My first memory of drinking beer was at Atlantic Beach in North Carolina. I was about 12 or 13  and Mom and Dad were having a beer and a sandwich out on the deck of a restaurant overlooking the ocean while I and my siblings were dodging the crashing waves. I came up to see them and watched Daddy drinking a Schlitz. I asked for a sip, he handed me the can. I grimaced as the ice-cold beverage slid … [Read more...]

When I was a sophomore in high school, I enrolled as a day student at Greenbrier Military School in Lewisburg, WV, about a mile from our house. As a day student – a town boy I was called – I did not live at GMS and eat my meals there, but I did everything else – classes, drills, parades, etc. The corps of cadets assembled each morning at 7:30. It took me about ten minutes to walk to school – and I … [Read more...]

Mama Ida was a second mother to me. When my father was shot down and killed over Burma in WW II just a few days before I was born, my young mother went home from the hospital broken hearted and most distressed. Her mother, Mama Ida, pitched in and cared for me like her own son. In fact, she was the first I called “Mama”, but they quickly changed that to Mama Ida. My wonderful sweet grandmother and … [Read more...]

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...]