The good old days

Quite often you hear people talking about "the good old days." But were they ever as good as we say they were? That's the question. Or does it really make any difference as long as we think they were? Do people keep emailing you those little tests that are supposed to show how far along the aging process you are? Categories include, "Still walking?" "Your teeth?" "Ready for hospice?" and "Bought your plot yet?" I'm usually well beyond 10 on a score of 1 to 10.
       Here are some of the things I remember from the "good old days:” Five-cent hamburgers were okay, but if you wanted a really good one you had to go to Dave's and pay 10 cents. Lots of meat. I bought my first car (a 1924 Dodge roadster) along with three other guys for $20. Not a powerful engine, so when we went out into the country (away from roads) and found a steep hill, we had to go up backwards. Gas was about 11 cents a gallon; once during a "gas war" I bought it for 9. You pumped your own gas, and I don't mean getting out of your car and putting the hose in the opening. Gas was in a tall pump and dispensed by gravity. After dispensing the proper amount, you took hold of the lever and "pumped" the container full again.
       We've just passed Thanksgiving on our way to Christmas and have witnessed the spectacle of Black Friday. Two days ahead of time people are camping outside waiting for that magical moment when the doors to postmodernism's paradise are thrown open and the herd stampedes into the facility. I grew up during the Great Depression and we always waited until Christmas Eve to buy anything so we could get it at half price. One year we bought a crokinole board and played it every night until our fingers got so sore we couldn't snap the rings any more.
       Clothes were hung on a line to dry. Boys wore Black Bear overalls. Home entertainment was a radio. I was a fan of "Jack Armstrong, the all-American boy" – came on at 5:45. Once a week we watched "The Shadow.” Remember the line, "Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of man? The Shadow knows!" In high school I played quarterback on offense and safety on defense. I pole-vaulted in a state meet using a bamboo pole. Learned to drive on the farm and got my first driver's license at twelve. One summer my dad couldn't drive west with us (ND to OR) so my brother, at 14, drove Mom, me, and a neighbor lady all the way to Scholls Ferry, OR, 1270 miles (part way the road was upgraded to gravel!)
       So those were the good old days? Yes, for me. I lived in a stable home and was taught right from wrong; couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't want to live in North Dakota. Genuinely contented. Don't know how many young people can say that today.
Yup, they were good old days!