Many things that I once observed and even some that I engaged are no longer part of our American landscape; let me explain. Use to be that most young boys and many adult men sported the crew-cut/flat top hair fashions. Yesteryear's summer evenings found a lot of folks sitting on porches or visiting in backyards. Neither no more.
I don't notice adolescent boys riding bikes with a baseball glove 'looped' on the handlebars and the ends of a baseball bat precariously held at each bike handle grip. These days, I walk many sidewalks in my neighborhood but no longer do I see hop-scotch or four-square chalk markings. It has been a long time since hearing the evening voices of children calling out "Mother May I? " or "anti-anti-over." I suppose some current youth-obesity connects with the demise of 'Duck Duck Goose, Red Rover and Leap Frog.' No longer do young kids play tag and should one wish to purchase marbles today, the best bet is going to an antique shop. 'Pitchin' pennies and throwing tennis balls against walls and steps to hone eye-hand-catching' skills is no more. Speaking of eye-hand quickness, I suspect those young girls of my generation developed fast hands playing endless games of 'Jacks.' Been decades since I've heard the 'clanking' sound of a neighbor's horse shoe banging against the iron peg and just as long since seeing a neighborhood men fussing over rules of a croquet game.
I once read that from 1948 through 1958, America could count over 3,000 drive-in theaters; I supported a few drive-in theaters in East St. Louis from '54-to-'57. Actually, I only 'saw' one movie at the drive-in...It seemed wrong that particularly Friday night to 'make-out' with my girlfriend while Moses was parting the Red Sea in the movie, Ten Commandments. Some of those 1948 autos had 'running-boards' while most of the 1950's models showed off big white-wall tires with fender-skirts mud flaps. 'Curb-finders' were a must to protect scratching those beautiful white wall tires. Every night was cruise-night.
Metropolitan cities use to have real-live cops at busy intersections directing the rush hour traffic; some of those officers put on a magnificent show.
I think Tuesdays at 10 A.M. is the time many communities, nowadays 'test' their sirens with long blasts; I recall the 9 P.M. siren sounding each evening back in the Washington Park in 1950. I always believed our parents were in cahoots with the local police to signal the time for us kids to get off the streets and back in the house.
My church has air conditioning today so I won't find any funeral fans in the pews and I can expect to get out of service on time since we don't offend church-folks with those 'come-forward-and surrender-your life to Jesus' alter invitations.
I believe after my morning coffee on the backyard swing, I'll head to the mall and see if I can find a pair of 'white-buck' shoes. Later, I intend to go find a hedge apples.
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