During the school year, my mother would wake me up and dress me (I was five) while I stood half awake, not sure if I wanted to go to school. After breakfast I would get on the bus and ride it several miles into Hilton, where I attended school at the Hazel Jenkins building.
It was there I met my first girl friend, Marjorie, and we were in love, proving it by giving each other the biggest valentines on Valentine’s day. I believe it was also in kindergarten that I was running around the large aquarium we had in the room, during a playtime, and either got pushed or didn’t know how to stop, and ran into the wall, which created a rather large lump on my head. The principal, Mr. Hall, showed up and put ice on the bump and then I went to see the nurse. Mr. Hall was a nice guy. He reminded me of Robert Young from the TV show “Father Knows Best”.
The other love of my life was Miss Bliss. I planned to marry her someday, but those plans got changed when she suddenly got married to someone closer to her age. I was disappointed, I guess, but I still had Marjorie, so I wasn’t crushed.
One year we did the “Three Billy Goats Gruff” story as a play for parents. I don’t remember what part I played, only that as I looked out into the audience of parents and grandparents, I didn’t see anyone from my family. It was a little disappointing, my stage debut and all, but even then I think I understood that, with one car in the family and a baby at home, the likelihood of my parents attending was zero. Just how other parents were able to do it, I don’t know.
Supper time was something I looked forward to each evening. We would gather around the table, I would sit next to the window that looked out onto our back yard. Many times we could see neighbor kids playing there while we ate. My mom made the best fried chicken in the world. I was always happy to see fried chicken on the table. I usually ate the wings because I was convinced if I ate enough of them, I could fly.
1950's Thanksgiving
Once, while visiting our grandparents in Pennsylvania, my grandfather convinced me the tail was the best part because it was so sweet. I tried it and liked it, and had no trouble convincing people to let me eat the back so I could have the tail. I never got even with my grandfather for doing that to me. I still think its funny.
In the evening, after playing outside, we would watch some of the popular TV shows on our small black and white TV. During the summer, I remember watching The Thin Man, a detective story, The Millionaire, a soap opera about greed, Highway Patrol, starring Broderick Crawford, The Life of Riley, with William Bendix, and Mighty Mouse, The Lone Ranger, Sky King, Howdy Doody, Rin Tin Tin, and other child appropriate shows. One other show was Yancy Derringer (http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/yancy-derringer.htm), starring Jock Mahoney. A story about a gambler / good guy who had derringers in the most interesting places on his person.
Just before bedtime, mom would bring us something called a “bedtime snack”. It may have been a cookie, or ice cream, pie, cake, prunes, or almost anything sweet. I always looked forward to the bedtime snack.
How come we never got sweets before bed??? Gyped.