Remember when raindrops fell on your head and didn’t roll off?
Remember when the excitement about a road trip centered on stopping at Howard Johnson’s: 28 flavors of ice cream, grilled cheese, baked beans, twin grilled franks, clam roll, and Indian pudding?
Remember the annual rush to the car dealer showrooms to see the new models?
Remember when Puerto Rican nationalists shot Congressmen on the House Floor as they debated immigration legislation?
Remember when Al Jolson was considered the greatest entertainer to have ever lived (except now wokeism caught up with him)?
Remember when our daily Catholic schools prayers included a wish for the conversion of Russia, now probably the most actively Christian nation in Europe?
Remember the sound of corduroy coming down the school corridor??
Remember when children could play unattended for hours in front of their houses or at the neighborhood park?
Remember when jeans were called dungarees?
Remember when Betty Grable insured her legs for a million dollars and later Nancy Kerrigan didn’t?
Remember which baseball announcers in NY called home runs by saying “Going, Going, Gone” and “It’s an Old Goldie” and “Bye Bye Baby”?
Remember when New Jersey was the only visible state intervening between Manhattan and California?
Remember when a B-52 bomber crashed into the Empitre State Building killing 48 people?
Remember when the dumbest kid in the class sat in the back row until eyeglasses vaulted him to number one?
Remember when Wednesdays were Prince Spaghetti Day?
Remember when China made a fortune selling sturdy desks to American schools so our students could take shelter under those desks in case of a Chinese atomic attack?
Remember scouring the neighborhood street and trash cans for empty beverage bottles to turn in for enough deposit cash to buy a ticket to the double feature on Saturday?
Remember when you could lie abed and penetrate the mysteries of the night on the sound of a distant train whistle?
Remember when late night radio’s premiere raconteur, Galen Drake, dished out philosophical and anecdotal info that demystified the adult world for kids with the courage to tune in?
Remember when educated intellectuals were called eggheads?
Remember when if anyone knew, the Shadow did.
Remember when mandatory schooling was primarily designed to produce recognizable Christians, patriotic servants of the state, and plug-ins for business and the economy?
Remember when America was the kind of country where a Catholic bishop’s homilies could compete for the highest prime time ratings against top comedy variety shows?
Remember when milk was so creamy it left a telltale white mustache?