[Blessings2You]

Fifty years ago many of you weren't born yet. Maybe your parents weren't even born yet.

In 1962 I was twelve years old, and the world was my oyster that summer. No presidents had been assassinated yet, and the Cuban missile crisis (and our move to the "city") wouldn't come until fall.

We lived three miles from the village on a dirt road, surrounded by pastures and trees and brooks. I spent a lot of time sitting on the stone wall daydreaming about my big crush, Johnny Crawford from "the Rifleman". And a lot of time in my room writing poetry and listening to the radio...mostly WKBW in Buffalo, New York.

Some of the top songs that year were "Stranger on the Shore" (still love that one), "Duke of Earl", "the Twist", "Crying in the Rain", "Can't Help Falling in Love". The top 100 was a mixture of crossover hits from country, blues, easy listening...Pat Boone, Burl Ives, Henry Mancini, the Corsairs, Bobby Vinton, Nat King Cole, The Highwaymen, Connie Francis, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison.

TV was black and white and safe to watch. We were big on westerns, Red Skelton, My Three Sons, the Real McCoys. Our antenna was up on the hill, and when the neighbor's cows rubbed against the poles, the picture "went haywire".

Don't know what made me think of this today. That was a pivotal summer for me on many levels, doing the balancing act between being a child and a teenager. I watched cartoons on Saturday, and American Bandstand during the weekend. I can't believe it was fifty years ago. I can close my eyes right now and be back on that stone wall.

[Kitty]

It's fun to think back to those simpler times. I miss them....that's for sure.

It was 1972 when I was 12. I remember the old B&W television set. We had one.....and it was in the den. The popular shows during that year were The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Emergency!, Bob Newhart, Sanford and Son, All In The Family (my Dad's favorite), Ironside, Gunsmoke, The Waltons and The Partridge Family. I used to love watching Disney on Sunday nights. Mom always popped popcorn for that.

The Moody Blues had alot of good music back then. The Osmonds, Michael Jackson and Mac Davis (Don't Get Hooked On Me) were popular.

I remember our neighbor, Mrs. Darden, who always came right in and then said "knock knock!". We never locked our doors back then.

I love looking through the Vermont Store's online catalog because they have all the stuff we used to buy back then.

[mrsD]

When I was 12 it was 1958. My dominant memory was my horrific surgery on my left foot to remove a bleeding tumor (hemangioma) that I had from birth. It took forever to heal properly... sigh.

I remember M & M's in the hospital, being in terrible pain, and listening to Johnny Mathis on the radio: A new type of radio called "transitor" which ran on batteries! It was red and made by Zenith. My dad loved this little 4x 8in new marvel and let me use it in the hospital.(which was a week)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no_ILta9iEk&feature=fvst

No TV in hospitals back then. But the girl I shared the room with had rheumatic fever and had been there for weeks! Her parents had a little black and white TV and we watched it some together.

I don't recall much from that year 1958-- it was a major recession in the auto industry, my father was out of work, and things were pretty tense with both my parents, etc. I did my usual "hide in my room and do art work", since I couldn't get around much with my foot etc.

[Debbie D]

1962...I was 7. It was a difficult year for my family. My mom had had a slight stroke. I remember her holding her hand in a claw position like an injured bird.
Also my sis had begun to run away around then...I spent my days in my room reading. My mom would tell me "Go out and play." But I loved reading and escaping in books...
I also was given a shopping bag full of comic books...being the dork I was, I would tote that bag around with me. My girlfriend, who was a year older than me and would turn against me in a minute, told me to get rid of the bag or she wouldn't play with me anymore...I took my comics and went home...
I learned to love Archie, Superman, the Fantastic Four, ah so many friends in those comics...

[SallyC]

Hey blessings, 1962 was a transition year for me too....21 and able to vote. Yes in the OLD days you had to be 21, so I wasn't able to vote in my most favorite President, in all the world (JFK).

I heard the same song you did, only in a different light... in the dark, mostly.

Did you live close to Buffalo? I stay there with a friend, one summer, when I was 19...you were 10.

[doydie]

I was 12 in 1962 also!!!! But when your Dad is the local Southern Baptist preacher in a small town you live in a bubble. So some of those songs I knew of but didn't hear much. We had a piano and a black and white TV and the piano was played the most! I shared a bedroom with my 2 younger brothers until I was to old and they put a day bed in the dining room! I remember the old wash tub, it went from washing the clothes to us using it as a swimming pool then finally watering the garden. Recycling wasn't just thought up!!!!! Oh my, when was Dark Shadows? Our parent absolutely forbade us to watch that!!!! Those were the good ol' days though. Yes, you had to wait for your neighbors to get off the telephone but if you listened quietly enough you could have something to talk about the next day in school. We were allowed to wear hose to school one a week, unless of course you put them in your purse and put them on in school.

[jackD]

I wish you would stop posting my PIN Number.

jackD

p.s Just trying my new keyboard. My 0ld one would not type certain letter/ keys. I had to keep finding other words that did not use those keys.

[Dejibo]

In 1962 I was born! I will be fifty this year!

[tkrik]

I was not born yet in 1962. I was 12 in 1976 - the Bicentennial of the U.S. We took a class trip to Philadelphia that year to visit all the historical sites. "Philadelphia Freedom" was played often during that trip and our teachers made us sing it on the bus more times than I care to remember. I got my 1st babysitting job that year and continued babysitting all through high school and beyond.

Those were the carefree days.

[SallyC]

Sheesh Trish, I was DX with MS in 1976 at the age of 35.