I love reminiscing about things from the nostalgic 60s with others that remember the same things!  From toys to furniture to cars to how different our lives were lived then.

Does remembering some of these things help to bring a smile, or maybe a tear, to your face?

1.  Remember when the world felt like such a safe place?  My sisters and I lived out our very young years in a small town in Missouri.  Kathy was too young at the time, but Carol and I were allowed to pack our lunch and take off walking down a country road to spend the day exploring.  Never was there a thought of anyone harming us in any way.  We loved playing in the pasture, pond and woods!  We came in for lunch, went back out to play and came back in when called for dinner.

2.  Ironing just about everything.  We had a little metal sprinkler tip that had cork on the opposite end.  We filled an empty soda bottle with water, placed the cork end in the top and used it to dampen our clothes.  Then we rolled them up and placed them in a basket and after a certain amount of time we took them out and ironed them.  It’s funny how you want to iron, until you’re actually old enough to do it!

3.  Little blue, or maybe red, pedal cars.  Ours was blue, what color was yours?

4.  When Barbie dolls first came on the scene.  My grandmother gave me one of the first Barbie’s, which by the way I still have today.  But I’m sorry to say, she has been played with by so many children through the years that somewhere along the way some of her fingers were chewed off. 5.  45 records – we had to put the little plastic thing in the middle so we could put them on our record players. Remember this song: “Purple People Eater”…..Oh, he was a one eyed, one horned flying purple people eater!  That has to be 50’s!  Watching the Beatles on their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show?

6.  The day President Kennedy was shot.  I was in the third grade.  My teacher was called out of the room and when she came back in she was crying.  She informed us that President Kennedy had been shot.  Being only in the third grade, I didn’t really understand all of the ramifications of the president being assassinated, but I do remember it was a very scary feeling.

7.  Cars with big bench seats.  You could easily seat 5 or 6 skinny kids across the back seat.  We didn’t worry about seat belts back then.  I can remember laying in the floor or the back window as we drove along.  And families only had one car, not two or three.

8.  Those bumpy clear plastic seat covers that it seemed like everyone had on their car seats.  When you were wearing shorts your legs stuck to them and the pattern ended up imprinted on your legs!

9.  S&H Green Stamps and Blue Chip Stamps ­– we received them when we shopped at the grocery store, bought gas for our car and so on.  You could then exchange them for merchandise chosen from their catalog or store.

10.  Party lines.  My sister and I would pick up the phone as quietly as we could and listen in.  That is until our Mom caught us and put an end to the fun.

11.  Gas stations with someone that actually pumped your gas, washed your windshield, checked your oil, water and the pressure in your tires.  And gas wars?

12.  Art Linkletter and “Kids Say the Darndest Things”.

13.  The original “The Blob” starring Steve McQueen.  I was so scared at night after seeing that movie.  I could just see that big thing rolling into our bedroom to devour my sister and I!

I hope you enjoy these memories from the nostalgic 60s as much as I do.  And if you do, you’re probably a baby boomer!