For all us North Americans out there - Positive Wellbein...

Positive Wellbeing During Self-Isolation

9,737 posts•

For all us North Americans out there

I was inspired by Bazzak’s post yesterday. Posts like that really help close the distance between us. So I who grew up in the 50s and 60s am starting a memory chain here for us. I know North Americans share a lot but there are many things that belong uniquely to each country. Chime in with your memories!

I remember wax lips, little wax bottles filled with sweet syrup, juju bees, dots, Bonimos Turkish taffy, jawbreakers, bubblegum cards, bubblegum cigars and candy cigarettes.

The first sign of spring was kites flying. Roller skates were metal and gripped your shoes by using a key with you hung around your neck. Bicycle safety classes that we completely ignored once they were over using the course to do stunts on our bikes.

Catching polywogs

to see if we could see them grow legs, picking wildflowers for our moms. Anything we thought might be a valuable edible we brought home to mom to see if she said yes. If a yes was forthcoming we’d go back with sacks and pick a bunch

Snow angels and sculptures. Snow forts and fights

Watching my dad paint Christmas scenes on the inside of our big windows

Homemade cookies, cakes and bread. A mom who was always there when you got out of school. Always eating breakfast and dinner together as a family.

Hats, white gloves and dresses for church

A dad dressed smartly for the office everyday. The fun of spying on the men’s poker club when it met at our house. Spying on your older sister who played Elvis 45’s over and over.

Buster Brown shoes

Ice skating with snow falling. Sledding and running into trees.

Just a few I bet you all have many more!

Written by

Gillyflower18

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42 Replies

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RoadRunner444 years ago

Oh Spinner your post has touched my heart strings. Your childhood memories are wonderful and although yours are from across the pond I have some of the same living in Wales.Sending you best wishes fora relaxing, heartwarming Christmas and May the New year bring you health, happiness and hope.

Xxx

Gillyflower18• in reply toRoadRunner444 years ago

That’s one of the reasons I did it. We all share so much! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas too. Ours will be quiet only four of us but lots of good food! I hope it snows like they are predicting!

springcross4 years ago

It sounds wonderful Spinner, thanks for sharing. x

BazzakReading Rabbits4 years ago

That was an amazing read Spinner 🙂😘😘

Gillyflower18• in reply toBazzak4 years ago

Thank you Bazzak! I always enjoy your posts. I hope others from North America share theirs too. I know they are out there. I love reading about treats others enjoy. I hadn’t heard of most of the candies you all talked about.

MadBunny4 years ago

This is a great read. I love hearing about life in another country. There are so many things which are the same.It brings back memories of some things Id forgotten. Yes our mum was always there for us when we got home from school. The bit about church was interesting. We didn't wear hats and gloves but we always had to wear our best clothes which we saved for a Sunday 'Sunday Best'. They were also worn for important family occasions such as a wedding. Thank you for starting this thread😊🐰

Gillyflower18• in reply toMadBunny4 years ago

Great to hear from you! I forgot playing crack the whip and Red Rover. Did you do either of them?

MadBunny• in reply toGillyflower184 years ago

No. What were they?

Gillyflower18• in reply toMadBunny4 years ago

Crack the whip was usually played on ice skates. A whole line of kids hanging on. The big kid get you all going fast then stop suddenly and swing the line. The kid on the tried to hang on and not break the line. You got to go very fast and could end up in a snow bank. Red Rover was a chanted line game where each side selected someone after saying Red Rover Red Rover send MadBunny on over. MadBunny would then have to run like hell and try to break the opposing line. If you succeed you become a member of that line. Usually got thrown back by the line.

MadBunny• in reply toGillyflower184 years ago

They sound like games I would have really enjoyed😁

Gillyflower184 years ago

Oh yeah and lite brights. Still occasionally watch the Flintstones our little secret! I also loved Sky King, Fury and Flicka.

MadBunny4 years ago

Yabbadabbadoo😁

Gillyflower184 years ago

He was an impossible jerk wasn’t he! How bout the Jetsons?

MadBunny4 years ago

We had quite a few cartoons over here- Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound,Tom n Jerry, and one of my faves- Popeye. Other kids used to call me Olive Oil cos I was so skinny lolI also loved Bewitched and I love Lucy. And Mr Ed the talking horse.Happy days😁

Gillyflower18• in reply toMadBunny4 years ago

Yep I remember all of those. Mickey Mouse Club too. Tv was so much better for kids then wasn’t it.

BTCCET• in reply toGillyflower184 years ago

It was so much better when we had to wait for "our" programmes instead of everything being right here right now, we used to look forward to things so much more than kids do now xx

Gillyflower18• in reply toBTCCET4 years ago

Agreed!👍👍👍

FlowerPreciousLover• in reply toMadBunny4 years ago

Oh, M.B., I've f i n a l l y found my twin!!! I always described myself as Olive Oil because in jr. high I had a growth spurt and shot up several inches...was so skinny my mom never allowed those "straight skirts" that friends wore and think I was maybe a hi schl sr before she allowed me my first bra!!!

MadBunny• in reply toFlowerPreciousLover4 years ago

Haha. I was so flat chested the boys at school put a sign on my back saying 'two flats to rent'😂I had very long skinny shapeless legs well into my 20s. Wishing you and yours Happy Holidays xx

FlowerPreciousLover• in reply toFlowerPreciousLover4 years ago

MadBunny, We can laugh Now but Oh! the mortification at the time! Thanks and wishing you and yours good health and safety. The New Year is Coming! Hurray for all of us!!!

MadBunny• in reply toFlowerPreciousLover4 years ago

If I recall I think I hit him!Yes the New year is on its way. Here's to a better one. Wishing you and yours health and happiness!🐰

FlowerPreciousLover• in reply toMadBunny4 years ago

Oh, I DO hope you did!!! Just the possibility brings on smiles!!!!!!

MadBunny• in reply toFlowerPreciousLover4 years ago

Either that or I threw something over him. I remember we were in the dining hall at the time😊🐰

Gillyflower184 years ago

I remember Kimba and speed racer. I didn’t watch them tho. I was older when they were on. I always liked the Roadrunner and Wil e coyote. I loved it when he’d go off a cliff and all you’d see was a puff of smoke or dust when he hit!

MadBunny• in reply toGillyflower184 years ago

Hahaha yes I remember him😁

MadBunny4 years ago

Yep that was another one we had😁

MadBunny4 years ago

Thanks for posting FL brought back great memories.Actually thinking about it we didn't have many English cartoons that I can remember. Most were American.

My younger brother loved cowboys we always watched The Virginian and High Chapparal.

FlowerPreciousLover• in reply toMadBunny4 years ago

MadBunny, I am 77 yrs old and my maternal grandmother's favorite tv show was Gunsmoke. No idea how old she'd be today but Gunsmoke is Still running on t.v. in the U.S. !!

MadBunny• in reply toFlowerPreciousLover4 years ago

Not sure if we still have it here. We still get High Chapparral. Oh I remember the Lone ranger and Champion the wonder horse. We had lots of US programmes . And still do 😊

FlowerPreciousLover• in reply toMadBunny4 years ago

M.B., Yes! The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid were also great favorites. imdb.com/title/tt0042093/

We lived 10 miles from a small town called Cisco and my parents drove me and friends over when the "Cisco Kid" actually came to town for some celebration...Hadn't thought of that in decades!!! Again, my friend played the Lone Ranger and I always had to settle for being the Cisco Kid...should remind her of those rollicking days as we chased Indians on our imaginary horses in a nearby field.

MadBunny• in reply toFlowerPreciousLover4 years ago

Oh yes. Playing cowboys and Indians. Even as a girl😊

4 years ago

Lovely memories Spinner1916. Some were familiar to me like the metal roller skates, while other things are unknown to me. It's lovely to learn about each other in this way!

Gillyflower184 years ago

Yes I remember Foghorn Leghorn fondly!

MadBunny4 years ago

I loved Monty python.It was broadcast on a Sunday night and the next day in school we'd all discuss the latest episode . We used to learn it off by heart then bore everybody by acting it out. I had long skinny legs so I used to do the John Cleese silly walk.

MadBunny4 years ago

🤣🤣🤣I do walk in a wonky way due to arthritis but not that bad .Maybe one day.....lol

MadBunny4 years ago

😊🐰

MadBunny4 years ago

🤣🤣🤣🐰

FlowerPreciousLover4 years ago

Spinner1916, You took us on a great trip down memory lane! I remember so much of what you wrote...starting with those wax lips and little wax bottles filled with sweet syrup! Thank you for your post. Truly uplifting post!!!! From one 'merican to another, I thank you and hope our friends across the pond will add some of their favorites too!

Gillyflower18• in reply toFlowerPreciousLover4 years ago

Thank you flower! It was fun to remember all this and more! I hope you have a blessed Christmas and a very happy new

Year.

FlowerPreciousLover4 years ago

Another favorite as a child was Tarzan and Jane. My dad built a large treehouse in our back and my little forever friend and I spent hours climbing into the treehouse carrying bananas and scouting for lions ... 2 yrs younger than my friend, I Always had to play Cheetah while She got to be Tarzan!!! Even then, life wasn't always fair, right? smiles

Remember Casper the Ghost??? When our black cocker spaniel, Cinders...named after Cinderella of course, gave birth to an all white baby, I named him Casper....Again my little friend and I had a "mock wedding" for Cinders & Casper ...(didn't consider incest just wanted to throw a party). We decorated by scattering every blooming flower from the yard across the yard. Only spanking I remember ever getting from my dad. He was Not pleased to see our rainbow of zinnias, cosmos, and geraniums cut and withering on the ground. I might have been about 6 and Gaila, 8.

Gillyflower18• in reply toFlowerPreciousLover4 years ago

Loved this flower! I used to make snow deer when the snow was good packing. Us girls were all horse crazy. We used to pretend we were riding and run around like mad jumping everything in sight! Great imaginations back then.

I still like Casper. The movie was pretty good. Have you seen it?

FlowerPreciousLover• in reply toGillyflower184 years ago

Making snow deer sounds like great fun! We had very little snow but Yes for the movie! and smiles at how far our imaginations took us as children. Now imagining takes us to a happier, healthier, more civil 2021. Wishing you and all of us a much brighter new year.

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Positive Wellbeing During Self-Isolation

For all us North Americans out there

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