What Boomer can ever forget that first uniform of his or her youth, likely from being a member of a Cub Scout or Brownie troop. I clearly recall that royal blue shirt with the bright yellow kerchief, my Cub Scout uniform in 4th grade. As a new scout recruit, I was fascinated by the badges and emblems, and I wanted as many as I could pin or have Mom sew on my uniform. They didn’t cost that much, … [Read more...]

A man named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night. His 4-year-old daughter Barbara sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bob's wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer. Little Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dad's eyes and asked, "Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's … [Read more...]

I had just turned 10 and would spend this Christmas in our new house on Jennings Street in Beckley, WV. I had made a Little League team that year, loved my Fourth-Grade teacher and Freddie Arnold had just moved in just down the street. I now had a built-in baseball, football, and basketball buddy. Life was good. As Christmas approached, there was one thing I really wanted – an English bike. My … [Read more...]

Trees are flying off the lots at Lowe’s, grocery stores and makeshift Christmas tree stores in parking lots. Tis the season, you know, and folks are getting their trees up earlier and earlier each year. We waited to put up our Christmas tree exactly one week before Christmas, and we took it down exactly one week after. Never earlier, never later. It was tradition in our family when we lived in … [Read more...]

When we moved to Beckley, WV, our neighbors on the corner were Buddy and Bertel Turner. An older couple, they took us under their wing. I remember Buddy having chickens and I was able to watch the chicks peck out of their eggshells under a heat lamp. I’ll never forget that. Bertel was often my babysitter when Mom and Dad went to Saturday night dances at the country club. I loved it when Bertel … [Read more...]

We had a bumper crop of leaves this fall, and for the most part, the foliage outdid itself in terms of beauty. Nancy and I made several trips to and from the Smith Mountain Lake area and were entertained thoroughly by the brilliant colors of the maples, beeches, dogwoods, and oaks. They brought back memories of our house on Court Street in Lewisburg, WV. There were two majestic maple trees in … [Read more...]

I’ve read a few of the children’s books recently and they are Pablum. Vanilla pudding. “Can’t we all get along?” “I feel your pain”. “Don’t hurt anybody’s feelings.” Bull. I remember when children’s books were exciting, and they didn’t always turn out peaches and cream. Hansel and Gretel got kicked out of their own house and ended up cooking a witch in her own oven. Little Black Sambo … [Read more...]

  Turn the remote on your TV and a brilliant, perfect picture immediately appears in dazzling color. Click a few more times on the remote and hundreds – hundreds – of programs and multiple stations are at your fingertips. It wasn’t always that way. TVs were invented in 1927 and were first made available to the public in 1939, but it wasn’t until after the war that serious programming … [Read more...]

For years, the only shoes I would put on my feet (other than wingtips for dressy occasions) were BASS Weejuns. They were the official shoes of Boomer-hood and I loved them. During WWII, leather was in short supply, much of it going to the war effort as boots, belts, and slings for soldiers. Shoes were rationed and recycled. The shoe repairman was the most popular guy in town. After the war, … [Read more...]