Hide and go seek at dusk.

Mother May I? Red Rover.

When your Mom wore nylons

that came in two pieces.

When every adult had a title as

Mr., Mrs., Miss., Sir, or Ma’am.

Jacks, Kickball, and dodge ball.

Catching lightening bugs in a jar.

When nearly everyone’s mom was

at home when the kids got there.

Sitting on the back porch listening

to the ballgame on the radio.

Penny candy in a brown paper bag.

Listening to Superman on the radio.

When it took five minutes for the TV

to warm up, if you even had one.

When you picked up the phone and

the operator said, “Number Please?”

Running till you were out of breath.

When nobody owned a purebred dog.

When the only time you wore Sneakers

was at school, for gym class.

Hopscotch, butterscotch, double dutch.

When a quarter was a decent allowance.

When being sent to the principal’s office

was nothing compared to the fate that

awaited a misbehaving student at home.

When girls never kissed on the first date.

When laundry detergent had free glasses,

dishes or towels hidden inside the box.

When you got your windshield cleaned oil

checked, and gas pumped, without asking,

for free, every time. and you got trading

stamps to boot! And, you didn’t pay for air.

A million mosquito bites and sticky fingers.

Cops and Robbers…..Cowboys and Indians.

An ice cream cone on a warm summer night.

When you removed your hat and held your hand

over your heart in silence during the “Pledge

of Allegiance” or the National Anthem.

When you’d reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.

When homework assignments were a daily routine.

A cherry coke from the fountain at the corner drug store.

May all your memories

Be warm and happy!