Remembering Things Growing Up

 I know I have written about things I have remembered growing up, and do so many more times. But I do have things that I remember that won’t fill up a page alone. So when that happens, I just write them down and when I have a few, I decide I will write about them.

The Grit - This was an old-time weekly newspaper published when I was a kid growing up in Western Pennsylvania. I remember it as sort-of country-like paper. We got it at our house and I remember that for a short time my brother and I thought about delivering the paper to our neighbors using our bikes. I’m not sure we ever did though.

Crawdad fishing – I remember going fishing for crawdads when we went to visit a certain family that our parents were friends with. They lived in the country and when we got to their house, we would run out back down to the creek. We would usually go with an older brother or a younger sister. I don’t remember ever catching and eating them, or do I remember fishing for them any place else.

Throwing cockleburs – This was a fun game we sometimes would play running around in the backyard. We would get the burrs from the cow field and bring them back to our yard. Then we would play tag using the burrs. I don’t remember playing this with anyone except my brother.

City Chicken – This was one of my favorite foods growing up. Remembering it recently, I thought it really was chicken. It wasn’t; it was pork! It cubes of pork skewered on a wooden stick, battered and fried I believe. I really enjoyed them. I’ll have to find a recipe for them.

Gas stations -  In the 1950’s, after we got a car, I remember going to the gas station with Pop. Back then, all gas stations had attendants that pumped the gas. They all wore a uniform provided by the gas company. Many of them even had billed caps like a milkman used to ear. They would check your oil, radiator, and tires while the gas was pumping. They even washed your front and rear windows, and your outside rearview mirrors. The thing I liked best was you could always get free maps. I would get them every chance I could. I loved maps and had a bunch of them.

(Cambria 13 font)