"Childhood Days"

Back when I was a kid, things really were simpler.  Parents didn't worry nearly as much (even the protective ones!)  That meant that my "Childhood Days" were full of all sorts of things that today's kids can't do, can't be, and can't see that were pretty standard back in the day.  On the opposite side of the coin, there are an enormous number of things that are standard now but didn't exist back then.  For instance: 

Ten Things I'd Never Heard of as a Kid!

10.  Play Dates....If I wanted to play, I went outside and found somebody.

9.   Bike  or Skate Helmets....The only kid helmet I ever heard of was for boys who played football.

8.   In-line Skates....Skates were metal, clamped onto your shoes and had four wheels set in a rectangle.  Skates came with a "key" that you wore on a ratty string around your neck.  Wheels in one straight line?  How do you keep balanced?  Spend more than $3.98 on skates??  Why!? 

7.   Seat Belts....were on airplanes, or so I heard.  I'd never been on an airplane!

6.   Infant Seats.....Babies were held by their moms, in the front seat until they could sit up, then into the back seat they went, with all the other kids.

5.   Teacher Enrichment Days....If it was a regular weekday and not a holiday, it was a school day!  Always, no exceptions!  Teachers needing "enrichment"??  Their job was to teach, that's all.

4.   Grammar school cafeterias....You either went home for lunch or you brought your lunch.  You usually ate your lunch outside, unless it was raining.   Occasionally  there might be Pizza Day or Hot Dog Day....maybe.

3.  I-Pods, MP3 players, Pandora....Huh??  If you wanted to listen to music, you only had 2 choices....listen to the radio or buy the record and play it in your living room on your mom & dads record player.

2.  87 different brands of "sports shoes", each more expensive than the last....  There were two types of "Sport shoes";  High-tops (black) for boys and Keds (white) for girls.  That's it, nothing else, really!

1.  Zero Tolerance policies....Not an issue, not even one little bit.  There wasn't a kid in town who was stupid enough to try to get away with bringing a weapon, drugs, alcohol, or anything else illicit to school!  Everybody knew that even trying such a thing would get you a personal meeting with your parents and the principal that very day,  and you would be expelled, sent to military or reform school before the week was out, and labeled a "troublemaker" or a juvenile delinquent.  All of which would wreck your life forever!


And you know what?  In our "Childhood Days", we were happy, generally well-adjusted kids, able to entertain ourselves, with good imaginations, respectful of our elders, most of us finished H.S. and even went to college.  We didn't need anything listed above to make us whole.  We were just fine the way things were!

Today's kids wouldn't last ten minutes!

"Hot Fun in the Summertime"

Seems like everybody I know is just about to go, or just back from, or currently on....VACATION!   Well, of course, it's summertime and that's what you're "supposed" to do, right?   Go have some "Hot Fun in the Summertime"??   It's what we look forward to all year long.

Not too many people did the vacation thing for the last couple of years; the economy was just too iffy for "frivolous" expenditures.  So the stay-cation came into being, which is really still a vacation, it's just chopped up in smaller pieces and happens closer to home.

But this year it seems as though the traditional vacation is making a comeback!

Several of my bloggerbuds, have either been missing in action (and I assume they are  off somewhere having "hot fun") or have been posting little short tidbits about their trips.  It's sort of like the old teacher's first assignment each fall, "What I Did On My Summer Vacation",  but with photos!

I've been reading about trips to Indiana, Phoenix, Virginia, Washington, DC, Tucson, Savannah, Las Vegas, Florida, California, and Alaska.   Wait a minute!  How did Alaska get in there.  That's not much of a place for "hot fun"!

Well, that would be my Lil Sis.  She and my niece, have been on a cruise to Alaska.  They have done that several times and love it!  But they live in Phoenix, year-round, so "hot fun" in the summertime is the last thing they want!

Even Ratchlet, T.A., and Maddie-the-Great, just returned from what I've been thinking of as the "Grand American History Tour".  Because of M-t-G's intense interest in the history of the U.S., they went on a 2-week driving vacation to Gettysburg, Erie, Washington DC, Colonial Williamsburg, with various other stops along the way.   Unfortunately , it was a gazillion degrees on the East Coast, so they, indeed, really had "hot" fun!  On Sunday, we saw some of the pictures they took.  From all reports, they had a great time  (except for the heat). They all learned all sorts of interesting information about this country, but they were glad to get away from the heat wave and come home.

Not to be left out, the Big Guy and I will have a short vacation in Galveston, compliments of our darling daughter.  With one big "except".  It won't be until September.  Somehow that takes it out of the summertime, don't you think?  Nevermind that "Some Like It Hot" (like me, for instance!)  In the interest of marital harmony and avoiding discord among nations, that's when we're going.

Those of you who know him, know that for Mikey, "Hot Fun in the Summertime" is an oxymoron!!  In fact, "hot" anything, anywhere, anytime is his definition of hell on earth. And believe me, he would NOT come anywhere close to having a good time.   Soooo, our vacation won't happen until after all the little kids go back to school, the college kids are off the beaches, the crowds are gone, the humidity drops, temperatures moderate, and the days have begun to shorten. 

Hmmmm, come to think of it, that sounds just about  perfect! 

"The Teddy Bears' Picnic"

I belong to a very exclusive club.  In fact, in addition to me, there are only two other members that I know of.  I'm pretty sure there are more, but I don't know who they are.  The first step in learning if you would qualify for the club is:  "Is the song "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" familiar to you?  If not, I'm sorry, but you can't be a member of the club. 

The second criteria for membership relates to age.  There is no actual age qualification, but if you are currently under 50, it is extremely unlikely that you qualify.  Sorry, this is for those of "a certain age" only.

Thirdly, when you were a child, did you listen to children's programs on the radio on Saturday mornings?  Yes, I said radio!  If so, does the phrase "Let's Pretend", bring anything to mind??

OK, anybody still with me?  Do any of you  fill the criteria so far?  Is there anyone else out there who has figured this out?

So here it is, the final requirement to be a member of our exclusive club....Can you say, "It's Saturday and there's "Noo Schooool Todaaaay!"
[cue Theme music, "Teddy Bears Picnic"....]

It was the show Big John and Sparky!  When we were living in Chicago, it aired for a short time when I has about 7.  I remember sitting cross-legged on the floor facing a large console radio, listening intently, hanging on every word. 

Only about 45 minutes long, it was a wonderful program.  They told stories, sang songs, they looked through the Magic Mirror to see what good or not so good things the kids who listened might have done that week (as reported by parents on the sly!) and they would have a "Let's Pretend" segment where we could pretend to be firemen, or mountain climbers, or cowboys and have big adventures.  It was delightful.  I don't remember who (or what, for that matter) Big John and Sparky were exactly, but I loved them.

It wasn't on for very long (absolutely less than a year) and it wasn't a life changing experience.  It was just kind of neat that there was this program just for kids right there on the radio!  TV was just beginning to come into its own and it wouldn't be long before "Ding, Dong, School" (with Miss Francis), or "Howdy Doody" (with Buffalo Bob, Clarabelle, and Princess Summerfallwinterspring!), and then into the piece de resistance, Captain Kangaroo!  (Did you know that Bob Keeshun - Capt. Kangaroo - played Clarabell on Howdy Doody??)

But I listened to the radio on Saturday mornings.

So years went by, we moved to Florida, and I would occasionally mention Big John and Sparky.  I always was greeted with blank looks and "Who??"  No one in Fla had ever heard of it!  Well, that was surprising to me, but I figured maybe it was just a midwest thing.  But if I met someone who had grown up in Chicago, I always ask if they had listened to Big J and S.  NO ONE had ever heard of it.  No one!   I was beginning to think I had dreamed it or something, but my Mom said no, it was a real program.   Whew!

I was into my mid-teens before I finally met someone who remembered listening to Big John and Sparky.  My classmate, who would ultimately become  my Best Friend Forever, used to listen when she lived in New Orleans at about the same age!  But she hadn't ever met anyone else who listened either!  It was one of the things that tied us together!

Fast forward to the year Little Sis graduated from grammar school (1972-ish).  In a move that surprised me, her class took a 3-day graduation trip to Washington, D.C.  (they were only 13, for heaven's sake.... there was no class trip for me till senior year in high school!)  Anyway, I went along as one of the chaperones, I think there were 6 of us, 2 men and 4 women, a couple of whom  were teachers.  It was a fun trip....especially after the kids' lights out.  The chaperones gathered in one of the grown-up's rooms, had snacks, and wine, and we talked and told dirty jokes, laughed  and generally enjoyed ourselves. 

Somewhere in one of those evenings, I brought up the radio show no one ever heard of, Big John and Sparky.  As usual no one had....except for one of the male teacher/chaperones!   Oh how exciting!  Another one!  He had grown up in Chicago, was about my age and he had listened, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of his radio on Saturday morning.   And yep, you guessed it, he didn't know of anyone else either!

So there you have it.  Big John and Sparky's very exclusive and loyal imaginary fan club has just three members.  I've been asking for years and that's all I've found!  Unless one or more of you remembers the show, of course!  I'd be glad to add you, there's plenty of room for more!

However, if there isn't anyone else who ever heard the show and was a fan, it will remain just be me, Flossie, and John T.  No wonder the program didn't last long!!!

"Buttons and Bows"

This is a big day here on Mellodee Musings....!!  This is a day I have been looking forward to for a long time.  In fact, I wasn't at all sure that I could ever get to this day.  I certainly needed help along the way and my generous friends, Laurie (http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/   ) and especially, Beth (http://cbethblog.blogspot.com/ ) both took pity on my poor pathetic pleas for help and between them they saved my sanity!!  I am so grateful to you both.  You should take a bow!

Okay, those of you who have been reading my posts lately probably have figured out what I'm talking about.  If not, here is what makes this a great day in the neighborhood.  It's all about "Buttons and Bows"!!

TA-DA!!

<a href="http://mellodeemusings.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/rr226/cbethblog/Melodeebuttonsmall.jpg" alt="Mellodee Musings button" /></a>

Mellodee Musings' Grabbable Button!

Wheee!   I've got the Button and Beth should take the Bow!!  Now I have something to share with those who like my page!  Please feel free to grab it and use it and let me know so that I can reciprocate (I hope, if I can figure out that part). 

So, guys, whaddya think?  Huh, huh???   It sounds a little odd, but  Grab Me, please!

"The Counting Song"

Today my mind is filled with minutae....which makes it a perfect time for a List! 
The topic for today?  10 Things I Love About Blogging!

10.  You can find Bloggers writing on just about anything!  Quilting, Care Giving, Music, Kids, Crafts, Houses....you name it.  Somebody is sure to be writing about it.

9.   You can find Blogs with great photographs taken by real people, not just professional photographers.  Photos that are lovely, funny, sad, cute, touching, amazing.  Photos documenting not so ordinary lives and the planet we are lucky enough to call home.

8.  You can find Bloggers that make you think, or make you cry, or make you laugh.  Good writers that can express thoughts so clearly or beautifully that it makes you re-think how you feel about a lot of things!

7.   You can find Bloggers that understand design, graphics, color who create pages, and memes, and buttons, and such that just make you feel good!

6.  Bloggers support one another in good times and the not so good times.  They share their tears, hopes, fears, laughs, ambitions.  No matter how extreme, there will be someone on your side! 

5.  Blogging allows  you to express your feelings about anything!  It's your place to share.

4.  You will find Bloggers who build your ego by telling you they love your writing style.  They can make you feel like your Pulitzer is on its way!

3.  Bloggers are real people telling about their real lives in real time.  They can make you feel like you are right there and a part of their lives.

2.  You can find Bloggers that you know would be a hoot to hang around with....and it can make you wish you could meet them in real life to share a pot of tea.

1.  Bloggers can make you realize that you don't have to be stuck where you are.  There are always options and role models to inspire you to do something new.  Change can be a friend.  What a concept!!

So yep, I love Blogging, and I love that so many people are willing to let the rest of us into their lives.  Thanks to my BloggerBuds and Visitors and Lurkers and Commenters.   Thanks for letting me sing along!