Remeber

Pre- Taco Bell, there were not as many fast food joints in my youth. McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken were probably the main 2 and Burger King. Dairy Queen was popular in my day too. Of course there was always the mini-burger; Crystal Burgers. I never had them much. Times are so different.
Dinner was at 6:oo always. Mom would step onto the back porch and would ring the little iron bell dad had mounted on the porch. This meant come home clean up it is dinner time. You miss the bell and you were in a ton of trouble.
When Mom said "set the table" you didn't dare say "oh, do I have to?" you just got busy setting the table, forks on the left, knives and spoons on the left. How did I remember this? fork has 4 letters, left has 4 letters. Knife and spoon have 5 and yup, right has 5. I don't remember the glass having any set side as mine always ended up to the left as I am left handed.

I was reading another blog this morning reminded me, you needed permission to leave the table. "May I please be excused?"

I loved Dad, but I was also scared of him. He was the definition of discipline. Dad had no chance of going to court over spanking me either, he was the King and you don't cross his path.
Grounding was seen as a reasonable punishment, sure beat the alternative, Dad's belt.
I wanted to be just like him when I was very young. He was the one to fear, but he was also the coolest guy I knew. Mom was the best thing in the world; just being there made the scrapes and cuts not hurt so bad.


Mom did not have to think real long for a choice of where to go shopping. If it was clothes, we either went to Sears or we went to Penny's, I never liked the clothes but wore them cause it was ... well , expected of me. Gym shoes, well that was a no brainer, K-Mart. $6 was an expensive pair of sneakers. Only way you got any real sport shoes was to be on the baseball team (get the metal cleats) or the football team (plastic cleats) My brother did play soccer, football cleats for that.


Well that was a nice stroll down memory lane.