There was an old saying, “That and a dime will buy you a cup of coffee.” Whatever “That” was had no value, but a cup of coffee cost a dime, always a dime. Well, not anymore. A small cup of coffee at Starbucks runs about $2.95. When you add sales tax and meals tax. It’s pushing $3.50 a cup – for a cup of coffee! The fancy brews such as Macchiatos, Mochas, Lattes, Espresso, Cappuccino, and … [Read more...]
A Stitch in Back Time
I like a 29-inch inseam on my trousers. I hate it when pants drag along the ground and become tattered, though that’s what most of the young men today seem to prefer – ragged pant bottoms. But it’s hard to find pants with 29-inch inseams, most are 30-inches or more, So, get them altered, right? Not if you want to pay a tailor almost as much for hemming as you did for the original price of the … [Read more...]
A Foul Call
It was December 1972 and my close friend, Joe Davis, wanted me to join him as a referee for Little League basketball games. “We’ll call two games back-to-back, twice a week, and we can make $6 a game,” he offered, temptingly. While $24 a week wasn’t Warren Buffet money, it would be twenty-some bucks that I didn’t have before, and I could spend it any way I liked. Fishing equipment, golf … [Read more...]
The Golden Age of Comic Books
It is said that the Golden Age of Comic Books was from 1938 to 1956. As a child in the early 50s, I was an avid reader. As I recall, comic books sold for about 10 cents a copy, which was no small sum in those days. It was a week’s allowance for me, and I often blew the whole she-bang to read the adventures of Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Captain America, the hero stories of World … [Read more...]
Good Golly Miss Molly
His name was Richard Wayne Penniman. We all knew him as Little Richard, one of the most dynamic entertainers of all time and an idol of Boomers everywhere. Richard Penniman was born in Macon, Ga, the third of twelve children of Leva and Charles Penniman, a church deacon and brick mason who sold a little moonshine on the side. The youngster was dubbed L’il Richard by his family because of his … [Read more...]
Plastic Containers – Down the Tubes
We recycled stuff in the old days - old like in the 1950s. Coming out of the war years where almost everything was rationed, Boomers took bottles back to the stores, we wore hand-me-downs to school, we used cotton diapers over and over and we saved aluminum foil for more than one use. I remember distinctly a TV commercial when a new product - I think it was margarine of some sort – … [Read more...]
And Obey the Pack Laws
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...]
The Real Story of Rudolph
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...]
A Beckley Christmas
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...]
Reflecting on Reflectors
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...]
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