Lone Ranger. Tonto. Howdy Doody.

We used to make up our own games. THE BUTTON GAME was our favorite. Mom had a BIG WOODEN SHAKER BOX with a top that was full of all kinds of buttons. She saved woolens (pre polyester days) for hooked and braided rugs. Matter of fact I still have about 25 boxes of woolens to make into rugs. Anyway, she cut the buttons off the clothing and threw them in the box.

The Button Game consisted of dumping the buttons in the middle of the braided rug and dividing the pile into three more or less equal piles (3 kids). Then we would see how many matching button sets we could get. We each had our favorite buttons. Gosh, sometimes you would have to give up a whole handful of buttons just to get one if you REALLY wanted it.

My sister and I still talk about how much fun that game was and we made it up ourselves and, I'm sure, learned about sharing, teamwork and other valuable life lessons.

BF and I often comment on how we grew up in the best of times (we are in our mid 60's) and in the most beautiful place in the whole world (Lake George NY in the Adirondack Mtns)

Blah, Blah, Blah.. good memories.
Anne

I remember folks settled disputes with words or fists, not guns.

You did not have the right to be offended over every little thing. People smoked, drank, spoke their mind and we got along. We didn't like things, but we got along.

Saving money was cool. Moms cut coupons and bragged about what they saved, and we shared with our friends and they with us.

If you had special needs due to your own vices you did not demand special treatment. You asked for it and were grateful to get it.

You could get out of doing heavy or sweaty things because you were a girl.

Blah, Blah, Blah too.....

Gee, I never got out of doing heavy or sweaty things because I was a girl. Maybe it was because all I had were sisters.I loved to walk in the rain, ride my bike for hours, ride my bike across town with a friend to play tennis. We spent lots of time in the public swimming pool. The kids in the neighborhood played in each others yards until late in the evening and no one minded until one girl in the neighborhood got polio. Then everything started to change.
Daddy taught me how to fly fish and I had to spend hours putting the fly in the right spot. He taught me how to shoot a rifle and a handgun. Boy, were they ever heavy. He wanted me to learn so we could travel the Pan American Highway from Alaska to the tip of South America. My first boyfriend taught me how to drive and when Daddy hired a man to teach me how I had to beg him not to tell Daddy I could already drive automatic, four on the floor, pop the clutch, do some racing change-ups, whatever and I could fix minor engine problems and change a tire by myself. He laughed and let me drive him around all afternoon to prove it. Daddy was surprised I learned so fast.
I had been going downtown on the bus by myself from the time I was six to get to music lessons and go to the library. When I started going to school at the University Lab School, I spent a lot of time at the Student Union. Often I would walk the thirty blocks home just because I wanted to. I can't remember anyone being worried about it. Things sure have changed.

I remember licking the S&H green stamps and putting them in books so we could go shopping.
I remember having so much fun rolling down a big hill inside a cardboard box with friends, bumped heads and all.
I remember rolling skating for hours at the local rink, and hoping a boy would ask me on the 'couples' turn around the floor.
I remember flipping over the porch rail and knocking out part of my front tooth. And NOT going to the dentist until 5 years later to have it fixed. (High school, you know.)

I remember playing cowboys and Indians, and building forts in trees with scraps we found and nails my Dad gave me. The only requirement, was to bring his hammer back.
I remember playing baseball with all the neighborhood kids, riding dirt bikes, and swinging over the ravine from grapevines like Tarzan. And, screaming when the vines broke.

I remember cartoons on Saturday. Now with cartoons all the time, it isn't near as wonderful as the anticipation of waiting for that one day of the week.

I remember fishing for crawdads in the creek, and having mud fights, and climbing high in the apples trees to reach the sweetest apple.

We were so much luckier than the kids today. Sometimes technology isn't all its cracked up to be because they miss too many of the simpler things in life. Oddly enough, I made sure my kids didn't have the video games, cell phones, and computers while they were growing up. (I couldn't afford them, to be honest.) I wanted them to grow up being kids. They still talk about all that, just like I am right now.

Thanks for the memories.