Remembering the 50's and 60's

By Patti Londa Greene, Christian Author @ www.PattiGreene.com

Awaken Me: A Devotional Prayer Journal; Link to purchase book on Amazon. http://amzn.to/1mYoO5f

God, It’s Me: 181 Days for Young Adults to Become Passionate about Prayer and Bible Study; Coming July/Aug, 2014

I remember . . .

-          Big Ben and trying to make the London guards laugh.

-          Riding my tricycle up and down the sidewalk alone with no fear of abduction.

-          Singing “Here comes the bride, fair, fat, and wide.”

-          When I thought all pencils were orange. (My dad worked for Gulf Oil.)

-          Mom making me have SHORT, SHORT bangs.

-         Giving myself my first haircut the day before the professional photographer was coming to our house for pictures.

-          Sitting on the curb with my older brother while mom went in the pub to buy cigarettes.

-          Mom’s Tareyton’s!

-          The joy of picking out and purchasing ‘Holy Cards” at school.

 

-          Mean nuns. One nice nun.

-          Being able to take ballet lessons instead of taking a class on the Kings and Queens of England. You see, I was an American.

-          Not having a TV to watch until I was almost 9 years old.

-          Seasonal uniforms complete with ties, hats, and white gloves.

-          Being hit with a ruler at school for forgetting my white gloves during uniform check.

-          Swiss watches, Italian butter and rolls, and European dark chocolate.

 

-          Three homemade meals a day.

-          When going out to Howard Johnson on a Friday night was a real treat.

-          Playing Canasta and Poker with my grandparents.

-          Church every Sunday.

-          Kickball in the summer evenings.

-          My first pair of nylon stockings, my first garter belt, and my first girdle.

-          Skating on a frozen pond.

-          Going to the ice-skating rink every weekend in the winter.

-          Playing Slap Jack and Crazy Eights with my younger brother when we were both home with the chicken pox.

-          Watching Leave it to Beaver, The Three Stooges, and Bonanza.

-          My parent’s parties.

-          Picking blackberries for mom to make jellies and pies.

-          Looking forward to getting a “special” book every Christmas.

-          Catching fireflies at night.

-          The turtle that bit me – hard!

-          Roasting marshmallows.

-          Playing ping pong in the basement.

-          Long bus rides to school up the steeps hills of Pennsylvania in the snow.

-          Standing at the bus stop in the freezing cold and not thawing out until lunch time.

-          A mom who watched The Merv Griffin Show every afternoon.

-          Fish net stockings in all different colors – yellow, pink, green, purple.

 

-          The Busy Bee – Wexford, Pennsylvania’s version of a mini-Walmart.

-          Building snowmen and sledding down our backyard hill.

-          Picking apples off our apple trees.

-          Walking over a mile to Ray’s Pharmacy just to buy Dagwood comic books and candy.

-          A & P.

-          Mallo cups.

 

-          Putting green stamps in the books for my parents and the joy of going to the Green Stamp store to get something for FREE.

 

-          Wanting Nancy Nurse instead of the popular Chatty Cathy. Got it.

 

-          Dentists without anesthesia.

-          Feeding the ducks at the park then going to Tastee Freeze for ice-cream.

 

-          My backyard ducks – October, Ringo, and Violet. Yes, I named them.

-          The joy of going into the big city of Pittsburgh, Pa.

-          Going to auctions with my parents.

-          Jones Beach.

-          Getting school pictures signed on the back.  I still have them!

-          Outdoor luncheons with the nuns at the Greenwich, Connecticut beach.

-          Seeing cousins in the summer.

-          Stamford, Greenwich, Elizabeth, NJ and New York City.

-          Transistor radios and record players.

 

-          Listening to 45’s all day long – over and over and over again.

-          When there were no hand-held hair dryers.

-          Gimbles and Kaufman’s.

-          Going to Woolworths to buy fish and stamps for my stamp collection.

-          Clutch purses.

 

-          Bubble rings. Mine was a pretty blue one given to me by a guy I was “going steady” with in Junior High. I don’t think we ever spoke to each other. LOL.

 

-          Swim team in Bradford Hills, Pa.

-          Riding horses up and down Memorial Drive in Houston, Texas.

-          When Wilcrest Drive and Dairy Ashford was considered FAR, FAR West Houston.

-          Breaking my arm. Once in gym class. And, once on a trampoline the day before starting my new school – Westchester High School in Houston.

-          Wearing my silver Vietnam bracelet. I still have it. This is not mine.

 

-          When doing your nails meant cutting them yourself.

-          Having to wear dresses to school.

-          Thanks Mom and Dad for all the memories!!! I love you.

-          That’s only the 50’s and 60’s – Maybe if I get creative again, I will do the 70’s and 80’s – Yikes!

Comment if you remember anything from your life in the 50s and 60's!

www.PattiGreene.com