Kitchen

[spix]

On 7/28/2014 kittymomNC said:

I'm in agreement with others here - living in a much simpler time. Technology is wonderful, but sometimes I think we can have way too much of a good thing. This question has really got my mind going, so if I write too much, just skip it and go on to the next post.

I wish all kids could experience the kind of childhoods a lot of us did, at least for a while so they could know what it was like. Who knows, some of them might even like it! When I was very small, we lived in the country and my brother and sister went to a one-room schoolhouse, pot bellied stove and all. There was a swinging bridge over the creek behind the school. We moved away from there right before I started school and I was mad because I wouldn't get to go to the one-room school. My mom made my older brother take me one day - I had a great time but he hated it!

As young kids, we played volleyball over the back fence with our neighbors, played marbles in the dirt, kick the can at night when no one was afraid to allow their kids outside at night, climbed the china berry trees and talked to each other from the trees! We laid out in the grass and stared up at the stars at night, and in the daytime stared up at the clouds to decide what they looked like. We used ourimaginations(fancy that!) to figure out fun things to do. We had an old shed, and I used to get up on top of it on cloudy days and read books - I loved to read, and still do.

Since we didn't have A/C we slept on the floor in the living room sometimes with the doors open so the breeze would come through -- no one ever bothered locking their doors at night or when they left the house. When we were older, we sat on the porch and watched the cars go by and played a game of naming the cars. Back then we pretty much knew the make, model and year of every car that passed - that was before all cars started looking so much alike. They had character!

As teenagers, we had dances at the community center, dancing to that "dreadful" rock and roll music! I was a high school cheerleader, and our sponsor threatened to ban the records when we started dancing the "Twist" at our dances we held after home games. We "went steady" and that was a big deal! We didn't drink (ok, there were a few who did), but some of us thought it was a REALLY big deal to have a drink at our graduation parties. We didn't really know about "pot", "weed", "grass", etc. We heard rumors, but weren't sure about it. And those great cars - drag racing where we shouldn't -- what a blast! But maybe I shouldn't go there......

I could go on forever, but this is too long already. It just really got me thinking about the way things used to be. We didn't have much money, but back then, it just didn't seem to matter that much. Now it's like if you don't have a big house, a new car, all the newest tech gadgets, and have your face buried in a phone, you're missing out on something. Funny thing is, I don't have all those, and I don't feel like I'm missing a thing.

What a great childhood we had, but sadly gone forever, we were the lucky ones

[house_cat]

I wonder, spix, if every generation feels that way about their own childhood.

And Poodlepet, you remind me so much of myself. The last year or so I have been going back to basics in the kitchen and so many other aspects of my life. I simply had a sense that something was missing.

I have friends who buy their food already prepared or go to restaurants, have their houses cleaned by professionals, their dogs walked for them when they're not home, their nails done for them, and they drop off their laundry and pick it up clean. As much as there are days when I'm not in the mood to do those things, I'd feel lost if someone did everything for me.

[gardensla]

Simpler. Slower. Softer. That's the world of my childhood.

As much as I enjoy my 24/7 girl-in-the-big-city lifestyle, I too remember thinks like going clamming and all the neighbors coming over to eat and drink a beer under the stars. I remember sitting down with my parent for breakfast and easing into the day-so different now when everyone is scattered in 10 direction upon waking up. And like everyone else, I miss being un-wired.

Thing is, I could still have all of that but it would be a conscious choice. Thanks to the OP for reminding me of this!

[vabreeze]

RE: ....climbed the china berry trees and talked to each other from the trees! ................................. Oh spix, do I ever remember that tree!!! As a young girl of about 5, climbing a chinaberry tree almost cost me my life when I fell out of one. I was rushed to the hospital where my chin/neck was stitched up. I never forgot my parents telling me years later that the doctor said my injury was just inches from severing my jugular vein.

[chrystaltree]

On 7/28/2014 expatgal said:

I guess I would say I just wish there wasn't so much pressure on women today. To BE a certain way, to LOOK a certain way, or to THINK a certain way. No longer are you "allowed" to decide to stay at home, raise a family, cook meals, etc. Having it all seems to be the norm now with young women and at age 60, I know in my heart it simply isn't possible. Women are only "accepted" in today's society if they have careers outside the home, look perfect at all times, and have a wonderful, well adjusted family. It even sounds impossible when you type it!

Actually, putting food on the table and clothes on their kids backs and paying mortgages and car notes and cell phone bills and orthodontist bills and saving for college and paying off their OWN college loans is the NORM today. Perhaps you haven't noticed but life is very expensive today. Women aren't heading off to offices and other worksites because they WANT. We aren't looking for that Mary Tyler Moore experience. Women HAVE to work because it's virtually impossible for a family live any type of life worth living on one salary. Well, maybe you can if that salary is in the mid six figures. But for us ordinary people; it's just not possible. Just as it takes two to MAKE a family, well today it takes TWO to support that family. We're lucky if we can take a few years off to stay home. Some of us don't want kids who graduate high school and go on to work a "do you want fries with that" type of job. Some of us live in town and cities with atrocious public schools and private schools are a necessity. Obviously, you are from a different generation and have no idea whatsoever what challegned families and women face to day.

[Zcat]

I'm 45, and my parents were born in 1935 and 1940. Like many of you, I was raised with a different set of values than most people have today. I miss that sense of honor and self-reliance.

But I also love air-conditioning and Google. There are trade-offs for every time era I suppose.

I recently saw a special on the differences between dogs and wolves. When raised side-by-side (in the same compound, but in different fenced-in areas), dogs and wolves acted almost identically. But when presented with a puzzle to get to their food, dogs gave up almost immediately while the wolves tried and tried until they were successful. I think that's what wrong with our society now -- when things get challenging, people give up too soon and expect a hand-out. Of course, this was the long answer.....

[SouthernBee]

Thank you-IAmMrs. G! God Bless America! I grew up poor but had a wonderful childhood. We played out side with the neighbors. My uncle owned the neighborhood grocery. I would get the extra large boxes from the store along with the meat market wrapping paper. I liked to make a doll house and furniture with the boxes and paper. I made paper dolls from people cut out of the Sears book.... using the cardbord to make my paper dolls stand up. My Bigmama would be on the front porch shelling peas ..... for the smaller kids she would have contest to see who could shell the most peas and fill up a mason jar...... reward pennies to purchase penny candies at the store. If any child caused problems she had the parents permission to deal with by spanking or time out, plus the parent would also deal with the issue when they came home from work.... but everyone respected my Bigmama and had very few problems. Our house was where the kids played on the front porch and in the yard. My Bigmama would surprise us with watermelon slices or homemade peach cobbler . One neighbor worked at Krystal and that is when the hamburgers were a dime, she would bring home a sack full of hamburgers. During lunch, several of the mothers would make pb& jelly sandwiches or egg salad sandwiches. I was already looking at my past and missing so many of my family and friends and can not believe that I will turn 60 on Wednesday. I am thankful and very Blessed because I had a wonderful Mother , Bigmama and uncle. I was a baby when my father died. I have four of my former neighbors that I call and visit. I love the past but I really enjoy my tablet....... and it was a dear friend that is 10 years older that insisted I needed a tablet. My precious husband purchased the tablet for me. Please forgive my rambling. Blessing to everyone and I look forward to reading about your memories.

[kittymomNC]

On 7/28/2014 chrystaltree said:

On 7/28/2014 expatgal said:

I guess I would say I just wish there wasn't so much pressure on women today. To BE a certain way, to LOOK a certain way, or to THINK a certain way. No longer are you "allowed" to decide to stay at home, raise a family, cook meals, etc. Having it all seems to be the norm now with young women and at age 60, I know in my heart it simply isn't possible. Women are only "accepted" in today's society if they have careers outside the home, look perfect at all times, and have a wonderful, well adjusted family. It even sounds impossible when you type it!

Actually, putting food on the table and clothes on their kids backs and paying mortgages and car notes and cell phone bills and orthodontist bills and saving for college and paying off their OWN college loans is the NORM today. Perhaps you haven't noticed but life is very expensive today. Women aren't heading off to offices and other worksites because they WANT. We aren't looking for that Mary Tyler Moore experience. Women HAVE to work because it's virtually impossible for a family live any type of life worth living on one salary. Well, maybe you can if that salary is in the mid six figures. But for us ordinary people; it's just not possible. Just as it takes two to MAKE a family, well today it takes TWO to support that family. We're lucky if we can take a few years off to stay home. Some of us don't want kids who graduate high school and go on to work a "do you want fries with that" type of job. Some of us live in town and cities with atrocious public schools and private schools are a necessity. Obviously, you are from a different generation and have no idea whatsoever what challegned families and women face to day.

I'm not answering for expatgal, I just wanted to comment. And please understand that I'm not criticizing you or what you said. I'm just giving a different way of looking at things. I do agree with a lot of what you've said - in this day and age, it's very difficult to raise a family on one salary--in fact there is so much in the news now about the "working poor", where both parents work low-paying jobs and still can't make ends meet. I'm just doubtful about your last sentence.

I'm older than expatgal, so I'm from a different generation as well. Just because you're from a different generation doesn't mean you don't have any idea of what's going on now. You don't know what her circumstances were, and she's expressing an opinion. But I do understand the challenges because I was a single mom from the time my son was 3. I was the mother, the father, the breadwinner, the cook, the homework teacher, the yard worker, the food buyer, the one who bought the clothes, and paid the medical bills and the orthodontist bills, and paid for the car, and took care of the car, and paid the rent, then the mortgage, took care of MY mom for the months before she died, while I had a job and a 16-year old at home, etc. etc. etc. On ONE salary, so it can be done. For me it wasn't by choice, it was by necessity, and we certainly didn't have everything that everyone else had, but I did it with no help from anyone. It may be hard, but there are always stories of people who have made the choice to have less, live a simpler life, and make do with one salary - even today.

Now my son has health issues, lost his job because of it, and is in danger of losing his house - and I'm retired, but I'm trying to help him. Still on ONE income..... So even though my circumstances have been out of necessity, I'm just saying how much can be done by one person, or one income....it has a lot to do with the choices you make. And maybe it is partly because I'm from a different generation -- we learned at a young age how to do with less because most people didn't have all that much when I was younger - therefore, I guess we just learned not to expect as much and to be happy with what we had.

[Allegheny]

I miss the time when people weren't so much in a rush, when more kindness and courtesy was extended.

[gailcoco]

I totally agree with KITTYMONNC. Neighborhood kids would come in our backyard and sing out "Ohhhhhhhhh Gaaaill, Can you come out and playeeeeeeee?" And our moms would have to yell out the backdoor for us to come in for dinner. We would be gone for hours and our parents had no worries about us.

What I miss is that everyone seemed to stay in the neighborhood. I don't remember a lot of relatives moving out of state for work. I wish my family wasn't scattered all over the place.

The one thing I could do without are the gangs that took over all my old neighborhoods.