Nicksterdemus
Member
It's funny and sad at the same time. I remember as a kid looking at the mail order ads for firearms. Some that I remember were surplus rifles from other countries that sounded exotic to a pre-teen.
At either Sears, Montgomery Wards or both I would walk down aisles of surplus military rifles that were around 50-75 clams. For a country lad going to the Capital and shopping in a mall, where they had all these different stores in the same place no less, this surely must have been what it was like in NYC, Chicago or Los Angeles I reckoned.
The quarter lbs of hot Spanish peanuts that awaited those Saturday trips assured me that all was well in America and my world. The cashews were too expensive and the same value surely would be a paltry amount w/not near the sustenance to sustain a young 'un, w/head full of steam, trying to scourer the toys, sporting goods and hardware sections simultaneously.
So many things that I didn't realize existed caused me to wonder how we'd survived so long w/o such new fangled specialties.
Then, after a day of snoopin' at everything, on the ride back home the kids were rewarded for not acting like complete uncouth, savages/country bumpkins/hay seeds by giving us one last chance to show-out at McDonalds or Burger King.
This was special coz back home we ate in the car or brought the grub back to the house sans soft drinks. Mom would brew a pot of tea.
If I had 8 bits for every pot of tea she brewed I could go out and buy a fully loaded Cadillac. Which we never owned coz they were too expensive. Dad was a Buick man. Poor mans Cadillac. Bought a new one every 4 or 5 years until his 50's when he actually bought a truck for him. Then the car would last for 10 years.
We weren't rich, but we weren't left wanting for necessities and some of the non-essential, nicer items in the Sears & Roebuck catalog.
My parents were conservative and thrifty. Dad voted Democrat most of his life coz the Publicans never seemed to care about farmers and he was raised on a farm. Being from the South he also had a sense of suspicion about them no count, carpetbaggin' reconstructionists that were more concerned w/lining their pockets than reforming any conceived problems.
Mom n pop didn't spend money on every fad that came down the pike. This afforded them the ability to raise us in a proper, stable, healthy environment. Took a while for that to sink in on me years after I knew. I couldn't imagine what life would have been like in an abusive or alcoholic setting.
When I stepped out of line I was rewarded by picking my own green switch and receiving a whoopin'. Woe to me if I skimped on the selection. I learned early in life that a price was to be paid for unacceptable social behavior.
Being comprised of a genetically thick skull it would require many episodes to prepare me and a few minor episodes in my young adult life to reinforce the ideology of walking the straight and narrow and the benefits of being a decent, law abiding member of society.
My version of a scofflaw was driving fast, raisin' what I thought was hell and drinking beer on the weekend while chasin' skirts. In retrospect it seems rather mild when compared to some of today's youth. The only gang I was familiar with was the road chain-gang and I didn't want any part of that membership. However, the boss sittin' on the horse w/scattergun looked like he had a kewl job.
Without a doubt the values installed, perpetuated by a firm hand and a benevolent, caring family helped mold me at a young age and provide me w/mental references to gauge my decisions as my stay in life progressed.
A guy that went to the same high school that I once worked with and considered a nice fella, enjoyable company and a pleasure to be around made a bad decision farther on down the road while under the influence of cocaine. He plea bargained to life in prison.
I can't give enough credit to my parents for the child rearing they provided me.
When you're too dumb to figure it out on your own it's nice to have someone that cares enough about you to beat it into you as needed...
At either Sears, Montgomery Wards or both I would walk down aisles of surplus military rifles that were around 50-75 clams. For a country lad going to the Capital and shopping in a mall, where they had all these different stores in the same place no less, this surely must have been what it was like in NYC, Chicago or Los Angeles I reckoned.
The quarter lbs of hot Spanish peanuts that awaited those Saturday trips assured me that all was well in America and my world. The cashews were too expensive and the same value surely would be a paltry amount w/not near the sustenance to sustain a young 'un, w/head full of steam, trying to scourer the toys, sporting goods and hardware sections simultaneously.
So many things that I didn't realize existed caused me to wonder how we'd survived so long w/o such new fangled specialties.
Then, after a day of snoopin' at everything, on the ride back home the kids were rewarded for not acting like complete uncouth, savages/country bumpkins/hay seeds by giving us one last chance to show-out at McDonalds or Burger King.
This was special coz back home we ate in the car or brought the grub back to the house sans soft drinks. Mom would brew a pot of tea.
If I had 8 bits for every pot of tea she brewed I could go out and buy a fully loaded Cadillac. Which we never owned coz they were too expensive. Dad was a Buick man. Poor mans Cadillac. Bought a new one every 4 or 5 years until his 50's when he actually bought a truck for him. Then the car would last for 10 years.
We weren't rich, but we weren't left wanting for necessities and some of the non-essential, nicer items in the Sears & Roebuck catalog.
My parents were conservative and thrifty. Dad voted Democrat most of his life coz the Publicans never seemed to care about farmers and he was raised on a farm. Being from the South he also had a sense of suspicion about them no count, carpetbaggin' reconstructionists that were more concerned w/lining their pockets than reforming any conceived problems.
Mom n pop didn't spend money on every fad that came down the pike. This afforded them the ability to raise us in a proper, stable, healthy environment. Took a while for that to sink in on me years after I knew. I couldn't imagine what life would have been like in an abusive or alcoholic setting.
When I stepped out of line I was rewarded by picking my own green switch and receiving a whoopin'. Woe to me if I skimped on the selection. I learned early in life that a price was to be paid for unacceptable social behavior.
Being comprised of a genetically thick skull it would require many episodes to prepare me and a few minor episodes in my young adult life to reinforce the ideology of walking the straight and narrow and the benefits of being a decent, law abiding member of society.
My version of a scofflaw was driving fast, raisin' what I thought was hell and drinking beer on the weekend while chasin' skirts. In retrospect it seems rather mild when compared to some of today's youth. The only gang I was familiar with was the road chain-gang and I didn't want any part of that membership. However, the boss sittin' on the horse w/scattergun looked like he had a kewl job.
Without a doubt the values installed, perpetuated by a firm hand and a benevolent, caring family helped mold me at a young age and provide me w/mental references to gauge my decisions as my stay in life progressed.
A guy that went to the same high school that I once worked with and considered a nice fella, enjoyable company and a pleasure to be around made a bad decision farther on down the road while under the influence of cocaine. He plea bargained to life in prison.
I can't give enough credit to my parents for the child rearing they provided me.
When you're too dumb to figure it out on your own it's nice to have someone that cares enough about you to beat it into you as needed...
