Ok, I am an old man. I know it is not that good to live in the past but if we do not learn from the past, like they say we are doomed to repeat our mistakes.
In reviewing my life I have seen many things change. Some for the better and some, in my opinion, for the worse. I was brought up in a small town. Population was bout 7 thousand souls. That same town is now about 40 thousand people. I do not live in that town anymore but the one I do live in has had a similar growth. I am going to briefly list some of the changes I have seen in my life.
The town I lived in had one main street, called, you got it, “Main” street. There were other streets of course but they all branched off of Main. People parked their cars on the street and there was plenty of parking spaces. There were no parking meters. There were a lot of people walking up and down main street shopping at the variety of stores on the street.
There were no shopping malls or strip malls or Walmarts. No supermarkets of any kind. If you wanted meat, you went to the butcher shop that had saw dust on the floor and maybe 20 or so deer hanging ready to be cut up and wrapped to be placed in cold storage. That of course depended on the time of the year. Nobody had freezers and real refrigerators were not that abundant.
There was a bakery with all kinds of fresh made goodies. Women usually made their own bread, but occasionally as a treat, we would get store bought bread. Most of the time it was not sliced, but finally some bakeries started slicing the bread for their customers. Our bakery had gals in little Dutch girl outfits that I remember. Sometimes they would sneak a treat to one of us kids just for fun and hope that our moms would let us have some of what ever they were selling. Boy the place smelled heavenly.
Most women did not drive cars. Most women did not work out of the home. My mom did as my dad’s construction occupation was mostly seasonal. Unfortunately our bills went on all year long, thus mom worked.
When you went to one of the car dealerships on main street they were nothing like what we have today. Just a store front, with maybe 3 or 4 cars on the floor, and a service bay in the back. If you wanted a new car you looked at the models they had in the store and you ordered one in the color and style you liked. It would be delivered sometime later. There was an alley on both sides of main street and if you had to get your car serviced you had to go down the alley and into the service department of the dealer.
In reviewing my life I have seen many things change. Some for the better and some, in my opinion, for the worse. I was brought up in a small town. Population was bout 7 thousand souls. That same town is now about 40 thousand people. I do not live in that town anymore but the one I do live in has had a similar growth. I am going to briefly list some of the changes I have seen in my life.
The town I lived in had one main street, called, you got it, “Main” street. There were other streets of course but they all branched off of Main. People parked their cars on the street and there was plenty of parking spaces. There were no parking meters. There were a lot of people walking up and down main street shopping at the variety of stores on the street.
There were no shopping malls or strip malls or Walmarts. No supermarkets of any kind. If you wanted meat, you went to the butcher shop that had saw dust on the floor and maybe 20 or so deer hanging ready to be cut up and wrapped to be placed in cold storage. That of course depended on the time of the year. Nobody had freezers and real refrigerators were not that abundant.
There was a bakery with all kinds of fresh made goodies. Women usually made their own bread, but occasionally as a treat, we would get store bought bread. Most of the time it was not sliced, but finally some bakeries started slicing the bread for their customers. Our bakery had gals in little Dutch girl outfits that I remember. Sometimes they would sneak a treat to one of us kids just for fun and hope that our moms would let us have some of what ever they were selling. Boy the place smelled heavenly.
Most women did not drive cars. Most women did not work out of the home. My mom did as my dad’s construction occupation was mostly seasonal. Unfortunately our bills went on all year long, thus mom worked.
When you went to one of the car dealerships on main street they were nothing like what we have today. Just a store front, with maybe 3 or 4 cars on the floor, and a service bay in the back. If you wanted a new car you looked at the models they had in the store and you ordered one in the color and style you liked. It would be delivered sometime later. There was an alley on both sides of main street and if you had to get your car serviced you had to go down the alley and into the service department of the dealer.
Most men were embarrassed if they had to take their car in for services as most men could repair their own cars and it was kind of a knock on a guy if he had to have someone else do the work. Of course there were folks like doctors who just did not have the time.
There were no rows of cars on a lot out front. There were no used cars either. There were some used car lots on the outskirts of town, but the new car dealer did not deal in them. Most folks bought used cars from private parties or the cars were passed down to family members. People kept their cars for a much longer time than they do these days. Most people I knew saved and bought a car cash. This was especially true in my family. However my family never had a new car until long after I was married. Most families had only 1 car unless you had a business or lived on a farm where you may need a truck or van. My uncles had new cars as they were traveling salesmen and made a lot of money. Maybe as much as $10,000 a year. I wanted to go to college so I could make that much money some day.
There were service stations (gas stations) that really gave you service. When you drove up someone would rush out and ask you what you wanted. He or she would wash your windows, check the tire air pressure and fill your tank. You got real service and if you were a regular customer sometimes the companies would through in some gift like stake knives or dishes to encourage you to do business with them.
A lot of people had telephones in my town, in fact most people did. But most people were on what was called party lines. Maybe 3 or 4 other families had to share one line. You could tell if it was you line by distinctive rings. One ring and a pause, two rings and a pause etc. If you were snoopy you could listen to other peoples conversations. If you had to make a long distance call to relives in a far off place like the Midwest, usually the most experienced person in the family, in my case one of my grandfathers would contact the long distance operator and made the connection. It was very expensive to us and all the kids were expected to be quiet and talk clearly and concisely so as not to run up too large a phone bill. Phones were for serious conversations not toys as they are today.
There were no freeways, toll ways and few multi-lane roads. Most roads between cities were merely two lane roads. If you got behind a logging truck or something, you had to pass and take your life in your hands. A trip to my grandfather in Salem Oregon was a two day trip on mostly a two lane road. Today I can do the same trip in about two hours. Gas was about 19 cents a gallon, but consider that my father made thirty five dollars a week, so still that was a lot of money in those days. My mom did not drive when I was very young and if we had to go to a city for shopping we took the bus. That was the normal mode of travel in those days. Most cities had trolley cars and busses and people used public transportation even more then we do now. In the West because of the great distances most people had one car, but many people shared rides to and from work.
There was no TV and no Video games of any kind. I did not have a TV until I was a senior in high school. We would go to the old movie house maybe twice a year or so and us kids would play out what ever the movie was about for quite some time until we saw another movie. Many times we played pirates or cowboys, or soldiers or monsters from the black lagoon or what ever caught our attention. When us kids got home, no matter rain or shine, we would quickly get our chores done and go out to play until a mom would call us in for dinner. After dinner we were at it again until one of the moms would call us in for the evening. We had to do our homework then and maybe listen to a show on the radio. The only thing that would stop us from this routine was if we were sick or had to go someplace or were being punished by our parents. We could play late into the evening in perfect safety as we never heard of children being murdered or kidnapped or worse as it is today.
There were neighborhood schools. There were no portables and each class was small enough that one teacher could keep it orderly. Children who had special needs were sent to the special needs school. Everyone spoke English and we walked to school in most cases. If the school got over crowded, the citizens just built another small neighborhood school building.
There were many churches in my little town. Almost everyone went to one or the other. I attended two churches as my mother and father were of different faiths. Us kids traded off going to each church. In the summer when we were not working in the fields as most kids did then, we would go to vocational bible school. The one we went to was one that another kid in the neighborhood went to and we enjoyed going there. People did not seem to be so segregated and separated by the building they went into. God was God and he loved us no matter which building we went into.
My little town is now about 40 thousand people. “Main” street is dilapidated and run down. The stores are either empty or are junk (antique) stores. The city fathers try to encourage new business to locate downtown, but with every family having 2 to 3 cars, if everyone were to go downtown there would be no place to park.
There were no freeways, toll ways and few multi-lane roads. Most roads between cities were merely two lane roads. If you got behind a logging truck or something, you had to pass and take your life in your hands. A trip to my grandfather in Salem Oregon was a two day trip on mostly a two lane road. Today I can do the same trip in about two hours. Gas was about 19 cents a gallon, but consider that my father made thirty five dollars a week, so still that was a lot of money in those days. My mom did not drive when I was very young and if we had to go to a city for shopping we took the bus. That was the normal mode of travel in those days. Most cities had trolley cars and busses and people used public transportation even more then we do now. In the West because of the great distances most people had one car, but many people shared rides to and from work.
There was no TV and no Video games of any kind. I did not have a TV until I was a senior in high school. We would go to the old movie house maybe twice a year or so and us kids would play out what ever the movie was about for quite some time until we saw another movie. Many times we played pirates or cowboys, or soldiers or monsters from the black lagoon or what ever caught our attention. When us kids got home, no matter rain or shine, we would quickly get our chores done and go out to play until a mom would call us in for dinner. After dinner we were at it again until one of the moms would call us in for the evening. We had to do our homework then and maybe listen to a show on the radio. The only thing that would stop us from this routine was if we were sick or had to go someplace or were being punished by our parents. We could play late into the evening in perfect safety as we never heard of children being murdered or kidnapped or worse as it is today.
There were neighborhood schools. There were no portables and each class was small enough that one teacher could keep it orderly. Children who had special needs were sent to the special needs school. Everyone spoke English and we walked to school in most cases. If the school got over crowded, the citizens just built another small neighborhood school building.
There were many churches in my little town. Almost everyone went to one or the other. I attended two churches as my mother and father were of different faiths. Us kids traded off going to each church. In the summer when we were not working in the fields as most kids did then, we would go to vocational bible school. The one we went to was one that another kid in the neighborhood went to and we enjoyed going there. People did not seem to be so segregated and separated by the building they went into. God was God and he loved us no matter which building we went into.
My little town is now about 40 thousand people. “Main” street is dilapidated and run down. The stores are either empty or are junk (antique) stores. The city fathers try to encourage new business to locate downtown, but with every family having 2 to 3 cars, if everyone were to go downtown there would be no place to park.
There are shopping malls, strip malls and every kind of big box outlet you can think of. Traffic on main street is just awful and you can sit for a long time trying to get down "Main" to get to one of the malls. The town looks like one large used car lot with every brand you can think of. Everyone is in a hurry and the few people you see on the street have a phone up to their head or are text messaging each other.
The little shops and stores are all gone. There is little personal contact with the people working in the malls. Just get what you want, swipe your credit card and go home and play a video game or watch pro sports on your 60 inch hi-def TV. Kids don’t work or play, unless the interact with some caned game. We have kid here in our neighborhood now and they only time I see them outside even on nice days is when they are waiting to get on the bus to go to school.
I miss my little quiet town….
I miss my little quiet town….
As do we all....life marches forward and times change. I miss being able to leave my car on the street, unlocked, knowing it would be safe, I miss being able to leave my house unlocked when I am in it, not worrying about my dogs in the backyard alone, now someone would steal them or let them out Just for fun - oh for a real butcher shop, a bakery, or even a good old Woolworths - with a soda bar and sold everythig you may want. Alas, some day our grand children or great grandchildren will write Now I am an old man...and they will miss their towns and what they now know and grieve the loss of "this".
ReplyDeleteMidge
Millions of fans were stunned today to learn that popular TV and radio talk show host, Glenn Beck, is the first human to carry genes from another mammalian species. Beck, who has made a living seeding suspicion and blind hatred, tried for years to keep the information out of the public arena, but his personal physician, Dr. Ethan Albumen, has published a memoir detailing Beck’s unique origins.
ReplyDeleteMany may be too young to remember David Seville, who created the cartoon characters, “Alvin and the Chipmunks” in the 1960s. The main character, Alvin, was modeled upon Seville’s favorite pet, Chippy, a wild chipmunk that wandered into camp when Seville and his parents were tenting in Yosemite National Park in 1954. Seville adopted the little fellow, took him home, and they were fast friends for several years. When the chipmunk passed away, Seville convinced his parents to allow him to preserve the small pet in the family freezer.
Fast forward to 1970, when Seville was flush with royalties from the chipmunk craze. It was at that time that young Dr. Albumen, an early genetic researcher, met Seville, who was suffering from exhaustion, at a conference on biodiversity. They spoke about their mutual interest: chipmunks. Albumen had been conducting clandestine gene splicing experiments, so when Seville found this out, he convinced Albumen to clone his old friend, Chippy.
Albumen tried unsuccessfully to duplicate the diminutive rodent, and he was about to quit when, by chance, he encountered Glenn Beck’s parents at a conference on recycling. Beck’s mother, upon learning that Albumen was a geneticist, begged him for help with Glenn, who had been born without the capacity to grow teeth. The Becks had spent years tube-feeding young Glenn, and they had almost lost hope when Albumen consented to apply his brilliant theories to their case.
Utilizing a proprietary method which is still secret, Albumen administered several months’ worth of injections , a process which was very painful and which embittered young Glenn, despite his parents’ best intentions. As Glenn’s teeth began to grow and his cheeks began to widen, Albumen realized that the process was not entirely controllable.
The Becks grilled Albumen as to why their boy, who had once been passably handsome, was now taking on the facial characteristics of a chipmunk, and Albumen did his best to reassure them without letting them know that he had spliced Chippy’s genes into the very basic makeup of Glenn’s cellular foundations.
To make a long story short, Glenn Beck now carries on Chippy’s genetic legacy, Albumen stands to make millions from his tell-all book, and David Seville’s love for a small forest creature has backhandedly created one of the most controversial and hateful propagandists to slither across the forest floor. But that’s another genetic mystery, isn’t it?
Thanks for the post but the above was just a lift off of another hate Glenn Beck blog. Nothing new just the same old hate message. Thank God most appreciate Glenn’s views as he was listed as the 2nd most admired TV personality just behind Oprah Winfrey. But then again there are plenty of hate Oprah blogs as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe all generations have sentimental feelings of their youth. I do wish for a simpler time and most of all I think our society craves honesty from our fellow man. With that said, I do love a lot of the technology of today. I am sure my grandmother would have traded some of her slower pace for a washer and dryer. Have you tryed watching TV and not having a remote lately or how about a DVR. I am thankful for my conveniences. I think that really happy memories boil down to those who loved you and helped create them:)
ReplyDeleteWell we do have technological advancements that we all love having. They make our lives easier and more enjoyable. They give us more time to do things we want to do rather than working from sun up to sun done like people used to do.
ReplyDeleteBut recent studies have said that 1 out of 4 seniors in high school take drugs or have taken drugs. Students state that they can easily find any kind of drugs they want at school. When I went to school I was one of the IN kids and I know of nobody who used drugs. I knew of nobody who even used beer in high school. I didn’t and none of my friends did until I was well out of high school.
Look at how many women are having children out of wedlock struggling to bring up a child with one parent. In the good old days guys stayed with the woman and helped with the child. Shotgun weddings were real and most guys would not think of leaving a gal to fend for herself. Failed marriages were less than there are today even with those types of marriages.
Television was not full of sex violence and lifestyles that to say the least are completely wacky. Yes we had fun TV, and some shows were not true to life, but they usually had some redeeming values. Many were done in front of live audiences and the show was live. When you heard a laugh it was real, not canned from a laughing machine. Speech was natural and good, no profanity. You could all sit as a family without having to answer embarrassing questions like “what is that man doing to that lady daddy”? Even commercials these days are embarrassing. Many demean women and men to make them look like buffoons.
Yes we have more toys and objects but I have lived in both times and would gladly give away many of my connivances to bring the countries values back. The days of sex drugs and rock and roll did not improve anything.
Is today better? I think not.