Remember the Rumble Seat?

Leave a reply

If you’re under sixty years of age, you’ve probably never experienced the joy and excitement of riding in a rumble seat. Lucky for me, I just made the cut.

This style of car that sported a rumble seat was not very popular with the ladies because there was no shelter from the wind. But if you were six or seven-years-old, the gusts of air didn’t put a dent in your enthusiasm. There was one problem though–It was hard to find someone willing to put their hairdo at risk so that a little girl could catch a ride in back of this awesome car.

The enticing seat was all that mattered to me. However there was that huge problem that hung over me. My mother would, under no circumstances, allow me to ride back there alone. I had to have an adult with me.

As I mentioned before, because ladies were so persnickety about their hair and whatnot, this was a dreadful requirement. Lucky for me, my mother’s friend Peggy was always up for the challenge. The rumble seat delighted her as much as it thrilled me. We’d laugh and giggle together. I’m sure the word “joyride” must have been coined in honor of this car.

Anyway, the last car with a rumble seat rolled off the assembly line in 1938. And I must admit some fantastic cars came later, but none ever had the magic to rival the Rumble Seat.

 

Going Barefoot – Why Does It Feeel So Good?

Leave a reply

The first thing I do when I walk in the door everyday is take off my shoes. And I know a lot of other people who do the same thing.

Recently I’ve read that it’s a habit that’s actually good for you. It seems that walking on soft carpeting or sand or grass in your bare feet stimulates pressure points on the soles of your feet. Those pressure points in turn signal your brain to release a calming hormone called dopamine.

So, I suppose it stands to reason that if your brain is going to send you a complimentary dose of dopamine, it will eliminate some of your stress and eliminating some of our everyday stresses equals a healthier heart.

No wonder going barefoot feels so good!

Myths – True or False?

Leave a reply

I was watching Inside Edition on TV last week and they were debunking some popular myths–a few conclusions I agreed with, others I did not.

Here’s one I never had heard before. Drinking caffeine will stunt your growth. I was always told smoking cigarettes would do that. Turns out neither is true.

Put ice on a burn. I’ve done this plenty of times, however, ice held on the skin too long can actually make the burn worse. Instead, it’s recommended that you hold the affected area under cold water for ten or fifteen minutes.

And a favorite of mine–chocolate will give you acne. The official finding says False. But I’m living proof that this is absolutely True. If I eat too much chocolate, by too much I mean three or more pieces, (caramels are my favorite) a large zit or two will erupt the very next day. Not acne, but unmistakable lumps that hang around for a couple of days.

The program didn’t mention whether drafts will give you a cold or, for that matter, if going outside on a cold day with wet hair might do the same. They’d probably deem it a myth. As far as I’m concerned, the jury is still out on this one.

Baby In The Air

Leave a reply

colorful-ballI mentioned this game to someone last week and she never heard of it. That shocked me because the kids in my Philadelphia neighborhood played it almost every day during the summer. I can’t believe we were the only ones playing it.

This is how Baby in the Air is played.

Each player is given a number before the game starts. The oldest player starts the game by throwing the ball in the air as high as he can and yells “Baby in the Air number [whatever].”

The kid whose number is called runs up, catches the ball and screams “Halt.” Then he takes three giant steps toward the other players (usually the closest person) who have now stopped in their tracks. The kid with the ball throws it trying to hit the frozen figure in front of him.

If he hits the quarry, that player gets a “B.” If he misses, the “B” is given to the ball-thrower. The first person to spell out the word “Baby” is ejected from the game.

This may sound like an uneventful game, but it cost me three stitches through my eyebrow one afternoon.

Since you have to look up to catch the ball if your number is called, collisions can occur if you mistakenly think your number has been called. That’s how my  friend Bunny and I crashed into each other. Her number was NOT called (I like to point that out) and she didn’t sustain a scratch, while I ended up in the emergency room, a bloody mess. From that day on, I was able to call her “hardhead” with impunity.

Now, can you honestly tell me you don’t remember this fun game? Sheesh!

Halloween

Leave a reply

ghost-costumeHow did Halloween become scary?

Well, thank the Druids. They believed that since November 1st was the beginning of winter, that evil spirits were in their element at this time of year because the nights were becoming longer. It was thought that demons and all types of wicked creatures would be celebrating on the night before November 1st. and that they would be out terrifying innocent people.

So where does the part about the treats come in?

In order to appease these evil ones, the Druids would lay sweets and other foods outside their doors on October 31st. And in an attempt to fool them, the humans would also dress up as ghosts and goblins and witches. They hoped that the creatures would think that they were part of the scary crowd.

Evidently, we’re still trying to do that today.

Happy Halloween!

So You Think Video Games Are Fantastic. HA!

Leave a reply

Maybe they’re pretty good. I’m going to try to mellow out. But you haven’t lived if you’ve never tried to conquer a pinball machine.

pinball machineHere’s a thumbnail sketch of what my day looked like when a new pinball machine was delivered to Marge’s Luncheonette. Marge kept three pinball machines lined up in her store at all times. When an old one was switched out for a new one, it didn’t take more than twenty-four hours for the buzz to circulate throughout the neighborhood.

So, here’s my perfect Saturday afternoon before video games ever existed.

A couple of my friends and I converged on Marge’s. First stop–the soda fountain. I always ordered a cherry coke; the cherry syrup came straight from the fountain, not a bottle. One of my friends ordered a vanilla coke, the other a chocolate coke.

While we waited for a turn at the new machine, we interrogated anyone who already had taken a stab at it. How much shaking would it tolerate before it blared out the dreaded “TILT” sign and the game ended? Who had high score so far? Did the flippers drag or were they smooth?

The wait wasn’t too long because no one had that much money and each game cost a dime, after all. But in the meantime, if the jukebox wasn’t playing, we’d pool our money and select three of our favorite songs. It cost three for a quarter.

juke boxThen our time would come. If we were lucky the darned machine wouldn’t Tilt. But that was rare for a first try. It took time and patience and practice to learn the idiosyncrasies of every pinball machine. But when you did, it was heaven, even though in all those years my name never appeared on the readout as the top-scoring player.

Pinball machines were my generation’s video games. If I were forced to admit it–both are pretty cool.

 

 

 

 

Fashion, Flair and Pizazz

Leave a reply

I was reminiscing with a dear old friend today about our childhood days when we were thirteen and fourteen without a care in the world. We had no idea what lied ahead: sorrow, joy, pain, exultation, grief and unexpected happiness and delights.

No, we had other things on our minds–important things. We didn’t waste our hours in front of monitors playing video games or texting people until our fingers wanted to drop. We busied ourselves in front of our mirrors. Meet the first (and best) fashionistas. That word hadn’t even been invented yet.

We experimented with lip colors. There was a shade called Tangee back then that was all the rage. I guess Tangee was a take on tangerine. It was considered the hottest color of the day.

All cosmetics were high on our list of beautification items, but just as important was the sweater we planned to wear to the weekly Friday night dance. And if one of us happened to have enough money to buy a new sweater, we would all troop over to the avenue (malls hadn’t been invented yet either) to lend encouragement and opinions. First and foremost it had to feel soft, it had to be the right color of course, and it had to be snug without being obviously snug, but just snug enough. The amount of snugness was very important.

An entire weekend could be spent on these undertakings. Each one of us endeavored to be the best we could be, We meant to be a smash hit as we walked into the dance.

Jump forward many years and try to imagine my dismay to have two gorgeous daughters who never felt the need to wear any makeup–never tried to enhance their beauty. They belonged to the all-natural group.

I still can’t comprehend a generation who thinks it’s okay to wear plaid with checks.

 

Dieting For The Ages

Leave a reply

I can’t believe this, but I’m actually losing about a pound a week on my laid-back diet!

So, I’m going to stick to it for a while and get used to:

  1. Drinking no soda
  2. Not taking that detour to pick up a donut
  3. Eating sugar-free candy and watching the calorie count on them even though they have no sugar
  4. Making good choices about what I snack on
  5. Not ordering those oily wraps
  6. Limiting my cheese intake
  7. Eating more vegetables and fruits
  8. Not ordering fried food. This one is the hardest one for me, but I’m trying.

If you have any questions about the diet, see my eight preceding posts and good luck to you.

Dieting – Step #8

Leave a reply

cheeses

Okay–this is going to be a problem because I love, love love cheese. All types of cheeses: hard cheese, soft, spreadable, blue cheese dressing and the grated cheese I sprinkle on my spaghetti. (another bad habit I must break.) But first things first. What am I going to do about cheese?

Well, I’ll start with the cheese I don‘t like–any fat-free product. Not only do they taste bad, I can’t believe they’re good for you. So, they’re already banned from my body.

Grated parmesan is only 22 calories a tablespoon. I like the sound of that. One slice of American cheese is 79 calories. Swiss is 70 calories per slice. Gorgonzola is the cheese used in blue cheese dressing–it’s a bad 99 calories per ounce.

Since I know it would be fruitless to even attempt to give up cheese entirely, I’m going to try modifying. For instance, I won’t slather an entire ounce of dressing on my salad and I’ll only use one slice of cheese in a sandwich.

And now to the ace up my sleeve–lately I’ve been eating Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss Original. One wedge of this delicious cheese is only 50 calories.

Breaking habits is a process. I’m doing my best.

Dieting – Step #7

Leave a reply

Eat more vegetables. Ordinarily I would turn up my nose to this statement, but I have discovered “Steam In Bag” veggies.

The truth is I don’t mind eating vegetables, but opening up a frozen bag of veggies and then preparing them in a pot or in a microwave-safe container–well some days that’s just too much darn work. But now enter Steam In Bag vegetables. (If only they would make them in single packets for those of us who eat alone.) I suppose that’s too much to wish for.

Anyway, last night I had a homemade burger (no bun) and I surrounded it with vegetables: green beans, broccoli and mixed. It was good, but most of all it was filling. And with no carbs.

Then I retired early (with no snacking before bedtime).