I recently read that with inflation rising like a hot air balloon, many young families are being squeezed tremendously in buying diapers. I did a little research, and a throw-away diaper today costs about 30 cents each – give or take. Babies go through lots of diapers, maybe 8 or 10 a day. That’s $3 per day or $90 a month. Twins would set you back $180 a month. Wow! Boomers, however, didn’t … [Read more...]

  I saw a couple kids in the neighborhood going at it with squirt guns this week. Boy, did that bring back memories. We had genuine marksmen in Lewisburg Junior High in 1956. Sharpshooters, you might say. As I would quickly discover, if you didn’t pack heat in self-defense, you would get squirted. Squirt guns, you see, were the weapons of choice among the young people in the mid-50s. … [Read more...]

  When I moved to Charlottesville in 1967, I asked around about the really important things – where to meet women, where to catch fish, and the best places to eat. I found out on my own the best place to meet women, which was where I worked – Leggett’s Barracks Road. I met a cute little honey there named Nancy and we have been married for over 50 years. As for fishing, my advisors sent … [Read more...]

It was the family car, and really a member of the family. It was the only “car member” of the family because most Boomer families in the 1950s and 1960s only had one car. Moms stayed home as a rule and dads drove the only car to work, or if mom had some shopping or errands to run, she dropped off dad and picked him up after work. Kids either walked or rode their bikes to school. The kids in the … [Read more...]

The greatest gift you can give a kid is not an X-Box or video game, or a cell phone or even a trip to Disneyland. Instead, give a kid a creek to play in and the child will be a happy camper. I remember a creek near Hopewell, VA. I was about 9 or 10 and staying a week with my Aunt Topsy and Uncle Jeffrey and I was bored out of my mind. Then, one afternoon, three or four neighborhood kids stopped … [Read more...]

Carl Erskine died this week. Most people wouldn’t know who Carl Erskine was. But I did. He was one of the last Boys of Summer – a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers who graced Ebbets Field and pitched masterfully for “Da Bums of Flatbush”. I was about 8 when I became a Dodger fan. They were playing in the 1953 World Series and their shortstop was named Pee Wee Reese. I liked the name for some … [Read more...]

Children today don’t need a Guardian Angel. Who needs angels when you have two over-protective parents that monitor each breath, public schools that inspect your lunch bags for trans-fats and a nanny-state government that requires seat belts and helmets when a youngster pulls up a chair to the kitchen table? But Boomers certainly needed Guardian Angels – a whole flock of them. It’s a wonder any … [Read more...]

I bought and cooked a Leg of Lamb on Easter Day and it brought back a flood of memories. When I was growing up, we had Sunday Dinners and those magnificent Dinners were served right after Church, not in the evening. Leg of Lamb was a staple for those Sunday Dinners. Daddy always made a thick brown gravy and served it with homemade Mashed Potatoes. Other regular entrees for our Sunday Dinners … [Read more...]

Last week, I bought a can of sauerkraut to go with our St. Patties Day corned beef. As I opened the can, it reminded me that once upon a time I hated sauerkraut along with a number of other foods. I was a picky eater. But Daddy George, who came into my life when I was 4, had a strict rule. “You must eat everything on your plate.” I didn’t have to eat a lot of sauerkraut, but I had to try … [Read more...]