From: "Alan Cook" <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:25:36 GMT
Subject: [Puptcrit] Intergenerational communication


When I was in grade school, we lived on a conventional street with conventional lawns & hedges, but diagonally accross the street was an old-fashioned gray wood frame house with dirt instead of lawn, and a model T car parked to one side. An old couple lived there, and they wore old-fashioned clothes made before I was born. 

We said hello when we saw one another, but there was not any conversation to speak of (ha ha).

But just having them on our street was a big clue that older people lived their histories before my generation was invented.

Our grade school (string) puppet club had a couple of stock characters which were "Grampa and Grandma Snazzy" which the whole school knew well. They looked a lot like my old neighbors. 

A house on the corner had a lot which was big enough to accommodate a second (grandparent)  house, and we all knew the elder Mr & Mrs. Anders who lived in it. Grampa Anders was missing one eye, but did not have a glass replacement, nor did he wear a patch. We quickly got used to the hole in his face. We just understood that he had a history that was never explained.

The next house east, had a big porch with a big parrot cage, and a squawking bird was just part of the neighborhood. 

Another corner was a vacant lot full of weeds---in spring when the weeds were green, we'd stomp pathways, and larger areas which were "rooms" of an imaginary house. 

Next to this lot was a very small house where Mr & Mrs Sutherland lived---Mr Sutherland was always driving to Pool's Pharmacy to buy smelly cigars, and if we were around, we'd get to ride with him and he'd buy us penny candy which was an attraction of Pool's Pharmacy, which also boasted an old-fashioned marble and wood ice cream fountain with high stools.

Our neighborhood had lots of character and a feeling of stability even during the Great Depression--Most people in the middle class neighborhood knew they were all in the same boat financially, just barely getting by, but relatively equal.

Old folks shared their stories with young ones and we had  connection. Those were also the days when neighbors worried about whether their neighbors had dust on their furniture. Dry Cleaners were Depession Proof in those days (before wash and wear was invented). And movies thrived because they were really cheap to see. Puppet show tickets could be had for 10 cents-25 cents. A penny was worth something. You could "make do" with very little.

And there were a lot of puppet shows to see in Department Stores in downtown Los Angeles FOR FREE. 

ALAN COOK


-----Original Message-----
From: Kathleen David
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 12:47 PM
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Kennedy Assasination Day

I was at the doctor's office for my 6 week check-up.
My parents told me the story of where we were when they heard which is  
how I know
I had a history teacher in High school tell us that he felt very old  
knowing that our class held the last of the children he would teach  
that had been alive before Kennedy was killed.
My husband and I had to explain to our 17 year old why all the Kennedy  
comparisons were being made this year in discussions of the election.
Kath

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