Sears went bankrupt and it’s still hard to believe. The company is still in existence, but barely, having shrunk to just five remaining full-line department store locations in the United States and an active online shopping site. In years past, Sears was America’s store. It’s where Boomers bought everything from sleeping bags to stereos to back-to-school clothes for their kids. And lives there … [Read more...]

It was Beach Music and we owned it. Those of us who lived in Virginia or the Carolinas, or those who may have vacationed in those spots in the late 50’s and the 60’s, remember Beach Music. We remember beach clubs and dance halls along the oceanfront at places like Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, North Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach in SC, or in Atlantic Beach or Carolina Beach in North Carolina and, … [Read more...]

I was still 4 when we were transferred to Beckley, WV. Daddy worked in an office with two other FBI agents. His territory covered 4 counties, and many times he was gone for several days at a time, often to the home office in Pittsburg. As I would come to learn, a lot of the work that Special Agents for the FBI did was investigative. If a woman from one of his counties applied for a Federal job in … [Read more...]

It is really a miracle that there is even one in my generation still alive. For the most part, we worshipped at the altar of the sun, fearing nothing except that we might be the palest among our friends. Our moms would on occasion suggest that we use some suntan lotion. Remember the little girl in the Coppertone ad with her white butt cheeks showing? Who wanted to look like the Coppertone kid? … [Read more...]

Today, it’s “The Big Two.” Colas, that is, as Pepsi and Coke battle it out for the lion’s share in the multi-billion-dollar soft drink industry. Years ago, it was “The Big Three” – Coke, Pepsi and RC Cola. An RC and a Moon Pie was considered a working man’s lunch in the South back in the 50s. RC was invented in 1905 by a pharmacist who bought some cola syrup and experimented until he found just … [Read more...]

It didn’t take long after we moved to Lewisburg to discover that a huge event took place just outside of town. In Fairlea, a small burg between Lewisburg and Ronceverte, West Virginia staged their annual state fair in late August, and it was well worth the price of admission. There were great rides, grandstand shows with star entertainers, food galore, girly shows, horse pulling contests, harness … [Read more...]

I never went to a Tupperware Party. I was never invited to one, but back during the 50’s, 60’s and 70s, lots and lots of ladies hosted and attended Tupperware Parties. It all started with a fellow named Earl Tupper who invented an airtight plastic container made from recycled  polyethylene from wartime manufacturing. At that time, kitchen leftovers were most often store in waxed paper, … [Read more...]

One of the neatest Guns of My Life was a Model 1892 Winchester Lever Action. It wasn’t my rifle, it was Daddy’s. He picked it up at an auction somewhere, but it was a sweet piece. In my late high school and early college years, my buddy, Mike Dawson, and I terrorized the groundhogs of Greenbrier County. Groundhogs were prolific in the limestone country around Lewisburg and farmers welcomed our … [Read more...]

Every time I fry bacon – every time – I remember Daddy in the kitchen with 6 or 8 slices of bacon in an old cast iron skillet. He would let the bacon settle in the hot skillet, separate the slices, tend to another task, then come back as the bacon was beginning to curl and flip it. He never flipped just one strip of bacon. He would slide an ordinary fork beneath at least 4 strips of bacon, lift … [Read more...]

We used to have an Egg Man. His name was Bill Handley, a dairy farmer who lived just outside Lewisburg. Every week, Bill would bring us eggs, milk, butter and – Daddy’s favorite – pure cream for his coffee. Bill would come early in the morning, before school, on Mondays and Fridays. One of my jobs was to go outside and retrieve Bill’s deliveries and put them in the refrigerator. The eggs were … [Read more...]