Ah...I remember Mohr's soda pop, Charlie's Chips, and Buckeye Beer (brewed in Toledo) or Stroh's beer (fire-brewed in Detroit). There was always some uncle moaning or arguing about which was the better of the two beers LOL. But...there was always a big wash tub or two filled with ice and their favorite beer in the backyard if was summer or in the garage or refrigerator in the winter.

We did much of the same thing...the family get-togethers, the family partying til midnight and beyond, letting all of us siblings and cousins have sleepovers while the adults carried on with their cards and jokes til the wee hours...We kids had a field day with all of the different colors and flavors of Mohr's soda pop and all of the Charlie Chips we could eat, and that was before the moms, aunts, and grandmothers pulled a feast together of something wonderful.

Times were much different in the 60s and 70s when I was a young girl. Times have changed, and I can't say it's for the worse. There are so many different opportunities out there now. But still, there are times I miss that cohesiveness. It is sort of sad a lot of families don't have that...how many families actually sit down at get to know each other any longer just doing simple, fun things like that? Playing penny poker until 2 am or calling them to say "take a walk over here, I just put on a hot dinner and have some cold beer to share?" Not many.