A little excitement here tonight in the old burgh!
Just as we were getting ready to sit down at the table for supper, the phone rang. (Doesn't it always happen that way?) Anyway, it was Bill's Dad, calling to ask us where 1734 Cooper Avenue is - whose house that might be? Now, our house numbering system here is such that you can't anticipate what the next house number will be other than whether it will be an even or odd number, that is it. You could have a double house here and the number on the first might be 100 and the number on the adjoining home could be 130 - yes folks, the number is that scattered, that random and no one has a clue as to why either.
Well, Bill asked me but because of this lovely numbering system, I have no clue as to what my neighbors house numbers might be but I told him since our number is 1607, then we are on the "odd" side of the street so 1734 would be across the road and down the street someplace from here.
I asked him why he wanted to know and he said his dad had just heard on the scanner that there is a fire there and the building is "fully engulfed."
Wow! So, being the inquisitive and caring neighbors we are (translated - nosy), Bill and I went outside to look down the road and see if we could see anything. However, the fog was so thick you could barely see your hand before your face, so I - being ever vigilant and ambitious, energetic, etc (translated - really nosy) set forth to walk down the road to see what I could see - in my soft-soled, but fur-lined, bedroom slippers, of course. You wouldn't want to waste time looking for a pair of shoes or pulling a jacket on either even though it was warmer today it is still January, still cold, still raw.
I walked down past three houses, stopping at the driveway between house #3 and house #4, but was unable to see any flames. Didn't smell any smoke either for that matter. As I started walking back to the house, two fire trucks came whizzing down past me and turned up into the driveway of the last house on the right hand side of the road and I could hear the firemen getting down off the truck but still didn't see anything. Still didn't smell anything either. The residence involved though is an old house - belonged at the turn of the century to my Grandfather's sister - my Great-aunt Anna.
After supper, Bill's dad called back and gave us the details - don't know how accurate they are though but supposedly the family living there now has a garage or basement foundation for a home they've been erecting there for about two years or so now and someone, somewhere there, had a kerosene heater which got tipped over and caught something then on fire. Sorry that's all the details I can provide as that's all Pap's reporting system remembered. (And, please don't assume those to be actual facts as he has been known to get a detail or two -or three -a bit discombobulated from these scanner reports in the past.) But just thought I'd add to the gossip and rumor mill anyway though - on the off chance what news he told us might possibly be correct.
You heard about it here. Just remember that, ok?
A little Maya-ism for today here too. Tonight, after supper, Maya appeared in the living room carrying this little round blob that looked like a fancy bar of soap or something - but she was chewing on it. Guess that would rule out soap of some type then, wouldn' t it. We ascertained it was one of those little circlets of cheese that sometimes come in those Hickory Farms gift packages (we received one for Christmas) and Mandy asked Maya what it was that she was eating? THe response - "Radioli!" Radioli sans a tomato sauce of some type too. I told Mandy if she continues eating that little blob of cheese, the poor kid will be bound up tighter than a drum for the next two-three weeks.
Now - my cousin Skip's girlfriend, Randall, sent me an e-mail tonight. The e-mail had pictures to it for each of these items listed here below but I don't know how to copy stuff like that and get the pictures to show up here too so you're just gonna get the words to this little "look-back" in time.
Read through the list and tell me -truthfully now- - how many of the things listed here do you remember? I'm older than dirt and the Pope too so you know I remembered all of them! LOL
45 rpm spindles
Green Stamps
Metal ice cubes trays with levers
Beanie and Cecil
Roller-skate keys
Cork pop guns
Marlin Perkins
Drive in Movies
Drive in restaurants
Car Hops
Studebakers
Topo Gigio
Washtub wringers
The Fuller Brush Man
Sky King
Reel-To-Reel tape recorders
Tinkertoys
Erector Sets
Lincoln Logs
15 cent McDonald hamburgers
5 cent packs of baseball cards
Penny candy
25 cent a gallon gasoline
Jiffy Pop popcorn
5 cent stamps
Gum wrapper chains
Chatty Cathy dolls
5 cent Cokes
Speedy Alka-Seltzer
Cigarettes for Christmas
Falstaff Beer
Burma Shave signs
Brownie camera
Flash bulbs
TV Test patterns
Old Yeller
Chef Boy-AR-dee
Fire escape tubes
Timmy and Lassie
Ding Dong Avon calling
Brylcreem
Aluminum Christmas Trees
If you can remember most or all of these, then you have lived!!
12 comments:
20! I remember 20 of these. Old Yeller is one of my all time favorite movies and I happen to have an old library addition of the book. I have a Jiffy Popcorn in my cupboard right now as Trader Joe's still sells them; we had the old reel to reel projectors at school when I was a kid; I could go on and on...(I refuse to be old ~ not happenin'!)
That's just brilliant, Jeni. A very happy 2008 to you, my friend .....
What are Roller-skate keys?
I remember quite a few from that list. Metal strap-on roller skates with a key. OMG. Thank you for this post.
I become 48 on 10 JAN... ouch!
I remember most of those too! My little brother used to eat his Lincoln Logs - and I'd get blamed - if you think "Radioli" is binding - Oy!
I remember all of them although some of them weren't readily available in the small town where I grew up.
For those who don't know, back when roller skates first came out they weren't lace on shoes. Instead they had metal clamps that latched on to the sole of your shoe. The roller skate key was used to tighten these clamps thus putting the skates on or taking them off.
I know of 12 of them, but I still consider myself pretty young.
Great post!!!
I'm with Paula, I remember 20.
Daddy used Brylcream and would drive 10 miles to get cheaper gas. My uncles drank Falstaff, I had a camera that used flash bulbs, the Avon lady lived across the street, we of course made the gum wrapper chains. I had a cousin who had lincoln logs and man oh man did I hate those metal ice cube trays. We used them along with the black & white(turn knob) TV up into the 70s-for real.
CRAP!! I can relate to well over 30 (actually 3 I don't clearly recall but hey, in Kansas we always ran behind the times).
I hope you are just blasted happy now. I feel old.
Later Y'all
guess I have lived- my favorite were green stamps, I remember my mom collecting them and going to redeem them at the store, always a fun excursion :)
and who can forget plop plop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is :)
Also had to laugh at you calling them as you see them, even for yourself ms nosey:)
I love this post. I got this small town feel when I was reading it.
And the "radioli" reminded me of some of the crazy words my younger cousins used to come up with, like "bonies & keekers" - which means balogna and cheddar cheese crackers.
LOL!
I remember more than I thought I would...but there are a few items that we never had here in Canada....I was a car hop...and loved the drive in movies...and had a key for my roller skates...and my dad's brylcream...oh yes I remember....
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