What are your fun memories from childhood?

[AMB444]

Remember this?

- bread bags on feet before putting on your snow boots

-stealing beans, peas, carrots from gardens and drinking from the hose. Apples off of trees.
If we went home we'd get chores assigned

- going to your friend's church because you hung out at their house for days, and friends mom adding you to the house chore list

- "that rich kid" on the block had cable, Pong, Sesame Street, Quisp/Capn Crunch & Twinkies

- fear of the basement. Do the rapid dog paddle up the stairs and do NOT look back!

-getting "beaned" during dodge ball with that gigantic rubber ball

-calling radio station to recite "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions all on a sesame seed bun" to get free Big Mac

What's your list? :thumbup:

[margaretmattson]

Getting dressed up for church, climbing trees, sled riding, homemade ice cream, hide and seek, nuns in habits, neighborhood baseball game, fresh corn on the cob, vinyl records, drive-in movies, fruit trees and berry bushes, arcade games, disco, roller skating rinks, equal rights amendment, and the farrah flip.

[LeRoySmith]

Stealing a beer from the case at the bottom of the American Legion stair case. They left it down there in the winter so it would be ice cold. Me and 3 or 4 buddies would take hours planning the crime and finally consuming our prize on the rare occasion we were successful. Looking back I'm convenienced those old men knew what we were up to because they would ambush us about 75% of the time but they never turned us in. The first time or 2 we had to poke a hole in the can with a screwdriver or pocketknife because no one had a can opener.

[BigDawgInLakeDenham]

The day JFK was shot
The day MLK was shot
My brother going to Viet Nam
The day RFK was shot
The day George Wallace was shot

They are all with God and praying for us

Lord, what a violent country

[BrianL99]

The day JFK was shot
The day MLK was shot
My brother going to Viet Nam
The day RFK was shot
The day George Wallace was shot

They are all with God and praying for us

Lord, what a violent country


All definitely among my "fun memories".

You don't want to count the Challenger disaster, among your fun times?

[BigDawgInLakeDenham]

All definitely among my "fun memories".

You don't want to count the Challenger disaster, among your fun times?

I did watch that live unfortunately. Funny how just trying to do your job gets you killed...isn't it? That was 1986 and I was talking much earlier when I was very young.

I thought it was cool to see a M46 Patton tank sitting and blocking Eastern Ave and Patterson Park Ave during the race riots. Didn't understand it when I saw it. We went into town every Sunday after Mass to go to Mikulski's Bakery, Ostrowski's for homemade kielbasa and kieska, and if we were really lucky the old polish ladies would be making handmade pieroges at one of the Fells Point Parishes. One Sunday there was this giant hulk of Iron directly in front of the bakery, protecting what was left of the little bit of dignity our, my family's, ancestors had. It was very turbulent times then, much like now. Many people chose to ignore it, just like now. I'm embarrassed by the city I grew up in and I know who is to blame.

I'm sorry to be Debbie Downer and it wasn't my initial thought. I had all the usual fun like rolling in fields of splendor and sneaking beers. Just thought I'd give a realistic view of the 60's as a child of a working class family. I will say I had a great time in Scouting....all the way to Eagle. It taught me life skills that help me to this day. My Dad was very nurturing and will always be the best friend I've ever had.

[Decadeofdave]

Camping in the back yard
Riding mini bikes.
Building tree forts.

[Shipping up to Boston]

[QUOTE=AMB444;2311504]Remember this?

- bread bags on feet before putting on your snow boots

-stealing beans, peas, carrots from gardens and drinking from the hose. Apples off of trees.
If we went home we'd get chores assigned

- going to your friend's church because you hung out at their house for days, and friends mom adding you to the house chore list

- "that rich kid" on the block had cable, Pong, Sesame Street, Quisp/Capn Crunch & Twinkies

- fear of the basement. Do the rapid dog paddle up the stairs and do NOT look back!

-getting "beaned" during dodge ball with that gigantic rubber ball

-calling radio station to recite "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions all on a sesame seed bun" to get free Big Mac

What's your list? :thumbup:[/QUOTE

-Big Macs and Whoppers true to size in styrofoam containers

[asianthree]

Vegetables and fruit in the backyard
Fresh egg’s every day (not getting chased by the mean rooster back to the house)
Playing hide and seek until you were called home
Making a snow fort with 4’ of fresh snow because school was canceled
Family vacation with grandparents.

Summer at the family Dairy Farm, Tobacco Farm and Horse Farm watching all the new babies but learning very early
the Bull is mean,
many race horses bite,
and tobacco worms are giant scary monsters

[BrianL99]

About 10 years ago, I was playing golf with a guy and he uttered a 5 word phrase, that brought back more memories than imaginable. It could have been a New England phrase, I don't know. But for those who recognize it, it will bring back irreplaceable memories.


"Invisible man on 2nd Base".

[billethkid]

No cell phones.
No Brutal murder, nude, foul mouthed swearing and everybody screwing everybody in theatres and home tv.

[manaboutown]

Attending a small public elementary school that taught reading, writing and arithmetic. The principal played piano and we sang. A music teacher came once a week as did a Spanish teacher. Walking or riding my bike the two blocks home for a hot lunch.

Learning to cuss in Spanish and German, a little in Assyrian and Greek. Vastly increasing my English cussing vocabulary being a batboy for the Kirtland Flyers, a semi-pro baseball team.

Playing marbles in the dirt in the spring

Shooting my Daisy pump BB gun until its spring finally broke

Building model airplanes from scratch and then flying them

Building kites and flying them

Playing "Smear the Guy" on a dirt playground, a game where whomever had the ball was tackled

Riding my bike wherever I wanted without worry

Listening to The Green Hornet, The Shadow, Fibber McGee and Molly and other comedy teams on the AM radio

Going to matinees at the movies in the summer, admission a dime

Root beer floats, banana splits, ice cream sodas, cherry, lime and chocolate cokes, malts, milk shakes, all at fountains

Snowball fights at school on the rare occasion it actually snowed in Albuquerque

Getting a day off from school and going to the State Fair, hitting the midway, eating cotton candy, Indian fry bread, and attending the rodeo

Driving around town in the family Oldsmobile during the holidays to see the lights, especially enjoying the luminarias (farolitos)

[margaretmattson]

No cell phones.
No Brutal murder, nude, foul mouthed swearing and everybody screwing everybody in theatres and home tv.Hmmm....we must have grown up differently. I remember not being allowed to watch the news because of so much violence. Vietnam, race wars, Manson, Bundy, shootings of political figures, kkk and more. On Tv, women did not wear bras and playboy was very popular. They even had private clubs around the country. Places like Studio 54 where drugs were passed around like candy. Maybe not the same foul language as the present, but lots of racism and bigotry. So common place, that a show like All in the Family, was allowed to air and received great ratings. I remember comedians making fun of every nationality known to man. Women were second class citizens and had to stay home.

When my grandchildren watch old tv shows or movies, they ask a lot of questions as they look at me mystified. I have to explain that it was a different time. Women and black people had to fight for equality. Racism and chauvinism was not only allowed; it was a form of comedic entertainment. How does one explain character names like Pussy Galore or Petticoat Junction in a town called Hooterville? Thankfully, we've come a long way since then. Every generation has its scars.

[Shipping up to Boston]

Hmmm....we must have grown up differently. I remember not being allowed to watch the news because of so much violence. Vietnam, race wars, Manson, Bundy, shootings of political figures, kkk and more. On Tv, women did not wear bras and playboy was very popular. They even had private clubs around the country. Maybe not the same foul language as the present, but lots of racism and bigotry. So common place, that a show like All in the Family, was allowed to air and received great ratings. I remember comedians making fun of every nationality known to man. Women were second class citizens and had to stay home.

When my grandchildren watch old tv shows or movies, they ask a lot of questions as they look at me mystified. I have to explain that it was a different time. Women and black people had to fight for equality. Racism was not only allowed; it was a form of comedic entertainment. How does one explain character names like Pussy Galore or Petticoat Junction in a town called Hooterville? Thankfully, we've come a long way since then. Every generation has its scars.

How about the Dean Martin roast specials? Don Rickles? It seemed genuine and people weren’t offended.

[margaretmattson]

How about the Dean Martin roast specials? Don Rickles? It seemed genuine and people weren’t offended.That is my point. It was so commonplace back then that everyone thought it was funny. Test it yourself and watch some of the older shows with your grandkids. You will find it difficult to explain why it was acceptable.

[BrianL99]

How about the Dean Martin roast specials? Don Rickles? It seemed genuine and people weren’t offended.

Being "offended" is the catch-all word for the WOKE minority.

[Ecuadog]

I fondly remember my father taking my brother and I to Steeplechase Park in Coney Island.

[Normal]

Swimming all summer, long bicycle rides everywhere, picking cherries till one of us broke too many branches, Chinese chestnut burr and Mayapple fights, digging in the garden, corn roasts and playing in the fire pit the day after a gathering.

[jebartle]

Honey-suckle bush, ice cream truck, inflatable swimming pool, cherry coke at Woolworth, dad's whistle to come home, 6 RC caps got you into movies, ping-pong, fire flies in bottle, first bicycle

[Marmaduke]

The day JFK was shot
The day MLK was shot
My brother going to Viet Nam
The day RFK was shot
The day George Wallace was shot

They are all with God and praying for us

Lord, what a violent country
Fun Memories? Too bad you blocked out Kent State to round out your seemingly sad reminiscent life in our otherwise great country of our youth.

[La lamy]

- Walking 1 1/2 mile to school, taking a shortcut through a little wood that was so magical to me.
- Crazy snowstorms that made the doors completely inaccessible so we had to get out through the kitchen window, no school but lots of shovelling!
- Watching The Flintstones, cartoons, Walt Disney.
- Playing records and writing out the words so I'd be able to memorize them.
- Camping trips to the Atlantic coast.
- Skiing in Quebec and Vermont
- Watching color TV for the first time
- Watching Nadia Comanici's perfect 10. WHAT A GYMNAST!
- The first steps on the moon.
- Getting to wear a tutu for my first ballet recital.
- Swimming ALL DAY until my fingers and toes turned into prunes.
- Picking fresh blueberries in the forest near our house and having a pie made from them by mom. YUM

[Marmaduke]

Being "offended" is the catch-all word for the WOKE minority.
Exactly! I've never been "offended" in my life. I've always "considered the source" and never got my panties in a bind.

I must have been brought up as a girl that came from a great family, enjoyed the heck out of life and saw the good along with the bad.
The topic is FUN from our childhood, not "period effects" of our youth. Lighten up.Smile more, laugh, like you did as a kid. Sorry to the people who love to hold grudges from the days of old....70 years ago.
That's a lots baggage baby!
Dean and Don were a riot!

[ABGinVA]

About 10 years ago, I was playing golf with a guy and he uttered a 5 word phrase, that brought back more memories than imaginable. It could have been a New England phrase, I don't know. But for those who recognize it, it will bring back irreplaceable memories.


"Invisible man on 2nd Base".

You made my day! My husband’s too. We had a good laugh remembering how invisible men worked in our backyard baseball games. And we both grew up in New England so your hypothesis about the origin of the phrase may be right. How did it come up on the golf course though??

[Shipping up to Boston]

Exactly! I've never been "offended" in my life. I've always "considered the source" and never got my panties in a bind.

I must have been brought up as a girl that came from a great family, enjoyed the heck out of life and saw the good along with the bad.
The topic is FUN from our childhood, not "period effects" of our youth. Lighten up.Smile more, laugh, like you did as a kid. Sorry to the people who love to hold grudges from the days of old....70 years ago.
That's a lots baggage baby!
Dean and Don were a riot!

It’s still out there (DM roast series). Like All in the Family and The Jeffersons, history has judged all kindly

[Marmaduke]

It’s still out there (DM roast series). Like All in the Family and The Jeffersons, history has judged all kindly
The English "Carry On" movies weren't politically correct, but funny. It was a period in history.
History shouldn't be erased.

[OhioBuckeye]

Just being young & being able to play outside after dark, not anymore!

[Normal]

Just being young & being able to play outside after dark, not anymore!

Remember playing 500 till the bats started circling the balls. Then went snipe hunting or caught lightning bugs to put in jars. For those with the insensitive side, we made lighting bug rings…lol

[Shipping up to Boston]

Remember playing 500 till the bats started circling the balls. Then went snipe hunting or caught lightning bugs to put in jars. For those with the insensitive side, we made lighting bug rings…lol

How many lightning bugs perished to make one ring!

[Normal]

How many lightning bugs perished to make one ring!

Maybe just a couple, it was usually just one or two put on the ring finger to simulate a stone. I don’t think we had the patience to make an entire ring.

[Shipping up to Boston]

Maybe just a couple, it was usually just one or two put on the ring finger to simulate a stone. I don’t think we had the patience to make an entire ring.

Sounds like you may have watched Silence of the Lambs and Sir Anthony Hopkins a few times!

Just having fun with ya!
I used to use the magnifying glass and sun with ants. Don’t judge me...it’s better than being a plaintiff in a pesticide class action suit ! ;)

[Bay Kid]

Growing up on the rural Chesapeake Bay. Hand dipping crabs, fishing, water skiing and playing on miles of private beaches. Baseball, bikes and friends. Life was/is great.

[Redsmom]

That is my point. It was so commonplace back then that everyone thought it was funny. Test it yourself and watch some of the older shows with your grandkids. You will find it difficult to explain why it was acceptable.

So things are better now that we can’t even define what a woman is? I’d go back to the innocence of the 50s in a heartbeat.

[BrianL99]

You made my day! My husband’s too. We had a good laugh remembering how invisible men worked in our backyard baseball games. And we both grew up in New England so your hypothesis about the origin of the phrase may be right. How did it come up on the golf course though??

We were talking about the things we did as kids and how often we played sports in neighborhood games. Baseball games, with only 4 players on a each team & one of those players, was someone's 7 year old little brother and we made him the full-time catcher.

I almost doubled over in laughter when I heard those words. I hadn't heard them, in 40 years. I thought it would be a spectacular name for a book and even put some effort into seeing what I could do to trademark the name. It was just one of those phrases, that evokes such wonderful memories ... & could only have been made up by a 10 year old boy.

[tophcfa]

Waking up every morning without any aches and pains.

[Lea N]

Sitting on the front porch with my grandmother and one by one neighbors would stop by and soon a bunch of us would be sitting and chatting, going for a walk every Thanksgiving with my grandmother and neighbors after a big meal, playing kick socker, hide & seek, waking up on weekends to the smell of bacon and coffee, Sunday meals with family and any friend(s) that came by, block party's (which included clam bakes).

[jimjamuser]

Remember this?

- bread bags on feet before putting on your snow boots

-stealing beans, peas, carrots from gardens and drinking from the hose. Apples off of trees.
If we went home we'd get chores assigned

- going to your friend's church because you hung out at their house for days, and friends mom adding you to the house chore list

- "that rich kid" on the block had cable, Pong, Sesame Street, Quisp/Capn Crunch & Twinkies

- fear of the basement. Do the rapid dog paddle up the stairs and do NOT look back!

-getting "beaned" during dodge ball with that gigantic rubber ball

-calling radio station to recite "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions all on a sesame seed bun" to get free Big Mac

What's your list? :thumbup:
Picking out selected branches and then carving out a bow and then making life miserable for rabbits and large birds. Shooting an arrow straight up in the air and not flinching when it came down VERY CLOSE. Shooting at squirrels in a park and getting caught EVEN after running away. Listening to the song, "Rock Around the Clock" and realizing that both music and life was CHANGING fast compared to pre-ROCK. Running nearly naked through the neighbors back yards late at night. AS a gang-like group grabbing a guys bumper as he tried to get his car up a snow covered slippery HILL - and then absorbing colorful language as we ran away. There was a LOT of running away - like after stealing tomatoes. Playing baseball with a tennis ball - I guess we did that because we would NOT need gloves? Sitting on a park bench behind the swimming pool and hoping to talk to some young ladies. Water skiing behind my father's boat. Getting cut from the High School Baseball team. Having water balloon fights. Acting stupid and immature all through grade school. Sneaking under a fence into a High School football game and having to fight some clown at the top of the hill. Not quit understanding what the music teacher was trying to get across about the "me's and the do's thing. Still don't know!
......Those were the days my friend - we would fight and never lose!!!!!!!

[jimjamuser]

Stealing a beer from the case at the bottom of the American Legion stair case. They left it down there in the winter so it would be ice cold. Me and 3 or 4 buddies would take hours planning the crime and finally consuming our prize on the rare occasion we were successful. Looking back I'm convenienced those old men knew what we were up to because they would ambush us about 75% of the time but they never turned us in. The first time or 2 we had to poke a hole in the can with a screwdriver or pocketknife because no one had a can opener.
Good story. Stolen things always tasted better.

[JMintzer]

Hmmm....we must have grown up differently. I remember not being allowed to watch the news because of so much violence. Vietnam, race wars, Manson, Bundy, shootings of political figures, kkk and more. On Tv, women did not wear bras and playboy was very popular. They even had private clubs around the country. Places like Studio 54 where drugs were passed around like candy. Maybe not the same foul language as the present, but lots of racism and bigotry. So common place, that a show like All in the Family, was allowed to air and received great ratings. I remember comedians making fun of every nationality known to man. Women were second class citizens and had to stay home.

When my grandchildren watch old tv shows or movies, they ask a lot of questions as they look at me mystified. I have to explain that it was a different time. Women and black people had to fight for equality. Racism and chauvinism was not only allowed; it was a form of comedic entertainment. How does one explain character names like Pussy Galore or Petticoat Junction in a town called Hooterville? Thankfully, we've come a long way since then. Every generation has its scars.

Fun times, right? :ohdear:

[JMintzer]

How about the Dean Martin roast specials? Don Rickles? It seemed genuine and people weren’t offended.

Foster Brooks was my favorite...

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5e/6d/4d/5e6d4d5013a61d9d9de386ce81adf004.jpg

[Shipping up to Boston]

Picking out selected branches and then carving out a bow and then making life miserable for rabbits and large birds. Shooting an arrow straight up in the air and not flinching when it came down VERY CLOSE. Shooting at squirrels in a park and getting caught EVEN after running away. Listening to the song, "Rock Around the Clock" and realizing that both music and life was CHANGING fast compared to pre-ROCK. Running nearly naked through the neighbors back yards late at night. AS a gang-like group grabbing a guys bumper as he tried to get his car up a snow covered slippery HILL - and then absorbing colorful language as we ran away. There was a LOT of running away - like after stealing tomatoes. Playing baseball with a tennis ball - I guess we did that because we would NOT need gloves? Sitting on a park bench behind the swimming pool and hoping to talk to some young ladies. Water skiing behind my father's boat. Getting cut from the High School Baseball team. Having water balloon fights. Acting stupid and immature all through grade school. Sneaking under a fence into a High School football game and having to fight some clown at the top of the hill. Not quit understanding what the music teacher was trying to get across about the "me's and the do's thing. Still don't know!
......Those were the days my friend - we would fight and never lose!!!!!!!

Three Hail Marys and Three Our Fathers my son!

[margaretmattson]

Fun times, right? :ohdear: I love it when people take things out of context. I had a wonderful childhood and responded that way.

I then read a post that said: no cell phones, no violence, no nudity, no foul language, no screwing on television.

I thought this was odd. It is not the late sixties and seventies that I remember. Hippies alone broke all the "no-nos" mentioned by the poster. I remember it as a time when people were pushing the limits not sitting pristine.

[ThirdOfFive]

Flying with Dad in his 1938 Aeronca Chief.

[Shipping up to Boston]

I love it when people take things out of context. I had a wonderful childhood and responded that way.

I then read a post that said, no cell phones, no violence, no nudity, no foul language, no screwing on television.

I thought this was odd. It is not the late sixties and seventies that I remember. Hippies alone broke all the "no-nos" mentioned by the poster. I remember it as a time when people were pushing the limits, not sitting pristine.

There’s been nudity in some form for generations. And ‘screwing’. I only wish there were cell phones to capture it all for historical perspective of course. Insert Creedence Clearwater Revival track here

[fdpaq0580]

Three Hail Marys and Three Our Fathers my son!

You got off easy. Jesus was in the class ahead of mine. He used to beat me up and take my lunch money. My friend and savior? To this day I am afraid to walk past a church. Afraid that Jesus will grab me, beat me up and steal my wallet. 🥺🥹😱

[jimjamuser]

Sounds like you may have watched Silence of the Lambs and Sir Anthony Hopkins a few times!

Just having fun with ya!
I used to use the magnifying glass and sun with ants. Don’t judge me...it’s better than being a plaintiff in a pesticide class action suit ! ;)
That reminded me of a good one. We would catch red ants in one jar and an equal (approximately) number of black ants in another jar.Then we would put them together and a small WAR would start. The black ants were bigger, but the red ants always won.

[JMintzer]

I love it when people take things out of context. I had a wonderful childhood and responded that way.

I then read a post that said: no cell phones, no violence, no nudity, no foul language, no screwing on television.

I thought this was odd. It is not the late sixties and seventies that I remember. Hippies alone broke all the "no-nos" mentioned by the poster. I remember it as a time when people were pushing the limits not sitting pristine.

Ever consider that the person to whom you responded was just a tad older than you?

None of what you described may have happened during "their" childhood...

And did you ever think that the "context" they were using was what was on "regular TV", not the evening news? Did you ever see any of those things on the TV "shows" you watched?

I don't remember many of us "children" watching the Evening News...

[margaretmattson]

Ever consider that the person to whom you responded was just a tad older than you?

None of what you described may have happened during "their" childhood...

And did you ever think that the "context" they were using was what was on "regular TV", not the evening news? Did you ever see any of those things on the TV "shows" you watched?

I don't remember many of us "children" watching the Evening News...
The poster may be a bit older than me. Still, I do not believe ANY DECADE was clean and pure. Some just hid it better.

[FredJacobs]

My favorite childhood memory was when my back didn't hurt.

[Randall55]

My favorite childhood memory was when my back didn't hurt.Or, when you could stay up until the wee hours. Now, I go to bed early and get up when I need to wee.

[Shipping up to Boston]

The poster may be a bit older than me. Still, I do not believe ANY DECADE was clean and pure. Some just hid it better.

Very true. Example; JFK/Marilyn Monroe. In today’s instant gratification, everybody’s a journalist with a cell phone...world we live in, there’s no place to hide a scandal.

[Keefelane66]

Grew up in Central Connecticut (pop 50,000) 3 movie theaters, penny candy stores, every pharmacy had ice cream and soda fountains. I could roam all over town on Public Transit for 10 cents with transfers. Black and White antenna TV with 4 channels. Milk was delivered to your milk box along with butter and OJ. Everyone had a garden. Good Humor ice cream truck almost daily in summer and Root Beer floats at A&W. Sunday Blue laws…

[jebartle]

Can you imagine cell phones back in the old days, oh my!!!!!!

[Shipping up to Boston]

Can you imagine cell phones back in the old days, oh my!!!!!!

Did anyone mention pay phones?
Calling collect
Or the original Cellular One bag phone for your car
First handheld cell phone with the telescoping GI Joe antenna

[JamesR]

Being allowed to go back outside and play after dinner in the summertime.

[manaboutown]

Can you imagine cell phones back in the old days, oh my!!!!!!

We had a two party line. The "rich" kids had a separate children's line so the parents would not have to answer the phone for them. Even having an extension phone was rare.

[mntlblok]

But for those who recognize it, it will bring back irreplaceable memories.

"Invisible man on 2nd Base".

Whoa! Hadn't thought of that phrase in many decades! But, that "Base" part was never uttered by our crowd. :-) Bet you played some hotbox, too. How about peggy (sp)? Unsuccessful googling of the latter *did* turn up this interesting site. Scrub baseball - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrub_baseball)

While baseball related activities were high on the list, it's hard to top digging the worms for bait and then pond and creek fishing with them with your Zebco.

[mntlblok]

Vegetables and fruit in the backyard
Fresh egg’s every day (not getting chased by the mean rooster back to the house)
Playing hide and seek until you were called home
Making a snow fort with 4’ of fresh snow because school was canceled
Family vacation with grandparents.

Summer at the family Dairy Farm, Tobacco Farm and Horse Farm watching all the new babies but learning very early
the Bull is mean,
many race horses bite,
and tobacco worms are giant scary monsters

Sounds like Kentucky but for those 4' snows. Those worms are indeed scary, yet beautiful and turn into cool, hummingbird-like moths. :-) And, even scarier when parasitized by wasp eggs!

[mntlblok]

Good story. Stolen things always tasted better.

Though I still much prefer my watermelons cold. :-) And, Jimmy *did* pay the Minimart back. . .

[BrianL99]

Did anyone mention pay phones?
Calling collect
Or the original Cellular One bag phone for your car
First handheld cell phone with the telescoping GI Joe antenna

Bag phone? They came much later.

I had an RCC phone in my car, pre-cellular days ... '79-'80.

When CellOne started in Boston (office was in Waltham), I had a Cellular Phone installed in my car. It was an NEC Phone and everything other than the handset, was mounted in the trunk of my car. The "box" was about the size of 4 briefcases, stacked on top of one another. I think it was 1986-1987. The phone cost $1800, including installation. A princely sum in those days. The CellularOne operation was so small, the staff knew their customers by name.

The first "bag phone" I ever saw or used, was during the Weld-Cellucci campaign in 1990-1991. It looked like a huge pocket-book, with a shoulder strap. We had exactly TWO of them on the campaign. They were close to $3000 if I remember correctly.

Then came the Motorola StarTac and the world changed.

[mntlblok]

Three Hail Marys and Three Our Fathers my son!

Shoulda reviewed this before trying to tell it a few days ago. :-(
Blocked (https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/oka0ag/little_johnny_went_to_confession/)

[Shipping up to Boston]

Bag phone? They came much later.

I had an RCC phone in my car, pre-cellular days ... '79-'80.

When CellOne started in Boston (office was in Waltham), I had a Cellular Phone installed in my car. It was an NEC Phone and everything other than the handset, was mounted in the trunk of my car. The "box" was about the size of 4 briefcases, stacked on top of one another. I think it was 1986-1987. The phone cost $1800, including installation. A princely sum in those days. The CellularOne operation was so small, the staff knew their customers by name.

The first "bag phone" I ever saw or used, was during the Weld-Cellucci campaign in 1990-1991. It looked like a huge pocket-book, with a shoulder strap. We had exactly TWO of them on the campaign. They were close to $3000 if I remember correctly.

Then came the Motorola StarTac and the world changed.

Argeo ‘Paul’ Cellucci......good man. RIP

[bilcon]

I have one fond memory when I was seven years old. WW11 was recently over. My friend's father took us to the local grocery store where there was a big line. After waiting for an hour he came out with 2 small cartons of butter. It was the first butter I had seen, since there was none available during WW11. You had Oleo Margarine. UHG! Mr. Graves, my friend's father gave me a carton to bring home to my parents. I can still remember how happy they were with me.

[Justputt]

Sitting around with friends, family, and neighbors when people actually took the time to talk and share stories. I wish I could remember all they tried to teach us. Oh, and 17 cent gas.

[Shipping up to Boston]

Sitting around with friends, family, and neighbors when people actually took the time to talk and share stories. I wish I could remember all they tried to teach us. Oh, and 17 cent gas.

17 cent gas....in today’s world, only to be found in Venezuela!

[Pairadocs]

Remember this?

- bread bags on feet before putting on your snow boots

-stealing beans, peas, carrots from gardens and drinking from the hose. Apples off of trees.
If we went home we'd get chores assigned

- going to your friend's church because you hung out at their house for days, and friends mom adding you to the house chore list

- "that rich kid" on the block had cable, Pong, Sesame Street, Quisp/Capn Crunch & Twinkies

- fear of the basement. Do the rapid dog paddle up the stairs and do NOT look back!

-getting "beaned" during dodge ball with that gigantic rubber ball

-calling radio station to recite "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions all on a sesame seed bun" to get free Big Mac

What's your list? :thumbup:

Mowing the lawn or raking the leaves on Saturday hoping the job would be of sufficient quality of earn $.25 which would provide the $.15 Saturday afternoon children's price movie ticket AND two $.05 treats IF I could also find a couple pennies in my dresser drawer to pay the tax.

Making sand and mud pies with the neighborhood kids in all shapes and sizes, laying them all out on old boxes and boards to dry in the sun, and "running" a pretend "bakery" with cakes "decorated" with leaves, milkweed seeds, etc.

Hoping to get permission to go to the home of a neighborhood friend down the block to see one of the few COLORED TV shows .

Going to the farm land of friends outside town to pick morel mushrooms in the spring, cut them in half, soak in big 5 gallon bucks in salt water over night to get any "insects" out, and then having mom fry them in butter after breading in egg and cracker crumbs.

Riding our bikes to the foot of the river which lay at the end of the main retail street in our small, 28K town, watching the barge traffic, commercial fishermen (before the river was too toxic to provide fishermen with a living and the fresh fish markets disappeared along the river.

The local parades, Christmas, Veteran's Day, 4th of July, and especially the Halloween parade where ALL kids could meet at the local high school athletic field, were organized by age and types of costumes, and then march in the parade where there was a ribbon and a prize of some sort for virtually every one of the hundreds of us (donated by local businesses).

And most of all having what I NOW think of as so much freedom; I didn't back then as an only child of very strict parents !

Oh, and my dad, a local judge, allowing me to go to his office in the courthouse and learn to use his TYPEWRITER !

[Pairadocs]

So things are better now that we can’t even define what a woman is? I’d go back to the innocence of the 50s in a heartbeat.

I think of things on TV programs, sexist things, racist things, dumb things, mocking things, something to "hit" everyone, and we all just laughed, did not take each word in a TV show as some personal assault or insult... we laughed, like it was no different than an live comedy show where the comedian targets every group in the audience from seniors to clergy to teens, people then did not sit there just waiting for an opportunity to jump up and be "insulted". NOW .... that's the name of the game !

[Pairadocs]

Being "offended" is the catch-all word for the WOKE minority.

Oh so true. When we were young the phrase "words can never hurt me" (and of course, really cruel words like "four eyes" could) were often heard, and kids have always been teased, even bullied, but now, in our "enlightened" society, I think fewer kids just shake it off and much more bullying goes on. It's just too bad more people, adults included, don't make a personal choice to NOT pay attention to insults or real or perceived "slights". We have become VERY "thin skinned" as my dad used to call it. When you have to change your route to school or work so you don't have to pass by something that "offends" you, and schools have to have safe spaces for stressed students who are facing a test or have become upset by some world event, it makes me wonder, could we actually raise an effective military in WW III should we need to ? ?

[AMB444]

Oh so true. When we were young the phrase "words can never hurt me" (and of course, really cruel words like "four eyes" could) were often heard, and kids have always been teased, even bullied, but now, in our "enlightened" society, I think fewer kids just shake it off and much more bullying goes on. It's just too bad more people, adults included, don't make a personal choice to NOT pay attention to insults or real or perceived "slights". We have become VERY "thin skinned" as my dad used to call it. When you have to change your route to school or work so you don't have to pass by something that "offends" you, and schools have to have safe spaces for stressed students who are facing a test or have become upset by some world event, it makes me wonder, could we actually raise an effective military in WW III should we need to ? ?

Could not agree more. We're not teaching our kids coping skills anymore. It's a free for all emotional frenzy.

[Pairadocs]

Grew up in Central Connecticut (pop 50,000) 3 movie theaters, penny candy stores, every pharmacy had ice cream and soda fountains. I could roam all over town on Public Transit for 10 cents with transfers. Black and White antenna TV with 4 channels. Milk was delivered to your milk box along with butter and OJ. Everyone had a garden. Good Humor ice cream truck almost daily in summer and Root Beer floats at A&W. Sunday Blue laws…

Oh my gosh, thank you for more memories ! Our small town was just over half the population of yours, but I have all those memories, but with only 2 movie "houses". The pharmacy that had a soda fountain, root beer floats, green "rivers", the ice cream man in his truck, the blind man near the library who sold frozen treats, fresh popcorn in 5, 10 and 25 cent bags, FANTASTIC hot tamales from a steamer and were wrapped in real corn husks ! And the penny candy stores, Charley's and the other was "Schmidt's", I could spend an hour in there with a nickle trying to make a final decision ! Silly wax "lips" that could be chewed almost like gum when done "wearing them", or just a piece of double bubble gum. But then there were those little 1 cent peanut butter candies with a chocolate top, and the long thin strips of red licorice.. could make them last a long time... so many decisions ! Took so little to make kids happy back then ! Life savers, apples, fresh oranges and nuts in their shells in a Christmas stocking and we were over joyed.

[Pairadocs]

The English "Carry On" movies weren't politically correct, but funny. It was a period in history.
History shouldn't be erased.

He who ignores history is doomed to repeat it.... said a wise man once.

[Carla B]

I love it when people take things out of context. I had a wonderful childhood and responded that way.

I then read a post that said: no cell phones, no violence, no nudity, no foul language, no screwing on television.

I thought this was odd. It is not the late sixties and seventies that I remember. Hippies alone broke all the "no-nos" mentioned by the poster. I remember it as a time when people were pushing the limits not sitting pristine.

As far as the poster you are referring to, I'm pretty sure it's the 50's that he was recalling. There are, after all, still some of us "pre-1946'ers" living here. It's not all Baby Boomers.

I also recall the 50's socially being a relatively benign age. Seems to me things started going "south" in the 60's.

[HORNET]

No Cell Phones!

[BrianL99]

As far as the poster you are referring to, I'm pretty sure it's the 50's that he was recalling. There are, after all, still some of us "pre-1946'ers" living here. It's not all Baby Boomers.

I also recall the 50's socially being a relatively benign age. Seems to me things started going "south" in the 60's.

Oh yeah. First Rock & Roll infected the late 50's, next thing you know, we have the Summer of Love in '67. It was a great time to be an American.

[JMintzer]

Did anyone mention pay phones?
Calling collect
Or the original Cellular One bag phone for your car
First handheld cell phone with the telescoping GI Joe antenna

Calling collect with a fake name so your parents would know it was time to pick you up?

I had the Cellular One cell phone mounted on the console between the front seats and the big power supply in the trunk. I think it was '91 or '92...

Little did I know it gave my wife the idea she could call me every night on my drive home "to chat"... That ended "post haste" once the first bill arrived... :shocked:

[JMintzer]

As far as the poster you are referring to, I'm pretty sure it's the 50's that he was recalling. There are, after all, still some of us "pre-1946'ers" living here. It's not all Baby Boomers.

I also recall the 50's socially being a relatively benign age. Seems to me things started going "south" in the 60's.

Agreed... I'm a "later boomer", born in 57. So yes, I was still a kid in the late 60's, early 70's...

But the original boomers were well into their 20's by that time. Hardly "children"...

[Salty Dog]

I remember thinking that when I grew up, if I could make $10,000 a year like my dad did, that I would have it made...

[LeRoySmith]

~~~

[Velvet]

My only summer on a farm. I was 9 years old. I made a fishing pole out of a longish branch, put a string and a hook on it and went fishing, and swimming in the near by river, with a Labrador called “Tulip”. I caught a fish! Brought it home to my mother who scaled it and made it for dinner. It had eggs and that was the first time I realized fish have eggs. Best dinner I ever had!

[JamesR]

Watching Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on a neighbor's new color TV.

[Normal]

Walking to Ben Franklin’s 5 and dime to get wax candy or baseball cards. Then going next door to Lawson’s to get a drink.

[mntlblok]

Walking to Ben Franklin’s 5 and dime to get wax candy or baseball cards. Then going next door to Lawton’s to get a drink.

Reminds me of the big day when the two six packs of empty coke bottles hanging on my handle bars yielded *three* Mickey Mantle baseball cards! Made me oddly concerned that I'd now never be able to get that bike back across Manslick Road without being struck by a car.

[PugMom]

getting a lemon ice from Vechittos' and watching fourth of July fireworks from the Portland Bridge.

[PugMom]

The day JFK was shot
The day MLK was shot
My brother going to Viet Nam
The day RFK was shot
The day George Wallace was shot

They are all with God and praying for us

Lord, what a violent country

sending a virtual hug.

[PugMom]

That is my point. It was so commonplace back then that everyone thought it was funny. Test it yourself and watch some of the older shows with your grandkids. You will find it difficult to explain why it was acceptable.

because Don Rickles delivery was too funny to take offense. he jabbed everybody & was almost 'lovable' in the way he went about it. but things WERE different then: it was tougher to offend people as they were more apt to take a joke. today it seems everybody is offended by everything :shrug: it doesn't mean you hate them, it means we can laugh together-- it wasn't to make someone uncomfortable, we laughed with them, not @ them

[PugMom]

- Walking 1 1/2 mile to school, taking a shortcut through a little wood that was so magical to me.
- Crazy snowstorms that made the doors completely inaccessible so we had to get out through the kitchen window, no school but lots of shovelling!
- Watching The Flintstones, cartoons, Walt Disney.
- Playing records and writing out the words so I'd be able to memorize them.
- Camping trips to the Atlantic coast.
- Skiing in Quebec and Vermont
- Watching color TV for the first time
- Watching Nadia Comanici's perfect 10. WHAT A GYMNAST!
- The first steps on the moon.
- Getting to wear a tutu for my first ballet recital.
- Swimming ALL DAY until my fingers and toes turned into prunes.
- Picking fresh blueberries in the forest near our house and having a pie made from them by mom. YUM

if i didn't know better, i'd say we grew up in the same house! :MOJE_whot:

[mntlblok]

getting a lemon ice from Vechittos' and watching fourth of July fireworks from the Portland Bridge.


"Lemon ice" was not a term that was heard where I grew up. A fun summer in Cherry Hill, NJ, however, introduced me to something called an "Italian water ice", IIRC. The one I tried was, indeed, of the lemon variety. I thus narrowed down my speculation for which "Portland Bridge" might be getting referenced. Am therefore guessing this one. :-) Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge – DRJTBC (https://www.drjtbc.org/bridges/portland-columbia/)

[Velvet]

I think of things on TV programs, sexist things, racist things, dumb things, mocking things, something to "hit" everyone, and we all just laughed, did not take each word in a TV show as some personal assault or insult... we laughed, like it was no different than an live comedy show where the comedian targets every group in the audience from seniors to clergy to teens, people then did not sit there just waiting for an opportunity to jump up and be "insulted". NOW .... that's the name of the game !

Perhaps there was less awareness of empathy, and mental health? I am thinking back to the dark ages when war was a daily fact of life and impalement was a regular form punishment. Each age has its values and those values seem to be constantly “evolving”. For the better, or for the worse?

[PugMom]

My favorite childhood memory was when my back didn't hurt.

:beer3:

[PugMom]

"Lemon ice" was not a term that was heard where I grew up. A fun summer in Cherry Hill, NJ, however, introduced me to something called an "Italian water ice", IIRC. The one I tried was, indeed, of the lemon variety. I thus narrowed down my speculation for which "Portland Bridge" might be getting referenced. Am therefore guessing this one. :-) Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge – DRJTBC (https://www.drjtbc.org/bridges/portland-columbia/)

apologize for not being more specific. i grew up in Ct., & Vecchioto's was a local institution. an italian family devoting themselves to making us kids happy with flavored ice & REAL gelato. they had maybe 2 stores, the one near me was Middletown. OBB would most likely remember where the other one is, they are still open today!

[Shipping up to Boston]

apologize for not being more specific. i grew up in Ct., & Vecchioto's was a local institution. an italian family devoting themselves to making us kids happy with flavored ice & REAL gelato. they had maybe 2 stores, the one near me was Middletown. OBB would most likely remember where the other one is, they are still open today!

Where I grew up its called slush. Richies Italian. An Everett MA institution that operates out of a tiny retail space adjacent to Encore Casino. Retail and wholesale. Theres my shameless plug ;)

[Two Bills]

Being a drummer in our local Boys Brigade Bugle Band.
No one slept in on the first Sunday of the month when we paraded.
I wanted to be a bugler, but I had 'buck teeth' and my mother thought blowing a bugle would make them worse.
Left me as a lifelong 'finger tapper' which now drives everyone mad!

[PugMom]

Where I grew up its called slush. Richies Italian. An Everett MA institution that operates out of a tiny retail space adjacent to Encore Casino. Retail and wholesale. Theres my shameless plug ;)

do you have a Rita's there too? They were booming when we left.

[Shipping up to Boston]

do you have a Rita's there too? They were booming when we left.

The catering company?
Not sure. The casino is buying up everything within a breath of their parcel and developers are throwing up 600 unit apt complexes everywhere else in area

[PugMom]

The catering company?
Not sure. The casino is buying up everything within a breath of their parcel and developers are throwing up 600 unit apt complexes everywhere else in area

no, it was a flavored ice store, kind of like Jeremiah's over on 466a

[Shipping up to Boston]

no, it was a flavored ice store, kind of like Jeremiah's over on 466a

Hmmm...doesn’t ring a bell.

[Taltarzac725]

I took off at age three-and-a-half when they brought my new younger brother home. Got on that tricycle and went about a mile up to a park where a cop eventually found me and brought me back from Killer Hill. Just a lump though outside of a suburb of Milwaukee.

That was my first ride in a cop car.

[mntlblok]

Just came across this childhood memory related article. This Is Where Your Childhood Memories Went (https://getpocket.com/explore/item/this-is-where-your-childhood-memories-went) Tricky stuff. It's complicated.

[BrianL99]

do you have a Rita's there too? They were booming when we left.


no, it was a flavored ice store, kind of like Jeremiah's over on 466a

Rita's is in Chelsea, on Everett Ave.

[BrianL99]

Where I grew up its called slush. Richies Italian. An Everett MA institution that operates out of a tiny retail space adjacent to Encore Casino. Retail and wholesale. Theres my shameless plug ;)

At one of the Country Clubs I belonged to, we served Richie's at the half-way house. There's nothing that will cure the shame of a double-bogie on a hot summer's day, better than a Richie's Watermelon Classic Italian Ice.

[Shipping up to Boston]

At one of the Country Clubs I belonged to, we served Richie's at the half-way house. There's nothing that will cure the shame of a double-bogie on a hot summer's day, better than a Richie's Watermelon Classic Italian Ice.

I played a course in Myrtle Beach years ago that served fish chowder at the back nine. Strange choice of fare on a hot, humid round. But then again, I can't explain why people rush out to supermarkets to buy milk when a storm prediction is for power loss

[BrianL99]

I played a course in Myrtle Beach years ago that served fish chowder at the back nine. Strange choice of fare on a hot, humid round. But then again, I can't explain why people rush out to supermarkets to buy milk when a storm prediction is for power loss

2018 World Series. Of course, when it's 33 degrees in the stands in Fenway, the menu has to change.

[Shipping up to Boston]

2018 World Series. Of course, when it's 33 degrees in the stands in Fenway, the menu has to change.

Agree Mr Berkowitz! ;)