The Good Ol' Days....

People always talk about the "good ol' days", but realistically, they weren't always that good. However, they weren't always that bad either. I've been watching the Waltons in the afternoons, I know, weird, but I can't help myself. There is something nostalgic about living in a simpler time and a simpler life.

When I was growing up there were no cell phones, computers, ipads, ipods. In high school we thought it was a big deal to have a selectric typewriter. You could only watch cartoons on Saturday mornings til noon, and there were only 3 main channels to watch. There were only a few fast food joints to choose from, not the hundreds there are now. When my son is griping about not having something or he is bored, I tell him the above facts he just looks dumbfounded.  "Well, how boring", he says.

But I don't remember being that bored, of course, if you don't know what you're missing, you can't miss it. We played outside all the time, even in the winter. During the summer we'd go outside right after breakfast, play til we were called in at dinner (lunch), then right back out to play til supper (dinner). After supper, during the summer, most of the neighbors would sit on their front porches because not very many people had air conditioning, while all the kids played til dark. We'd play hopscotch, frozen catchers, red rover red rover, my father owns a grocery store, ride bikes, skate, and lots more, everyday. We never had weight problems back then, and we could eat anything. Of course, we very rarely ate out or had fast food, most of our food was homecooked.

I sometimes feel bad for the little kids now days, usually both parents work out of neccessity, so the kids are at daycare. Of course, they get to play there, but it's not the same as playing in your neighborhood. It's funny how sometimes sounds and smells can take me right back to those good ol' days. If I hear the sound of a wooden screen door slam (and there aren't very many of those anymore) it takes me back to my mom's house and us kids flying in and out of the house and slamming that door, driving my mom crazy. We grew up in a camelback shotgun house and my grandma lived in the front of the house and we lived in the back. To this day when I smell someone making brown gravy, I think of her cooking in her kitchen and the smells wafting back to our house. Feeling a cool breeze coming in the window on a summer night reminds me of us sleeping with the windows open at night, it was safe to do so then. And to this day, I love the smell of sheets that have hung outside to dry, it smells so fresh.

I was lucky that growing up my son always loved to play outside. He would rather play outside then play his electronic games. I always loved sitting on my front porch while he played out front, it remined me of the good ol' days. Now don't get me wrong, I love my cell phone and my laptop. They have changed the world, for the best. Information is right at your fingertips, cell phones make sure that you can reach someone if there is an emergency, check on your child, your teen letting you know where they are (that's the best one). I wouldn't give them up.

Now I can live without an ipod, I don't want music blaring in my ears to where I can't hear what is going on around me, especially if I am out walking. I would rather turn the stereo up loud and sing with it. I am not interested in a Kindle, I love the feel of a book in my hands, turning the pages, even the smell of an old book. I guess a Kindle would come in handy at certain time, but really I'm not interested. There is something to be said for not always being plugged in and available. Sometimes simple can be better, just like the Waltons, who lived a simple life, ate their meals as a family, depended on each other and felt "rich" even though they were living through the depression. I know it was just a TV show, but it had some good messages.

So I guess I do miss some things about the good ol' days, but I also love some of the things about these days. There is nothing wrong with keeping some of the old ways alive while embracing new technologies. I've tried to keep some of the simpler ways alive for my son, especially when he was young. He's all into the electronics and that's great, he'll need that for his future, just as long as he remembers the lessons of the simple things.

Good Night John-Boy




RECIPE OF THE DAY                NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER-RICE KRISPIES TREATS
                                                                    (Lucinda Scala Quinn)


1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups of peanut butter (I use crunchy)
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups of rice krispies

Line a 9X13 in pan with wax paper or parchment paper. Place the corn syrup and both sugars in a large saucepan over med. heat and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, remove from heat.

Stir in peanut butter and mix well to combine. Quickly stir in vanilla and rice krispies. Spread into the lined baking dish. Cool and slice into square.




Kathy