<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; color: rgb(63, 71, 133);">Wasn't This Us?</span></b><div dir="ltr"><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Author unknown<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">A little house with three bedrooms,<br>one bathroom and one car on the street.<br>A mower that you had to push<br>to make the grass look neat.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">In the kitchen on the wall<br>we only had one phone,<br>And no need for recording things,<br>someone was always home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">We only had a living room<br>where we would congregate,<br>unless it was at mealtime<br>in the kitchen where we ate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">We had no need for family rooms<br>or extra rooms to dine.<br>When meeting as a family<br>those two rooms would work out fine.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">We only had one TV set<br>and channels maybe three,<br>But always there was one of them<br>with something worth to see.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">For snacks we had potato chips<br>that tasted like a chip.<br>And if you wanted flavor<br>there was Lipton's onion dip.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Store-bought snacks were rare because<br>my mother liked to cook<br>and nothing can compare to snacks<br>in Betty Crocker's book.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Weekends were for family trips<br>or staying home to play.<br>We all did things together --<br>even go to church to pray.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">When we did our weekend trips<br>depending on the weather,<br>no one stayed at home because<br>we liked to be together.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Sometimes we would separate<br>to do things on our own,<br>but we knew where the others were<br>without our own cell phone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Then there were the movies<br>with your favorite movie star,<br>and nothing can compare<br>to watching movies in your car.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">And there were the picnics<br>at the peak of summer season,<br>pack a lunch and find some trees<br>and never need a reason.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Get a baseball game together<br>with all the friends you know,<br>have real action playing ball --<br>and no game video.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Remember when the doctor<br>used to be the family friend,<br>and didn't need insurance<br>or a lawyer to defend?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The way that he took care of you<br>or what he had to do,<br>because he took an oath and strove<br>to do the best for you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Remember going to the store<br>and shopping casually,<br>and when you went to pay for it<br>you used your own money?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Nothing that you had to swipe<br>or punch in some amount,<br>and remember when the cashier person<br>had to really count?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The milkman used to go<br>from door to door,<br>And it was just a few cents more<br>than going to the store.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">There was a time when mailed letters<br>came right to your door,<br>without a lot of junk mail ads<br>sent out by every store.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The mailman knew each house by name<br>and knew where it was sent;<br>there were not loads of mail addressed<br>to "present occupant."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">There was a time when just one glance<br>was all that it would take,<br>and you would know the kind of car,<br>the model and the make.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">They didn't look like turtles<br>trying to squeeze out every mile;<br>they were streamlined, white walls, fins<br>and really had some style.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">One time the music that you played<br>whenever you would jive,<br>was from a vinyl, big-holed record<br>called a forty-five.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">The record player had a post<br>to keep them all in line<br>and then the records would drop down<br>and play one at a time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Oh sure, we had our problems then,<br>just like we do today<br>and always we were striving,<br>trying for a better way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Oh, the simple life we lived<br>still seems like so much fun,<br>how can you explain a game,<br>just kick the can and run?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">And why would boys put baseball cards<br>between bicycle spokes<br>and for a nickel, red machines<br>had little bottled Cokes?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">This life seemed so much easier<br>and slower in some ways.<br>I love the new technology<br>but I sure do miss those days.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in; line-height: normal; font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">So time moves on and so do we<br>and nothing stays the same,<br>but I sure love to reminisce<br>and walk down memory lane.</span></p></div><div>—————————————————</div><br><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">http://www.MoscowCares.net</span></div><div><br></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><br></div><div>“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met.”</div><div>- Roy E. Stolworthy</div><div></div></div></div></div></body></html>