I understand, even at 52, what my father-in-law is referring to when he states at the age of 76 he can’t remember where he left his shoes, but he can remember his first home phone number 75 years ago or so. Memory is a strange blessing and a curse. So many memories are triggered by a smell, a color, a certain breeze in the air or a simple touch. I think it is what keeps so many of us going as well as what holds so many of us back; or holds us down. I try each day to ‘weed my garden’ of memories and pull out the bad and toss them away and only try to nourish the good. It is a full-time job just like any garden worth having and loving.

I sent a fun email to my friends and family the other day that included pics of many items from the past….fun things like hair dryer bonnets where you were attached to the cap and the machine for Lord only knows how long. I just remember that it was way too long when my mom put my extremely thick and wavy waist length hair in banana curls up to my shoulders with Bobbie Pins and was made to sit in one place at the age of 5 until I was completely dry…something about how “I would get sick if I ran around with a wet head”? Today, that makes me chuckle.

Soon after receiving the original email, I received another. Things happen in threes? I am still waiting for another. This email contained some items that were before ‘my time’. I should have shared that one. Maybe I still will. I love his responses. His etiquette and professionalism continues to this day. Or is it common courtesy? Each email sent deserves a response from ‘Old Don’. I don’t call him by his label. To me his is Big Don and I am married to ‘Little Don’. He is another stand up, respectful, courteous, loving man who came from good stock and in my mind will have no problem carrying out the family tradition of family, love and respect for one another.

I had no problem with this “test”. Our first phone when I was kid was “stand up” model. Our “plan” was a four party line with a 40 calls per month limit. The number was LOckhart 3656.

My mother dragged her washing machine (yes, she had one) from the back porch to the kitchen, washed the clothes, ran them through the wringer, than hung them in the back yard where they froze in the winter.

My first experience with air conditioning was walking into an air conditioned store. No one I knew had it.

One thing about getting old is that you can’t remember where you left your shoes, but you can remember almost everything that happened 75 years ago.

Thanks for sharing.

Love,
Old Don

No, thank you for sharing Big Don; we love you for all your ‘shares’.

Love,
Little Don’s Wife

Excerpt from the original email:

“DID YOU KNOW…
Those who were born in the 50’s 60’s ,70’s and early 80’s are the last generation who played in the street. During our childhood we “walked” over a mile a day when we played & played “hide & seek” outside at night with no worries or fear of anything bad happening to us.

We are the first generation who played video games and the last to record songs off the radio onto a cassette tape. We learned how to program a VCR before anyone else, we were the first to play from Atari to Nintendo…We are the generation of Tom & Jerry, Looney Toons, & Captain Kangaroo. We traveled in cars without seat belts or air bags, lived without cell phones and caller ID. We did not have fax machines, flat screens, surround sound, I pods, Facebook, Twitter, computers or the internet, and through it all we had a great time.”

Submitted by Pam King