I went to the store the other day. We needed milk, but they were out of the half-gallon size of 2% milk. So, I bought whole milk. What a difference. The rich taste of the whole milk whisked my memories back to the days when the milkman made deliveries. You could hear him coming a block away – the engine chugging on the old, white truck and hundreds of glass bottles clinking inside. He was … [Read more...]

For those in my generation, going to the movies was a regular, often weekly, activity. The entertainment at the local movie theater began with the previews of coming attractions, followed by a plea from the concession stand to buy some snacks and drinks, and then the cartoons. Sometimes the theater manager played two, but generally one cartoon. In retrospect, the cartoons were often more … [Read more...]

It’s funny how things or people from the past pop into your mind. Last week, an incident happened to me that triggered such a memory. I didn’t have a paring knife that would slice warm butter and I like to tinker around the kitchen. By gum, I thought, I am going to go buy myself a sharp knife. So, I went to Home Goods and tracked down the meanest, scariest looking knife on the rack. Jack the … [Read more...]

In 1955, Lewisburg, WV was a painted city by Norman Rockwell, or could have been. Main Street was pretty much it – three blocks or so with a half dozen businesses per block. There were the usual stores – a five and dime, a barbershop, a bank, a savings and loan, some clothing stores, a jewelry store, two pharmacies, a couple small department stores, a record shop, a doughnut shop, and Zelda’s … [Read more...]

When Nancy and I first married, we lived in a furnished basement apartment. The only furniture I owned was a stereo, a 19-inch GE TV and a guitar. Nancy had a single bed and dresser to match. But we were expecting our first child and we bought a house for $19,500 – the best investment we ever made. It was a modest home with 3 bedrooms, a bath, and a full unfinished basement, but it would be a … [Read more...]

In the 50’s and much of the 60s, stores were closed on Sundays. Folks went to church, came home for a big Sunday dinner, and then climbed in the car – the whole family - and went for a Sunday drive. Often Sunday drives were to no place in particular, just to wherever the steering wheel of the old Studebaker led. Sometimes they were out into farmland, or on mountain roads. When guests and … [Read more...]

Well, I did it. I wrote a childen’s book,r recently published by Dorrance Publishing. The book is called “Ava Meets a Gnome.” It’s about a little girl who discovers a garden gnome where her mother works and brings it to life through her imagination. They have wonderful adventures together. It’s a hardback book, meant to last, and professionally illustrated. It’s suggested for children up to age … [Read more...]

We were young and in love – and dumb as bricks. Nancy and I got married on March 3 and I decided – out of the blue – that we would go to Miami Beach for our honeymoon. At the time I did not realize that driving to Miami Beach from Charlottesville was the rough equivalent of driving halfway to Sydney, Australia if there was a highway on the Pacific Ocean. So, I took $500 out of my scant … [Read more...]

When is the last time you got a post card – other than a notice from your eye doctor? We’re talking post cards from Florida or Old Faithful or the Caribbean. Boomers remember when post cards were not only common, but essentially a requirement when folks went on vacation. Today, instead of post cards, our in-boxes are filled with e-mails sporting pictures of the vacations taken … [Read more...]

Colorful Baby Ducks I suppose the lives of most Boomers can be measured by the pets we owned, and my family had some doozies. At Easter, I recall getting baby chickens and baby ducks – dyed in pastel colors – in our Easter baskets. It was a rite of passage and there was no such thing as PETA. We just had pet birds for a spell. With ducks, when they lost their dyed colors and the … [Read more...]