Last week, I posted a picture of me in my grandma’s backyard playing catch with my dad. The more I thought about my grandma’s backyard, I was reminded of her back patio.
I distinctly remember there being a picnic table out there. I know my brother and I would eat outside with my grandma on summer days that we were there. The other thing I remember very well was the patio furniture.
My grandma and grandpa had this big, honking glider that was made out of metal. It was a puke green color and had little squares cut in it as a pattern both on the back of the glider and on the seat. If I had to guess, the glider probably weighed about, oh, 700 pounds or something. It was huge.
The patio set came with a rocker that had the same green and square pattern on it. There may or may not have been a chair that was just stationary that had the same style.
The picture above is me on the rocker. I’m guessing that any child of the ’70s will recognize that chair and probably be able to picture the glider. The one thing that I remember very well is that in the summertime if the sun hit that glider or chair for any length of time you could probably fry an egg on it. It was hot!
I’m guessing that the picture above was probably taken in the spring or in the fall as I’m wearing long pants. I have no recollection whatsoever of the gaudy shirt that I am wearing. I mean, what is that?! It looks like I’m about to join Roy Rogers and his band for a TV special. All that is missing is a pair of boots with spurs and a 10 gallon hat.
I honestly don’t know what my parents were thinking when they dressed me. You know I’ve raised two boys and am currently raising my daughter and my son. There has been no time at all where I have thought to myself “let’s dress them so they look absolutely ridiculous.”
No wonder people made fun of me in elementary school!
Today we feature Leonard Franklin Sly’s music on Tune Tuesday. Who, you ask? Well, perhaps you remember him as “The King of the Cowboys,” Roy Rogers. He was born on this day in 1911.
He was one of the founders of the country western group, The Sons of the Pioneers. He would go on to become one of the most popular cowboys in America!
Wiki says, “He appeared in almost 90 motion pictures, as well as numerous episodes of his self-titled radio program that lasted for nine years. Between 1951 and 1957, he hosted the Roy Rogers Show on TV with his wife Dale Evans, horse Trigger, and dog Bullet. “
Randy’s write up reminded me of a 1991 song that Roy had with Clint Black. It was called “Hold On Partner.”
I had totally forgotten about it. I do remember playing it off of a vinyl 45 when I lived on the west side of the state. It had to be cool for Roy to be on the radio again. It’s a shame that the song never cracked the Top 40. It topped out at #42.
The video for the song is shot in black and white and is fun to watch.
Bonus track:
Roy and the Sons of the Pioneers had a song on the Smokey and the Bandit II soundtrack. It was called, “Ride Concrete Cowboy, Ride.”
After seven days of great toys, I suppose it is my turn to wrap things up in my Toy of Your Life topic. Before I begin, I want to extend my gratitude to those seven writers who said, “Yeah, Keith. I’ll write up something for your silly feature.” Nancy, Colin, Christian, Randy, Max, Dave, and Stewart – I thank you for each contributing and making this trial run successful. I really enjoyed reading your pieces and so did my readers.
When I was approached to host this topic based feature, I was really unsure if it would work. First, I didn’t think anyone would be interested enough to write for it. I knew it had to be a topic that would be relatable to the writers as well as the readers. I think that this was accomplished. What I loved about this was that despite the diverseness of the choices, I could relate to all of them.
Right from the start, I had a turntable that was much like the one Nancy wrote about. I played my Beatles albums and my 45’s on my red one.
Colin’s Subbuteo table soccer game was completely unknown to me. However, it jogged my memory as to the electric football game I used to have.
When Christian picked Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars, I connected immediately. I had hundreds of them. As I mentioned in a comment, we spent hours outside building cities and roads for ours.
Max chose a couple. First, the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle. I was reminded my a school buddy that they not only had the cycle, but some other Evel vehicles.
He also picked Pong. We had it, too! It was the Atari 2600 that took things to a whole new level for us.
Who doesn’t love Legos (when they are not being stepped on)? Dave’s choice was another universal love for me and the readers of this blog. I have fond memories of putting things together myself, and watching my kids build things.
Randy spoke of his Roy Rogers action figures and Stewart’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figures needed their very own van. I had my own action figures … more on that in a moment.
I thought long and hard about what toy to choose. At first, I thought about how everyone in my neighborhood had a Big Wheel. However, in 1978, when I saw the ad for The Green Machine, I had to have it. It was a blast and a lot of the kids were envious of mine. But, I couldn’t pick this one, because it wasn’t THE toy of my life.
The other toy I begged for was called the Sound Gizmo. I loved this thing. It made all kinds of sounds and you could change the speed and pitch to make them sound different. I used this when my buddy and I would be playing outside. We’d be spies, or treasure hunters, or something. If we needed a “tool” to cut through a padlock, I’d use this thing with a laser sound and an explosion. It enhanced the imagination.
I truly believe this was one of those toys that my folks regretted getting for me as soon as I opened it!
No, when I had to chose THE toy (toys, in this case) of my life, it would have to be Star Wars action figures. My brother and I bugged my grandparents for them as soon as we knew they were available. There were plenty of commercials on TV for the figures and the various vehicles and sets.
My brother and I each had a complete set of figures, thanks to my grandparents. Grandma made sure we knew how hard she looked for those things, too. She told us how difficult it was to find Yoda or the Jawa figures. She went to great lengths not to disappoint (and spoil) us!
I don’t even know how she did it, but she got them all! I mean there were like 100 of those things! That means 200 figures at whatever they cost back in the 70’s. It was insane.
Star Wars toys were on our list from 1977 through the early 80’s! You couldn’t go wrong with Star Wars stuff. Some years it was vehicles, other years we got 12 inch Star Wars dolls.
My brother and I used to play with those figures constantly. I think he had this small three shelf thing that he turned into a three floor apartment house for his figures. We used all kinds of things with our figures. The one thing I remember most is taking those old McDonald’s Styrofoam containers and making cars or spaceships out of them.
We’d cut holes in the top of them and bingo, it was a spaceship. Need a bed for them to sleep in? Cut off the top! We used those things for everything.
There were times our front lawn was full of Star Wars ships, animals, and parts of a space station. Not to mention 200+ figures. We spent summer days playing out front. It was such a blast.
Whenever we’d spend the night at my grandparent’s house, we’d lug over boxes and bags with figures and vehicles. They went with us everywhere! They were truly the Toy of our Lives.
As we got older, characters became other people. Ben Kenobi was an old drunk guy, one of the Tuscan Raiders was always annoying people, and a Princess Leia figure became “Aunt Carol.” We don’t even have an Aunt Carol, so don’t ask me how that came about.
I could kick myself for what ended up happening to most of those figures. We cut horns off some of them. Others we put over a candle to see if they would melt. Some would get tied to a firecracker to see if we could blow them up. The lucky ones got tied to bottle rockets and took a ride down our street.
Today, when I walk into a store with vintage toys, I see how much some of those figures are selling for and I shake my head. I suppose I wish I had taken better care of them so I could pass them down to my kids. Other times I wish I still had them in the package they came in, because those are worth more money. But then I think about it. What kind of memories would I have today if they never came out of the package?!
Hours and hours my brother and I played with those figures. We had so much fun with them. It was an amazing time where we could create our own scenarios and fire up the imagination. There was an empty script and we got to write it. Darth Vader didn’t have to be a bad guy if we didn’t want him to be. Chewbacca could have bad gas if we wanted him to. Jabba the Hut could join Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. Han Solo could be a door to door Amway salesman!
Those days were so special. Those figures led to thousands of stories, hundreds of laughs, and a memory strong enough to cause me to seek out other folks to share their favorite toy memories with you and me.
I hope you enjoyed the posts from the last week. Thank you again to those bloggers who participated. If you haven’t visited their blogs, please do. Maybe I can find another topic and we can do this again? Suggestions? Let me know.
We continue with my trial run of Share Your Nostalgia, an idea suggested to me by some fellow bloggers. The topic for this feature is “The Toy of Your Life.” Was there one toy that you considered the “best?” When you think of yourself as a child, what is the toy that immediately pops into your mind? What was the toy that you brought to Show and Tell or took with you everywhere?
We turn the blog over to my buddy, Randy Dafoe today. Randy is a fellow music lover and he and I happen to share a love for a good (and sometimes bad) cover song. His blog, Mostly Music Covers, is a daily read for me. Be sure to check him out here: https://mostlymusiccovers.com/
Will Randy opt for a musical toy like Nancy did yesterday? Take it away, Cowboy …..
The Toy of Your Life – Randy Dafoe
What was the “Toy of Your Life?”. What was that one toy that you carried with you everywhere, brought to show and tell, and made your friends envious of you? When you think back to your childhood, what is that one toy that sticks out as a favorite? Why was it? Why did you want it? How did you get it?
When Keith asked the above questions, I needed no time to think about which toy I was going to write about. It was my Roy Rogers toys. If you grew up from the 1940s through to the 60s it was a coveted thing to have the pair of Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger action figures.
If you don’t know who he was here is a song “Blue Shadows On The Trail” and a little background.
Roy Rogers (Leonard Franklin Slye, November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was following the dusty trail blazed by the likes of Tom Mix and the great Gene Autry (where Rogers was at one time just his sidekick). However, Rogers would come to be known as the “King of the Cowboys”. A great singer who would go into acting and become the biggest singing and acting “Western Star” of all time.
Elton John & Bernie Taupin wrote a song about him, and it appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973.
Being a star like that you inevitably have the merchandise. Back then lunch boxes were a big thing, but for me it was the Roy Rogers Cowboy figure and his faithful horse Trigger. I found a picture that shows it came with his dog Bullet (gotta love the original names) but I really don’t remember having it. At around seven years old Roy Rogers was like a hero to me. He had his own TV series that, like his Western movies were in reruns in the mid 60s. So, I got to watch his shows when we got our first TV in about 1965. Now one TV and eight people in the house, my time was rationed, thankfully my dad liked to watch Roy Rogers, which is where I picked it up to begin with. Roy was the prototypical good guy in the white hat who always did the right thing and saved the day.
So, I probably bugged my parents for the better part of a year before I got it for Christmas. I would pretend he was riding into various adventures and sometimes I just liked to look at it sitting on the floor of my room. I use the term ‘room’ generously, I actually didn’t have one at that time. My bed was on the landing at the top of the stairs in our little one and half story house. My sister’s had the room on the left and my two older brothers the room on the right. But there was plenty of space to play and as possessions were a rare thing, I coveted that Cowboy and horse for at least a couple of years.
But, as it is said in the song “A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys”. Roy and Trigger got put in a box. At first it was in the closet in my sisters (I have three of them) room and then to be honest I don’t know what happened to them. My mother made a healthy habit of donating our things. As the years passed Roy became less of a celebrity and to another little boy it was probably just a cowboy and horse. Needless to say, I have not forgotten Roy and Trigger, nearly 60 years later I can still picture myself on the floor and having the time of my life making up my own cowboy stories.
Thanks, Keith, for the opportunity to reminisce and share a story about my favorite toy.
Ok, the picture is misleading. This post has nothing to do with the Roy Rogers movie. I should also say that it has nothing to do with the hit song by Bing Crosby. It’s just a fitting title for the backyard project.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, my father-in-law and I needed to put up a temporary fence to keep the puppy in. I even shared this fantastic drawing of our plan:
We put all the stakes in over the weekend and started stinging the fence today. For the most part, it all worked out nicely and should be perfect for the puppy.
Here is the fence that is the back of the area:
This went surprisingly well. We had to play with it a little to make sure it was nice and tight, but it looks pretty solid.
This is the small section by the concrete up against the porch:
This was the easiest part to do.
After we got this all set, my father-in-law said we’d work on the actual gate this weekend. We’re going to build it and attach it to the boards.
My father-in-law decided to come back later this afternoon, after I had left for work. He build the gate and began to put it up, but there was an issue – circled in yellow above.
Those stakes are in the ground, however, the gate is a bit too heavy and the stakes move. So tomorrow, I guess he his coming back over with a plan. I don’t ever worry with him. He always finds a way to make it work.
All in all, I’m happy with the way this looks and am excited for the pup to arrive!
Sandra Boynton writes some of the best children’s books. They are perfect reads for Ella right now. They have great pictures, fun verses, and many of them are actually songs. I would say that they are just as fun for us to read as they are for Ella to listen to! This week, Sam was reading “Barnyard Dance.”
She came to the lyric that read “…with a BAA and a MOO and a COCKADOODLEDOO, everybody promenade two by two.” She looked at me and asked me what “promenade” meant. I told her it was a term used in square dancing. She looked at me funny when I answered. Without her saying a word, I knew her facial expression was asking, “How in the world do you know that!?”
(In square dancing, and in particular modern Western square dance, when a promenade is called it is understood to be a “couples promenade” involving all four couples. The couples assume a promenade position, each turn to the right as a unit, and walk counter-clockwise around the ring.)
Promenade
I explained that i knew what it meant because in high school gym class we had a few weeks were we danced. This led to an even more baffled look from my wife. I looked at her and said, “You didn’t have to square dance in gym class?” Matter of factly, she said, “No. We did things that you normally do in gym class!” I was surprised and angry at the same time.
We were the only students forced into promenading, circling left, allemande lefting, and do si do-ing with members of the opposite sex?! Of all the things we did in gym class, this was the ONE thing that every one (at least everyone I talked to) hated! We were teenagers and we were being forced to hold hands and stuff! It was SO uncomfortable. I remember Mr. and Mrs. B (our gym teachers were husband and wife) making us “rehearse” these square dance moves over and over. It was torture!!
They would play the music for the dances off of an old turntable with a microphone placed by the speaker so we could hear it. The one song that I remember square dancing to the most was Dean Martin’s Houston. I am sure that Dean was not singing on the song that they played. Instead, the lyrics were changed to give the various square dance calls. When it was time to promenade, that was where the chorus (“Going back to Houston. Houston. Houston.”) would be sung.
For years, I tried to block the traumatic weeks of square dancing from my mind. I eventually succeeded, until a day in 1993. I was filling in on Honey Radio for Richard D and doing his Top 12 at 12 show which focused on the year 1965. In the countdown that day was Dean Martin’s Houston. It all came back! The Do Si Do’s, the Promenades, and Ladies In, and Men Sashay! Who square dances in gym class?!?
To this day, whenever I think about square dancing, three things immediately come to mind
First, the 1950 Bugs Bunny cartoon Hillbilly Hare and the famous Square Dance number in it.
Second, The Dean Martin Show with Roy Rogers. (Funny how there is another Dean Martin connection to square dancing, huh?) Dean never rehearsed his show. So when they taped this square dance number, the dancers are literally pushing and pulling him around and showing him where to go. It is just awesome to watch….
Dean Martin, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans Square Dance
And finally, Gym Class!!!
For whatever it is worth, I learned how to do the Hustle and the Bus Stop in gym class. Thanks to Mr. & Mrs. B, I can line dance at wedding receptions….well, the Hustle, anyway.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 