I remember jacks, marbles, and roller skates! In fact, I have a collection of old toys from my childhood. I taught my grandsons how to play Jacks and they loved it. Pretty surprising since they usually play those hand held computer games for hours! I think kids of today are cheated out of using their imaginations, when they spend their time watching TV or playing video games all day.

When I was a child, my brother and I would spend summers with my grandparents. We’d beg Granny for a quarter-a-piece, and walk up the hill to Simon’s store. There were so many things to choose from; Dixie cups of ice cream with little wooden spoons, Moon Pies, cookies, all sorts of penny candies, and the bubblegum machine. I’d spend most of my money trying to get the speckled gumballs. If you got one, you’d get a free nickel’s worth of candy! I remember putting nine pennies in and getting three speckled gumballs! I felt like I’d won a million dollars! Fifteen cents bought me an Orange Crush “dope”, ( that’s what we called soda pop in NC), a Moon Pie, and some Kits, which cme in chocolate, banana, strawberry and vanilla, and I still had change left!

We’d walk back down the hill and play hide-and-seek, Red Rover, or marbles. Sometimes we’d play in Grandpa’s wood shed. We’d build forts or try to build a go-cart, (without an engine of course!) If it was really hot, we’d go down and wade in the creek bottom that sparkled with mica. I always though that it was gold and would carry some back in my pocket. It was what Grandpa called “fool’s gold,” but I didn’t care. It was still beautiful to me!

And I remember this one jump rope song:

Candy Store

I met my boyfriend at the candy store
He bought me ice cream
He bought me cakes
He brought me home with a bellyache

Momma, Momma
I'm so sick
Call the doctor
Quick, quick, quick

Doctor, doctor
Will I die?
Count to five and you'll be alive
1,2,3,4,5
I'M ALIVE

Does anyone from the south remember the Burma Shave ads that were posted on several signs along sections of roads?

His cheek
Was rough
His chick vamoosed
And now she won't
Come home to roost
Burma-Shave

I'd heard it praised
By drug store clerks
I tried the stuff
Hot dog!
It works
Burma-Shave

And one I wrote:

When Daddy gives my mom a smootch
She says his face feels like a pooch!
So to get his whiskers to behave
We had to buy some Burma Shave!

Thanks for the memories! I love this site!