Reflection on history

My older Brother and I spent some time on the phone last night. Main topic remembering how and where we grew up.

Most of our days spent in a 1700 total SF house sporting a 700sf apartment for our grandparents, 1000 sf for parents and four boys, most every family on our street were similar or smaller. Great Aunts farm house had the One and Only Bedroom a Hallway bath tub room like a larger closet, and a loft where the kids slept. That included BOTH boys and girls same area but different beds. The replacement house the Great Aunt and Uncle built had TWO bedrooms and a real Bathroom, boys and girls still slept same room just separated by a quilt Draped across a rope center of room for some privacy, the outdoor privy still functional when required. Were two girls and five boys that shared sleeping area. Ben and Mabel had a pair of twin beds that sat against each other, a bed for a King and Queen!! Our parents slept on a Full Size bed and us boys on two Bunk Bed sets.
My times have changed.
Clothing was also interesting, older boys had new to newer clothes, most second hand, our younger brother and myself their hand me downs except for A white Shirt and black dress trousers, with a ever changing pair of dress shoes, much of us younger kids time was spent barefoot in the yard except cold days where we wore keds tennis shoes to rags!! I never knew but brother did, the Keds were bought at a local shoe store, less than $4 a pair..
Meals taken together as much as possible, walked everywhere or rode hand me down bicycles out to four miles and back. Could not ever remember kids being ‘taken’ by anyone with bad intentions.

Edited by DMiller - 23 Mar 2024 at 6:35am

I remember the tennis shoes.. US KIDS... everyone wore them........ YEP, we all had a bike.. Best buddy was 3 miles across town.. Use to ride the bike 2-3 times a week to his house when 12- 13 years old........ Would not let the grandkids do that today.

Was looking around our home last few days, would have been a Mansion back in the days of the 1950s/60s.  We live in twice to three times the spaces with a third less bodies indoors. Stored Crap in nearly every corner, quit counting Wife's shoes at 40pr, I have seven including Working Boots.  Wife has Closet space no one had in 1970, is FULL, and whines has nothing to wear, sad she is part of the problem.  HOWEVER, she will wash and return to the bed the same set of sheets until threadbare, have EIGHT Sets in the Linen Cupboard just for our bed.  Growing up had One set On the bed and One Set folded awaiting the previous to go to wash then to become the folded.