Fifty Plus (50+) - Another memory lane thread...

Got this from my father, who posts regularly in the 80+ forum for Florida retirees. Thought most of us would get a kick out of this:

OLDER THAN DIRT

"Hey Dad," one of my kids asked the other day, "What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?"

"We didn't have fast food when I was growing up," I informed him. "All the food was slow."

"C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?"

"It was a place called 'at home,'" I explained. "Grandma cooked every day and when Grandpa got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it."

By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table. But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have handled it:

Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore Levis, set foot on a golf course, traveled out of the country or had a credit card. In their later years they had something called a revolving charge card. The card was good only at Sears Roebuck. Or maybe it was Sears AND Roebuck. Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore. Maybe he died.

My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was mostly because we never had heard of soccer. I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow). We didn't have a television in our house until I was 11, but my grandparents had one before that. It was, of course, black and white, but they bought a piece of colored plastic to cover the screen. The top third was blue, like the sky, and the bottom third was green, like grass. The middle third was red. It was perfect for programs that had scenes of fire trucks riding across someone's lawn on a sunny day Some people had a lens taped to the front of the TV to make the picture look larger.

I was 13 before I tasted my first pizza, it was called "pizza pie." When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too. It's still the best pizza I ever had.

We didn't have a car until I was 15. Before that, the only car in our family was my grandfather's Ford. He called it a "machine."

I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in the house was in the living room and it was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home. But milk was.

All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers. I delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which I got to keep 2 cents. I had to get up at

4 AM every morning. On Saturday, I had to collect the 42 cents from my customers. My favorite customers were the ones who gave me 50 cents and told me to keep the change. My least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.

Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies. Touching someone else's tongue with yours was called French kissing and they didn't do that in movies. I don't know what they did in French movies. French movies were dirty and we weren't allowed to see them.

If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.

Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?


MEMORIES from a friend:



My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to "sprinkle" clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old.

How many do you remember?
Head lights dimmer switches on the floor.
Ignition switches on the dashboard.
Heaters mounted on the inside of the fire wall.
Real ice boxes.
Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.
Soldering irons you heat on a gas burner.
Using hand signals for cars without turn signals.

Older Than Dirt Quiz:

Count all the ones that you remember not the ones you were told about. Ratings at the bottom.

1. Blackjack chewing gum
2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water
3. Candy cigarettes
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles
5. Coffee shops or diners with tableside juke boxes
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers
7. Party lines
8. Newsreels before the movie
9. P.F. Flyers
10. Butch wax
11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (OLive-6933)
12. Peashooters
13. Howdy Doody
14. 45 RPM records
15. S&H green stamps
16 Hi-fi's
17. Metal ice trays with lever
18. Mimeograph paper
19 Blue flashbulb
20. Packards
21. Roller skate keys
22. Cork popguns
23. Drive-ins
24. Studebakers
25. Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 0-5 = You're still young
If you remembered 6-10 = You are getting older
If you remembered 11-15 = Don't tell your age,
If you remembered 16-25 = You're older than dirt!

24 out of 25. Never heard of Blackjack chewing gum. Our first car was a 1949 Studebaker. Ice trays w/levers came WAY past my youth. It was so rural around here, we didn't have to have word prefixes on the phone numbers. The operator said, "Number, please." Our phone number was 478. My aunts was 723. Now, we have email and internet all because of Al Gore.

OMG, I remembered all of them. I would add seeing Bonanza in color when it was first available, Gunsmoke - Marshall Matt Dillon and Kitty, party telephone lines and operators, box cameras and the Polaroid Land camera to name some others. This has been a great time in history to watch unfold *he says from his computer to millions of others on the Internet*.

At only 50, I recall every one except Packard, which I know to have existed, but don't specifically recall experiencing. Seems to me that the writers of these little "how old are you" quizzes are either getting younger or are afflicted with failing memories. Or, maybe I grew up in a small town and we we some years behind the times.

Crap, I knew them all. How about those soda coolers that were full of freezing cold water, just reach in and grab your Orange Crush :rolleyes:

24 out of 25. Never heard of Blackjack chewing gum. Our first car was a 1949 Studebaker. Ice trays w/levers came WAY past my youth. It was so rural around here, we didn't have to have word prefixes on the phone numbers. The operator said, "Number, please." Our phone number was 478. My aunts was 723. Now, we have email and internet all because of Al Gore.

25 of 25....guess I'm older than dirt:p

I never liked Blackjack gum (licorice) but my favorite was Teaberry.

I can't remember my phone number but I'll never forget BR-549.

25 of 25. Not only remember them, did them.

Many of you kids are younger than whiffle balls.

Remember all. Not only do I remember Howdy Doody, I was on the show once.

Well, I'm older than dirt. But...

Its funny how locality affects things as well. I grew up in Florida, my ex grew up in Oklahoma. She is 3 months older than I am.

I first went to McDonalds at age 3, she first went at age 16. She was into poodle skirts as a girl and could do "The Stroll". I wore iron-on "Big Daddy Roth-like monster" T shirts and did "The Twist". The prevailing architecture in her area was clapboard farm houses, the prevailing architecture in my area was "Googie" and '60s modern. Her parents friends included country music stars, my parents friends included shark researchers and rocket scientists. Culturally, she was at least 10 years older than I was.

I am just barely old enough to be qualified for this forum, but...

YES, (but it is still available occasionally, along with my favorite, Clove) 1. Blackjack chewing gum
YES 2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water
YES 3. Candy cigarettes
YES 4. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles
YES 5. Coffee shops or diners with tableside juke boxes
YES 6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers
YES 7. Party lines
NO 8. Newsreels before the movie
YES 9. P.F. Flyers
NO 10. Butch wax
YES Ours was WAverly 11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (OLive-6933)
YES 12. Peashooters
NO 13. Howdy Doody
YES 14. 45 RPM records
YES 15. S&H green stamps
YES 16 Hi-fi's
YES 17. Metal ice trays with lever
YES 18. Mimeograph paper
YES 19 Blue flashbulb
NO 20. Packards
YES 21. Roller skate keys
YES 22. Cork popguns
YES 23. Drive-ins
YES 24. Studebakers
YES 25. Wash tub wringers

21 of 25... Not bad for a "youngster". Of course, I can hardly remember what I did yesterday, so some of these could be false memories. :D

Remember them all. Blackjack was one of my favorites, but stop the chew gum as I kept biting inside of my cheek. Wax Coke-shaped bottles, Candy cigarettes, those candy dots on a paper strip, string licorice, ate it all. Earliest bottle machine I remember was a lift a lid, slide 6oz. Coke to master gate, deposit a nickel to release gate and slide out bottle. If you wanted Coke to go, the store attendant wanted 2 cents bottle deposit. Coffee shops or diners with table side juke boxes, think we still have one in area. Home milk delivery and bread delivery. The trash man actually walked into the basement and removed trash, then returned cans to basement. Party lines, Newsreels before the movie, P.F. Flyers, yes. Used Butch wax on my flat top. Telephone number was Orchard8-9453. Peashooters, I used pieces of TV antennae. Aluminum tube was right size, sturdy enough to bang on a tree to clear a jam. Bought peas by the pound box, filled mouth and really sprayed my opponent. Howdy Doody and Willy the Worm. Still have some 45 RPM records, 33s and the Hi-Fi equipment. S&H stamps, Metal ice trays with lever, yes. Have a case of Mimeograph paper in basement, actual printing machine in storage. Also a AG-1 Blue flashbulb somewhere in desk. Neighbor in my youth had a Packard. I think the family stopped skating because we lost the key. Cork popgun I remember; but never had one. Bought the neighbors BB gun, and father took that after a few months. Told me I can get a gun when I go into the service...which I did. Had quite a few trips to Drive-ins. Current neighbor has a Studebaker Golden Hawk in his garage. Mom used the Wash tub with wringer and hung wash outside to dry; or in basement during winter months. Some remote aunt died and left family about $200. She got new whirlpool washer and gas dryer. I got spanked again for something.

:cry::cry::cry::cry:
I'm so old that I don't know if I'll be able to ride 12 miles on a flat surface with you this weekend!

:cry::cry::cry::cry:
I'm so old that I don't know if I'll be able to ride 12 miles on a flat surface with you this weekend!

How was your 200 mile weekend?

How was your 200 mile weekend?


Saturday 142.06 miles in 11:03:54 hours
Sunday 65.11 miles in 5:24:13 hours

Total 207.17 miles in 16:28:07 hours!

I think I'm ready to ride with you :D

Saturday 142.06 miles in 11:03:54 hours
Sunday 65.11 miles in 5:24:13 hours

Total 207.17 miles in 16:28:07 hours!

I think I'm ready to ride with you :D

You're not going to ride with me. You're going to tow me. I've already purchased some rope.

Remember all. Not only do I remember Howdy Doody, I was on the show once.

Yup. Me too. I was in the Peanut Gallery.

Yup. Me too. I was in the Peanut Gallery.

Well, I never made it to the big time:( I had to settle for a local knock-off with Uncle Orrie, Duffy the dog and Charlie Goodtime:)

I disagree on the rankings because

1. I qualify for older than dirt
2. If you were really old, you USED TO remember them all.

Disagree? :D

I saw a few episodes of Howdy Doody before we moved to Florida. But I did get to be on the "Uncle Bruce Show"

http://www.big13.net/images/bruce300dpi.JPGhttp://www.big13.net/images/uncleb14.jpg

Best of all, I lived a few houses from Emmett Kelly the clown.
http://www.annotatedmst.com/episodes/monsteragogo/emmett_kelly.jpg He was the only person in the neighborhood with a Cadillac
http://wantsontheweb.com/663.JPG

Everyone of them. Living in rural Ontario Canada some of those items are pretty recent. We had "party lines" until about 10 -15 years ago, the local hardware still had a cold water cooler with glass pop bottles, my oldest kids grew up getting a pop on Saturday morning if they were "good", and did their chores. We still have a "drive in", in our area.

I can remember all those as well, the scary part is how fast the time flew by.

Anybody actually remember the name for those Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water? In New York they were called Nicklenips and came in a small cardboard box.

The OP is so long, by the time anyone finishes it, they'll be old enough to remember all of those things!
:D

Damn. I scored a perfect 100% too.:mad:

I used the Butch Wax regularly, but never did figure out the purpose of that goofy lid with the head scratcher thing. :rolleyes::o

I never actually saw a Packard before last year, but I guess that still qualifies me for Older Than Dirt status. The wax coke bottles were OK, but the wax lips were the best. I used to ride my Schwinn Typhoon to the dime store and load up on penny candy... none of those around anymore:(

Lsmft

I am now officially older than dirt.

I got 21. And i swear I'm not as old as you old folks.
But I do remember when my grandmother got a phone, and when she got indoor plumbing and I didn't have to go to the outhouse any more.

I remember when every jr. high kid DIDN'T have a cell phone.
I remember when iPods were a lot bigger.
I remember CRT computer screens.
I clearly remember having 36 spoke wheels.
I remember toe straps and cleats
I remember 9 speed clusters
I remember non-GPS bike computers
I remember base layers BEFORE Underamour
I remember Lance Armstrong
I remember when bikes were made out of steel or titanium.
I remember ISIS bottom brackets

I still use pant clips / trouser hoops, either just on the right leg or one on each leg. I have both the familiar omega shaped steel clip and reflectorized elastic velcro straps.

I remember when every jr. high kid DIDN'T have a cell phone.
I don't have one, myself, although my wife and kids do.


I remember CRT computer screens.
I am using one right now, a nice NEC MultiSync 21-incher.


I clearly remember having 36 spoke wheels.
All of my bikes except the Bianchi have 36-spoke wheels; it has 32 spokes per wheel.


I remember toe straps ...
I still use them on all of my bikes.


I remember 9 speed clusters
How about 6-speeds (all of my road bikes) or 7-speeds (my mountain bike)?


I remember non-GPS bike computers
Mine is non-GPS.


I remember when bikes were made out of steel ...
All of my framesets are.

2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water
3. Candy cigarettes
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles
5. Coffee shops or diners with tableside juke boxes
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers
7. Party lines
8. Newsreels before the movie
9. P.F. Flyers

11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (OLive-6933)
12. Peashooters
13. Howdy Doody
14. 45 RPM records
15. S&H green stamps
16 Hi-fi's
17. Metal ice trays with lever
18. Mimeograph paper
19 Blue flashbulb
20. Packards
21. Roller skate keys
22. Cork popguns
23. Drive-ins
24. Studebakers
25. Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 16-25 = You're older than dirt!

OK I score older then dirt anyway, I can also remember my Grandad working for Studebaker before the Bas***ds took the plant to Canada and cheated all the guys out of their pensions. :eek:

When I hired in at the phone company we still looked up the Police and Fire numbers for our customers and physically connected them to emergancy services, when I went outside to work years later I was the last guy in our district trained to work on party lines, Up to four on a line not so bad after that it got hairy as you had to wire capacitor banks to sperate out the ringing. :roflmao: the last of them didn't go away in one of our little towns till the late 80's

And when I tell my kids that I used to calculate the frequency we were going to set up our radios on by slide rule and logrithmic tables for the MUF and FOT, they look at me like I'm from another planet. Or describing a hand cranked magneto field telephone set, and the evil things we used to do to unsuspecting sleeping people with them. :roflmao:


Remember going to the hardware store to buy new tubes for your folks TV or radio? :)

Lived every single one except newsreels before movies.

100%. Older-than-dirt grizzled old fart.

Oh my gosh all 25!

Now I am depressed I didn't think I was that old:(Just the other day a friend and I were talking about the wax bottles with sugar water and the candy cigarettes. My how times have changed! I also used to love seeing the milk man bring milk, and other diary products including butter and also eggs. Our house had a little panel coated in metal that you left the empties in and the milk man would leave fresh stuff. We also had the Helm's Bakery Man. Was that a California thing? My mom would send me out to get bread and donuts. The man would pull out various drawers of goodies and I could select what I wanted. I still remember the smell.

I could also remember being given a dollar and sent to the store by my mom to buy cirgarettes. No one questioned a 5 year old buying cigarettes. Can you imagine?

Also remember roller skates - those metal things to tighten to shoes with a key. Hit a pebble and BAM! down like that. I bet I had one concussion after another wearng those things (which explains alot of things now).

And remember taking the trash out before garbage disposals? OOooohhh I can still remember the smell of rotten garbage and seeing maggots! EEEEWwwwwwwww!!!!

I can't say it was the good ole days but it sure was simpler!

22 out of 25 and I knew of the other three...we didn't have milk delivery (the grocer was only a half mile away), I didn't use the phone because everyone I needed to talk to lived within a block (a rural block, but a block nonetheless), I'm still not sure what a Packard looks like. All of a sudden I have parts starting to hurt where I didn't know I even had parts.

Remember all. Not only do I remember Howdy Doody, I was on the show once.

I was interviewed by Art Linklater. It was live TV because a lot* of TV was live back then. I guess it is now, too, but it's not nearly so exciting because of the modern delay.

Anyway, my whole second grade class was watching, LIVE, and the interview ended with being invaded by Vulcans, who wore ski masks and would kiss you and leave your face smudged with black charcoal. This was for the Winter Carnival here in MN, I'm not making this up.

Anyway, they terrified me, so I threw myself back on the couch and kicked the Vulcan in what I thought was his stomach, causing him to double over. I was so mad I wouldn't even say goodbye to Art Linklater.

I hate Vulcans to this day. Bunch o' drunken perverts.

You know what I'm still amazed by even today? Cash machines. Remember how hard it used to be to get cash? We only had store credit cards and a check book. The banks were open from like 9 to 3 or something. Maybe 5:00, but I remember them closing really early, and for sure not open on weekends. You had to buy groceries and write it the check out for $20 more--which today wouldn't get you far.

Or you had to go to your local drugstore, where they knew you.

Now you can get cash 24 hours a day, around the world.

Got them all except for the newsreels. Since i grew up in a town without a movie theater, they may have still been around. Still, I think I should bet extra credit for being surprised that about hald of them were things no longer around.

Paul

Older Than Dirt Quiz:

Count all the ones that you remember not the ones you were told about. Ratings at the bottom.


1. Blackjack chewing gum
Yup!
2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water
Yup!
3. Candy cigarettes
Both the nasty candy and gum
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles
Yup, I also remember Royal Crown, we didn't have Coke at the local store.
5. Coffee shops or diners with tableside juke boxes
Still have them around here but only the diners
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers
Still get the delivery but it's plastic or aluminum caps
7. Party lines
Yup (as a kid that got me in trouble)
8. Newsreels before the movie
In a big movie house that played only one movie at a time
9. P.F. Flyers
Was it P.F.Flyers or Keds that had the special whistle?
10. Butch wax
Nope
11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (OLive-6933)
Fordham 3 - 4091 => 733-4091 (area code 201)
12. Peashooters
Yup
13. Howdy Doody
Channel 5 WNEW
14. 45 RPM records
Yup, still have them
15. S&H green stamps
Among others, got my first Buddy-L truck with them
16 Hi-fi's
w/Tubes :-)
17. Metal ice trays with lever
Yup
18. Mimeograph paper
P.U.
19 Blue flashbulb
Ouch, they hurt, don't try to pick them up right away.
20. Packards
Never in person
21. Roller skate keys
Yup, made the skates into a cart with a wooden milk box
22. Cork popguns
Yup
23. Drive-ins
Yup
24. Studebakers
Never first hand
25. Wash tub wringers
Yup but not in our home

If you remembered 0-5 = You're still young
If you remembered 6-10 = You are getting older
If you remembered 11-15 = Don't tell your age,
If you remembered 16-25 = You're older than dirt!

Not Even close, I'm not dead yet! :-)

How about wax paper, or brown paper wrapping and string, soda fountains, soda made with seltzer, loved the chocolate soda and cream soda was made with cream and vanilla.

what about tv dinners in the foil tray, as kids we have special snack tables that converted back to chairs so we could watch Ed sullivan and the wonderful world of disney in front of the 12 inch black and white tv.

and i still remember our first phone number - liberty 8-3535

fun times, but i'll keep them as memories and live for the next ride

thanks and enjoy the hills your climb

jz

A perfect 100% score for me and all the other stuff mentioned. I grew up two blocks from the Willys plant. My grandmother would give me a quarter for picking up around the house and I'd run to the drug store.
Comic book .10, soda .10, small bag of chips .05 then I'd set and read the entire book trying to time the last gulp, last chip and last page together.
I guess I'm an old coot!
Mud:D

Hey, I'm only 52 and I personally remember all 25 of them!

But, as I grew up in West Virginia, that's not too surprising. We had a party line phone for years. In fact, we used most of that list for years. We had a movie theater that charged kids under 12 just 25 cents. I remember my neighbor mowing his lawn with a push reel mower.

I was 23 when I first heard someone speaking a non-English language, that is outside of a classroom. I was 20 when I saw my first Chinese restaurant (it was still a few years until I ate in one). I was around 25 when I saw my first Mexican restaurant.

But before someone can say it, I did go to first grade wearing shoes.

My neighbor still mows with a push mower, and we still have a drive-in!

My neighbor still mows with a push mower, and we still have a drive-in!

A push mower or a reel mower? Millions still use gasoline engine push mowers.

I know some still use the reel mowers, because I've seen them for sale in recent years and in Madison there are some anti-pollution people who use them.

A good one, with sharp blades, is a decent mower for a small lawn.

A reel mower. I think she's nuts, because she has a huge yard. But she likes it.

Count all the ones that you remember not the ones you were told about. Ratings at the bottom.

1. Blackjack chewing gum
Yup, BTW, Black Jack is still available at specialty stores.
2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water
Yup,
3. Candy cigarettes
Yup, thought I was soooo cool making believe I was smoking.
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles
OUCH, this one hurts, we had these at college. (Is there a rating after older than dirt?)
5. Coffee shops or diners with tableside juke boxes
Yes
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers
Yes, Betcha can't name the brand of trucks that delivered milk! (Divco)
7. Party lines
Yes, my mother would yell at us not to listen to others conversations, then we would watch as she listened in:eek:
8. Newsreels before the movie
Yes
9. P.F. Flyers
I think I had a pair or two. I know I had Keds
10. Butch wax
Yes
11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix (OLive-6933)
Ours was Murray Hill
12. Peashooters
Yes
13. Howdy Doody
Yes, Including the episode where Buffalo Bob was thrown off the air for swearing.
14. 45 RPM records
My son just grabbed my old 45s and my 33s.
15. S&H green stamps
Yes (Yuck)
16 Hi-fi's
I had a Magnavox up until 1986, great sound.
17. Metal ice trays with lever
Yes
18. Mimeograph paper
Yes, and carbon paper and completely manual typewriters
19 Blue flashbulb
Yes
20. Packards
Yes
21. Roller skate keys
Yes
22. Cork popguns
Yes, mine was orange
23. Drive-ins
I actually dated a girl once who wanted to watch the movie, weird!
24. Studebakers
Rode in my neighbors two coupes. How about the "Henry J". You could buy a car from a catalog. Sort of like early internet.
25. Wash tub wringers
Yes

How about Columbia, Mercury, Roll Fast, or Royce Union bikes?

If you remembered 0-5 = You're still young
If you remembered 6-10 = You are getting older
If you remembered 11-15 = Don't tell your age,
If you remembered 16-25 = You're older than dirt!

Fun taking the test, walking down memory lane. I was alway jealous of my grandmother who lived through the turn of the 19th century, the invention of the car, saw electricity introduced to the suburbs, two world wars, and the depression. But now I think my era was more fun.

Drat. Knew them all. My original telephone prefix was TRemont.

So if I'm older than dirt, how come my grandfather worked as a communications engineer for NASA. He taught me how to use a slide rule. We used to build tube radios together. And I never knew he worked for Bell Laboratories until long after I had started with them and my grandmother casually mentioned it.

It's a big circle.

22 of 25.

LSFMT=Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco.

Remember Truade?
How about Nehi? Is it still around?

How about Nehi? Is it still around?

Yep. The restaurant in our business complex sells it. Orange and Peach.