We lived on a 5 acre farmette on the edge of the country (when neighborhoods gave way to farms). My dad taught me to ride a bike when I was 7 and we took off on country roads. But soon enough, I was allowed to go out on my own. There were other families scattered nearby but not close. Some had other kids that I'd play with from time to time, but I remember mostly playing by myself. My much older sister often would comment on my vivid imagination. When I was 10 my parents sold the place and built a house across town in a neighborhood. Mostly I remember making my own "entertainment". We didn't have a t.v. til I was 10 and that was limited of time to watch. Our town was safe--one could ride bikes all over or even walk without worries. I'm sure there was a "dark" side to life but I was never aware of it. These times were in the 50's and 60's....too bad the kids today can't enjoy what we enjoyed.
Other things I remember when we lived on that acreage---we had an apple orchard, grape vines and a very large garden. My mom made all our meals from "scratch" and baked bread and canned vegetables and fruit. She hung our laundry on the clothes line and everything got ironed. She didn't get an automatic washer/drier til she was in her 60's in the 60's and never had an automatic dishwasher. We also didn't have air conditioning back then neither.
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