Baby boomer nostalgia is already oppressive. It’s about to get so much worse.

[navy-vet]

I envy those who grew up in the country setting and have sympathy for those who were stuck in the inner City. I had this great Uncle who had this huge farm that we kids spent a lot of time on in Hudson Ohio. He pulled us kids on this huge bobsled with a jeep all over the place in the Winter. I have many fond memories of that place and learned a great deal.


I spent most of my childhood in the subs of Akron Ohio. One of the highlight's each year for about a decade, was a two week family camping venture deep into Canada. We had a base camp on Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. They claimed there was a thousand uninhabited islands there and we explored dozens of them. Boating, exploring, fishing, swimming, and camping. Crystal clear waters, huge rock stands, go all week and not see another human being. We also spent many a weekend doing the same thing throughout various parks scattered in Ohio. Ice skating and sledding in the Winter....drive in movies, riding our bikes through the woods, bb gun fights. Chopping down trees and building forts and tree houses everywhere and anywhere we chose to....Memberships with the YMCA, Cub and Boy Scouts. My mom was a den mom. Dad worked in Cleveland in mid management for a large trucking conglomerate. Mom took us everywhere, from a cottage on Lake Erie where we played board games after a day of swimming, to my Grandparents home on the Firestone Estate, where we explored unbelievable wonders inside the huge storage buildings and old mansion, spread across the grounds. Mom loved the outdoors and doing stuff with us kids while my dad worked. I had a serious chemistry lab set up that I messed around with for many years. I was mixing my own solid propellents from scratch and constructing model rockets before there were kits. In those days, a kid could get ahold of some serious chemicals too. I had all the serious acids, nitric, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, sulfuric, as well as phosphorus, sodium peroxide, powdered zinc, black powder, pure sodium, high grade hydrogen peroxide, etc. Bet a twelve year old can't get that today.


I wasn't actually spoiled, and certainly got my share of deserved whippings, both at school as well as at home.
As a family, we were very close and ate dinner together every night. It was a great childhood, and I consider it a blessing.
I only wish that every kid could have experienced that.

 

[navy-vet]

PS Life changed dramatically a year after we moved to Newark Delaware when my dad was transfered. One warm sunny June afternoon, after we had been let out from school for the summer.
My 13 year old brother, his friend and two fellow 16 year old pals of mine, horsing around at the Delaware Horse Racing Park on an empty commuter train. While disembarking, after getting a drink of water from the fountain, my brother and his friend jumped down onto an adjoining side track into the path of a freight train that was doing 45 mph. My brothers 13 year old friend was killed instantly. My brother, survived miraculously, after spending several months in ICU. That was the end of my childhood.
Life, as they say, comes at you fast sometimes.

 

[navy-vet]

And we had Peace Officers who actually honored their pledge to serve and protect when I was growing up in the subs. At least I believe that the majority of them were honorable. Law Enforcers didn't exist then. That by the way was before the so called war on drugs started.

 

[Ronin Truth]

And we had Peace Officers who actually honored their pledge to serve and protect when I was growing up in the subs. At least I believe that the majority of them were honorable. Law Enforcers didn't exist then. That by the way was before the so called war on drugs started.

Their job has ALWAYS been law enforcement.

If you want protection, get a dog and/or a gun. Buy insurance, put in alarms, put up fences, lock you doors, hire a bodyguard, learn martial arts, carry Mace, etc..