FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

Fourchon....your "exchange name" of "Dickens" was used in my childhood hometown of Emporia Kansas as well....our # was Dickens(DI)2-6062.
Wonder if it's just coincidence, or was "Dickens" somebody important in the telephone world ?
My older sister told me it was in homage to author Charles Dickens (Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, etc.), and being just 6yo, I believed her.
Though when I asked "why him ? He writes books"...she said.. "I'm only 8, I don't know everything".....aaahh, now THAT'S a time period and blatant honesty (from her...lol) that I wish were still here today !!!

Had a blast on my "Stingray" bike. You could bungee your fishing pole to the handlebars or the back seat strut, give a friend a ride home if you scrunch forward, got my first stitches by crashing it by trying to maneuver a new gravel road that was still waiting for another layer of something less than 3" minus !
Can't say that I ever "popped a wheelie", not sure we even knew that was a thing, but loved to leave "skid marks" with that back tire "slick".
But then we also had skateboards made of 2x6s or 2x8s with the wheels being your sister's old metal-wheeled skates that you took apart and cut the heel part so you could flatten and drill and screw (front part, you only had to beat flat with a hammer) and looked for "hills" (paved sidewalks that sloped) to go down. Best one in our neighborhood was the 1/2 block stretch next to my Dad's church....but it ended in a gravel alleyway. Had to jump off at the right spot or you crashed badly....lots of scraped knees and tiny gravel embedded in your palms in those days.Thus the mercurochrome was almost a daily thing !

Ted A Loc: Eastern Washington

I don't remember any of them except the outhouse. My mother used iodine, no bike (drove before getting a bike), no phone or power, Sears was too expensive so we used the "Monkey Ward" catalog.

I recall one winter when a board was missing from the outhouse roof and a snow (later ice) line developed across the hole. My brother and I could straddle the hole on our feet. My mother objected to the brown streaks on the ice.

It was great to be young.

seesalt Loc: Pisgah Forest, NC

That's the way I remember it. Mecurachrome didn't burn at all. Merthiolate was like a hot poker. My mom also use bismuth violet....purple liquid. It didn't burn

Americanman28

If you are old, than so am I. I recall all that stuff - still use that iodine stuff on cuts. Mom fooled me into believing that the sting "was the feel of healing".

The gear shift looks like it's from my 1961 Corvair.

I has a Schwinn with the banana seat and butterfly handlebars. The towel dispenser was at our local gas station, where 5 guys would come out to help fill your tank, check the oil level, air in the tires, and wash the windshield and give you a steakknife is you got 8 gallons or more.

Phone number was Glenwood 4-9395. I can't believe I remember that from the late 1950's.

Namvet69 Loc: Ohio

Push button trans. Friends dad had a 64Plymouth Valiant. Used to swing and see who could jump out and land the farthest, in cider playgrounds.

Grizzly 17 Loc: South central Pa

All but the bike GW. My old man bought a bike home one day. I was in 2nd grade. I rode it up n down the alley a few times.
Got home from school next day it was gone.
The swings luvd them brother. I'd get up high enough to get slack in those long chain's n jump off. Seemed like a good idea at the time 👍

Grizzly 17 Loc: South central Pa

Remember the wash tub Chuckay.
Several places we lived had water n a sink but no indoor bathroom.

Chuckay Loc: Central Florida

Good morning Grizzly, seems like yesterday 😂

OLDNDN Loc: Merced County, Calif.

I remember all of those. Younger years spent with my grandmother in PA. We had a coal cooking stove with a white gas one for backup. Grew our own veggies, raised chickens for eggs and to eat and the only time we went to store was to buy flour, white gas and lard. Pumped our water,took bathes in a tub and when it snowed grandma had a honey bucket behind the cook stove which was still warm from cooking for us kids at night. Grandma still used the outhouse. Shoveled coal for the furnace and brought buckets up for the stove. I could go on and on but a lot of you get the picture. Grandma raised me until the middle fifties, dad was fighting the commies in Korea. I miss those days stinky outhouse and all.

Grizzly 17 Loc: South central Pa

Yeah it does brother. Pushing 60 yrs since I graduated WOW

Lockman54 Loc: Alliance,Oh

Along with Mercurochrome I also Merthiolate. Now that stuff burned like fire on an open wound Mercurochrome was mild compared to the Merthiolate. All the rest I remember too.