I had forgotten just how good a fresh acorn squash can taste. When we lived in West Virginia, Daddy always had a big garden. And I was chief weed puller for all his spreads. Just about the time a big whiffle ball game was set to start, I was summoned to the garden. The green beans or tomatoes needed picking, weeded or dusted. I swore back then I would never have a garden, but there was always … [Read more...]

(This is a repeat, but it’s timely and sure brings back good memories) It took about three weeks for the euphoria of getting out of school for the summer to fade away. By that time, Boomer kids had seen all they wanted of their friends, and had done about everything there was to do.  The youngsters had played enough Monopoly games to qualify as miniature real estate tycoons. The Hide and Seek … [Read more...]

My family never went camping. Mom and Dad were children of The Great Depression and, as such, they really appreciated things like running water, electricity, refrigerators and the like. They had had their fill of “roughing it.” We didn’t own a sleeping bag or a Coleman stove, much less a tent. So I had zero experience camping, but I did like to fish and one day I struck up a conversation with … [Read more...]

About ten years ago, when it became obvious that my Mom would not be able to stay in her house because of failing health, my siblings and I cleared the house to put it on the market. That’s a hard thing to do with nearly 50 years of memories. On my last trip over to Lewisburg WV, my son Jimmie mentioned that he would like to save some of the grape vine in the back yard. Jimmie and all of us … [Read more...]

In today’s world of self-service, it’s hard to conceive that stores would actually give premiums to entice and retain customers. But Boomers clearly remember S & H Green Stamps and a national era of stamp collecting so profound that many people went around with green tongues from licking so many stamps. In the 50’s and 60’s, filling stations not only put gas in your tank, but they also … [Read more...]

I once won a Blue Ribbon in a West Virginia Garden Club Flower Show. Therefore, in spite of what my golf buddies may say, I do have certain skills. This is how it all happened. My mother, Frances, was always involved with Garden Clubs and Flower Shows. She served as President in both the State and the National Garden Club. She judged shows across the country and was frequently called on as a … [Read more...]

For Boomer kids, pocket knives were essentials. By second grade, every young boy had one. And they weren’t toys. They were real knives. My first one of many (I lost them on a regular basis) was a barlow. Afterall, Huckleberry Finn had one, and so did I. When things were slow, with no pretend army or navy battles underway, we broke out our barlows and whittled. Mostly we whittled small sticks … [Read more...]

When I was a. boy, we never had lunch on Sunday. It was always a “mid-day dinner” and we ate the leftovers for supper. Sunday Dinners were special. After church, we came home to a feast of roast beef, leg of lamb, ham, pork loin, fried chicken or some other heavy entree. The “dinner” came with all the fixing’s – rolls, gravy, green beans, boiled potatoes, pickled beets, sliced tomatoes and then … [Read more...]

I moved to Charlottesville on the first day of February in 1967. Bill Leggett had hired me as Men’s Buyer for the new Leggett’s Barracks Road Store with the idea that Leggett’s would no longer be a work clothes and $3 white shirt store. They were looking to enter in the world of fashion, to sell better clothing. My background included an intensive education in clothing at the University of … [Read more...]

  Last Saturday morning, and for no apparent reason, I could neither send nor receive E-mails. No problem for this Boomer-type computer whiz. I did what all good Geeks do. I turned the computer off and rebooted (that means turning it off and starting again for those out there who are not computer whizzes). Still, no E-mails. Hmmmm! Alright, now for the serious stuff. I “Force Quit” … [Read more...]