Older Than Dirt

Help Support CattleToday:

TexasBred

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 15, 2007
Messages
31,075
Reaction score
625
Location
Heart of Texas
'Someone 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. !


'Mom cooked every day and when Dad 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 & Roebuck.


Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore.. Maybe he died.


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.


It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at midnight, after playing the national anthem and a poem about God; it came back on the air at about 6 a.m. and there was usually a locally produced news and farm show on, featuring local people.



I was 15 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.



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 -- my brother delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which he got to keep 2 cents. He had to get up at 6AM every morning.


On Saturday, he had to collect the 42 cents from his customers. His favorite customers were the ones who gave him 50 cents and told him to keep the change. His least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.


Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies. There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or most anything offensive..



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 or just rolling up your right pants leg.
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 on the telephone
8. Newsreels before the movie
9. P.F. Flyers
10. Butch wax
11. TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning. (there were only 3 channels [if you were fortunate])
12. Peashooters
13. Howdy Doody
14. 45 RPM records
15. S& H greenstamps
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!



I might be older than dirt but those memories are some of the best parts of my life.
 
I was in my late 20's before I had my first pizza. I moved away from home before I ever experienced air conditioning. When I left home I was still sleeping with the windows open.

Diners and restaurants were places rich folks went.
 
flaboy":182ftpyw said:
I was in my late 20's before I had my first pizza. I moved away from home before I ever experienced air conditioning. When I left home I was still sleeping with the windows open.

Diners and restaurants were places rich folks went.

I was in the 5ht grade when I had my first pizza. An uncle had come in to town and took all of us out with his kids. I did not know what to order. Whatever it was I got, I didn't like it and didn't have pizza again for years.

We went on a few road trips and got to eat at burger joints. That was special. I think hamburgers were ten for a dollar and they were HUGE. THe burger joints were maw and paw shops on the road side.

Water at the service stations was free out of the fountain. And they were service stations. No none pumped their own gas. The attendants would check your tires, oil, water etc. I remember one (just one) that used to ask for Dad's ash tray to dump it for him. They'd also clean your windshield. If you would have asked to purchase bottled water, they would have thought you lost your marbles.

There was always a peach tree switch on the dash board. You didn't misbehave.

TB I am not all that old but I remember most all of it well.
 
There wasn't any fast food in Granbury that I can remember except for the Dairy Queen, and one can hardly call that fast. We ate at home three meals a day and the only time we went out was when we had an all day trip to Fort Worth and then we went to a drive-in burger place because we didn't have to get out of the car.

I always remember television. My first pizza was one of those boxed affairs. I didn't eat spaghetti until I was in college. Unless the stuff from the can counts. We never had central air, and my parents never lived in a house that did. We had a swamp cooler and later, a refrigerated window unit that I never liked because it make the living room into a perma frost zone. I didn't get turned on until about one in the afternoon and we never never slept with it on. Windows open. I hated box fans because of the noise they made and when ceiling fans came back, I was ever so greatful for it. A little breeze and it was quiet!

I remembered 15 of those things. I ain't that dam old!
 
i remember alot of em.....but mostly because, in rural alabama we were the last too give up the old things and ways, we had pinto beans at nearly every supper.. never got tired of em either ;-) we would be out of the house in the mornings and were'nt seen or heard again until dark, dont care how backwards it sounds, i wouldnt trade my child hood for any
 
Lammie":27mza0zh said:
I remembered 15 of those things. I ain't that dam old!

You are not a very good liar :D :D Or else you can't count very well.

Heck there is still a drive-in in Granbury. The local six year olds get to count that one.

We never had central air either.

We got air conditioning in schools when I was in the 7th grade and it came along at the exact same time girls could wear pants to school.
 
Lammie":360g9pcm said:
I always remember television. My first pizza was one of those boxed affairs. I didn't eat spaghetti until I was in college. Unless the stuff from the can counts. We never had central air, and my parents never lived in a house that did. We had a swamp cooler and later, a refrigerated window unit that I never liked because it make the living room into a perma frost zone. I didn't get turned on until about one in the afternoon and we never never slept with it on. Windows open. I hated box fans because of the noise they made and when ceiling fans came back, I was ever so greatful for it. A little breeze and it was quiet!

I remembered 15 of those things. I ain't that dam old!

I just couldn't let this get by. :lol:
 
Well i remember quite a few of them I was at least 18 before i ate a pizza. Didn't eat a Hamburger till i was in my teens. We ate at home the meat at mast any meal was pork hogs were cheap and we had a bunch of them so we ate alot of pork. Milk came to the house alright just as soon as you got the cows milked you brought the milk to the house. Eggs came from the chicken house or the barn where ever the hens made a nest. You got more chickens by raising them from the chickens you had and you butchered the young roosters and made chicken and dumplings out of the old hens and roosters. Fishing was fun but wasn't any catch and release they all got ate.Hunting was a sport alright, if the game was fast enough it did not get shot and ate.We had cows could have had beef to eat but they were worth more to be sold. Pretty much any thing we ate we raised, Anything our critters eat we raised. Of we only got telephones here where i live about 5 years ago.
 
Red Bull Breeder":34f354hk said:
Well i remember quite a few of them I was at least 18 before i ate a pizza. Didn't eat a Hamburger till i was in my teens. We ate at home the meat at mast any meal was pork hogs were cheap and we had a bunch of them so we ate alot of pork. Milk came to the house alright just as soon as you got the cows milked you brought the milk to the house. Eggs came from the chicken house or the barn where ever the hens made a nest. You got more chickens by raising them from the chickens you had and you butchered the young roosters and made chicken and dumplings out of the old hens and roosters. Fishing was fun but wasn't any catch and release they all got ate.Hunting was a sport alright, if the game was fast enough it did not get shot and ate.We had cows could have had beef to eat but they were worth more to be sold. Pretty much any thing we ate we raised, Anything our critters eat we raised. Of we only got telephones here where i live about 5 years ago.
i had my share of squrrel and dumplings
 
flaboy":w4ckb15t said:
Lammie":w4ckb15t said:
I always remember television. My first pizza was one of those boxed affairs. I didn't eat spaghetti until I was in college. Unless the stuff from the can counts. We never had central air, and my parents never lived in a house that did. We had a swamp cooler and later, a refrigerated window unit that I never liked because it make the living room into a perma frost zone. I didn't get turned on until about one in the afternoon and we never never slept with it on. Windows open. I hated box fans because of the noise they made and when ceiling fans came back, I was ever so greatful for it. A little breeze and it was quiet!

I remembered 15 of those things. I ain't that dam old!

I just couldn't let this get by. :lol:

I really hate you... :lol2:

Gutter mind! Taking advantage of fingers that have not really typed anything since Decembe 19th. With typos like those, I hate to think of what some of my inter office emails have contained.
 
I remember all of them except the "blackjack gum". Course we never got gum so I didn't know any of them. Had first pizza in college and it was terribly greasy. No a/c at home, HS nor college. Would get on my bike in the morning and show back up late that afternooon. Mama never worried about you. The world was not so full of evil. Went barefoot from March til first frost and feet bottoms were like leather. Unlike Lammie, I can't remember the lst time I got turned on. :lol: :lol: :lol: Life was good. :nod: :nod: :nod:
 
flaboy":16ngvwgh said:
Lammie":16ngvwgh said:
I always remember television. My first pizza was one of those boxed affairs. I didn't eat spaghetti until I was in college. Unless the stuff from the can counts. We never had central air, and my parents never lived in a house that did. We had a swamp cooler and later, a refrigerated window unit that I never liked because it make the living room into a perma frost zone. I didn't get turned on until about one in the afternoon and we never never slept with it on. Windows open. I hated box fans because of the noise they made and when ceiling fans came back, I was ever so greatful for it. A little breeze and it was quiet!

I remembered 15 of those things. I ain't that dam old!

I just couldn't let this get by. :lol:

I noticed that also, whats going on with this young lady. Who turned her on? How long was she turned on? Who turned her off? :lol: :lol:
 
Friends, I have to admit that I now know that I am older than dirt.
Tom. :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:
 
Although I am only 19 I still wish times were like they used to. I have grown up on a farm all my life and my family never really did go with the technology. We had farmervision which is what we called our TV which was only 3 channels and 2 of them were the same. We never got air conditioning until a couple years ago, and being on the internet (dial up) for more than 10 minutes was unheard of. We grew all of our own greens and raised all of our own meat and eggs drank our own milk too. I know I didn't have it as hard as some of you, but I wish times were like they were. I love hearing stories from my parents about all the ways they used to run the farm back when they were helping there parents. Don't get me wrong I love some of the technology these days that help out with chores, farming, and managing. I know your all probably shaking your heads at me like I'm insane, but I do wish times were like they were. I wish farmers and ranchers were as respected now as they were back then.
 
curtis":2i7spxyz said:
flaboy":2i7spxyz said:
Lammie":2i7spxyz said:
I always remember television. My first pizza was one of those boxed affairs. I didn't eat spaghetti until I was in college. Unless the stuff from the can counts. We never had central air, and my parents never lived in a house that did. We had a swamp cooler and later, a refrigerated window unit that I never liked because it make the living room into a perma frost zone. I didn't get turned on until about one in the afternoon and we never never slept with it on. Windows open. I hated box fans because of the noise they made and when ceiling fans came back, I was ever so greatful for it. A little breeze and it was quiet!

I remembered 15 of those things. I ain't that dam old!

I just couldn't let this get by. :lol:

I noticed that also, whats going on with this young lady. Who turned her on? How long was she turned on? Who turned her off? :lol: :lol:

Got no idea but she did say she never slept with it "on" which means someone, somwhere, somehow, turned it off. :banana: :banana:
 
some times i wonder why the amish make life so hard on theirselves,,, i mean the equipment they use now, at one time was concidered new technology then.. now if i was living in a cave, and beating the ground with a rock maybe
 
RPFarm":31hg2eoj said:
I wish farmers and ranchers were as respected now as they were back then.

They are. There are a whole lot of folks out there who's word is very valuable. I know many who can, "give me their word" and that is good enough. Some of them cannot pay for hay at the moment, but they'll pay me when they can. You can count on it.
 
Sure puts me on the older than dirt list.

Bhb it's hard to find someone who stands behind their word anymore. However i'll have to say there's still some left here in my area. With me a man has only one chance to not stand behind his word.

But what do you expect when our own government can't be trusted.

Cal
 
We would go downtown on Saturday night to shop. When shopping was finished, we'd sit in the car awhile and "people watch", because everyone was there.
We lived in the river valley, surrounded by hills. We had a TV (I don't mean to brag) but it only got one channel (NBC). And that one was fuzzy. It was a treat to go to grandma's, because she got 3.
I had a Schwinn, used, that weighed like an Oldsmobile of the same era. To visit friends in town, I had to push it up the hill. Coming home was fun, however.
We mowed (I mowed) a few hundred square feet with a push type reel mower.
There were a dozen people on the party line, and a heavy dew would short out the line.
 
Top