here that we did not lock doors, except when we were on vacation. did not start locking them till after Lorelei was born.

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    1. Thanks Rosie. Campbells vegetable beef soup is still one of my favorites. I don't think I ever had the rolls of chili. That sounds interesting. Grandma T. was a great cook - so I sure you guys had lots of good meals.

      WOW, I am surprised you never locked doors until so recently. My parents didn't when I was little but they did by the time I became a teen. I kind of think that was so we had to make noise when coming in from a date!!!!!!! LOL

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  13. We also had the green jello with cottage cheese at holiday dinners. One year the family was laughing around the table. The joke was that the all of the leftovers from the fridge were in the green jello:) We all laughed till we cried, and thankfully the green jello with cottage cheese was not served again!

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    1. That is funny. They sure did put everything in it back in the day. I don't like cottage cheese to start with and putting it in Jello didn't fool me!
      Makes for a good memory and a great story!

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  14. I was a 70's kid but I have many of those same memories! We never had any packaged food, my mom was Italian and made everything from scratch - but on babysitter nights she would sometimes get us Swanson Kids TV dinners - we thought that was the best thing ever! We also did Family Dinner on sundays at 2pm - my cousins and I have recently resurrected this tradition, although we can only do it once a month. We're lucky to have such wonderful childhood memories to look back on - thank you for sharing!!

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    1. Oh wow, you got some TV dinners. You were lucky.
      That is wonderful that you have resurrected the Sunday family dinner. We all got together at Mom's even after she got so sick, every Sunday. We didn't always eat any more - but we all got together. I sure do miss that now that she is gone. Everyone goes their separate ways and all are so busy today.
      I wish we could all slow down (at least once a month) and do that again.
      Thanks for making me smile. Yes, we are all lucky!

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  15. Cheryl thank you for sharing your wonderful memories from a simpler time. I am the eldest of five and our Christmas was quite modest in comparison to some of my cousins. We had a pillow case that Santa filled and a gift that was wrapped and under the tree from Mum and Dad. We weren't allowed to come out of our rooms to check under the tree until 6am. If anyone decided to break this time limit, then Mum and Dad would stay in bed until 7am. We couldn't come out until they said we could. Our gifts were generally really practical and not useless items. I still remember Christmas fondly. Lunch was a roast dinner and hot Christmas pudding that you could have with cream and ice cream. I don't know how Mum managed all this as Christmas is so hot in the part of the world. It would always be in the high 30'sC, so around 100F.
    My Mum is not a good cook. She used to boil all the veg until they were a grey mush. Meat was cooked until it was brown all the way through and often a little black on the outside. We all got fed enough but we ate because we were hungry. Mum enjoys when I come to visit as she hands over the meal cooking to me. I think TV dinners would have been much tastier than the grey meat and veg we ate each day.
    The Wonderful World of Disney was on TV here at 6pm on a Saturday night. It was wonderful and went for one hour. We had an early dinner and got the dishes done pronto on Saturdays. If one of us had been particularly disrespectful we had to stay in the kitchen and missed out on Disneyworld.
    Thank you for your wonderful memories. It looks like many of us share the same.

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    1. I love the Christmas story. Coming down for Christmas morning was a big deal at my house too. Rules to be followed or you waited longer. Parents sure knew how to elevate the anticipation didn't they?
      Oh my goodness - I was thinking your dinner was sounding good, then you went on to explain. LOL. Yep, I bet TV dinners would have been better.
      But it sure gave you some fun memories and stories to tell. So maybe that it why.


      Oh I bet you minded your P's and Q's on Saturdays so you didn't miss the show!

      Thank you for sharing as well. I am glad I got everyone to participate and tell their stories. This is fun.

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  16. Mostly a child of the 60's here. I remember playing outside for hours, walking every where and not being afraid, knowing all the neighbours, and drinking Koolaid with lots of ice in the summer.

    Chasing down the ice cream man or the popcorn man with out quarter clutched in our hand.

    Thanks for reminding me of some very special times.

    God bless.

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    1. The good ole days for sure. I forgot about the ice cream man. I didn't get to buy anything very often. We have an ice cream truck come through my neighborhood during the summer and I still get that excited feeling hearing the music.
      A quarter sure wouldn't buy anything today!
      Never heard of a popcorn man. Neat.
      Your welcome and thank you for sharing.

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  17. Really enjoyed your post! I also grew up in the 50/60s. Good times! Lived in the country...rode our bikes to visit with other neighbor kids, played in the woods, played tag, climbed in the barn and corn crib..what fun! Our family raised a pig and cow each year for meat. Had our own chickens and eggs. We raised a big garden and was expected to help with it and the canning and freezing. Lots of yummy food! We went to town Friday nights for groceries. Dad parked on the street among the other families. We went to the dime store...you could buy loose cookies and candy from the bins there. They were so yummy. You could get your groceries on the same block as well as buy clothing from the few shops there. People stopped at different cars and visited throughout the evening. We got our supplies while socializing.
    Does anyone remember Spoolie hair rollers, hula hoops, jewelry boxes with ballerinas, beechnut gum???
    Some of my food memories that may seem odd but I enjoyed were:bologna gravy, push ups ice cream, Big Red or Root Beer Floats, snowballs...a pastry treat, slow poke suckers. Lots of fond memories! Thanks, Cheryl for escorting me down Memory Lane:)

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    1. How neat that would have been to go to town and socialize as well and shop. I could almost see the scene in my mind.
      Oh my, more fun things to remember. I still have a hula hoop. I was good at it as a child, and thought it would be good exercise as an adult. Not so good at it any more.
      Beechnut gum was the bomb, as well as Teaberry!
      I liked push-ups and snowballs. What a treat. Slow pokes were so good and lasted so long. Teeth grabbers for sure!
      Thanks for sharing and bringing to light more fun memories for me.

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  18. I loved reading this!! Please tell more stories.
    Barb in PA

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  19. Cheryl,this is a link to a PDF of the Ohio Project and the great depression. I think you would really enjoy reading this. Barb in PA
    https://aging.ohio.gov/Portals/0/PDF/GreatDepressionStoryProject.pdf?pdf=GreatDepressionStoryProject

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  20. I was born in the 1970's. I heard about the Goodl Old Days. Never lived them. I loved how you wrote neighbor's looked after each others kids. In my last neighborhood I lived at all of us watched the kids. My neighbor & me would be outside in below freezing weather to watch the kids get on the bus. Didn't matter if it was raining, sleeting, hailing, snowing we were outside getting the kids on the bus, lol. What is funny her kids were grown up. My DS was taught at home. I did think about sending him to school but he had a high I.Q. and needed a tailored courses that our school system at the time could not provide. He went out of state for school by the time he was sixteen.

    Our old neighborhood always watched out for each other and took care of each other. We recently had tornadoes that damaged my old area. What was everyone doing? Helping each other out. I went over to make sure everybody was ok and help too.

    Good old days didn't end. I really feel that in my heart. They have just changed and evolved.

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    1. How neat is that. I love it when neighbors watch out for one another. Back in my days - parents weren't necessarily outside watching us - it just seemed all parents knew each other and we played at each others homes - so if we acted up - well Mom and Dad knew it! It was such a safe time. We all walked to school no matter the weather.
      I love when neighbors take care of one another and look out for one another. I have a few that offer to help here, and we all keep our eyes open for anything off.
      Kind of you to go back and check on old neighbors to see if they needed help.

      It's nice there are still people and areas that caring is still in force. wish we all saw more of it.

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  21. Yes! It was wonderful to play outside with out fear and to run up and down the roads with a sense of freedom even though you were only a block away from home.

    TV dinners were a once in a while treat, and the canned hams, goodness I forgot all about those. The key and the jelled mess inside surrounding the ham.

    Good memories, thanks for sharing.

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    1. Such a safe and free time.
      Yep, forgot about that goopy gel around the ham! Oh my, the things we remember.
      I love it that we have that capability.
      Thanks.

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  22. Loved this! I was born in 1947. This was my life! Mom always had something baked for us when we got home from school. We only had 1 car, and if we needed bread, we'd put a star in the front window and the bread man would stop. Another truck went around with other food items and fresh produce. Don't know how we got him to stop. Of course the milkman came---walked right into the kitchen and put the milk bottles into the refrigerator! His name was Smitty! He used to laugh at my Mom multi-tasking...on the phone, ironing, with something on the stove. We had a neighbor who had a playhouse with a wood slide attached. The Dad would wax the slide once a year---we lined up in anticipation of that. Summer reading club at the library. Dick Clark and American Bandstand was a favorite.Romper Room for the littles. Bozo the Clown too.

    We had air raid drills every so often, and they terrified me. I would hide somewhere in the house. I feared someone would come knocking at the door.

    My Mom bought a canister vacuum from a door to door salesman. Also Fuller brushes.

    For Christmas, I would get my Mom lipstick from the dime store. "Cherries in the Snow" ws the color. I found nail polish by Revlon by that name and almost burst into tears a few years ago. I bought it! Use it for the toenails at Christmastime! Always got a doll, a book, and something to wear like a dress for Christmas. My brothers got gun/holster sets.

    My Dad built our first TV, maybe 1951??? Before he was called to Korean War.

    I could go on and on...

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    1. Ooooooohhhhh my!!!!!! Love this - more things I had forgotten about!
      My sister was older than me and she always watched American Bandstand - I think that is why I like the oldies so much today. The milkman, the Avon lady, and Fuller brush!!!
      I remember the Avon lady would come - and she was very short and let's say stout and always smelled good! She would give a little lipstick sample every time she came. I remember she always had the prettiest long red finger nails.

      Oh cool on finding the nail polish. I would have cried and gotten it too!

      I remember doing the "get under your desk" scenario at school, and we always had a day when we were reminded where the boiler room was. It was underground at our school, and was the designated evacuation spot.

      Did you ever use wax paper on the slide? I remember doing that at the big slide at the school in the summer. I lived a block from school and we would go play at the play ground. That slide was metal and boy oh boy did it get hot! You had to be careful. But the wax paper would go under our butts and we would slide down a few times and wax it! Sure made you fly!

      Thanks for more good memories. I am loving this!

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  23. I remember watching The Wizard of Oz only once a year though. My daughter loved it so much when she was little, she watched it several times a week. LOL

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    1. I saw it once a year as well. It seemed like it was close to the holidays when they showed it.
      Oh remember Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer animation? I always cried! Same with Bambi.

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  24. I loved reading this! I remember a lot of the same things that you mentioned. By the way, you can find the filled raspberry candy on Amazon. It's pricy for the amount you get but may be worth a splurge during the holidays. Search for Old Fashioned Christmas Hard Candy and several different types will show up.

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    1. Thank you!!!!!!!! I thought about that this morning - I knew there was a place that sold old fashioned candy. Thanks for the name.
      Several things I think I would like to look up - might be fun to get some old fashioned goodies for my older brother and sister!

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    2. Check Dollar General if you have one close to you. Last year they had small cardboard cans of old fashioned and filled candy for about three dollars. It's really good and has a plastic bag inside. I pour the candy into a resealable quart size bag and it stays fresh for quite a while. I usually buy several cans during the holidays. It's just me at home so several cans will last me a long time.

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    3. Thanks I will check that out as well. I love all the old fashioned kinds of candy. Sounds like a bargain.

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  25. I sure enjoyed your post today. I remember all of the things you remember, as I just turned 80, and my memories are very very similar. Times were softer back in the 40s and 50s, and I wish my grand children and great grand children could have the same old fashion memories,because we appreciated the simple things. Just going to the dime store, to buy my Mom a Christmas gift,the little blue bottle of perfume, think it was named "Evening in Paris". The only time I was given money to go shopping. Those were the days..

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    1. I know. Kids today are so wrapped up in technology, they sure are missing out on some REAL fun.
      I remember Evening In Paris - Mom had some. She usually wore some perfume that was Lilly of the Valley - but had both.
      I am glad you enjoyed yourself today. I hope to post more stories in the near future. The holidays get me feeling all nostalgic!

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  26. Wow, you really got something started today. Really enjoyed the trip down memory lane. One memory I have is getting the Sears, Roebuck catalog and my mother and I would look in the fabric section (yes, you could order fabric then) and pick out designs I liked for new school clothes. She would order and make my dresses, yes dresses, on her treadle sewing machine. Just one of many good memories. Thank you for reminding us of them.

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    1. I think I did start a lot of memories flowing for sure.
      Yes, I remember that catalog. Mom made my clothes too. How cool you got to pick the material and watch Mom make your clothes. Neat a treadle machine. what a lovely memory.
      I remember sitting and drooling over the catalogs WISHING for everything pretty!

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  27. I have the same memories growing up in the 60's/70's. Wonderful time for children to grow up in. I remember coming home for lunch and watching cartoons on the break. It was wonderful. We had pop once a week and potato chips with five children you were lucky to get one. We loved it though!

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    1. It was a magical time for sure. Just a simpler time.
      Pop once a week? WOW, you were a lucky girl. I got chips, but not store bought. You guys were lucky to have such fun items. Good memories!

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  28. I'm not old enough to remember most of this, but I do remember walking our small town with my friends and collecting pop cans and taking them to the gas station to turn in for penny,dime, and nickel candies.

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    1. What fun. Back in our day, pop came in bottles and we could return those for money. Cans came along, and there was a money making opportunity and fun for a new generation!
      I bet that money earned went to the candy counter for sure!
      Fun memories!

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  29. I found Filled Raspberry classic Christmas candy at Big Lots here in the USA for $2.25. My daughter and I each bought a bag. Will get more next time I go in store.

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  30. Oh, how did I miss this entry? What wonderful memories you all have!
    I grew up in a tiny town of less than 300, our grocery store literally 4 houses down the road. We pulled our red wagon to the grocery store, followed Mom's list, and had everything put "on the card" (tab) which was paid on Saturdays. No use trusting children with hard-earned dollars! Milk came in glass gallon jugs, and every one of us 5 kids somehow broke a jug between store and home--oh the shame!
    Trips with the neighbor kids to the store to select 5 cent's worth of candy was a highlight. Candy cigarettes, B-B-Bats, wax bottles of sweet flavored liquids, Bit-o-Honeys. The best time was summer when we begged for nickels and dimes to get ice cream treats--orange sherbet push-up and patriotic red/white/blue bomb pops. No ice cream trucks came to the sticks! Summers were also filled with Kool-aid and homemade kool-aid pops. Only Mom had soda regularly--diet Tab. We would sneak the occasional bottle, as well as her Ayds diet caramels. She got so annoyed when we did that!
    Tang and Cheerios, Corn Flakes, or Rice Krispies for breakfast. Mom HATED oatmeal as a child, and never served it to us. Thanks, Mom!
    Food was mostly homemade, but we did beg for TV dinners. We were mostly after that tiny brownie in the center. Babysitting nights were Chef Boyardi Ravioli in a can. Or cheap cheese pizza from the discount food store in "town" where Dad worked. Sunday mornings after church Mom and Dad went to the local bar (8 houses down the road) to socialize and have a brandy old-fashioned before Sunday dinner (served at noon). It was a town ritual (I'm from Wisconsin, so...). Parents all dropped their kids at home right after 10:00 Mass. We were happy to get home and get out of our Sunday clothes and wait for the individual bags of chips our parents promised us as a treat for behaving. And if anyone misbehaved in their absence, those potato chip bags went into Dad's lunch every day the next week for punishment. That didn't happen often, let me tell you! TV was an old black and white console with a broken channel changer knob so we had to use a pliers to change channels. When Dad barked, "Go change the channel!" one of us jumped and grabbed the pliers and waited for orders. We were the first remotes! LOL! Lawrence Welk, Ed Sullivan, Hee-Haw, Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, WW of Disney, Leave it to Beaver reruns--yes, we watched it all avidly. Charlie Brown specials that advertised Dolly Madison cakes (which we LONGED FOR but could not get in WI); our favorite was the Halloween one. Oh, I could go on and on! Cheryl, thank you so much for the chance to remember. My childhood had so much freedom compared to what my kids got. We roamed all day, under the watchful eyes of every parent in town. All parents freely disciplined everyone else's kids, and God help you if did something bad enough that they told your parents as well! Those were the days!

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