Right before the Depression, my grandparents moved from Tennessee to Florida.  They bought a nine acre pecan farm in a very small town.  The trees were already established, and very large. My grandfather picked, bagged, and shipped pecans to places all over the US on the outgoing trains. The train track was only about 50 yards from their house and it curved to follow the property line. One train would often pull to a side track there to wait for an oncoming train to pass. While the passengers sat waylaid waiting for the tracks to clear, my mother and her sister sold small paper bags full of pecans.

It wasn't surprising that pecans became a staple for a variety of recipes. Two of my grandmother's specialties were parched pecans and pecan pie. Parched pecans were made by slowly baking an iron skillet or tray full of halved pecans that had been topped with butter and salt until they were toasted but not burnt. Her pecan pies were thick and gooey with the most fantastic thin, flaky crust. We always had both of the these treats during the holidays. For Christmas my brother and I could also expect our own tin filled with homemade chocolate and blonde fudge, each square topped with a perfect parched pecan half.

​Preparing pecans was no small task. First, of course, we had to gather the pecans. They have two shells - the thick outer husk and the thinner inner shell. My grandfather had long bamboo poles that he used to whack the pecans free from the tree branches and outer husks. As the pecans fell to the ground, we scampered around to pick them up. Grandfather designed a little scooper to keep from bending over so much made from a tin can and a long stick.  We would sit on the screen porch with bags full of pecans and begin the shelling process. Next, you had to crack the shell without damaging the whole internal pecan. Just the right pressure was required. We did this with a metal hand cracker, or you could crush two pecans against each other if your hand was large and strong enough to hold them. My dad's hands were just right for this. Sometimes we just used a hammer but the contents were usually totally smashed. Over time we tried many versions of crackers, but they were all hard work. Finally, we carefully cleaned up the pecans, pulling off the broken pieces of shell, much like cleaning a boiled egg. We used some small metal picks to make sure we removed all the woody remains leaving only the clean, meaty pecan. We felt especially lucky if we got a pecan out whole, but mostly we got them in halves. The tiny broken pieces were often eaten faster than we could work. It was a fun family time and we hardly realized we were working. Afterwards we sorted the pecans into pieces, halves, and wholes each of which would be used in particular ways. We treated the shelled pecans a little like gold, eating only a few at a time since we were aware of how much work went in to preparing them.
​

​Keeping up the pecan trees was a struggle against fungus, worms, insects, poor soil, freezing, drought, squirrels, and birds. I remember my grandfather using those long cane polls to kill the web worms. He would attach rags that had been dipped in kerosene, light them, and torch the white, fuzzy worm nests. Eventually the harvest diminished and we only occasionally picked a few pecans for our own personal use.

Using pecans nowadays always reminds me of our pecan farm experiences. And by the way, we pronounced them pa-can`, not pee`-can.

                  "I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley."  Song of Solomon 6:11

The first presidential election I recall being interested in was the 1960 Kennedy/Nixon campaign.  My dad was a strong Democrat and my mother and her parents were Republicans.  There was continual family 'conversation' about the pros and cons of each candidate.  I was uncertain, not wanting to favor one parent's ideals with the other.  Our elementary school held a mock vote and I believe Nixon won.  I think most of our suburban neighborhood was Protestant which might have had an impact on the results.  I recall that JFK as the first Catholic candidate did not go unnoticed.  There was a quiet fear among some that the Pope might take over America.

We always had a REAL cedar Christmas tree. Daddy would pick it out in the woods, cut it down, and bring it home while on a hunting trip. We put it in a gallon bucket of water before bracing it in the tree stand. It was my job to keep the water level filled throughout the holiday so the tree would be fresh for as long as possible and shed less needles. Cedar is prickly and made red rashes on our arms as we decorated. As I got older I also had the job of attaching the lights. The screw in lights were about 2 inches long and came in blue, green, red, and orange. They got extremely hot in a short time and were said to be the cause of many fires around the country. After carefully clipping each light to a branch, I stood back and exchanged any bulb colors that bunched up in one area. We added a few star shaped aluminum reflectors that fit under the bulbs. Mother helped with ornaments as most were cherished hand crafted glass, many made in Germany. Shapes were round or oval, and there were some figurines all painted to perfection. A few designs were recessed rather than completely round. We had little glass pinecones and twisted aluminum icicles. For several years we added angel hair (white fiberglass wisps) or powdery asbestos snow but later on we used LEAD foil silver tinsel. My grandfather threw it on in clumps, but I preferred to add one or two pieces at a time in an even distribution. I don't know which carcinogen was worse, the flammable cutting fiberglass, asbestos, or lead - none of these are used anymore, thank goodness.

The aged Christmas picture (above) is from when I was six and got my first (and only) bike, Bluebonnet, from Santa. I didn't know how to ride and my grandfather took me out Christmas day to learn. He patiently held on to me and ran along side over and over as I attempted to pedal down the asphalt road in front of our house. It wore him out, but he never gave up and soon I was off solo.

Over the years we added homemade ornaments, some from school projects and others from ideas out of Family Circle, Woman's Day, or Southern Living magazines. One year we cut two small squares of cardboard from cereal boxes, placed them together so there were eight points, and wrapped them with yarn or braid. We glued pictures from the magazines and I chose a particularly 'ugly' angel and we laughed and laughed. I still have that ornament and hang it every year on our tree. Mother was thrilled when plastics were made into everything, including ornaments. Her favorites were red, blue, or green stars. They came flat in a box and then you interlocked them and they became dimensional. Red and white pipe cleaners made cute candy canes. With lots of Florida pine trees in the yard we had a constant supply of pine cones that could be decorated with glued on glitter. Crocheted doily shapes were folded to make butterflies. We tried making stars using colored plastic beads but found it to be tedious. Using the metal ends of frozen orange juice cans, we hammered a nail through to make various designs like a wreath, a star, a bell, etc and then added touches of color with paint. Red and green paper chains were added and once or twice we made popcorn and cranberry chains. Felt was good for snowmen and gingerbread kids. It seems every year my mother and I would try out a new idea. The only problem was narrowing down the choice. It was a fun time to spend together, talking, laughing, drinking hot tea or chocolate, making a mess, and staying up late. ​

We leave the tree up at least one week after Christmas, sometimes another week after Epiphany or The Three Kings. It's an emotional time seeing all the ornaments from years past, bringing memories of our wide-eyed toddlers, other homes, and winter vacations. Our nostalgic tree is heart warming and better than any modern color coordinated display. 

                          "But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart."  Luke 2:19

Our peers during the 50s and 60s "dressed up" for work, church, travel, meetings, and other social functions. Men and women wore hats and their ensemble wasn't complete without one. I remember my grandparents dressed this way to go to church, always. For women gloves were required as well, white in the spring and summer and darker colors in the fall and winter.

​Grandmother had some interesting older hats that she let me wear to play, along with some vintage style dresses with vintage fabrics - dimity, matelase, viscose, jersey, and rayon. 

I don't remember my brother or his friends wearing hats to church, but the girls did, especially at Easter. My favorite hat was a white head band style decorated with lace flowers and rhinestones. My mother hated hats and was glad to be rid of the standard protocol. When my paternal grandparents and aunt visited, they always wore hats for the train trip.

Women's hats could be annoying if you were sitting behind someone with a broad brim at church or a movie. Unless women came to a function and started working, such as serving food at a covered dish luncheon, they rarely took their hats off.

Some women really knew how to wear a hat, and looked so good like entertaining Carmen Miranda, and Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and of course, the First Lady Jackie Kennedy O.

Thinking of hats reminded me of the popular ceramic lady head vases from the 1950s. The very small vases were introduced as a florist's ruse so that patrons would have to keep purchasing flowers for refills. Most of the ladies wore hats. Mother had one on her dresser as a catch-all and it was odd to see pencils, pens, and emery boards sticking out of a woman's head. I recall the lady had very delicate protruding eyelashes. You can still find some of the vases in thrift shops, antique stores, and online.

My older brother and I had the pleasure of playing in forts built by our grandpa. His nine acre farm had a small stream running through it that separated the home, garage, and garden from the large pecan field and chicken coop. By the time my brother and I were young Grandpa had retired his major farm work. The fields were left to grow tall grasses for the most part. Being a very active and industrious handyman, he built us two forts in the fields. We had to open a gate and carefully cross the stream, balancing on the six inch wide wooden 'bridge.' The stream was less than three feet deep, but no one really wanted to fall in.

One fort was a six foot high wooden platform right by the stream. With a rope we lowered a large glass jar into the stream that we could pull up when we wanted a drink. The stream was always flowing and the water was quite cold. My brother and I played many imaginary games in the fields, and the fort was our safe haven from any enemies. 

I built a neat treehouse for my daughters and nephew in Florida one summer. It was about five feet up attached to some horizontal branches. A ladder was secured to a limb but I don't think I added rails. We took the kids popsicles and watched them carefully so they didn't fall. My brother demolished the fort as soon as our visit ended so we only had one summer with it.

At our WA home my husband and I built a wooden play structure for our girls following a kit design. Our house had a covered RV parking space and we were able to build there, keeping the kids out of the frequent northwest rains. It was two levels with a slide and swing. The neighbor kids came over frequently and everyone had a great time playing, even me.

We built a similar play fort for our granddaughter that provided hours of fun. Our cats went outside back then and they liked to climb to the top and balance on the beams, overseeing the neighborhood. ​Pretty soon we're going to take this structure down and hopefully build a grown-up play fort in the space, a gazebo. Always wanted one and it's never too late.



                             "For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God."
                                                                                                                             Hebrews 3:4​

Perhaps because my grandparents lived in a small town we weren't used to going to the doctor that often. I can envision my grandfather pouring alcohol on wounds from farm work and bandaging them up himself. Maybe we just didn't get sick that often. There were many low cost, over the counter products that seemed to keep us in check. Choices from the medicine cabinet besides rubbing alcohol (which we poured in our ears after swimming in lakes) included:

---Milk of Magnesia in the bright blue bottle for acid stomach, indigestion, constipation, and in a pinch for mosquito bites;
---Tums tablets in a little green roll or tube. My grandmother always had these in her purse. We didn't know that 50 years later doctors would recommend Tums as a calcium supplement;
---Coca Cola Syrup was a concentrated version of a coke soda, taken by the spoonful for nausea and stomach upsets;
---Pepto-Bismol, the thick pink liquid with that distinctive sweet/chalky taste was for nausea and diarrhea;

---Baking Soda was the first toothpaste my mother used. Besides putting a box in the refrigerator to keep it smelling fresh, we used it for sour stomach, as a paste for wasp stings and mosquito bites, and to soak aching feet;
---Ginger Ale was our favorite thing for upset stomachs;
​---Bayer Children's Aspirin had a sweet, orange flavor that was so good parents were eventually warned to keep the bottles out of the reach of children;
​---Terpin Hydrate was a wicked cough medicine;

---Sucrets were great tasting sea glass blue sore throat lozenges. My mother kept a rectangular tin box in her purse. I used these a lot with frequent bouts of tonsillitis. The formula has changed and that original flavor is gone;
---Oil of Cloves was used sparingly for toothaches. I was surprised to recognize the taste in my recent temporary dental filling;
---Vicks VapoRub reminds me of my grandfather who put some of the sticky salve on his chest and a dab in each nostril if he had a cold coming on. I used it on my kids and granchild, too. It's very warming and comforting and love the smell;
---Epsom Salt could be used as a laxative but I remember my dad using it to soak his hand to draw out a deeply embedded thorn;

---Dramamine was our go to for car sickness which my mother and I experienced frequently. The side effect was that we slept through most of our trips;
---Calamine Lotion was thick and pink and got all over your clothes but we used it for mosquito bites, stings, and sunburn;
---Vinegar was especially good to take the sting out of a sunburn but no one wanted to be near you after you were doused;
---Witch Hazel was for bags under your eyes, pimples and oily skin and scalp, sunburn, after shave, and hemorrhoids;

---Merthiolate, Mercurochrome, and Iodine were bright red-orange staining liquids painted on cuts and scrapes with the included glass dropper. They stung terribly and your skin was discolored for days. Also used for athlete's foot. Merthiolate and Mercurochrome contained mercury and were taken off the US market in the 90s. Merthiolate has made a comeback without mercury and in a clear liquid;
---Gentian Violet was for ringworm, a fungal infection and not a 'worm' although the infection began as a small circle and seemed to grow larger and larger. Your skin was bright purple for weeks and I speak from experience;
---Peroxide was lots of fun to see bubbling up on cuts, as a mouth rinse, and ear wax cleaner.

Other medicinals were traditional like honey for a cough, warm salt water gargles for a sore throat, and of course chicken soup for a cold. My grandfather occasionally used mustard plasters on his chest for congestion and he even added a little turpentine to the mix. Ammonia could be used for insect bites.

Medicines were not in child-proof containers and all these items were easily accessible, especially if stored in the medicine cabinet. You know, that place with the straight edge razor and blades.  

​                                       "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine."  Proverbs 17:22

Manufactured paper dolls date back to the early 1800s. Many publishers found the addition of the paper dolls boosted sales. In times when funds were low and children's toys were an extravagance, paper dolls filled the need. In the '50s McCall's magazine's Betsy McCall not only aided sales of the magazine itself but of their line of accompanying sewing patterns.

I played with several paper doll sets back in the '50s and '60s. Marge and Gower Champion, dancers from Broadway and movie musicals, was a set my mother was excited for me to have. I didn't really know who the couple were but I enjoyed dressing both a girl and a boy figure. Cutting out the pieces was a pain, and if not done carefully you might snip off the wrap-around flap that held the paper costume to the cardboard doll. They stood up by means of a folded flap in the back or by fitting the bottom into a triangular platform wedge. Playing with the paper dolls required a lot of "self-talk" conversation with me speaking for the characters as I moved them around my room to a dance, the soda shop, a party, etc. Sometimes a girlfriend would come over and we would each choose a specific doll to "control." Being in charge of the doll was a power skill we young girls cultivated, deciding who was wearing what and where they were going. There were many accessories to go with the outfits such as purses, hats, gloves, shoes, and even pets. It was a great mix and match game.

My favorite set was Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind. She could be dressed in the summery print gown or the famous green curtain outfit. She had bonnets, mufflers, and parasols. 

Other familiar paper dolls sets were kewpies, Shirley Temple, Betsy McCall, Doris Day, and Jane Powell. I remember Jane Powell because I was surprised to find a schoolmate with the same name. 

Various character paper dolls were often inserts in magazines and newspapers. Over time the dolls were printed on paper that was perforated around the designs allowing you to remove them easily rather than having to cut them out. Eventually the modern sets were "magic" thin cling-on vinyl that could be applied and removed repeatedly without permanently sticking.

Those cling-ons remind me of the dress up weather segment on the popular pre-school tv show Romper Room. The teacher asked for a volunteer to come up and change the weather stick-ons, adding the sun or clouds, coats or umbrellas. I always wished to be that person, and to be in her good do-bee magic mirror. If you recall the teacher said a prayer before the kids ate their milk and cookies.

Poor Pepe LePew, Warner Brothers' cartoon French skunk, with his odorous scent had difficulty attracting Penelope Pussycat. His odor-able capers included using perfumes and deodorants to mask his foul vapors. It was a sign of the times as we were inundated with tv and magazine fragrance ads in the 50s and 60s

My first exposure to bottles of cologne was my grandmother's little blue bottle of Evening in Paris eau de toilette - (toilet water is a weakened perfume.) My elder babysitter had bottles in her house as well. This fragrance was developed in the 1920s by the Wertheimer family's company, Bourjoir, who also made Chanel. Evening in Paris was affordable and popular with average housewives until discontinued in 1969. I inherited a little bottle which is empty but you can still get a whiff of the original scent when you open the lid. Maybe that's when my attraction to cobalt blue bottles began.

I remember using a variety of perfumes while growing up and buying favorite cologne and after shave brands for the men in our family, too. My all time favorite was Ambush in the bright pink bottle. There was also an Ambush dusting powder. These were always on my Christmas list. My girlfriends liked Tabu, Faberge Tigress, Jean Nate, Charlie, Musk, and a variety of Avon products.


My mother thought she was allergic to perfumes and didn't wear them that often. My dad chose perfume as a special gift for her a few times and I recall seeing a bottle of Windsong on her dresser. 

I progressed to L'Air du Temps and stayed with that fragrance for many years. As a nurse I soon realized that strong perfumes were not appropriate for the environment of sick and elderly people, so I stopped the colognes. I switched to lighter Bath and Body Works lotions like Limelight. I liked that particular one so much that when we lived overseas I had my mother send me care packages full of the bottles. After Limelight was retired I tried other Bath and Body fragrances like vanillas and citrus varieties but eventually even they seemed overpowering. We've gone the way of fragrance free products now since all my family have allergies.

My dad had two favorite after shave lotions - Aqua Velva and Old Spice. Later we added Brut as an option for Christmas presents but the original Old Spice scent always reminds me of Dad. It was endearing to see him get ready to go to church or a dinner after splashing on some manly lotion all dressed in his crisp white long sleeved shirt, cufflinks, tie and tieclasp, and handsome suit with a handkerchief in the pocket. He was easily swayed by tv commercials and over the years tried Karate, Hawaiian Surf (which came in a cork outer container), British Sterling, and the old standard Mennen's After Shave.

My brother wouldn't think of going to school or church or a date without loading up on English Leather. It came in a wooden box and had a large wooden lid. Besides cologne there was soap on a rope, stick deodorant, and shaving cream. Being five years older and much more cool than I, during high school my brother had the look...gant shirts, cordovan penny loafers, butch haircut, and enough cologne to be noticed 10 feet away. He sometimes varied with British Sterling or Canoe, but remained true to English Leather.

The department store perfume counter hasn't changed much over the years except gotten larger. It was and is overwhelming to find a new fragrance. The saleslady used to spray different fragrances on each wrist and help you choose, but after awhile you were covered with so many options you couldn't make a distinction. Stores also had perfume girls who would greet you coming off the escalator offering to give you a free spray sample. For those of us with allergies it was a no-go location.

There have been times we left a theater or performance because someone's scent was overpowering, triggering an asthma event. It's terrible when you're locked in a plane with someone who bathed in perfume. The saying, "a little goes a long way" comes to mind.

                            "For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved 
                                             and among those who are perishing."  2 Corinthians 2:15

There were no movie theaters in our suburbs when I was young. Our only options for watching the big screen were to take the bus downtown on a Saturday and go to one of the landmark theaters or plan an evening out when Daddy would take us all to the drive in. Dad didn't go with us downtown so the indoor movie choices were ones that my brother and I would enjoy. Those included Disney shows like Swiss Family Robinson, The Parent Trap, Pollyanna, The Absent-Minded Professor, 101 Dalmations, The Three Lives of Thomasina, and That Darn Cat. Some movies were ones just for my mother and me like Fred Astaire in The Pleasure of His Company, or Spencer's Mountain, and My Fair Lady.  After purchasing our tickets we sometimes bought one popcorn and a coke to share, or malted milk balls or non-pariels. 

We were escorted through the doors by ushers who wore special suits and gloves. The theater had dark velvet covered seats and enormous velvet curtains covered the screen. There was an atmosphere of exited anticipation and whispered voices. When the lights went down the curtains automatically drew up and to the sides and the show began, often with a cartoon. The first few seconds set the stage for a big presentation with the MGM lion roar, 20th Century Fox's trumpets, Columbia's torch lady, Universal's spinning globe, or Warner Brothers' fanfare shield. The longest movie I recall was Gone with the Wind at over three hours. It and many shows had intermissions to allow bathroom breaks and a chance to buy more at the concession stand. Because we had to take the bus home, we had to plan our showtime to fit the bus schedule.

I recall one time a group of the hunters' wives and daughters went downtown to see Mary Poppins. It was fall and the dads and sons were away for the weekend hunting. Later we talked about the movie many times, and it was alway fun to try to say "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Gloria Parker, a 1950s Big Band singer and musician used the word "supercalafajalistickespeealadojus" in her 1949 song titled "The Super Song" written as a fox trot. She sued Disney over the copyright and eventually lost when an old Syracuse University newspaper from 1931 was found that used an almost identical word, proving it was not the exclusive creation of Parker.

When I had learned to drive I took my girlfriend with me to see our favorite performer, Elvis, in Harum Scarum. Elvis was gorgeous but it was a disappointing movie.

About a year after high school a childhood friend visited while on leave from the Army. I thought it would be nice to go out to dinner and see a movie. We ate at Bonanza's Steakhouse and afterward I just picked the most convenient movie time and location. It turned out to be Ryan's Daughter. The story line and some of the scenes were quite embarrasing to watch with a boy I hardly knew anymore.

About 1965 Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures released their first full screen movie, The Restless Ones. The story is about a minister who tries to help troubled teens. The main characters were played by Johnny Crawford best known as a former Mouseketeer and from the tv show The Rifleman, and a young tv and movie star, Kim Darby. Churches all over the country, especially Baptist ones including ours, had campaigns to pack the movie theater. Members were encouraged to bring non-believing friends and neighbors with them. I remember going downtown as a congregation and filling our theater. The nationwide evangelistic event resulted in the conversion of over 120,000 people. 

We went to the drive in movies as a family in our big Chevy sedan.  Dad was the only driver so he was the one that connected the audio speaker to his half-way rolled down window after we pulled in to the dipped parking spot. About the speakers - invariably at least one person took off after the movie without disconnecting. The hilly parking spots were made specifically so that your car was on a tilt, making it easier for the people in the back seat to see the screen. It also improved the screen view for the cars behind. 

If we got there early, there was a playground at the front right under the screen where the kids could swing, slide, or go on the merry-go-round until the movie started. Showtime was as soon as it got dark. We had to roll down all the windows to try to keep from overheating. That meant we might be fighting the mosquito brigade though. If it started to rain we would put the wipers on for awhile but sometimes we just left if it was a heavy downpour. In the middle back of the field was the concession stand where we could get cokes and popcorn, and use the bathroom. My brother and I usually fell asleep before the movie was over, especially if it was a double feature. 

Dad picked most of the movies and Westerns and World War II were his favorites. We saw almost everything with John Wayne like The Alamo, and The Magnificent Seven, How the West was Won, Lawrence of Arabia, Mutiny on the Bounty, etc. If the show wasn't a musical or comedy my mother didn't always go with us. 

As we were in line waiting to enter the drive in we occasionally saw a group open their trunk and sneak some passengers inside. They were trying to avoid paying for each person. As soon as they got through the ticket booth, the trunk passengers were freed. There were special nights when the entrance fee was one price for as many people as you could pack in the car, or truck and some took every advantage.  

The drive in theater is said to have begun in 1933 in NJ. Over 90% of them have closed, leaving only about 340 throughout the US.  A few are making a comeback. A family night out is affordable with prices as low as $3.50 per person at some theaters. To subsidize business costs, many lots hold flea markets during the day.

Our nearest revamped drive in boasts three screens, double features, and is open year round. There is surround sound and a car stereo FM channel. Bringing your own food is encouraged, or you can visit the 50's Cafe.

Finding valuable family friendly movies is becoming more difficult. I remember when the rating system started in 1968. We were shocked to realize there would be so many adult/mature movies available. 

We rarely go to the theater now, preferring to wait until we can stream a good show in our home. No dressing up is required, we can pause for bathroom breaks, and the popcorn is only a microwave away.

                                        "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, 
                         since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

One of my favorite games was imagination in Mary Lazenby's enormous mimosa tree in her back yard. It had multiple large branches to climb and each girl could go out on her own limb and hang out. We felt like we were flying high above the small world below. The delicate, fragrant, wispy, pink flowers and tiny leaves were all part of the mystique, like hiding in a secret garden. Mary moved away in about the fourth grade so we couldn't play in that tree anymore.  

Marbles were best played in the dirt. The boys in the neighborhood played this more than the girls, but I liked the shared collection my brother and I had. One 'marble' was really a large metal ball bearing.

We played jump rope, individually with smaller ropes and if we had enough players we used a larger rope with one girl holding each end. We had a few rhymes to jump with, but doing Double Dutch and lots of running in and out was best done during school recess where we had a really long rope. 

Some school games didn't adapt well at home without a large group like Freeze Tag, Red Rover, 1-2-3 Red Light, Hot Potato, Mother May I, and Simon Says.

Doing the limbo didn't really require music for us. We usually used someone's broom. Hide 'n Seek and hand clap rhymes were okay with a small group. We also enjoyed the slinky, silly putty, Tiddlywinks, Pick up Sticks, Jacks, paper dolls, and board games. Favorites were Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, Monopoly, Chinese Checkers, Candy Land, and Parcheesi. We didn't own a Monopoly game, so I always requested we play that one but it was a lengthy game. Usually it was time to go home for supper before we finished playing.

Card games included Old Maid, Authors, and Hearts. My mother frowned upon "playing cards" so we didn't have the traditional four suit deck. I first learned to play Authors and Old Maid with my grandmother. We would play out in her screened porch on a table covered with colorful oil cloth. Authors required more concentration, memory, and familiarity with literature. Old Maid was just fun.

Another great game we played at my grandparents' house was croquet. My grandfather made the wooden mallets and we used regular softballs. He enjoyed mowing the grass to get the yard ready for a few fun matches with my parents and brother. He was expert at playing, and just laughed and laughed when he got through the wire pickets with his trick one-handed slam.