Middle Aged Memories

My first appearance on TV was on a telethon for kidney disease.  A friend from school had a mother who was in charge of it and she asked if I would come on TV with her son.  I remember I felt bad because the donation I gave was one that she had given to me to give.  It wasn't my own money.

City ordinances prohibited aerial fireworks, even when I was a child.  However, we always had firecrackers to blow our fingers off with.  Black Cats, Cherry Bombs, M-80's.  Our parents let us use cigarettes to light them.  Or maybe we just "borrowed" one from the pack.  Made our own smoke bombs too.  Mom's who didn't care too much whether you branded yourself with the glowing-hot metal sticks bought these for the kiddies.  Mine did.  Thanks mom.

                                                                                 Happy 4th Everyone!

p.s.  Don't feel too bad for child-me, there was always some young adult who drove to another state and came back with a truckload of bottle rockets and assorted things that would (allegedly) fly onto rooves and burn down houses, and they were great fun until the patrol car came by.

goatsy,  The Wiki article did explain a lot, but I still say "one of these things is not like the other..."

                                                                                                              He did come up with the idea for the ears tho'.

Well, I guess pop rocks are the candy and not the throw on the ground poppers. This just came to my inbox.

http://relish.com/slideshows/15-sparkling-dessert-recipes-with-pop-rocks/

I guess I thought they lost their "Pop" if they got wet. And who knew they made chococlate pop rocks?

I just happened to see apicture of this maze toy.  Don't know that it had a name, but I had one.

This is the maze game I remember

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I don't specifically remember getting Red Goose shoes but I do remember cute but foot pinching saddle oxfords. I think I would actually wear some. I like old style Cobbies, a shoe my GM wore. See they have them at K Mart but alas no more K Marts in Texas. I detest paying $60+ for imitation leather shoes. Had to wear an old pair of boots to church yest. with pants, pouring rain. Magic markered a skinned spot on the side where the "pleather" had peeled. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do and barely visible. I wish I could buy shoes/clothes on line but I would spend more returning things than worth it.

I have a couple of Chinese maze boxes, the ones where the panels slide.

Meece, that wooden maze reminds me of a toy we knew as "Moon Shot" and it was harder than it looked, as a kid anyway.

Which reminds me of...Skittle bowling (this shows plastic, but they used to be made of wood.)

Eli - I think we used Vaseline. Parents had plenty of lighter fluid around so maybe DM did that without me. Love these boots from Ross I think about $10 but oh about 7 years old. Short zip up I can get zipped big heel but only wear them short time. I like short mens boots lo heel (theirs are usually real leather) but foot not big enough. Guess I could try big boys - LOL.

Would you want to buy shoes with a dog for that for a spokesdog? Run for your life!

Elmira?

We had Buster Brown shoes in CA.  Anyone else remember putting your feet under the 'magic' (x-ray) machine and seeing your foot bones at the shoe store?

When my Mother died in 2004 she still had our Moon Shot and the Maze game that Meece listed.  My brother took them in case he ever has grandchildren.

Speaking of the Moon Shot toy, I thought of the vintage moon bank that used to be a freebie given away by many different savings banks.  I have one, given to me by an uncle.

Elmira...wasn't she the mistress of the dark?  Oh, no that was Elvira.  Elmira can be your alter ego, Eli~.

Last week there was a big annual fair in my town, not the State Fair, but more like a regional one, so still pretty big.  I didn't go, but it made me remember going to the State Fair as a child.  As a city child, I didn't have any craft entries, 4-H, etc., so I went mostly to spectate what exhibits were there, see the animals, hear some great national music acts AND ride those midway rides.  My favorite ride on the midway was called The Zipper (I'll look for pic) and with the forward motion like an elongated ferris wheel and with each car able to spin, it could work up a decent G-force.  Next year, when I can be thrown around a bit more, I'll have to try and ride it once again.  What was YOUR favorite Midway ride?  Or Fair memory?

                                                                     THE ZIPPER -- SO SCREAMINGLY FUN!!!!