- Joined
- Jul 1, 2025
- Messages
- 72
I responded to a post about Truck Guns with a rather windy narrative about my younger years. That got me reminiscing about the late 60's and early 70's and how times have changed. I didn't have a house key until I was 19 or 20 years old. We never locked the house unless we were going to be away for an extended time. We lived in a rural county on a small farm. People trusted their neighbors. On many Wednesday nights we would return from church to find a family from across the creek sitting in the living room watching our TV. We had one of those big furniture cabinet sized color televisions and theirs was a small black and white. The Beverly Hillbillies is just funnier in color.
sent someone out to roll up windows in te
A few times we had someone pilfer food from our freezer or canned goods from the pantry. Not much and never any premium cuts of meat. Usually it was hamburger or stew meat and a few jars of beans or tomatoes Mamaw had canned. We had an idea who it was but we never talked about it and accepted it as helping out a poorer neighbor. We certainly never missed it or went hungry because of it.
Most kids that drove to school had older cars or trucks and very few had air conditioners. We all rode around with our window down and the vent turned to direct a flow of air inside. On more than one occasion when a sudden downpour happened a teacher would send someone out to roll up windows in the parking lot. Usually there would be five or ten boys running through the student and teacher lots to keep our friends from having wet seats. I can remember being in town on Saturday and seeing people running along the sidewalk to roll up windows of families in town shopping for the week. It seems we took better care of each other back then.
Almost everyone went to church, at least part time. Some went every time the doors opened and some went once a month or so but everyone went on Christmas and Easter. During harvest time it was acceptable and expected to miss church if your were harvesting. The majority of first dates was going to church with a girl so her mama and daddy could look you over. You didn't hold her hand or even sit too close and you made sure to say yes ma'am and yes sir. You were expected to give an abbreviated family history even though it was not needed because they had already checked you out. If you passed muster you could sit a bit closer and maybe even hold her hand during the second visit. After that you were free to take her out on a date. School ball games or party's were the standard dates and after dating a month or more you might be allowed to take her to the drive-in movie; the first time or two had to include her little brother or sister as chaperone.
After high school you were expected to go to college or go to work. There were a few 'trash folk" and such that didn't work or at least didn't work regularly. We didn't hang out with those folk much but we all knew them. A few were local hermits and such that lived out of town or down by the river in an old fish camp. A couple we knew quite well because they were bootleggers. We lived in a dry county surrounded by dry counties. Bootleg beer and wine was what we had access to. We would get together somewhere in town and one or two would be elected to go get it. Taking orders was easy because most bootleggers only carried Shlitz, Old Milwaukee and Budweiser. We would collect everyone's money, make a run and meet back at a clearing in the woods to pass out orders. Someone would have a fire going and radio or two both tuned to the same station while we drank and sang and if we were lucky made out with our girlfriend. Those things always busted up by 11:30 because most had to be at home by midnight. We didn't risk a curfew violation because that would mean having to talk and being caught with alcohol breath. Somehow we didn't think the wood smoke smell gave us away.
Well this has gone on longer than most of y'all care to read so I will stop. And I didn't even get into hunting, fishing or drag racing!
sent someone out to roll up windows in te
A few times we had someone pilfer food from our freezer or canned goods from the pantry. Not much and never any premium cuts of meat. Usually it was hamburger or stew meat and a few jars of beans or tomatoes Mamaw had canned. We had an idea who it was but we never talked about it and accepted it as helping out a poorer neighbor. We certainly never missed it or went hungry because of it.
Most kids that drove to school had older cars or trucks and very few had air conditioners. We all rode around with our window down and the vent turned to direct a flow of air inside. On more than one occasion when a sudden downpour happened a teacher would send someone out to roll up windows in the parking lot. Usually there would be five or ten boys running through the student and teacher lots to keep our friends from having wet seats. I can remember being in town on Saturday and seeing people running along the sidewalk to roll up windows of families in town shopping for the week. It seems we took better care of each other back then.
Almost everyone went to church, at least part time. Some went every time the doors opened and some went once a month or so but everyone went on Christmas and Easter. During harvest time it was acceptable and expected to miss church if your were harvesting. The majority of first dates was going to church with a girl so her mama and daddy could look you over. You didn't hold her hand or even sit too close and you made sure to say yes ma'am and yes sir. You were expected to give an abbreviated family history even though it was not needed because they had already checked you out. If you passed muster you could sit a bit closer and maybe even hold her hand during the second visit. After that you were free to take her out on a date. School ball games or party's were the standard dates and after dating a month or more you might be allowed to take her to the drive-in movie; the first time or two had to include her little brother or sister as chaperone.
After high school you were expected to go to college or go to work. There were a few 'trash folk" and such that didn't work or at least didn't work regularly. We didn't hang out with those folk much but we all knew them. A few were local hermits and such that lived out of town or down by the river in an old fish camp. A couple we knew quite well because they were bootleggers. We lived in a dry county surrounded by dry counties. Bootleg beer and wine was what we had access to. We would get together somewhere in town and one or two would be elected to go get it. Taking orders was easy because most bootleggers only carried Shlitz, Old Milwaukee and Budweiser. We would collect everyone's money, make a run and meet back at a clearing in the woods to pass out orders. Someone would have a fire going and radio or two both tuned to the same station while we drank and sang and if we were lucky made out with our girlfriend. Those things always busted up by 11:30 because most had to be at home by midnight. We didn't risk a curfew violation because that would mean having to talk and being caught with alcohol breath. Somehow we didn't think the wood smoke smell gave us away.
Well this has gone on longer than most of y'all care to read so I will stop. And I didn't even get into hunting, fishing or drag racing!
