I decided to repeat it 'cause I'm getting older ....

e-mail ^ | June 15, 2015 | knarf

[knarf]

CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good. And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

[NorthMountain]

Sea Kitten?

Awesome ...

Serve it raw, over a ball of rice, with a bit of sriracha ...

[chrisser]

I wonder how the “sea kitten” propaganda will go over in a country like Japan...

[knarf]

Hi bakatcha'

Yes, as well as an older man can be as I relive the days and memories .... and try to figure out how to stop this momentum in our land that is robbing us of a viable populace

Vladimir Semienko (I actually remember this) showed up in 5th grade, a refugee (or something) from (we were told) French Morocco, who, later in Jr High School, won the science fair for building and displaying a "binary translator", which was a box with three or four lights on it that somehow he would push buttons and different 1's and 2's would be displayed and we all ooed and aahed while he spoke and (I guess) explained what he was doing (and probably why) and had NO idea what he was talking about

I wonder where Vladimir is today.

[W.]

Hear, hear!

We earned money doing yard work or paper routes and bought chemistry sets with ingredients that would cause liberals today to have apoplectic fits. There were kits with motors and such that taught circuitry and basic electronics. In seventh grade, we had wood shop with planers, bandsaws, drill presses, curing ovens and various malodorous finishes that were...strong. Metal shop had arc welders, oxyacetylene torches, lathes, brakes and presses and even cast aluminum in molds we prepared.

We learned by watching and attained proficiency through hands-on practice, and had fun doing it.

We grew up in a better time, in an America unchained. Wouldn't change a thing...

[knarf]

Unchained America ..... I like that ....

a LOT

[1010RD]

I drew such scenes of mayhem and death in the borders of my school work that I’d be jailed for life in today’s government indoctrination camps. As it was I got early release for bad behavior. Wait a minute?

[1010RD]

The recent push in many states for boat licensing was driven by age. Those born after 1988 must get licenses. To those of us who grew up in the Age of Personal Responsibility, even though born at the very tail of it, get to retain some of our rights.

[YouGoTexasGirl]

My mom would teach us a lesson when we said we were bored in the summertime. She’s hand us old shoe boxes, string and a Sears catalogue. We’d tear out daddy’s, mommy’s, and make a family and glue them to index cards and cut them out. The shoe boxes were the cars so we’d decorate them and tie string to them to pull them around. We had a big bush outside with a spot just made for kids to play under so that was our town! Kept us busy for hours and sometimes days!

[Boomer One]

Grew up a couple of blocks from a school athletic field. Summers were baseball 10 am until dark, with occasional breaks for eating, swimming (in an old quarry or the river), and some tennis. Fall was for football, often tackle without equipment, after school and on weekends. Late fall was basketball, playing outside without coats and indoors in various church leagues. Organized competition was available through the YMCA, Boy's or Optimist clubs. Losing was a fact of life, but you dealt with it, practiced harder, and always came back to try again. We survived numerous injuries but we're always eager to get back into the game. Our Boy Scout Troop even had a rifle and archery range in the church basement and we learned responsible gun ownership as well as how to shoot. Competition spilled over into academics as well as most of us graduated from college. My immediate neighborhood produced doctors, lawyers and an engineer among others. I can't tell you how sad I am looking at today's youth as they sit and play games, believe they are all winners without having gone through competition, and think that life will magically be as they think it should be.

[knarf]

I'd forgotten about THAT .... you're right

I drew guns and tanks

[knarf]

Every chemistry set I ever got was almost immediately investigated for something explosive

I don't know about other little boys, but I wanted to make foaming or sparkling or some other dramatic "experiment"

I could care less about how much salt I could dissolve in a glass of water ... gimmee somthin' that DID somethin' !

[cld51860]

We loved our summer vacations in Indiana, where we hung out with our cousins down on Wild Cat Creek, caught fire flies, and roasted weenies over the fire. Homemade ice cream (do they even allow THAT anymore?!), hiding in the cornfields letting my Uncle Rick scare the bleep out of us... LOL Those were the days. I don’t think we even bothered watching TV at all.

[knarf]

The other day I commented about going to a city public pool and how we boys were there for the most part to look at the girls

Now THAT was growing up !

and a pre-college education

[W.]

The coolest experiment was putting two chemicals in a test tube, where they would react. While that was happening, you'd take a toothpick and light the end on fire. Once it took to burning, you'd blow it out and be left with a glowing red end, which you'd stick into the test tube. It would then erupt back into flame as the reacting chemicals were producing pure oxygen. Pretty neat!

Too bad we didn't have the internet back then... [Boss comes out of the stock room at the paint store and asks the clerk "What'd that kid buy?" Clerk replies, "Two-pound bag of aluminum powder. Wanted to know where to get some cannon fuse, I sent him to the Hobby Center..."]

[knarf]

A case o' ESTES rocket engines, some firecracrackers, marbles, aluminum foil, a couple of guys on a Saturday

We taught ourselves physics .... and survived intact.

laughing our asses off

[Popman]

You do realize today that type of parenting would be considered by liberals almost child abuse, imagine not having scheduled daily events, proper accredited "teachers" and social workers, making sure you were were properly indoctrinated with the correct values, especially since you did not have the various forms of gender blender families pasted inside the shoe boxes...

Betcha she even made you PBJ sandwiches, full of fat and sugar and even teeth rotting Kool-Aid.

/ S

[knarf]

gender blender families

I'm learning a LOT today.

[gorush]

We Older Americans have enjoyed a time and space on this planet that may someday be viewed as the apex of human achievement, (potential) happiness, ease of existence and wealth. Those who have deigned to complain about life are either ignorant of history and/or genetically predisposed to be miserable.

That said, watching our self-imposed decline is indeed sad. The Left has worked persistently to drum up class warfare and social angst in its effort to destroy Liberty and then rule with an iron fist. As results worsen due to their efforts they continue to blame the right for the worsening results...and get away with it due to the Left’s control over “education” (indoctrination) and “the media”.

Happiness occurs between the ears.
“We live in interesting times”.
“Keep your powder dry”.
It is a good time to be old.

[HeadOn]

We played football in the yard on the corner - sidewalk for one end zone, and driveway for the other! They didn’t care we used their yard at all, even though they were older and had no kid in the game! No pads, no whining. Cuts, scrapes, blood, you name it.

When I got to Junior High and started playing organized football, they gave me a helmet and lots of pads. I WAS SUPERMAN! I was used to pain, and the pads kept me from it! I was fearless!

[enotheisen]

We carried pocket knives to school so we could play mumbly peg in the school yard. Nobody complained or got upset. Kids in high school would have .22 rifles in their cars to go squirrel hunting after school