Not too long ago

[Renee K.]

Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:
television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods,
Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill.
There was no: radar, credit cards,laser beams or
ball-point pens.
Not yet invented: pantyhose, air conditioners,
dishwashers, clothes dryers, and the clothes were hung
on wooden clothes rack or out to dry in sun and fresh air.
Man hadn't yet walked on the moon.
Life was governed by good judgment, and common sense.
Serving your country was a privilege; living in this
country was a greater privilege.
Fast food was what people ate during Lent.
Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along
with your cousins.
Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors
when the evening breeze started.
Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in
the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums.

No FM radios, tape decks, CDs, or PCs.
We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the
President's speeches on our radios.
The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your
school exam.
Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.
There were 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually
buy things for 5 and 10 cents.
Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar,
and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend
your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2
postcards.
You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600 but who could
afford one? ---Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a
gallon.
Once was, when:
"grass" was mowed,
"coke" was a cold drink,
"pot" was something you cooked in and
"rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.
"Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,
"chip" meant a piece of wood,
"hardware" was found in a hardware store and
"software" wasn't even a word.
No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a
generation gap... and how old do you think we are?
Is it a shock that we are less than 60 years old.

But hey! The stores and gas stations who really wanted
our business, gave Green Stamps and that's how we got
all this junk!

[jack maloney]

Ummm, GE and RCA were making television sets before I was born, and I'm 68. Also, "making out" when I was a teenager meant

[james kent]

Boy! Do I represent that. Started collecting Old age Security this month.
I remember the 40's and 50's as great.

[Roger L.]

Life now is much more interesting and fun. I wouldn't go back!

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally posted by Renee K.@Nov 20 2005, 02:27 PM
Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:

Just how old are you ? Some of those things have been around since just after the beginning of the last century.

Air Conditioning was first used in the White House in Washington DC, during a President's illness... Do you know which one?

[Time K]

James Garfield in 1881.........if my memory serves me right. Not that I was actualy there or anything........

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally posted by Mike T@Nov 23 2005, 08:14 AM
James Garfield in 1881

Just because it may have existed, though may not be the point. My parents never owned a car with air conditioning until the 1980's, well after my siblings and I were on our own. Many memories are of 10 people (Dad & Mom, +8 kids ranging from 6 months to 17 years old) in a station wagon, in Oklahoma, in August...

[Byron Kinnaman]

Just because it may have existed, though may not be the point. My parents never owned a car with air conditioning until the 1980's, well after my siblings and I were on our own. Many memories are of 10 people (Dad & Mom, +8 kids ranging from 6 months to 17 years old) in a station wagon, in Oklahoma, in August...

I'm not sure my folks ever did own a car or truck with A/C.

[Renee K.]

"Just how old are you ? Some of those things have been around since just after the beginning of the last century"
That only means that they weren't very common and not a real word. I rather doubt that the first cooling system was called "air conditioner". But to make a statement about what is was like, even through education, most of the things created in the 20 century were not in the dictionary when I was born, although Leonardo had made drawings of many of them before that!
The very first TV station in OR was in 55 and I soon learned not to like it very much because no one could talk, or God forbid step in front of the TV set! I did adapt to many of the new things but being a cook I still miss the big old wood kitchen range that warmed the kitchen, cooked so many things, and even heated water for the dishes and baths. The almost forced consumerism of that century created both rich and poor, but of everything, I appreciate my PC and the wonderfull worldwide communication. If my RV could hold everything including my computer??? Well, guess I will just still have to have a house like other folks for a while yet! I do know that fiberglass hadn't been invented yet when I was born!
Renee