Back In The Day

Judith Robinson

Back In the Day

         Back in my day, things were a lot less complicated. We lived in a small town where when the sun came up, we rolled out of bed in our pajamas and ran downstairs. I can still smell the beautiful lilacs and peonies blooming in the yard. We started our day of playing, with our gang, and dog, who ran with us where ever we went. In those days dogs were allowed to roam free and if someone was bitten people accepted the blame. We played until sundown when the street lights came on.

         We played games like red rover, baseball, and many more. We had a vacant lot next door and a park with a baseball diamond across the street. The park had a creek running through it with tunnels at both ends. We spent many hours walking through the tunnels to find out what was on the other side. In the spring the creek flooded, and we would go swimming.

         We took swimming lessons at Lake Shamineau and trips to Dower Lake for swimming and sitting on the beach. We always had a summer picnic at uncle John Imgrund’s lake cabin. It was a fun day with lots of sunshine, swimming, and a picnic lunch. Eventually, the 4^th of July came around, which always meant fireworks! We would park the car as close as we could and sit and watch the beautiful, colorful, noisy display that followed.

Next came fall, a beautiful season! We all sat and admired all of the beautiful colors. Playing in the fallen leaves was always fun. We got out as much as possible, as the prospect of a long winter laid ahead.

         Christmas always meant two parties: my dad’s family and my mother’s family at my aunt and uncle’s spacious lake home Baycliffe on lake Minnetonka. Lutefisk was always a Christmas tradition at the family gatherings. I can still see all of the adults sitting around the big table laughing and enjoying lutefisk. After dinner, we opened our presents, which was always fun!

Baycliffe also held lots of other great memories, we had lots of great Christmas’s there. It was always fun to play hide and seek. I even remember Uncle John participating in the game by pointing out where someone was hiding. We would then try to settle down to sleep in sleeping bags in that first room on the right when you came in those big doors!

Wumpy was another great part of visiting with you and your family. My memories of him are few, but I know that he was a big part of your family. It was always fun to come and play with our cousins. Your mom always took great care of everyone! She always enjoyed visiting with her sisters and their families!

Christmas at my dad’s mom’s house was different. We started with Christmas dinner, which we ate in Grandma’s dining nook. We always had food fights where food was splattered all over the walls. This fun was followed by the opening of gifts, and we all got something nice from Grandma Theo. Christmas was always a great time, and the memories would keep us going during the cold winter months to follow.

The Minnesota winters are brutal, even so, we ventured outside! We went sledding down the alley in the back of our house and built snow forts in the snowbanks on the corners. Those of us who lived in the city walked to school. We dressed warmly and walked carefully. We always made it to school and back home again safely. We always knew that spring was on the way!

The ending of playing outdoors slowed down when we entered junior high! We went from one classroom to many classrooms. When we started 9^th grade, we officially started senior high. This was a time to start thinking about our futures. Between the ages of 14 to 16 years, we started to learn how to drive. The cars back then were not as fancy as they are today. You needed a key to get into the car as well as start it, and the headlights were controlled by a dimmer switch on the floor. We also had to learn how to drive under winter conditions. I remember driving in blizzards and sliding into ditches.

The fun times that came with learning were: school dances, sporting events, and other types of competitions. We also used to drive up and down the main street listening to the current hits of the day. I remember that in 1971 one of my favorite songs was Baby Blue by the band Badfinger. I unexpectedly had the privilege of having Joey Molland as a passenger while I was driving for Uber. I have since rediscovered his music and listen regularly. Eventually, the learning and fun and games were over with. We then had to go forward and make the decisions that would shape the rest of our lives.

Things have changed so much over the years. Phones were mounted on the wall and we dialed three numbers. Today children are started with cell phones early, and almost everyone has one. We do so much on our phones, such as: ordering fast food, groceries, and clothing of all sorts. Considering that we are in the middle of a pandemic this is a great option for use. For those of us who are not computer users, they can do a lot of what can be done on a computer on their phone. Between computers and cell phones it is easy to keep in touch with relatives anywhere from home.

Cars are another thing that has changed. In the new cars you don’t need a key they start with the push of a button. They also have sensors that alert you to a car or something else that is too close to you. They also have sensors that have you check the backseat before you leave the car. Also, when you sit in traffic for too long the engine shuts down until you step on the gas again.

I just hope that this pandemic ends and that the children growing up today can have some good memories to look back at.