I'm so old that......

I'm so old I think I have hyperbolic memory (probably not a real thing). I have frequently told stories of my adventures as a kid in Illinois to my grandchildren who live near me in California. They have never seen snow. One kid story is about a morning we awoke to 12" of new snow. So we hauled our sleds up the street to the next street which was an uphill street we called Hell's Hill. No cars were parked and there was no traffic. The younger kids started their sleds half-way down to keep their speed down and maintain control. The braver kids started closer to the top. On this morning I threw caution to the wind and began at the very top and as the snow began to fall, I started down Hell's Hill. Half-way down, the snow and sleet pasted my face with frozen slush and I could barely see or maintain control. I ended up sliding off the sled and rolling the rest of the way down as my sled speed past me. The other kids were excited that someone had tried the hill from the top even though I didn't make it down. Fortunately I was ok. As I told this story year after year finally everyone had heard it and I stopped telling it. Some years (25) later, I returned to the city with my wife. I wanted to show her my childhood home. After seeing it and reminiscing with her, she asked to see the famous Hell's Hill. As we drove down the street towards it, all the houses of my friends drifted slowly by, followed by the many memories. As we got to the bottom of the hill, I stopped the car and we just stared in silence. She began to smile and I could hear a muffled chuckle. Hell's Hill was an incline, not a hill. Barely an incline. We drove off in silence. I call it hyperbolic memory because my memory has exaggerated details of my memories. It was truly a shock to me & I didn't speak for about 15 minutes as I tried to sort it all out.
 
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I'm so old I can remember when my little town of Cross Lanes had one tiny grocery store and one gas station, plus the grade school and some churches. It's still about the same, but now it's full of rehab centers.

I went looking for a picture of the steep hill we use to sled ride on and this picture popped up with an ad for the "three best rehab centers in Cross Lanes." West Virginia, home of the opioid addiction crisis. SMH.
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I remember the old huge black and white tv. I remember taking the tubes to the drug store to check out and finding replacements if they were available. I remember milk delivery to the front door, put in your empty bottles and leave a note for what you wanted.
I remember the nbc peacock when the stations closed down for the night.
I remember shoveling snow to make some money and then rushing to Two Guys from Harrison to buy model kits.
I remember
rbtvgo
 
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I'm so old that I can remember phone booth time travel.
This is a pre-decimal public phone. There's a heritage railway that has a
working one on one of it's platforms. You have to buy old pennies to use
it. I love watching youngsters trying it. Blows them away!
 
I am soo old that I remember watching the tv show "The Life of Riley" every week because my Dad liked it because Riley's daughter had the same name as me. I remember going to the library every week to get books to read. I remember playing outside all day with all the Moms on the block looking out for all the kids.
 
squatting dog said:
Woolworth's menu 1959


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My parents never once took me out to eat but I remember my grandfather taking me to a Woolworths once. They buttered and toasted the hot dog bun which was something my mom never did at home. Then I also got a Strawberry shortcake, I may have cried tears of joy because it was the most incredible thing I had ever tasted. I was probably around five but have never forgotten that.
 
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