One evening a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events.

The grandson asked his grandmother what she thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandmother replied, "Well, let me think a minute.

I was born before:

' polio shots
' frozen foods
' Xerox
' contact lenses
' Frisbees and
' the pill

There were no:

' credit cards
' laser beams

Man had not yet invented:

' pantyhose
' air conditioners
' dishwashers
' clothes dryers
' and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and
' man hadn't yet walked on the moon

Your Grandfather and I got married first, and then lived together.
Every family had a father and a mother.
Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir."
And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir."
We were before computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.
Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.
We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.

Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.
We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.

Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.

Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends - not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CD's, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.
We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny,and the President's speeches on our radios.
If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan on it, it was junk.

The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.
Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.
We had 5 &10-cent (5 and dime) stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.
Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.
You could buy a new Ford Coupe for $600, but who could afford one?
Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.

In my day:

' "grass" was mowed,
' "coke" was a cold drink,
' "pot" was something your mother cooked in and
' "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.
' "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,
' "chip" meant a piece of wood,
' "hardware" was found in a hardware store and.
' "software" wasn't even a word.

We were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.
We volunteered to protect our precious country.
No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap.

How old do you think I am?

Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.

Are you ready?


This woman would be only 63 years old.
She would have been born in late 1952.


GIVES YOU SOMETHING TO THINKABOUT.

Yup, gotta agree with most of it. I was born in March 1951. I totally understand......

I'm circa '48. I must be Grandma's age.

Every Saturday the local theaters had a 25 cent matinee, double feature with cartoon. You paid your quarter and went in for as long as you wanted to stay. You could watch the movies 3 or 4 times if you wanted to. They just kept them running without breaks between them.

I sure remember those! A bunch of us would get together and head for the movies! If someone was short, we'd pitch in and come up with enough to get em in! Stay all Saturday afternoon!

Kerosene lanterns, hand pumped well water, and outdoor toilets.

And this wasn't down South!

Birdseye was founded in the 20's

And in 1902, a 25-year-old engineer from New York named Willis Carrier invented the first modern air-conditioning system.

Woman Invented Dishwasher. Josephine Garis Cochran invented the first useful dishwasher in Shelbyville, Ill., and received patent # 355,139 on December 28, 1886.


How Much things cost in 1952.
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 2.29%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 5.3%
Average Cost of new house $9.050.00 Average wages per year $3,850.00 Cost of a gallon of Gas 20 cents Average Cost of a new car $1,700.00 Average Cost of Rent $80.00 per month LB of Hamburger Meat 53 cents.

In 1952 my Mom gave me three pennys and sent my to the post office to get a first class stamp.

I don't remember Ike giving any radio speeches.

Sentimental tripe.

It turns out that Grandma got tired of small town life, ran away from home at 16 and joined the hippies in The Haight just after the summer of love? She went on to see Woodstock right before she turned 18 and unfortunately did try the brown acid.

She wound up living in a commune, got tired of it after 3 kids with 3 different fathers, got her act together and wound up in a tech firm in Silicon Valley in the early '80s. Sure she was just an admin, but was pretty bright, and since the Valley is somewhat of a meritocracy she went on to bigger and better positions. Eventually winding up at pre-IPO Yahoo! writing cgi code.

She's currently set for life, uses technology better than her Luddite sons and daughters (her work and the grandkids keep her up to date) and loves driving her 911 in the Santa Cruz mountains. She knows that the above email is factually full of holes, but doesn't hold it against those that long for simpler times. After all, she too listened to her grandma talk about walking 10 miles to school in the snow, uphill both ways...

All sounded pretty normal to me...
I was born in June of 52....

My dad's mom was born before the Wright Brothers took to the sky. She was born in 1880. She experienced World War I-the war to end all wars. World War II-the next war to end all others. She waited anxiously to hear that her son, my dad was coming home from Europe. Twice she received word that he had been wounded in combat. Twice he survived. She was one of the original Suffragettes in Ohio, and among those instrumental in getting women the right to vote. She was on the front lines in the union riots in Youngstown, Ohio when the steelworkers stood up to the owners for a better working environment and fair wages.
Other things Gramma witnessed:
The Vietnam War.
Man's first flights into space.
Man walking on the moon.
So many innovations in the field of medicine, the list would be too long to put here.
The list goes on. Gramma finally went home to be with Jesus at the age of 106. She was truly a remarkable lady.

Got my 1st real job out of college in '70. It paid $7500/yr which wasn't bad at the time. I bought my 1st new car the next year, a '71 Nova for $2200. My 1st apartment rent was $70 including utilities.

October '52 here - I agree with grandma!

My grandmother turned 95 Tuesday. She is more than half as old as TX. Really blew her mind when I told her that.

Grandmother was born in Texas in 1889.
Went to New Mexico by wagon train, where my Great Grandfather homesteaded.
Met my Grandfather that had homesteaded there also.

She lived to see man walk on the moon.

I went to first grade in 1957.
I would go to other little boy's houses on the way home.
I would look in the garage, closets, and drawers.
There were two kids to a bed and the closets were empty.
Bums ate out of garbage cans n skid row.
Traffic was light.
we had gun shows.

When I was 12 we caught 35 pound king salmon that took an hour to land. Hunting was good.

Now half the adults I know are multi millionaires.
Even the poorest people own 10,000 objects.
Traffic is stop-go for miles every day.
There is no fishing. There is no hunting.
There are no private gun sales in this state any more, thanks to five billionaires buying an election.

I would trade the wealth to get the hunting and fishing back.