Remembering When

Remember Sen Sen?
I remember a teacher I had in Seventh grade that chewed it.

He was my English teacher...but that is all I remember of
his teaching, how that stuff made his breath smell.

Remember times before TV? Going to the Friends and Neighbors
on Friday or Saturday nights because we could not afford one yet.

How about the old General Store. My Grandpa owned one.
He and my Grandma did it all until 1968 when they
"sold a town". It was a very small stop by the way place.

Most small town general stores are gone now. Some buildings
still set there, doing nothing,
gathering weeds, dust and probably moths inside.

I remember this little step stool they had in the store
that I loved to sit on/in. The top folded back so it had a back rest.

I remember the Candy Case. It was a very old one, about the size
of a small trunk, all glass with a wooden frame. The back side
folded out to get to the candy. Grandpa had a Treasure trove in
there of every kind of penny candy you could imagine.

Remember when Families sat around the Radio? Or listening to
Mom or Grandma read stories from a real book?

Remember Canasta and Pinochle?
My family got together for card club.

The Ladies dressed up in high heels and lace.
They wore those pop bead neclaces and some even
wore real, not fake, pearls.

There was candy and peanuts and sometimes even Caramel Popcorn.
Dessert later with coffee. Real Conversations.

Remember the Victrola? I remember looking over those 78 speed
records trying to decide which ones to listen to first.

Mom later inherited those records, but didn't seem to enjoy them
after my Grandparents were gone. Guess that happens. Now after
losing Mom last Spring, I understand.

My two Brothers and I and my Dad part of the time, took the time
to go through all the collections of a Lifetime my folks had
accumulated from over 20 years of living beside a small lake.

They decided to move into town after a sick spell my Dad went
through made them realize it was a long way for the Ambulance
to come. It was only to be a move for the winter in my Dad's
thinking, but all of us Kids knew it would probably be
permanent. It was the best choice in the end...but difficult.

Remember when times were simple? You could Rely on them.
They stayed the same. People and things...you knew what to
expect from them. Now I respect Routine. It is more than
just doing the same things every day. It is calm. It is safety,
it is knowing what Normal is. It is Life. It is great.

Next!

Hugs from Katie