I don’t like washing machines. Never have. My earliest recollection of a washing machine was a big bucket-looking thing with ringers on top. I figured that if those ringers could squeeze the dirt out of blue jeans, they would mash hell out of small fingers. So I avoided washing machines at all costs. Later, of course, my family owned newer, more modern washing machines, and even … [Read more...]

When the lilies bloomed, it was time. It was time to pack up all our stuff and go camping – at least that’s how it once was. The kids typically got out of school the second week in June – when our backyard lilies were in full bloom. The last day when the kids came home, it was off to an enchanted place called Cherrystone Campground on the Eastern Shore, the Land of Pleasant Living. And pleasant it … [Read more...]

  Picnic season has arrived. Families will be firing up the Weber Grills, friends might bring potato salad, or a box of Kentucky Fried Chicken. There will be some potato chips, maybe a pie or two and there will be plenty of Citronella candles to keep the mosquitos at bay. But that’s not how picnics once were. Boomers remember church picnics as among the main events of the summer. What … [Read more...]

  There was a time in America when drug stores didn’t occupy an entire city block. They weren’t part of corporate empires. There was a time when Boomers knew the local pharmacist to be a family friend and a trusted adviser on most things medical. If a youngster in the family was running a high fever, the pharmacist would often meet a distressed mom or dad after closing hours to fill an … [Read more...]

  The old iron skillet sat on the stovetop most of the time. There was a place for it in a cabinet below, but we used the frying pan so much - why put it away? The well-seasoned black pan had been with us since Mother and Daddy got married and we moved to Seattle. I think Mama Ida had given it as a wedding present. Looking back, I can’t remember when it wasn’t there – ready to fry up a … [Read more...]

  I grew up in what could be acknowledged as the Iris Capital of the World. Greenbrier County in West Virginia. Every May, the West Virginia Hills would spring to life with Iris blooms - along roads, bordering driveways, in massive beds and overwhelming the landscape with their beauty. The climate is perfect in this, one of the most beautiful counties in America. Add cool evenings, with … [Read more...]

  Back to school? Kids today may never go back to school. It all depends on the generosity of the teachers’ union and the intestinal fortitude of our governor. But Boomers remember Back To School. It happened every September, even when the polio epidemic was in progress. Back to school was an event, almost a holiday. Going back to school meant a new wardrobe. For boys, that was … [Read more...]

Digging deeply into the memories of childhood, this Boomer shudders at the thought of the early years of school, namely kindergarten and first grade. In the 1950’s, there was no pre-kindergarten, in fact, kindergarten was optional. I remember it as a waste of about 5 hours a day. The teacher read silly stories and we spent much of our waking hours (yes, there was nap time) cutting silhouettes … [Read more...]

A couple weeks ago, I filled four small rows in my garden with sweet peas left over from a bag of Wetzel seeds I had stored in the shed. They may have been two years old. I was foolish to have risked planting them, but I couldn’t just toss them out. A week passed by and no peas. A few days later I saw the most incredible sight – several little pea sprouts peeking through the soil. To me, this is … [Read more...]