Category: Uncategorized

Figuratively and Literally Our beloved playground was going to open on Memorial Day. Construction on the road began in the fall. Our huge fifth grade windows opened right onto the vista of the construction. Things were bad enough for that poor bastard who taught us. Paper airplanes in the hanging lights. Boys making rude noises,… Continue reading Concentration goes out the Window

I love the smell of Charcoal in the morning, smells like roadkill When charcoal took hold in the sixties, it was like a wave. Overnight, it seemed everybody bought an outdoor grill and started cooking. You could ride your bike down the street between 4 and 6 PM and the smell chased you home. We… Continue reading The Wonderful World of Charcoal

‘Return with me to when times were best’ As we started our journey, I told you guys my room was upstairs, far from mom and dad; I guess sleeping was more important. Home Air conditioning was in its infancy in the 50’s. So all my windows were open at night and the bedroom across the… Continue reading Nights of Heaven, Nights of Hell

And other body parts, too…….. As time passed, mom started buying daddy birthday/Xmas presents like gadgets and oddball tools. He never said word one about what he wanted (other than a new son, I suppose), so she just took the old ‘throw enough shit against the wall, something will stick’ tactic. Maybe third or fourth… Continue reading The Radio that saved my ass

When they said pull down, I threw up What a day that was. We walked into a newly-built classroom, a new library four times the size of the other one, and our first male teacher. He seemed as tall as Zeus. Head as shiny as a new penny……….or, as shiny as my head now. The… Continue reading Fifth Grade!

“Hanging out shirts in the dirty breeze” Oh sure, you see movies about the old West and women are hanging out wash, but it wasn’t that long ago that everyone did it, all over America. Our houses all came with a wash line–and I mean every one. It was a must-have. Not having one was… Continue reading Washlines

Addiction stayed on tight as a glove Do you know what a ditto machine is? Well, settle down children and I’ll tell you a story. Teachers wrote or typed quizzes/handouts onto paper that had purple carbon attached. The purple carbon reproduced the first page’s contents backwards onto a second page, in mirror effect. This paper… Continue reading Rooms Full of Elementary School Junkies

Why not use your kid to make you look like a big shot? I mentioned before about a smiling father as a “Warning–Will Robinson!” danger. Smiling father taking me aside to see if the Popsicle guy asked kids to sit in his truck. Um, no. The guy was always drowning in kids whenever he stopped.… Continue reading Strike One for Daddy

Now THIS is nostalgia…. One thing daddy insisted on was red meat once or twice a week (like the king of beasts), which was due to being a dirt poor child. The corner store was not an option, his meat was overpriced and tough as horsehide (any missing cats in the neighborhood?). Grocery store meat… Continue reading Butchers Bakers and Pharmacists

From the useful to the Inane, a multi-part series… I think one of the funniest things you can do when you’re 60 is to look back at the inane, ridiculous toys you played with and wonder what kind of lunatic dreamed the crap up. I’m going to try to touch on some of the neat… Continue reading Toys! (Part one)