Every Boomer remembers his or her first bicycle. Next to turning 16 and getting a driver’s license, the biggest day in the life of a youngster was getting that first, new bike. Afterall, a kid without a bike was like a fish without an ocean. The reason bikes were so critical during the early Boomer years is because families generally had only one car, and the dads had them at work. … [Read more...]

  Look in the medicine cabinet of a modern family and you’ll find Neosporin and other balms and creams to treat wounds. No pain, just soothing comfort to treat a “boo-boo” on a child. But remembering back when Boomers were growing up, there were three medicines used to torture children – Iodine, Mercurochrome and Methylate. It’s hard to rate these three liquids from Satan in terms of … [Read more...]

  During the World War II, rubber and plastics were simply not available to consumers. But after the war, things changed. Needing to keep assembly lines open, manufacturers developed tens of thousands of new rubber, plastic, and fiberglass products. Among them was the rubber squeeze change purse. Every Boomer kid had one. It’s where we put the 10 cents for admission to the movies. It’s … [Read more...]

  Running out of toilet paper and paper towels is a minor inconvenience. But when you see empty shelves in the liquor store, that’s a serious problem. There are now lots of “Sorry, Out of Stock” signs in ABC stores throughout the country. Fortunately for me, I’m not a picky drinker. If it’s in the liquor store, it’s fair game, though I clearly have my favorite brands and I hate Scotch. I … [Read more...]

  My life is dotted with the memories of certain trees. Yes, trees, those so beautifully described by Joyce Kilmer. The first tree that had special meaning was a huge oak tree on Grandview Avenue in Beckley, WV. I was about 7 or 8 and played with two slightly older boys – Dicky Guy and Billy Richmond. We played three things back then – Army, Navy and Air Force. We shot attacking … [Read more...]

As men age, they either go bald or turn gray. Some say that having gray hair is better than none at all, but I’m not convinced. Gray hair looks distinguished, at first. Then it begins to lose its thickness and natural oils and turns from gray to an off-white. After a blow dry in the morning, you look like a Q-Tip that stuck its toe in an electrical outlet. So gray (white) isn’t necessarily better … [Read more...]

When’s the last time you saw a kid on roller skates? We Boomers can’t imagine a childhood without a good pair of skates and a skate key near at hand. I believe my first roller skate encounter was as a 10-year-old in Beckley, WV. A group of school mates decided to head for the nearby skating rink and I signed up – but I was petrified. I wasn’t the most coordinated kid, but I slipped on a pair of … [Read more...]

  We have a single steak knife in our kitchen that moved with me to Charlottesville when I set up my apartment in 1967. It’s not much of a knife, but it does have serrated edges, which I suppose makes it a steak knife. It sits alone, proudly among other very good steak knives. Even though it’s worthless except for maybe carving out a patty of warm butter, I can’t just toss it. It brings … [Read more...]

I went to Wal-Mart this week to buy a pack of BBs to discourage some unnamed pests that are hanging around our bird feeder. When I tried to ring the BBs up at the self-checkout, management had to come and approve the sale. For BBs? How well can I remember buying BBs to support my air-gun habit throughout my youth. They came in small cellophane packages, and I believe they cost a dime. They … [Read more...]