Everybody would like to be in the top one percent of something prestigious. Well, thanks to a kind friend, The Blonde in the House and I have been advised that we are in a select world-wide group. (So is the friend and his spouse). It seems that 99% of those born between 1930 and 1946 are no longer with us. Thus, if you are between 78 and 94 you are in a great group. Our sincere congratulations! Note, however, that we are at 2025 so there will be a slight change which may have an effect?
Naturally, the article included some reasons why those born between those dates lived through an interesting era. One of the first things mentioned was WWII ration books for everything from gas to sugar, to shoes, to stoves. It was a trial at the time, especially when you are young and your feet keep growing. On the other hand, considering the number of shoes that we have now, a ration book might be a good thing to have in your drawer. They also mention the magic of the milkman delivering early in the morning. Most of the time in my case, we took a gallon jug to a local farmer who filled it up for 25 cents. My parents had purchased a pasteurizing machine from Sears (An old Amazon type place). They would pasteurize it so we could safely drink the milk. However, the pasteurization did not homogenize the milk, so we had plenty of cream. My mother whipped a lot of it up to put on pies, puddings and other delectables.
Then there was the glory of no loud invasive TV. Our childhood was spent playing outside. We rode bikes, played games – even “Hide and Seek”. Darkness did not stop us – until our parents called us in. We also listened to the radio. There were lots of serials like Jack Armstrong, the All American Boy, Tom Mix, Captain Midnight, The Green Hornet etc. They had game shows with one in particular that I liked called “Truth or Consequences”. You used your imagination and I thought it was great. Later it came on TV and I found it uninteresting. I remember when we did get TV which I thought was loud and noisy. It interfered with my studying. I will admit that we had it better than most as we lived halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland so with the antenna my dad put up we had three channels from each city. In addition, Youngstown, Ohio was close by, and we picked up two ultra-high channels from them. The main value of this was to my mother. She loved Liberace who was on a channel from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Youngstown. The kicker was that they all carried Liberace at a different time. My mom then watched the same show three times a week. If Liberace doesn’t ring a bell ask a one percenter that you know.
Phones kept you in one place in those days as they were attached to the wall. That had certain advantages! You have no idea how many times we searched for a phone that The Blonde put down wherever she happened to be when she was finished talking. The first phones I recall were served by the Meadville, PA Phone Co. At first, you picked up the phone and an operator answered. You told her who you wanted (It was a small town), and she rang them. Things then got more complex and you had to dial three numbers. Most of the phones were on a party line so you had to be careful no one was listening – or that you were not interrupting someone. On the other hand, some folks did listen in (not me) which expanded gossip quicker than probably TV does today.
No computers, but we did have typewriters – with ink ribbons that were nasty if you made a mistake. That was particularly bad if you were writing a school report. I had to pay a young lady in Philadelphia to type my thesis. If I hadn’t, it most likely still would not be at the University. I will have to admit that modern computers are definitely easier so that I can write like this.
To get in a mellow mood, I will now see if I can bring up WWVA in Wheeling, WV and listen to some good old country music! Ah, the good old days!
Barry Evans is a columnist for Villages-News.com
