Just sittin in the shade

Back in the "old days" when things were more simple, you could walk around town in the evenings and your neighbors were all out sitting on their porch or in the yard under the shade tree, or even down at the General Store. Kids were playing in the yard and even in the street. You'd stop and chat a while, laugh a little, maybe share a cup of coffee or nice cold lemonade or iced tea.

Those days are surely missed, when the biggest thing we had to worry about was getting our kids into a good college so they could build a better life than we had... come to find out, that just wasn't possible, we had the best life there could be.

We all had the grumpy old man down the street that shaked his cane and told everybody to stay off his lawn. We had the grandmotherly lady who always had cookies for the kids. When we misbehaved, the adult who was there spanked our butts, and when we got home we got another spanking instead of our parents going over to beat up the adult that spanked us to start with. They shook the other adults hand and thanked them for watching out for us.

Gone are those days in all but our memories, but as long as we hold on to them, there's some hope. Hope that we can return some day to the simple times when people understood responsibility and respect and helped care for one another and the kids. People didn't look for handouts but they would surely give them if needed. Swear words weren't used in front of the children and everybody went to church on Sunday whether they were religious or not because it was a social gathering with a pot luck to follow.

We would run around all day with no parental supervision but they knew exactly where we were at all times thanks to the "little old lady network" that kept the telephone party lines busy. They were the "internet" of our day and they made sure everyone was safe and well.

I miss the days, I wish I had appreciated them more when they were happening, but I definitely appreciate them now...

So....
Let's just sit here on the front porch, share our days, our happiness and our sorrow. A little chit chat for today's age, aided by the internet instead of the little old lady network. Let's share our friendship and virtual coffee/lemonade/ice tea and bring back those feelings of comfort and happiness that we once felt in abundance.

Howdy, I'm the PurpleChiten and I'll be the first to put out my lawn chair and sit for a spell... may even whittle a bit or weave some good ole stories.

Come on back now, ya hear!

I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, the folks always knew where we were because we were not allowed to stray out of the yard. We didn't go into anyone elses yard and we certainly didn't go into anyone elses house. If we wanted to have a friend over, we could have one or two at a time, in the yard. If they came in the house for any reason, the had to leave.

If anyone said or did anything out of line to any one of us kids, the old man would pay them a visit and tell them, in no uncertain terms, to keep their hands off and their mouth shut. Then he would come home and yell at us for getting in trouble. Mom would also scold us about how embarrased she was.

We were always in the house and in bed by 9 o'clock. We were always up by 7 am. If we weren't up, dad would come in and drag us out by the arm. At that point, we were made well aware of how lazy and worthless we were.

I joined the Navy at 18 to get way from all that. It was a good decision.

reply to post by PurpleChiten


As I read your words they took me down memory lane and my own childhood. Very good memories. I can go back in time to when I was growing up with those memories...they are the priceless jewels of childhood.

I was thinking too...(the other day) about different kinds of foods and how they are prepared...and how those foods are attached to happy childhood memories. Sometimes...I just have to go to the store...get the ingredients...and cook a memory!

You may be a few years younger than me or were in a bigger town... we were a whole lot like the "Little Rascals"...in the middle of Mayberry!

My little town still gets compared to Mayberry sometimes, it warms my heart.

I know we had to be in our own yard by the time the streetlight came on according to mom. So, of course, I used my bb gun to shoot out the streetlight and it didn't come on

....I do miss those days.....

Maybe if we posted the decade of our early-preteen years (or decade of our birth), we can get a good indication of the era we were in too.
.... I was a 70's kid in a tiny little town

reply to post by caladonea


That's a great idea!!

I do love eating the meals from my childhood. Nothing like tasting your mother's old recipes. My sister is an excellent cook and uses many of the same recipes Mom used. I love going to her house for dinner, it's always a pleasant experience. She's in charge of Thanksgiving now that Mom is gone and we always have the stories of the Thanksgivings passed.... nothing like the memories to warm your heart

Song that comes to mind with this heat wave this summer...

So are we sitting in the shade today or are we waiting til wednesday to sit in the shade?

Originally posted by OpinionatedB
So are we sitting in the shade today or are we waiting til wednesday to sit in the shade?

We can sit in the shade anytime we want

...unless it's dark out, then we move to the porch

reply to post by PurpleChiten


true, I like porches...

my daughter is being allowed liquid food now! WOOHOO for jello!

and I cannot eat in front of the brat so i am here pigging out!

Can we have real food in the shade too?

reply to post by OpinionatedB


Today - and we are cranking up a barrel of homemade peach ice cream!

reply to post by gwynnhwyfar


awesome!

Food is a neccesity for shade sittin!!!

and after the kids go to bed and Boncho shows up...

What a wonderful thread, OP I was born in the early 50's.

I miss chasing "lighting bugs" (fireflys), family reunions, and cold homemade lemonade.

I miss being able to stop and help a motorist along the road without fear of being murdered, going out to the store at night without looking over my shoulder, and being able to leave the front door unlocked.

And my grandmother's homemade cakes and candies!!

J

reply to post by PurpleChiten


I thought it went more like this!

reply to post by LadyJae


Did you ever tie a piece of thread to the leg of a JuneBug and fly it around? I LOVED doing that at a kid!!

reply to post by OpinionatedB


ohhhhh I've done the watermelon crawl many, MANY times in my late teens and early 20's!!!

Originally posted by PurpleChiten

Originally posted by OpinionatedB
So are we sitting in the shade today or are we waiting til wednesday to sit in the shade?

We can sit in the shade anytime we want

...unless it's dark out, then we move to the porch

After we move to the porch, then it's time for "Brats and Mets". I like my Bratwurst slightly burnt on the outside, with stone ground or brown mustard, accompanied by a nice hefeweizen...

Originally posted by LadyJae
What a wonderful thread, OP

I was born in the early 50's.

I miss chasing "lighting bugs" (fireflys), family reunions, and cold homemade lemonade.

I miss being able to stop and help a motorist along the road without fear of being murdered, going out to the store at night without looking over my shoulder, and being able to leave the front door unlocked.

And my grandmother's homemade cakes and candies!!

J

My cousins and I always used to catch fireflies in a jar on summer evenings!

reply to post by gwynnhwyfar


It may sound cruel today.... but did you ever bust open the lighted end and rub them on your arms and legs to make yourself glow in the dark? Bug guts allllll over us!

Originally posted by PurpleChiten

 

Did you ever tie a piece of thread to the leg of a JuneBug and fly it around? I LOVED doing that at a kid!!

Oh my goodness, YES How on earth did I forget that?

When all the cousins got together, there was always a Snipe hunt..lol Someone always got taken in by that...every year.

I used to love when the tent skating rinks came around. There's nothing quite like skating on a wooden floor.

J