Pre-Boomer Musings

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A Saturday night trip to the drive-in movie with a date and a Sunday afternoon ride topped off with a burger and shake delivered to your car by someone on roller skates was what we called a great weekend in the 1950s.  These experiences only exist in the recesses of our minds, but the memories are beautifully vivid and certainly fun. 

At the peak of popularity in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, there were some 4,000 drive-in theaters across the United States.  So this American icon, which got stated in 1934 with only a handful of locations scattered around the country, had a good run before other entertainment options, soaring land values and revenue erosion shut them down forever.

Although some families took their small children (kids were free) to the show hoping they would be asleep soon after the movie began at twilight, the crowd tended to be young people.  Many of them were on dates and the safety of the drive-in was preferred to the tawdriness of lover’s lane, which led to the popular nickname “Passion Pit.”  We all remember the fogged up windows and other telltale signs that the people in the cars were doing more than watching the “Return of the Creature from the Black Lagoon.”

Who can forget those cheesy ads with the dancing hot dogs, sodas and popcorn reminding us that the concession stand was open and there were only so many minutes left before the show resumed?  Or, the speakers that fit on your window and delivered lousy sound quality (ever start to drive off before putting it back on the stand)?  And, how about dollar night in the middle of the week when a carload got in for just a buck?  These were all part of the teenage years for most pre-boomers.

Another enjoyable part of those glorious years was the car hop restaurant.  Although curb-service had been around since the 1920s and drive-through restaurants came on the scene in the mid-30s, car hop operations began in the ‘40s and peaked about 10 years later.  The roller skating servers were the “show biz” part of this phenomenon. 

While there are some car hop restaurants today, the skaters are long gone.  Yet movies depicting that era suggest the fad was bigger and lasted longer than it really did.  Can you say, “American Graffiti?”  The history on both sides of the car hop period is interesting.  The precursor to today’s fast food restaurants dates back to 1921 when White Castle, a Mid-West chain, offered a limited menu featuring hamburgers.  About the same time, A&W franchised its root beer locations.  Over the years, these concepts developed into the food operations we know so well, today.  However, the term “Fast Food” was first used in 1951.  Interestingly, McDonald’s did not have a drive-through until 1975.

The facts are nice to know, but it’s the feelings from being there that count.  Next time you pass the site where a drive-in theater once stood or go to a restaurant with your grandkids, tell them about the good times our generation had back in the olden days.  That’s when a carload of your friends could go to the drive-in for a buck and a burger and shake was less than a buck, plus it was delivered to you on skates.  What fun we had.      

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When I recently heard the thermometer would finally rise above 50 degrees in the mid-Atlantic states, it was a sign that spring was right around the corner.  Narcissus and hyacinth plants as well as fresh-cut daffodils were already being sold in Southern California, where I live.  But the weather breaking after such a harsh winter, reminded me of the many joys of spring when I grew up in Philadelphia.

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Back then, we had tough winters, too.  The old adage about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb was the rule rather than the exception.  The snow was often on the ground after the second week of the month with the only encouraging sign being buds of crocus and other bulbs popping through the icy blanket.  Then, miraculously, the air softened and on the wings of a gentle breeze all signs of winter drifted away.

Even as a kid, I was fully aware of Mother Nature’s awakening.  Besides the flowers, the pussy willows and their furry little buds indicated the dogwood trees would soon be blossoming and a whole range of deciduous trees would follow, sprouting leaves that would soon fill the landscape.

It was time to change from those protective winter coats to lighter outer-clothing.  For boys, clothing switched from corduroys to kaki pants.  Sweaters and flannels would give way to less bulky shirts.  The girls’ attire moved from long stockings and woolen things to more comfortable items. 

Children began to play outside for longer periods of time.  And, without the heavy clothes, the games we played changed, as well.  The bicycles and roller skates (the clamp on to your shoes type) came out, along with the scooters.  Boys starting tossing the baseball around, even though the ground was a bit too soggy to start playing at the park.  Girls played hopscotch and jumped rope, activities which had been confined to the basement or not engaged in at all during the winter.  Our world was suddenly alive.

At school, we played outside before and after class and at recess.  And the playground gates were open longer, even though it still got dark early.  Daylight savings time do not go into effect until April during the ‘40s and ‘50s.  Ahh, what a great time of year.  Even the end of the school semester was in sight.

Of course, the spring rains were still to come.  April always turned out to be pretty wet, but that thought didn’t enter our minds when the first break in the weather came.  The chirps of the drab little sparrows could be heard long before the robins and the other, more colorful, birds migrated North for the upcoming season. 

Remember how it was back in your hometown in early spring?  Be sure to share those experiences with the grandkids.  Better yet, take them on a walk and show them the signs of spring you loved so much back in your youth.

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When is the last time Iraq was on the front page of the newspaper or the lead item on network television?  Based on the lack of coverage, you might think our troops have all but left the country.  Recently, however, Iraq was back in the news when the people of that country once again expressed their desires through the democratic election process.

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It will be up to the elected representatives to sort things out and govern the country on their own.  We Americans must allow this fledgling democracy to develop Iraqi-style, which means offering our help while not imposing our will.  This 7-year Iraq conflict has lasted longer than all of World War II.  It is so unpopular, here and abroad, many would rather abandon the investment of time, money and human resources and simply leave – a move scheduled to be accomplished by September of 2010. 

The US presence has dropped to some 90,000 men and women, but more than half that number will remain as advisors after the pullout.  By the end of the year, we will have spent nearly a trillion dollars in support of the Iraqi War.  The human price has been about 4,500 US troops killed, compared to less than 300 lost by all other countries combined.  In addition, 32,000 US troops have been wounded (mental conditions are not part of this number).

The toll on the Iraqis has been greater with 10,000 police and soldiers dead.  Civilians killed are pegged at 100,000.  But some estimate this number to be as high as 500,000, because of underreporting, according to About.com.  More than 55,000 insurgents perished during the years of the conflict.  Displaced Iraqis are estimated at 2.3 million and another 2.3 million are refugees in other countries.

With our stay in Iraq nearing an end, a stable government there could help:

 –   establish a democracy in a Muslim country in the Mid-East

 –   give Israel a little breathing room

 –   keep Al-Qaeda from garnering support and marshalling local forces

 –   deter Iran from starting a conflict in the area

 –   demonstrate to the people of neighboring countries that freedom is working

 –   serve notice to dictatorships that change is in the air

 –   bring home tired troops and provide backup to finish the job in Afghanistan

Reading the true results of the Iraqi election will be an ongoing process, but voting had its perils.  First, party headquarters were bombed and candidates assassinated.  Then, the citizens endured suicide bombings and rocket attacks.  Finally, there was coercion, fraud and voting irregularities.  Nonetheless, the courageous people of Iraq made their way to the polls and were proud to hold up purple-stained fingers to prove they voted. 

In the end, the people had their say; and now begins the difficult role of governing.  Americans know democracy is not always pretty in the making.  But it is the only free form of government.  Good luck, Iraq, and enjoy the adventure. 

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Every few years the political party not in power promises change if they get elected.  We have heard this rhetoric time and time again at the local, state and national levels.  Often the public votes for change, but when the dust settles everything reverts back to business, make that politics, as usual. 

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The presidential election of just over a year ago was about change.  Americans were tired of the ways of Washington, and many believed in the candidate’s message of change.  He won impressively, but not with a mandate.  In fact, there was nothing specific laid out on the campaign trail.  Change in attitude, openness and fairness were the recurring themes fed to people hungry for something different.

Change came so quickly.  The vault was open, and money was being shoveled out the door faster than it could be printed.  The Stimulus package, including the takeover of GM and Chrysler. Cash for Clunkers, which sold more foreign cars than US brands.  Cap and Trade, taxes and fees that will put our industries at a competitive disadvantage and cost consumers more for energy.  Plus the now infamous Health Care Reform bill, the legislative disaster that demonstrated how poorly politicians listen to their constituents.  These are not solutions; they are part of the problem 

While those elected by us are following their own agendas, the people of this country are crying for jobs, so we can get the workforce back on its feet and get the economy going, then growing, again.  The simple truth is the people have lost confidence in the government’s willingness and ability to do the right thing.   

Spending is out of control and the debt is dangerously high.  The question is when will the politicians get a handle on financial issues?  Many of us want the government to slow down, examine their priorities and then go about the peoples’ business.  Yet the pleas from concerned citizens continue to be  ignored.  No wonder trust in our elected representatives has dropped so low.  No wonder protests, town hall meetings and grass root movements are so popular with the people but not the politicians.  No wonder incumbents of both parties facing November elections are worried about being booted out of office.

Politicians must start using common sense, forget about pet projects and, for God’s sake, when the time comes to bring up legislation, work together with those across the aisle to bring the people something we can believe in.  In the meantime, Washington needs to create an atmosphere were businesses, large and small, are willing to re-invest in the future of America by putting people back to work.  That’s real change. 

Isn’t this what New Seniors like us want and expect?  We need to let our elected representatives know how we feel on the issues that matter to each of us.  While we may account for less than 15 percent of the population, those 65+ deliver nearly 30 percent of the vote in primaries and off-year elections.  We are the people who can change things.

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A recent conversation with a friend about the simple things from our respective childhoods led us to the subject of ice.  Yes, frozen H2O.  The stuff we never thought much about unless we hit a slick spot on the sidewalk causing us to slip and slide or maybe fall to the ground.  As we grew older we learned about the many dangers of ice, particularly when driving.  But back then, everything associated with ice was positive.  

For instance, the ice truck stopped by my neighborhood a couple of times each week until well after the end of World War II, because the corner grocer as well as several homes still had ice boxes.  I can remember the signs people placed in their windows indicating how big a block of ice they needed. 

The ice man, a strapping older man with a thick Italian accent, didn’t like us kids hanging around his truck.  Because he knew that as soon as he walked away to deliver his merchandise, we would scamper up the back of the truck and grab the biggest slivers we could find and hightail it around the corner.  If he returned sooner than expected, a big scene ensued.  He would wave the ice tongs above his head and vow to get us next time.  I won’t forget how much courage it took to participate in this adventure, even though I later found out the whole thing was simply an act on his part.

There were other sources of ice treats.  In the winter, icicles often form around the  porches and roof eaves.  It was fun to snap these off and suck on this giant, but tasteless, Popsicle.  Any specks logged in the ice where wiped off or spit out as they were encountered.  There was no way these could be harmful, since they were frozen.  At least that’s how we saw it.  The longer ones also doubled as a sword, which broke the first time it was struck during combat with a friend. 

In the heat of the summer, a man sold Italian water ice from a white two-wheel pushcart with red trim.  To keep the ice from melting too quickly in the hot and humid Philadelphia air, he covered the frozen block with a towel.  No one knew how often it was washed and no one really cared.  When he showed up, all the kids ran home and begged our mothers for a  nickel. 

With the coin clutched in our hands, we watched expectedly as the old man removed the towel from his precious ice block and ran the metal tool across the surface.  He dumped the shaved ice into the cone shaped cup and asked which of the array of flavors we wanted.  With the cones in hand, we found a shady place to sit and enjoy this refreshing treat, although we couldn’t sit on our front steps because of the mess we made by dripping the grape, cherry and other flavors all over the ground.  After finishing, we turned on the nearest hose and cleaned up before going back to play.

Of course, when the ponds froze we had fun skating and roughhousing for hours on end.  The most fun was playing hockey with homemade sticks and tin can pucks.  What great fun we had thanks to ice.           

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