"Many Long Years Ago"

Many years ago, when I was a little girl, life was so simple. We often stayed outside for most of the day. The TV hadn't been invented yet, and because strange men would creep into your house and hide. They would hide in closets, and in cellar doorways, and you could never really feel safe, unless you were outside. So we would play outside and not concern ourselves with the intruders. Unless, they came up to you outside. Then we would pretend that they were just very nice people, and then they would be very nice. Not wanting to be recognized. Salesmen would even go into your house, to see what kind of silverware you had, and try to sell you a better set. Just to get a closer look at your belongings.

Electricity had just come out a few years, prior, and the major part of the people were afraid of it. Some of the people would even come to your back door and ask for something to eat. Many times my mother would feed them, and send them on their way. They were on the street because they were afraid of the electricity and didn't want to be inside when the lightbulb blew up. I often thought that was just being silly. If you didn't feed them when they came to the door you would be in great danger.

There were only iceboxes that you had to purchase ice for, to keep your food cold. The ice was placed in the bottom of your refrigerator. It would only last 1 or 2 days at the most. The food had to be used up very quickly, and nobody would eat leftovers. Even today, I don't like leftovers. Especially if you open your refrigerator often, the food could spoil.

This is before grocery stores, where a produce man would deliver fresh produce to the local grocer. The local candy shop, was a little shop, where the lady would make the candy in the back of the store. Boy, was it good. Although, because of the seasoning called Way, it was dangerous to eat homemade candy. We often would go up with a couple of pennies to get a whole handful of candy. Occasionally a man would walk up to you on the street, and try to give you a slug nickle, for your 2 cents. If you made the deal you would go try and spend the slug nickle and the lady wouldn't take it. So it was better if you kept your 2 cents, and use it at the store. The pennies appeared to be more valuable if they had the American seal on them. Once in a while there were bad pennies, but not that often...

The cheese then was not safe to eat. The goats cheese would make you very sick. Today there are still many people who get very sick and could possibly die, because of the goats cheese. I discovered later, that I am severely allergic to goats cheese, or goats milk. Today, the food and drug administration regulates the food, and I think the labeling of products.

The laws were different then and often times The police would come up to you and ask you if you were being good. And of course you were. Because we thought he was always watching. These were the days, to look back on and laugh.

Their weren't many cars, around then. Few people had cars then. It was expensive to keep them running properly. We used to walk everywhere, and often times, we just trusted everyone, to help us. It was a pleasant time. And there was much joy and laughter speaking to all the other people. They would always say something funny. You were never sorry that you spoke and neither were they.

The laws were different then. And most of the parents, would teach you to respect the police. If you got lost, the local policeman would spend all day, if need be seeing that you returned home, with your family. The police knew every child in the area, and would often ask where you were headed. Almost all of us, trusted the police to look after us. They would tell us to watch our step, and would talk to all of us.

There are many lessons to learn from the older people. Many memories to cherish. To me those were the days. Days of safety and security.The days of curds and way. Those were the days, when children were safe, or so we thought. Days to remember!!