Carol’s Extra Basket of Back-Then Memories

(AFTER IT WAS FINISHED) THAT BERNIE SAID THERE JUST WASN’T ENOUGH ROOM FOR

BACK THEN… Mom reading the funnies to us. Indian burns. DeKalb Hybrid cornfield signs. Noogies. Wedgies. “Say uncle.” “You creep.” Red Ryder cock- lever BB guns and round BB boxes. Ice cream we made in ice-cube trays from a powder. Fly paper. Comb and waxed-paper harmonicas. Lucky toothpick in the cake. Sugar sandwiches. Apple dumplings. Silver pennies. Flat tops. Butch Wax. Sock Hops. Studebaker—Dad said, “It looks like a two-row corn picker!” Cigar band rings. Bob’s Davy Crockett hat. Bernie’s stilts. Dixie Cups. Grape pop. Sadie Hawkins Dance. Peddle Pushers. Duck-tail hair. “Brylcreem—a little dab’ll do ya.” Zoot suit, pegged pants, and a long key chain. Ally Opp. Sen-Sen. Duncan Yo-yos. James Dean. The Senior Prom. Fall Homecoming. “I’ve got a date with Judy, a big date with Judy. Oh, jeepers and gee!” Rock ’n Roll. Tootie Fruitie and Little Richard. Cracker Jack prizes when they were good. The Boogie Man. Kool-Aid popsicles. Red M&Ms when they were poison. Getting your tonsils out. Polio vaccine. Quarantines. Air Raid drills. Ringworm and silk stocking caps on our brothers’ heads. Charm caps. Cigarette Loads. Hand buzzers. Plastic puke. Secret Decoder Rings. S&H Green Stamps. 41st Street. 23rd Avenue. 15th Street Hill. Selling seeds door to door. Clover Salve. Dairy Queen. Rootbeer stands. Speigel catalog. Cinch belts. Mandrin collar shirts. Crinolines. Everybody’s mom always being at home. Waiting for the TV to warm up. “You’re a Dirty Bird!” “Don’t be a Fink.” Double dip. Black Cows. Banana splits. Steering wheel spinners. Car seat covers. Lyceum programs. Flunking a grade. Heel or toe taps, Streamers on a string with a rubber band harp that made it hum. Walnettos. M-80s. Ladyfingers. Whirligigs. Rural Route #2. Cowboy and Indian movies. Igpey Atinlay. Buzz bombs. Buzz cuts. Hula Hoops. Bike sirens. Cooties Catchers. Ovaltine. Mom’s aprons. Cocoa Wheat. Poached eggs and strips of buttered white bread to dip. Tilt-a- Whirl. Royal American Shows. Charles Atlas Course. Red Ryder and Lil’ Injun. “Only the Shadow knows.” Going steady. Class rings. Archie, Jughead, Veronica, and Betty. White Bucks. Blue suede shoes. Knock, knock jokes. “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.” The Green Hornet and Kato. The William Tell Overture, and The Lone Ranger’s, “Come with us now to the thrilling days of yester-year, when out of the past came the Lone Ranger and his great horse Silver. Hi-yo Silver, away!”