Tell us your old without telling us you are old......

Aunt Marg said:
I remember at age 6, going to the store to buy cigarettes for mom, and there wasn't so much as a look, a question, nothing forwarded my way, the store-owner would select the cigarettes I asked for, money was exchanged, and I was out the door as fast as I came in, on my way home to deliver the goods to mom!
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Get this, Marg! I was THREE the first time I bought cigarettes for my dad. We lived at the bottom of a hill, on top was a store. My parents, sister, etc. watched me from the bottom as I ventured out alone for the first time, money in hand (a dime?) to make the purchase, then back down the hill I went. So, my story contains another "old" thing as, who the hell today would let a 3 year old run an errand, even if they were watching from a distance?
 
Pepper said:
Get this, Marg! I was THREE the first time I bought cigarettes for my dad. We lived at the bottom of a hill, on top was a store. My parents, sister, etc. watched me from the bottom as I ventured out alone for the first time, money in hand (a dime?) to make the purchase, then back down the hill I went. So, my story contains another "old" thing as, who the hell today would let a 3 year old run an errand, even if they were watching from a distance?
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Got to love stories like ours, Pepper.

It truly is crazy reflecting on such now in retrospect, but at the time there was nothing terribly out of the ordinary related to it. Age 3, is incredibly young for such, but somehow looking back on it now it was alright, and by age 5/6, most everyone sent their little ones out the door to trudge off to school alone, and I can't tell you how often I get shivers thinking about little old me at that age walking to and from school all by myself.
 
Old without saying I'm old... okay, I was born in 1957... BUT when I was conceived in Aug of 1956, the last remaining Civil War veteran died. He'd been a drummer boy and was well over 100, but still a freaky tidbit to realize!
 
CallMeKate said:
Old without saying I'm old... okay, I was born in 1957... BUT when I was conceived in Aug of 1956, the last remaining Civil War veteran died. He'd been a drummer boy and was well over 100, but still a freaky tidbit to realize!
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I am a few years older than you and I remember very well the last Civil War vet dying. There were still those left born in slavery though.
 
I'm so old, when I see a glob of lint on the carpet, I get out the vacuum to pick it up rather than lean over.

I once was barred from a club for "not acting like a lady." These days I'm barred from the early bird special because I can't step up on the curb.
 
StarSong said:
From about age 7, kids were released to the great outdoors on weekends and vacation days. We were told, "Go out and play!" We were given boundaries of not going past certain busy streets or a particular neighbors' properties. As we got older the boundaries were extended.

Hung out with neighbor kids who ranged from about 3 years older to 3 years younger. Lots of sets of siblings. We learned early that crybabies, cheaters, tattle-tales and poor sports would be ostracized for the day or longer. The worst was to be told to go home, knowing unsympathetic parents would introduce you to a vacuum cleaner or dust rag to keep you busy. Bullies weren't tolerated because kids policed themselves. Older ones kept the younger ones in line and protected them.

Supervision, such as it was, came from various moms hanging laundry or weeding gardens, plus nosy neighbors peeping through their curtains. Enough adults were around to keep us relatively safe and on the straight and narrow.

Only came home for lunch or when we'd hear our parents' signature "come home now" sound. My folks whistled, a neighbor rang a cowbell for her kids. We didn't even come home to go to the bathroom - we'd go behind a tree in the woods and wipe with a leaf - better that than going home and finding ourselves pressed into a chore. Thirsty? Close neighbors were fine with you grabbing a drink from their hose.

A banner day was when we'd stumble over a few soda bottles. Turned them in for a few pennies at the general store and hit the penny candy counter.

That's how old I am.
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Yep, the same here.
 
horseless carriage said:
What a great comment, thank you. Yesterday, we put on our best to go to church as we do most Sundays. Afterwards the lady has a shopping list of items of a few groceries that we need. Walking around the supermarket we got stopped three times to be complimented and on the fourth occasion we were asked to pose for a photograph. We are probably all over Facebook by now.
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Absolutely dashing!!!

Takes me back in time when most everyone dressed up when visiting town or to go shopping. Warms me inside.

How sweet it is knowing there are select others in this world who feel and think the same as me.

Thank you so kindly for sharing the lovely snap of you and your wife, HC.
 
Long cigarette holders were in when I was growing up.

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Laundry chutes.

While I'm certain there are homeowners today that still have a laundry chute in their home, or homeowners that designed a laundry chute into their home, when I was growing up laundry chutes were in vogue.

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I remember dumbwaiters, especially the old-fashioned stainless steel ones in commercial/industrial settings, but do think of many of the old country manor houses and mansions that have them.

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Pepper said:
I was in an old Bronx apartment building @Aunt Marg
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Old buildings and homes are my weakness.

Architecture today doesn't interest me, the repeat cookie cutter fashion is boring to say the least, and the materials used are in keeping with the disposable world we live in.

I'll bet that old building you resided in was grand.
 

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