This morning while getting ready for work, Tom and I overheard a report on CNN regarding the horrible dangers of mercury. We had a good laugh, as Tom remembers playing with pure mercury as a child, going so far as to let the little liquid balls roll around on his tongue.
You see, Tom and I grew up in the 60’s - a time that scientists and historians refer to as the “Ignorance is Bliss” decade. It was a time of great fun – a period when parents and kids did unthinkably foolish things – mainly because we just didn’t know any better.
Pregnant mothers chain-smoked and were encouraged by their doctors to drink at least one martini a day.
We never used seatbelts or car seats, and siblings fought over whose turn it was to ride “shotgun” curled up in the back window of the family automobile.
As children we rode bikes with the daring of a Hollywood stuntman, often standing on the seat with no hands , no shoes, and always without a helmet.
Sunburns were encouraged, after all vitamin D is good for you
Holding firecrackers and bottle rockets in your tiny little hand, waiting until the very last second to throw them.
Forget about “stranger danger”, most of us spent all day roaming around the neighbourhood, only coming home at dusk, when Daddy whistled, signalling that it was time for dinner.
I personally think that I should get the “Stupid 60’s Kid” award for one of my favourite childhood past times. Most people have fond childhood memories of the ice cream man visiting their neighbourhood– but in my hood, it was all about the Mosquito Man. Each evening he drove a small truck through our little town, pulling a trailer that spewed toxic clouds of pale green gas, a chemical soup guaranteed to kill a West Texas mosquito dead in his tracks. When we saw the Mosquito Man, all of the kids in the neighbourhood jumped on our bikes and took off. The trick was to see how long you could keep up with the Mosquito Man, pumping our little sun-burned feet for blocks, positioned right in the middle of his toxic cloud.
Damn, those were good times.
1 comment:
Ahh....I remember those hot days sitting under the crab apple trees cooling off in the "mist" from the hand held pump Dad used to spray the PCP's that got rid of the caterpillars ( I still distinctly remember the smell and never smell it anymore....how come?!). Yes, I had my own mosquito man....my Dad! I remember he used to pull that waxy herbacide bar thing along the lawn too and we'd follow along in our bare feet stomping on the dandelions for good measure!
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