OLDER THAN DIRT

>>> "Hey Dad," one of my kids asked the other day,>
"What was your> favorite>>fast food when you were growing up?"
"We didn't have> fast food when I> was>>growing up," I informed him.
"All the food was slow.">

"C'mon,> seriously. >>Where did you eat?">>>> "It was a place called 'at home,'" I explained.> "Grandma cooked> every>>day and when Grandpa got home from work, we sat down > together at the> dining>>>room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my> plate I was> allowed to>>sit there until I did like it.">>>>
By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was > afraid he was> going to>>suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him> the part about> how I>>had to have permission to leave the table.
But here> are some other > things I>>>would have told him about my childhood if I figured> his system could> have>>handled it:>>>>
Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore > Levis , set foot on> a>>golf course, traveled out of the country or had a> credit card.
In> their>>later years they had something called a revolving> charge card. The > card was>>>good only at Sears>> Roebuck. Or maybe it was Sears AND Roebuck. Either> way, there is no>>>Roebuck anymore.
My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This > was mostly> because we>>>never had heard of soccer. I had a bicycle that> weighed probably 50> pounds,>>>and only had one speed, (slow).
We didn't have a > television in our> house>>until I was 11, but my grandparents had one before> that. It was, of> course,>>>black and white, but they bought a piece of colored> plastic to cover > the>>screen. The top third was blue, like the sky, and the> bottom third was>>>green, like grass. The middle third was red. It was> perfect for> programs>>that had scenes of fire trucks riding across > someone's lawn on a sunny> day.>>>
Some people had a lens taped to the front of the TV> to make the> picture>>look>> larger.>>>>
I was 13 before I tasted my first pizza, it was > called "pizza pie."> When>>>I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the> cheese slid off,> swung>>>down, plastered itself against my chin and burned > that, too. It's> still the>>>best pizza I ever had.>>>>
We didn't have a car until I was 15. Before that,> the only car in> our>>family was my grandfather's Ford. He called it a > "machine.">>>>
I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone> in the house was> in>>the living room and it was on a party line. Before> you could dial, you > had>>to listen and make sure some people you didn't know> weren't already> using>>the line.>>>>
Pizzas were not delivered to our home. But milk> was. >>>> All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys> delivered> newspapers.>>>I delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7> cents a paper, of> which >>>I got to keep 2 cents. I had to get up at 4 AM every> morning. On> Saturday,>>I had to collect the 42 cents from my customers. My> favorite customers> were> >>the ones who gave me 50 cents and told me to keep the> change. My least>>>favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never> be home on> collection>>day.>> >>
If you grew up in a generation before there was> fast food, you may > want>>to share some of these memories with your children or> grandchildren.> Just>>don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.>>>>
Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it? >>>>>>
MEMORIES from a friend:>>>> My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she> died in> December) and>>>he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the > bottle top was a>>stopper with a bunch of holes in it. I knew> immediately what it was,> but my>>>daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to> make it a salt > shaker>>or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the> end of the> ironing>>board to "sprinkle" clothes with because we didn't> have steam irons.>
Man, I>>>am old.>>>>>>>>>>
How many do you remember?>>>>
Head lights dimmer switches on the floor.>>
Ignition switches on the dashboard. >>
Heaters mounted on the inside of the fire wall.>>
Real ice boxes.>>
Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.>>
Soldering irons you heat on a gas burner.>>
Using hand signals for cars without turn signals. >>>>
Older Than Dirt Quiz: Count all the ones that you> remember not the> ones>>you were told about Ratings at the bottom.>>>>
1. Blackjack chewing gum>>
2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar> water>>
3. Candy cigarettes>>
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles>>
5. Coffee shops or diners with tableside juke > boxes>>
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with> cardboard stoppers>>
7. Party lines>>
9. P.F. Flyers>>
10. Butch wax >>
11. Telephone numbers with a word prefix> (OLive-6933)>>
12. Peashooters>>
13. Howdy Doody>>
14. 45 RPM records>>
15. S&H Green Stamps>>
16 Hi-fi's >>
17. Metal ice trays with lever>>
18. Mimeograph paper>>
19 Blue flashbulb>>
20. Packards>>
21. Roller skate keys>>
22. Cork popguns>>
23. Drive-ins >>
24. Studebakers>>
25. Wash tub wringers>>>>
If you remembered 0-5 = You're still young>>
If you remembered 6-10 = You are getting older>>
If you remembered 11-15 = Don't tell your age, >>
If you remembered 16-25 = You're older than dirt!>>>>
Have a great week...love from idaho