Misc. Remembrance:

As a kid, I never got an allowance. That's something my folks weren't into. They were very generous with me, I never lacked anything, and usually when I asked for something they'd get it for me, but an allowance just wasn't going to happen. In '76, just before my folks split up, dad decided to give me a "job". It was sometime in January and the weather was pretty brutal, so he told me he'd pay me a quarter if I'd open the garage door for him when he got home so he wouldn't have to get out of the car and open it himself. We lived in a split level house (a raised-ranch), and the garage was in the lower level. The very first night, I was watching TV and I heard him pull in and stop at the garage door. I didn't want to leave my show, and it was pretty cold down there in the garage, and I was rather warm and cozy and comfortable sitting in front of the tv, so I basically ignored him. He honked. He honked again. And again. And again. Finally I heard him open the car door, open the garage himself, pull into the garage and slam the door shut. The way he slammed the door, I could tell he was angry and that I was in trouble. He came upstairs and just looked at me. Let's just say I lost my job that night, which didn't really bother me. A quarter??? I didn't get out of bed for that kind of money...

Random:

How I loved my 1974 Huffy Pro Thunder bike. I rode that thing everywhere. I got alot of use out of it. I was devastated when I outgrew it.

In my opinion:

Even now Mary's sherpa-lined suede coat still would look fashionable; the boots and Phyllis' outfit, not so much..

I was thinking about...

... Glynnis O'Connor, a child actor back in the day. I only remember her in 2 movies: "Ode To Billy Joe" with Robbie Benson and "Boy In The Plastic Bubble" with John Travolta. I'm sure she was in others, but then again my memory's not what it used to be...

Random:

Recently I was watching youtube videos, and one of them was "Chuckles Bites The Dust". It still made me laugh.

Back in the day..

... at Burger Chef, you could've bought a side of fries and a large root beer for 30 cents, and a deluxe burger for 75 cents. And the employees wore ties...

Does anyone remember....

... the plastic Burger King hand puppets that BK used to give away by the thousands back in the day?? I believe they used to keep whole piles of them on the counter, right next to the paper crowns; and they didn't care if you took 20 of them, they just wanted to unload them.

Fact:

In 1974 I could have lived on Suzy Q's.

Hoodsie cups:

In the early '70s, mom used to buy Hoodsie cups. She would buy the variety pack, which included chocolate and strawberry. I loved the chocolate ones, but hated the strawberry ones. I kept telling her this over and over, but still she kept buying the strawberry ones. I swear she did that on purpose, just to be spiteful..

Random find:

The above is a Coke ad from 1973. I must say they all seem rather slim for people who drink gallons of soda. I drink 2 sodas and gain 5 pounds.. a little "creative marketing" on Madison Avenue's part, I guess....

Misc. remembrance:

One of the highlights of our weekly trips to my grandparents' house in Chatham in the mid-'70s was the Friday night band concerts in the park. We'd get into town around 7:00 pm, my grandfather would give me and my cousin Dee Dee a couple of bucks to spend at the Ben Franklin 5-and-dime, and then we'd stay at the concert from around 8 to 10. We all enjoyed it. Once my grandmother had a few too many, and she attempted to crawl under the rope surrounding the gazebo to dance with my grandfather, and the rope caught her wig and yanked it off. She was a pretty good sport about it though, but then again after 6 gin-and-tonics, she never got too upset about anything...

I knew it was low, but not that low...

I found the above gadget at my friend Jim' place. You can find it here.

1972 Big Jim Camper:

I received one of these for the Christmas of 1972, when I'd just turned 5. I pleaded for this one for months. Once I got it, I never used it. That happened quite frequently with me. Seems I thought I really wanted something when the whole time I really couldn't have cared less. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised I got anything I asked for after that, but somehow my folks kept falling for it...

Question:

Who's the man that would risk his neck

For his brother man?

Shaft!

Can you dig it?

Who's the cat that won't cop out

When there's danger all about?

Shaft!

Right on.

They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother....

Shut your mouth!

... But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft.

Then we can dig it.

McDonald's iron-on transfers:

I believe these are circa '76 / '78. A friend of mine had a couple of these. I don't believe I had any, but I'm not really sure; although I did have others, just not McDonald's. I'd forgot all about them until recently. The bottom one I found on an ebay listing (it's still current), the top one I found on a random image search.

Random:

When I was a little younger than that kid, I ran away a couple of times, but I never got much further than a few houses down the road. Usually it was too close to dinner, and since I didn't have any money on me it just seemed a little too inconvenient to follow through on those days..

You better choose your fights carefully, because you're not going to win them all:

... then Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life - this is my petition. and spare my people - this is my request. For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king." King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, "Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?" Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman."

Question:

Did you have a ring?? Do you still have it?? Do you still wear it??????

Cat's cradle:

I knew how to make Cat's whiskers, Jacob's Ladder, Witch's Hat, Teacup and Saucer, Farmer's Jeans, Witch's Broom, and Pick-A-Banana. A friend tried to teach me Granny's Bra, but it involved a move I couldn't seem to master.. I suppose I could still do it, but I think I'm a little too old for that now..

Rockin' and a-rollin', splishin' and a-splashin', Over the horizon, what can it be?

The pilgrims sailed the sea To find a place to call their own. In their ship Mayflower, They hoped to find a better home. They finally knocked On Plymouth Rock And someone said, "We're there."It may not look like home But at this point I don't care. Oh, they were missing Mother England, They swore their loyalty until the very end. Anything you say, King, It's OK, King, You know it's kinda scary on your own. Gonna build a new land The way we planned.Could you help us run it till it's grown? They planted corn, you know They built their houses one by one, And bit by bit they worked Until the colonies were done. They looked around,Yeah, up and down, And someone said, "Hurray!" If the king could only see us now He would be proud of us today. They knew that now they'd run their own land, But George the Third still vowed He'd rule them till the end. Anything I say, do it my way now. Anything I say, do it my way. Don't you get to feeling independent 'Cause I'm gonna force you to obey. He taxed their property, He didn't give them any choice, And back in England, He didn't give them any voice. (That's called taxation without representation,and it's not fair!)But when the Colonies complained The king said: "I don't care!" He even has the nerve To tax our cup of tea. To put it kindly, King, We really don't agree. Gonna show you how we feel. We're gonna dump this tea, And turn this harbor into The biggest cup of tea in history! They wanted no more Mother England. They knew the time had come For them to take command. It's very clear you're being unfair, King, No matter what you say, we won't obey. Gonna hold a revolution now, King, And we're gonna run it all our way With no more kings... We're gonna elect a president! (No more kings) He's gonna do what the people want! (No more kings) We're gonna run things our way! (No more kings) Nobody's gonna tell us what to do! Rockin' and a-rollin', splishin' and a-splashin', Over the horizon, what can it be? Looks like it's going to be a free country.

Sing me a song, sweet music man...

... but I won't be there to hold your hand like I used to - I'm through with you. You're a hell of a singer and a powerful man, but you surround yourself with people who demand so little of you. You touched my soul with your beautiful song, you even had me singin' along right with you; you said "I need you". But then you changed the words and added harmony, and you sang the song you'd written for me to someone new. But nobody sings a love song quite like you do, and nobody else could make me sing along; and nobody else could make me feel that things are right when I know they're wrong. Nobody sings a love song quite like you.

Not what I was looking for:

I did an image search for the '70s Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercials, but found the above pic instead. You have no idea how hard it is to find a pic from those commercials. I've been looking ever since I started this blog, but no luck. But whatever. As far as the above goes, I had both figures. Still, it would've been nicer to find what I intended (not that I'm complaining. Much...)..

Been there:

Although mom never would've allowed me to leave all those blocks laying all over the floor overnight, or keep the light on. She was pretty strict about those kinds of things..

Random:

I found the above when I did an image search for The Adventures Of Letter Man. It was a cartoon segment from the PBS children's show: The Electric Company. I only learned recently that the narrator was Joan Rivers. I really liked the cartoon, but to be honest the evil spellbinder kind of gave me the creeps..

Random fact:

I could never perform an autopsy. I'm way too squeamish for that sort of thing.

I'm proud to be an American

I'm thankful to God for our freedom, the founding fathers who wrote it into existance, and the men and women who fight and sacrifice everything they have to make sure we keep it. A happy 4th of July to all Americans everywhere.

Random find:

I'm not sure I'd really want to advertise that...

I was just thinking about....

... the Bounty commercials with Nancy Walker. This was a very successful ad campaign. It seems that it ran for almost a decade. I think Nancy died a few years ago. I know she was on "McMillan & Wife", but I'll always remember her as Rosie.