Geezer trivia

How about a topic that is non-virus and non-political.

Part of our stay at home routine is a daily walk. My wife asked why I always walk between her and the road. I told her I was protecting her from mud and horse s—-t that splashed from a passing horse and carriage. She was kind enough to not remind me we hadn’t seen a horse and carriage lately. But she did wonder if our kids and grandkids knew this pearl of wisdom. What else would puzzle them? Examples:

– People used to be careful about telephone calls because party lines meant that there probably six of your neighbors were listening to every word.
– Every kid used to OPEN CARRY BB guns throughout the neighborhood.
– The round wooden stock tank was a perfect place to cool off but slime at the bottom made it impossible to stand up.
– Grandpa always invited you to go fishing because someone needed to row the boat.
– Baseball games can be played without coaches and parents.

Any other geezer thoughts?

I always walk on the street side, if for some reason she ended up on the street side and a car was coming, I would slide her past me to be on the outside. Simple reason of, I’d rather I get hit by a car than her.

Our neighborhood kids would all play outside together without 10 parents staring at them. A first grader could bring a PBJ sandwich to school without the world coming to an end.

I remember not too far back as part of our P.E. class in Nebraska, we had blue rock shooting and archery as part of the course. Both sections lasted 2-3 weeks. I remember taking an uncased, unbroken down shotgun and ammo to school, walking in the door with the 50 or so kids that brought their gun, or dad/grandpa’s gun, and stored it in my locker until the class started. We then would grab the gun on the way to P.E. just like a book, and go out the edge of the ball fields and shoot trap. The gun would stay in my book locker until we were done with that section, and it would go home, and we’d return with bows and arrows. Keeping in mind all these kids walked, rode a bike, drove, or rode a bus with all these and never a problem. My kids are astounded when they here these stories of school from only 30 years ago.

Kids would pile into a car to watch the odometer go past 99,999 miles. None of them wore seat belts because they didn’t exist.
A set of tires that went 20,000 miles was only because of many patches.

Used to ride my bike across town about 5 miles for Little League practice.

JEREMY wrote:

Our neighborhood kids would all play outside together without 10 parents staring at them.

True. But that one who happened to be watching you screw up would smack you up like they were your own parents!

Yea, we got smacked around a lot as kids. Everything turned out alright….

-J.

I used to Spit on my bait before casting.

Go door to door selling bicycle chance tickets for $.10 a piece.

We made hunting knives in shop class. Then we played chicken mumbly peg.

Our gym teacher had a thick catalog of knives that the students could order out of.
Most would buy the standard buck knife with included sheath and then wear it proudly each day to class on their belt.

Shop class included a day of learning how to properly clean your shotgun. We still had guns in school and that was the early 1990s.

I lived in a small town growing up. Left the house in the morning on my bike, came home at the noon whistle (fire siren) had dinner. Took off again and came home at the 5 o’clock whistle and had supper. Took off again and had to be back when the street lights were on. Played plenty of baseball and caught alot of suckers creek fishing.

We watched movies from our cars projected on large billboards. Some of us would crawl in the trunk to get in for free. Movies also had an intermission so we could go buy more snacks.

I had a paper route that I would walk every day with the canvas bag with the papers in. Except Sundays when it took two big bags. Mom would haul me around then. I won a bone handled hunting knife from the Star-Tribune for being the Best Collector. The newspaper made us collect from customers and send it to them. Made you think like a businessman.

Lynden Dirksen wrote:

I lived in a small town growing up. Left the house in the morning on my bike, came home at the noon whistle (fire siren) had dinner. Took off again and came home at the 5 o’clock whistle and had supper. Took off again and had to be back when the street lights were on. Played plenty of baseball and caught alot of suckers creek fishing.

Bikes meant freedom to roam. Only the rich kids got new bikes but the rest of us fixed up junkers to our liking. Tear them down, paint them Candy Apple Red, grease the bearings, and put them back together. We collaborated on difficult fixes, just like junior IDO contributors.

SuperDave1959 wrote:

We watched movies from our cars projected on large billboards. Some of us would crawl in the trunk to get in for free. Movies also had an intermission so we could go buy more snacks.

And put a potato in someone’s tailpipe to bring exiting to a complete halt. Hey I never said we were angels.

Lynn, bikes? Names like Huffy & Murray for us poor kids, no Schwinn for us.

SuperDave1959 wrote:

Lynn, bikes? Names like Huffy & Murray for us poor kids, no Schwinn for us.

Don’t know what brand I had because the badge was long gone before I got it.

Spent many winter days bumper skiing. OR hookie bobbing when cars actually had bumpers!

-J.

I don’t know about geezers but this is how my kids live right now.

– Every kid used to OPEN CARRY BB guns throughout the neighborhood.

– Baseball games can be played without coaches and parents.

– Bikes meant freedom to roam. Only the rich kids got new bikes but the rest of us fixed up junkers to our liking. Tear them down, paint them Candy Apple Red, grease the bearings, and put them back together.

Rode my bike 7 miles (one way) with fishing pole either over the handle bars or straight out the back under the “the bread smasher” with minnows in a bucket.

Remember playing “Cowboys and Native Americans”?

Everything had a purpose and NOTHING was wasted.

Dads belt was my biggest fear in life

Thanks everyone. Each comment triggers memories of simpler times. Something soothing about looking back.

I’ll never forget my grandpa making the snapping noise with his belt and yelling quit jumping on the Davenport to me and my brother. I sure miss him

We lived with a city owned outdoor hockey rink adjacent to our back yard. I remember my parents having to run errands or attend something and giving us 3 boys 10 bucks to order a pizza and saying when the lights go out come back to the house. Didn’t matter what the weather was like and not a parent in sight. Heck the guy that sat in the shack would give us rides to places. Didn’t think nothing of it at the time.

Walk through the woods small game hunting and head into town to get something to eat with your gun on your shoulder and nobody would even look at you weird or think anything badd of it Nowadays you’d be thrown in jail immediately

Randy Wieland wrote:

Everything had a purpose and NOTHING was wasted.

Dads belt was my biggest fear in life

Nothing worse than when dad made you get the belt he was gonna spank you with.

I didn’t get many but when he said “go get my belt” my heart sank.

We used to play capture the flag with our bikes and walkie talkies. Dad’s belt was a joke. Mom’s bar of soap was not.

Jon Jordan wrote:

Spent many winter days bumper skiing. OR hookie bobbing when cars actually had bumpers!

-J.

I grew up in Racine,and we called that skitching.While wearing boots that were nicknamed”monkey plastics”,those were green with yellow trim.