1964-1967

Uncategorized / March 24, 2016

The pace of change was accelerating.  Our President was assassinated.  The Beatles landed in America.  Vietnam is still on the back burner but the heat was being turned up.

To the horror of barbershops everywhere guys are letting the hair grow long.  Why? To make a statement against the establishment and conformity, and the girls loved it.  But mostly because the girls loved it.

I remember when my Father said one day “well, think it’s time for a haircut?” I replied no. He was ok with it.  It wasn’t a hill he wanted to fight on.

Of course I bought Beatle albums with my allowance.  A birthday or Christmas present ( I don’t remember which) was a new “Stereo record player” to play them on.

One night I was at my friend “B’s” house.  We were listening to “Buffalo Springfield’s first album. He brought out some thick gummy stuff that he said he got from his older brother who had a friend who was in the army ( I think that’s what it was, so long ago).  He produced a pipe with aluminum foil in it,  stuck a few pinholes,  placed the black gummy stuff in, lit it,  inhaled and passed it to me.  My first time I got high.

High school was next.

 

 

 

Children everywhere Part 2 (War toys)

Social commentary / March 23, 2016

What an amazing thing to remember a time when “political correctness ” did not rule our lives.

I was very fortunate to have wonderful parents and be born at a time when it seemed the whole country consisted of young children and middle age parents. The people who served in WW2 and Korea were in their late thirties and early forties. Many had vivid memories of their past service and many did not want to talk about it.  Like my friend “Charlie’s” father who did 25 missions as a ball gunner on a B-24 who saw other planes go down in flames. was shot down himself bailed out behind the lines and was rescued by the French underground. We were told of this by his oldest son, not him.

Vietnam was still on the horizon.

Kennedy was our President, we were proud of our military and our country.

Playing army was our summer pastime. Usually 8-10 of us would chose sides, one side (US) One side (Krauts). We would play in a small overgrown field behind a neighbors house across the street.  It had a big patch of poison sumac and several nests of fire ants, (I know, I sat in one, I ran fast).

My arsenal consisted of a battery operated 30cal. machine gun  , a bolt action M-1, hand grenades, a spring action mortar with rockets. My friends had similar equipment. “Charlie” even had a German Lugar.   We would go through rolls and rolls of caps. (Remember caps).

We would play for hours. Boys being boys.

Today kids would have to be careful that the kind policemen and women don’t make Swiss cheese out of you. Times have changed.

A Gold town.

Politics, Uncategorized / March 12, 2019

Palm Sunday, a very special day. With greater things to come.

Drove through Norwich today.  The town of Norwich, not Northfield which is the home of “Norwich” University. Norwich University used to be in the town of Norwich but its Cadets just could not get along with the boys from Dartmouth.  School pride , drunken brawls and not in the least,  competition  over available female companionship. Remember, these were schools exclusively for men.

Dartmouth was there first.  Norwich moved.

The town of Norwich easily survived the loss of its namesake University which prospers to this day under its name in the town of Northfield.

Norwich is a “GOLD” town, a bedroom community of Hanover N.H. and solidly Democrat.  Real estate is a-half million and up.  A lot of people doing VERY well. They have the best police force money can buy and that 25mph speed limet is just what it says.  Saw several political lawn signs.  Some for Bernie, some for Hillary. None for any Republican.

Maybe these people feel guilty being in that upper 20%.  They’re just not taxed enough,  and if they’re going to pay, damn it everyone has to pay.

No one questions wither you have more then your “fair share” if you belong to the party of the “little guy”, the environment , illegal immigration, abortion rights etc.   Your conscious will be clear.  The media will never rebuke you.  And your party leaders will do the thinking for you.

And your safe and sound inside your gold town.

And Remember, Caitlyn Jenner became persona-non- grata when “she” came out of the closet…for TED CRUZ!

And no one cares that Tom Steyer  made his billions in coal.

Maybe Norwich would be a good place to locate refugees . We can’t let Europe have all the fun.

 

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Quotes from dead white males.

Social commentary / March 19, 2016

“Remember, democracy never last long. it soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy that didn’t commit suicide. It is vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious, or less avaricious then aristocracy or monarchy. It’s not true, in fact, and nowhere appears in history. Those passions are the same in all men, under all forms of government. and when unchecked, produce the same effect of fraud, violence, and cruelty.”    John Adams, letter to John Taylor 1814

“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality.  but notice the difference: while democracy seek equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude. ”     Alex de Tocqueville

Children everywhere. Part 1

Social commentary / March 20, 2016

Being of slightly advanced age does give one perspective on societal evolution when you’ve had the privilege of witnessing it with your own eyes. The late fifties and early sixties could  have been called “the age of children”.  The “baby boom” that had started at the end of WW2 was now in full bloom with full classrooms in in every grade.  It was reading (phonics), writing, (cursive) and arithmetic. The morning started with saluting the flag and saying the pledge of allegiance , including the words (gasp) ‘under God.

Other items that were mandatory at the time was art and music. Both were instrumental in my intellectual development as I was able to learn early on that I had precious little talent in either.

Recess was always a blast. over a hundred kids running,  jumping, screaming, and playing with all kinds dangerous playground equipment. Kids chose their own teams, played games and played to win. Two teachers oversaw this mayhem to break up the rare fight, and to take injured students to the school nurse.

Boys played competitive games, girls jump roped and played hopscotch.

Tomboy girls were accepted. Girly boys? I’m sure they were there but I never noticed. Remember these were primitive times.  The latest new technology was the rotary  phone.

To be continued.

 

In Memoriam

Uncategorized / March 17, 2016

Harriet
 

Disclaimer:  Although the loss of a pet is in no way equal to the loss of a family member or friend, Harriet was a member of our family for over nine years. We brought her home from the Human Society. Exactly how old she was we don’t know.  She was a good kitty, and we’ll miss her.

Will Vermont legalize Marijuana ?

Social commentary / March 17, 2016

The Governor is in favor, The Senate had spoken. What will the House do? I have a lot of mixed feelings about this. I must confess that the “twenty-something” me would say “ALL RIGHT, IT’S ABOUT TIME ! The “present” me says “Eh, I’m not so sure about this”.
It’s Ironic that I have a friend and an acquaintance who have indulged in “weed” for decades. Now that they have reached “geezer” status they decided that it was simply time to quit. Now it may become legal. All those years when they could have been arrested for it.
I’ll have a lot more to say about this in a future post.

Meanwhile deaths from heroin and fentanyl jumped from 15 in 2012 to 53 in 2015. This from the Vermont Health Dept. The opiate epidemic is really bad. How can this be?  We live in a progressive paradise, our unemployment rate has dropped to 3.4% (Plenty of sales clerk and fast food jobs), we’re at the forefront in saving the planet. We pay high taxes. So what’s the problem? Ha!