REFLECTIONS "Growing up in the 50's"- Chapter 5 Field of Dreams

Nostalgia Tidbit: It only took a hand full of us and an open field of some kind for us to play some baseball. We even had neighborhood versus neighborhood games. Everybody was always ready to play. So few of the “toys” we know today were available in the 50’s. Besides, our Moms didn’t even have to make us get out of the house. We were in our element.

 Chapter 5

Field of Dreams

As I grew up we had a ballpark convenient to the

neighborhood. We lived on a dead end street of about

twenty houses. At the entrance to our street just across

the main highway was our “field of dreams”. It was

built and we came! It was called Connie Mack field.

While school was in session it was used for all the

junior high and high school football and baseball

games. During the summer it was used for Little

League and Pony League baseball.  

We spent many hours inside those fences whether it be

organized baseball, football or the unorganized games

we often played. The most special times were when the

whole gang of us would shimmy over the six foot high

fence during the summer while no one else was there.

The whole gang could have been anywhere from four

or five to nine or ten of us. Whether it be a few of us

or several, we always found a way to have a baseball

game. We would always use second base as home

plate, hitting the ball toward the outfield. That way

some of us or I should say some of them would have a

chance of hitting the ball over the outfield fence.

 Throughout those years, I don’t think I ever put one

over the fence. Often we would play three on three or

whatever we had to do in order to make it a game. 

We chased a lot of balls in Connie Mack Field. Even

though nowadays, many would question the fact that

baseball is “America’s pastime”…there is no question,

in those days it was definitely our major pastime and I

truly believe it was America’s pastime. I loved every

minute of it and often recall those great moments spent

at Connie Mack Field with the ole gang. Nowadays

and for many years now, the former location of Connie

Mack Field is covered with commercial storage

buildings. Unless you are old enough and lived there in

the 50’s you would never know it had been the sports

center of our community for many years. 

Even though I moved from that area many years ago, I

still, often ride by what used to be our “field of

dreams” and can catch a glimpse of the old oak tree

still standing. This tree is all that remains from

those days. It was just outside the park, behind the

home plate bleachers. We spent a lot of time

resting in the shade of that tree after some hard fought

competition.

That old oak tree is almost like an old friend. To this

day as I give it a passing glimpse, it sparks my fond

memories of those great moments at Connie Mack

Field.

Somewhere, under all that commercialization, remain our footprints never to be erased.

See recent responses from some of those who read my book "REFLECTIONS GROWING UP IN THE 50's"

"Thanks Darrell.  I read the book.  Very nice.  It brought back many memorites for me, even though I'm a child of the 60's."
  Barry

Darrell:

"I finished the book today. I LOVED it!!! Sure did bring back a lot of good memories and some I never knew about."

 Bren

"Thanks for sharing that part of your life with us.

Loved it....felt like I was right there with you at the "Saturday afternoon at the movies!!!"

Patricia

"It came through just fine. I am enjoying reading it. I certainly can identify with a lot that you are saying. The "family dipper" being one of them!!  I can't wait to finish reading your book. Thank you so much for sharing it with me." 

Teresa

Darrell,

"Even though I have read it before I read it again today.

Very good. Thanks again for the wonderful memories.

Great idea to do it as an Electronic Book.

I guess I can go find a Pepsi.  It is still my favorite."

Love you brother,

Gene

"Thanks Darrell, I am on page 20 I wish that I had time to sit and read it all today.  Your question about what is the first thing you can remember really brings back a lot of memories."

Jo

"I received your book via email today.  I started reading it and could not stop.  Enjoyed it thoroughly."

   Clint

"Thanks Darrell. This was so much fun to read the first time. I look forward to reading it again."

Rachel

Donna wrote: "Yes...I just finished your book and it was so enjoyable and some of those types of things we did as kids also so it was almost like reminiscing. I enjoyed it greatly, very nice job. Thanks Darrell"  

Dan wrote: "Hey Darrell I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy reading your book. It brings back great memories of our coming to age. Just a great job!!"

"I am in Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee part....great and thank you so much....never knew you lived on Webb Lane. Were you there when Roger lived there?"

PH

"Just wanted to say thanks, it brings about long ago memories. 

I can remember when you were on Webb's lane, My family used to visit yours, long ago.

My parents were from Tennessee also, don't remember if it was the same town, My parents lived in Lawrenceburg and Leoma area. 

My oldest brother was born in Tn. they moved to Auburndale around 1943, I was born at home in Dec. of 1944, I also had a younger  brother.He taught at Auburndale High School for 30  years, before retiring. 

Sure brought a lot of memories, I remember Connie Mack Field, and quite a bit of other things you mentioned.

I will be an Auburndale girl, I guess as long as I live. "

Thanks again,

Would look forward to more of your writing.

Judy

 

 

Reflections "Growing up in the 50's" Chapter 4- Remote Control before it's time

Nostalgia Tidbit: In the 1950’s and for many years to come there was no such thing as remote control for TVs. You were lucky if you had more than a couple of channels to watch. Channels were changed by turning a channel knob on the TV. The knob was about 3-4 inches in circumference allowing for 12 or so channels. As Jeff Foxworthy once said…Can you imagine how big that channel knob would have to be nowadays to accommodate all the available channels…Humongous!

Chapter 4

Remote Control before its time

We were  the second family in our neighborhood to 

have a television. The first family was our next-door 

neighbors, Billy and Oran. Their Mom and Dad 

worked until after midnight most nights at the local 

citrus plant, so, especially on Saturday nights my two 

older brothers and I would be invited over to their 

house to engage in the amazing pleasure of watching 

their TV. We would stare at it without conversation or 

any other type interruption until their Mom and Dad 

came home. 

Nowadays, how spoiled we are with cable TV, satellite 

TV, DVDs, and movie theaters galore. Back then we 

had one choice of what to watch on the one and only 

channel piped into Central Florida. 

It was Channel 2 out of Jacksonville. It really didn’t 

matter though. Just being able to be in front of a TV 

was a treat of indescribable proportion.

The biggest thrill of my lifetime, which by this time 

had only been about 8 years, was when we had our 

very first TV delivered. As I mentioned earlier we 

became the second household on

Webb Lane

to own a 

TV. Dad had it delivered much to our surprise. I still 

remember the thrill I felt. I couldn’t believe it had 

happened to us.

I know it sounds kind of silly nowadays, especially 

when even the majority of the poorest households in 

this country have at least one TV, if not two or three. 

I’m telling you, to have a TV in 1955 was a big deal. If 

you don’t think so, ask our neighbors. I can remember 

so clearly on a Saturday night having an overflowing 

living room full of neighbors with all eyes peeled to 

front and center watching every move on that TV set. 

Gunsmoke was the greatest!  We thought they would 

never go home. Finally they did!

It was a Hoffman brand console TV with kind of a

green tinted screen. Dad bought it from our 

neighborhood Western Auto. I wonder what it cost. 

It was no doubt a major purchase for the time! It had 

only been about a year before that I had stood with the 

family gazing in to the window at the Western Auto at 

a TV for the first time in my life. People were gathered 

around in amazement. All you could see was a snowy 

screen and shadows of movement within the garble 

and clear sound. Still, at that time it was unbelievable

to see such innovation. I’m thankful Channel 2 came 

on the scene before we bought ours; otherwise, it 

would have really been weird for the whole 

neighborhood to be sitting in our living room on a 

Saturday night watching a snowy screen.

We had that Hoffman TV for over eight years. After a 

few years it began to have a few problems and needed 

some adjustments. My two brothers became experts in  

adjusting the screen when it would jump around or go

 a
lmost completely black. We had those knobs in the 

rear of the TV figured out for the most part anyway. 

As the Hoffman got older, it took on a life of its own. 

I’m not kidding. Sometimes, we would be sitting there 

watching. All of a sudden the picture would start 

bouncing around. It really got irritating to have to 

constantly get up and adjust it from the rear. Leave it 

up to three boys to find a decent solution. Keep in 

mind our house had wood floors and not real solid 

ones at that. 

We learned that when the picture started bouncing, one 

of us would stomp the floor real hard from wherever 

we were sitting. The jarring of the floor made its way 

to the TV and how about that. The bouncing picture 

would straighten up. 

We had remote control way ahead of its time.

 Between the three of us we stomped the floor from 

about every position imaginable. We knew we had 

done a good thing when before long mom and dad 

began stomping the floor to correct the picture as well.

 Finally the old Hoffman wore out. The excitement of a 

color TV followed. Still to this day, I cannot 

remember what ever happened to our Hoffman. It sure 

brought a lot of joy and entertainment to our family. 

I’ll never forget that wonderful feeling of togetherness 

as we all gathered in the comforts of our living room 

and allowed Mr. Hoffman to entertain us.

Even to this day, I can still visualize Dad stomping the floor.

What a way to naturally leave a legacy!

My two brothers live close to each other and each Saturday morning, they meet for breakfast and have chance to share BUT the neatest part of it is that Bobby's 7 year old grandson always meets with them as well. He looks forward to that time as much as they do as he participates in the conversations like a little man.... What a lifelong memory that will be for him...now this is a great way to naturally leave a legacy.

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Use this blog to tell your favorite Christmas Story.

REFLECTIONS "Growing up in the 50's"-Chapter 3

Nostalgia Tidbit: It was a time when you rarely saw a purebred

dog. There were no leash laws and no house dogs in our

neighborhood. They roamed freely and there were many. Cats

didn’t have a chance. They were always on the run.

Chapter 3

The Neighborhood Bully

I’ll never forget “ole Butch”, the neighborhood bully.

He was one of the ugliest and meanest looking dogs I

had ever seen. Still to this day, some 50 years later, I

don’t think I’ve seen uglier. Butch dominated our

street where just about every household had at least

one yard dog. They were everywhere. I remember

many nights of unrest due to dogs barking and barking

and barking! I think “ole Butch” chewed on just about

every one of them at one time or another during his

reign.

Sometimes it was unmerciful the way he would flex

his overpowering muscles to ensure his dominance

over all who were brave enough to challenge him.

Finally, one day Butch met his match. Dad had

captured a raccoon “in the wild” and brought it home

where we had it caged most of the time. My two older

brothers made a leash and tied “Mr. Coon” to our

clothes line wire so it would slide along the line as the

raccoon paced back and forth. He really seemed a little

tame especially for a wild animal. Still, we wouldn’t

dare touch him.

The day of reckoning came when “ole Butch” did his

usual strut in to our yard over to the clothes line area

and immediately went into his intimidating “growl

mode”.

Mr. Coon wasn’t fazed in the least. I had to see this! I

could tell this was going to be an interesting moment.

Sure enough, with the quickness of a karate expert, the

coon had Butch on his back fighting for his life. After

a split second and a few swipes with his claws, Butch

was up and running and yelping unmercifully. I can’t

tell you how fulfilling it was to see Mr. Bully on the

run.

A few days later the raccoon escaped never to be seen

again. Even though he was only in our presence a few

days, he had performed a major accomplishment in

bringing the neighborhood bully “to his knees”.

Butch never was the same after that. It seemed he

calmed his aggressions a great deal for the remainder

of his life…. which, by the way only lasted a few more

months.

One day “ole Butch” more than met his match as he

was running across the main highway heading north.

Sadly he met a southbound bus head on. So much for

the “neighborhood bully”. No others ever stepped up to

the plate in an attempt to replace “ole Butch”. In my

imagination, I can still visualize him strutting through

the neighborhood.

REFLECTIONS "Growing up in the 50's" Chapter 2-The Big Dipper

Nostalgia Tidbit: It was very common for the entire family to

drink water out of one glass that sat near the sink, refrigerator or

outdoor well. Sometimes even friends and relatives visiting drank

out of the same glass although usually you tried to avoid such.

Many folks used “metal dippers” to serve that same purpose. We

did!

Chapter 2

The Big Dipper

We didn’t use a lot of glasses when I was growing up.

Nowadays, around the house with only my wife and

me, we probably use more glasses in a day than we had

in our household when I was a kid. The reason we used

so few glasses, except at mealtime, was the fact that

we had “a family dipper”. In case you don’t know what

a dipper is…..it was a metal cup shaped container with

a long handle. It always hung on a nail above the

kitchen sink well within reach of all of us.

Any time we wanted a drink of water, we filled the

dipper with tap water. It really tasted good back then.

When you had your drink, you had better rinse it out

with hot water to kill the germs and then hang it back

on the nail, ready for the next family member to use.

When I say family use, I mean immediate family.

Visitors would have the luxury of using a glass. I will

never forget the time Uncle Joe visited us from

Tennessee. He went straight to the family dipper and

got his drink. Not only did Uncle Joe intrude

on our off limit family dipper but it was also rumored

that he had TB.

Back then, I wasn’t even sure what Tuberculosis was,

but I knew it couldn’t be good for someone to drink

out of the family dipper with such a thing.

Needless to say, that dipper was missing the next day

never to return. I guess washing it with hot water

wasn’t convincing enough to kill the fear of the TB

germ. It was nice drinking out of glasses for a

while…but soon…a new family dipper returned…after

Uncle Joe had gone back home of course! Uncle Joe

never came back to visit.

I think he was pretty old at the time … probably 45 or

so! He actually died shortly after his visit. He died of

TB, we supposed.

I don’t think I ever drank out of a dipper again.