Yesterday

YESTERDAY:

• You could lay out on your lawn at night and see so many stars that it was hard to notice the black velvet sky surrounding them
• You knew the names of every neighbor on your block; kids, parents and pets, included.
• Houses and cars were never locked; doors and windows were left open all night to allow cool breezes to ease your sleep.
• Door to door salesmen were allowed into your home with no fear; even if you were alone.
• Kids could play outside all day long with no supervision.
  
• Children had to complete their chores, do their homework, and be responsible before any play came into play. No exceptions!
• Children respected adults and never dared talk back to them or ever, ever used fowl language. (well maybe with very special friends who would never squeal on you)
• School was an eight hour day; class size was 25 to thirty pupils; teachers were respected; students got individual help; no one ever heard of a teachers "Aid".
• PE was just that...."Physical" Education; jumping jacks, squats, bending, stretching, running, sweating. Potatoes and gravy were a staple and kids were very rarely fat.
• Girls dressed like girls and boys, like boys. There was never a question of gender.
• People who didn't grow a garden and/or can food for the winter were rare.
• Going to a "Drive-in for burgers, fries and a coke, or ice cream was a rare and huge event.
• Pizza! What's pizza?
• Canned soup for lunch was for the very, very wealthy.
• Popcorn and candy, at the rare movie you were privileged (had to earn it) to attend, was affordable for anyone.
• Learning to drive at nine or ten was normal; having a license to drive at fourteen was expected.
• Traffic jam? What kind of fruit is traffic?
• Television? Only on rare occasions if one of the more affluent neighbors happened to own one.
• Radios were on all day and all night. Music, comedy, drama and, believe it or not, soap operas were listened to... rarely seen on a tv.
• Sex was always S. E. X. but only adults knew what it really meant.
• Cold cereal was a treat. Your choices: Corn Flakes, Shredded Wheat, Rice Crispies, Wheaties, All-bran, Puffed wheat or rice. That's it folks.
• Soda Pop? Maybe on the Fourth of July or if your rich uncle came to visit. Kool-Ade, Kool-Ade. Tastes Great! Kool-Ade, Kool-ade. Can't wait!
  
• A severe summer rain storm meant hours of play in the ankle high water covering the streets of your neighborhood.
• If you were lucky enough to have living grand parents, they were damned old. Sixty years old? How can anyone possibly live that long?
• Having a baby meant three or four days in the hospital where you were pampered by nurses. (back massages, body lotioned, feet rubbed, hair shampooed for you; assisted baths) you were served good, REAL food cooked by someone other than you; it was a terrible way to treat an exhausted new mother. Having a large family meant you got a little vacation every year or two. Hehe.
• Buying on credit, except for a house or rarely a car? Do people really do that?
• Three pairs of shoes: excessive-compulsive.
• An automatic washing machine can't possibly get your clothes white enough!
• Wadda ya mean, a machine that can wash dishes? That's what kids are for!
• People who use mop sticks are just plain lazy!
• Vacuums were available from the door-to-door salesman or the Sears catalog. Otherwise you didn't own one.
• A compact car was a Volkswagon. Real people drove "tanks".
• A dime and a nickle would buy you a gallonof gas to "cruise" downtown for hours on Friday night; that is if you could find enough pop bottles to sell to get the fifteen cents and were lucky enough to borrow the family car.
• October was for Halloween, November for Thanksgiving, December for Christmas. Stores decorated and stocked items for those holidays ONLY in the month pertaining to the holiday. Same for all other holidays.
• Every home owned an iron and ironing board and actually used them!
• Only GIs and construction workers used the "F" word and never around women and children.
• Gay was a woman's name or meant you were in a happy mood.
  
• Pink, blue, orange or green hair was for Halloween only.
• Pierced noses, chests, cheeks (and nakedness) were only seen in the National Geographic magazine.
• 'Respect' for others was a way of living, not a top hit on a music chart.
• Being late for school or work was totally unacceptable.
• Not going to school or work because you were sick meant you were near death.
• Being lazy was equivalent to being a crack addict or drug dealer.
• Discipline at home, school or work was not a dirty word. No one was sued for applying it.
• Visiting with neighbors every day was normal.
• Strangers were not people to fear.