I Remember When:

Women were matronly
Their skin was pink and soft
They wore aprons and homemade dresses
And walked around with bare feet
They smiled more often
And hugs were never rare

The family sofa seemed to swallow each guest
As they comfortably sank in
Fresh flowers donned the kitchen table
And the smell of cut hay came in and out of an open window
along with a fly or two and sometimes a bumble bee

Breakfast, lunch and dinner
were always served
If you weren’t there you usually had a lunch pail
Whose contents were fit for bragging

Pies cooled on window sills on lazy afternoons
No one turned their nose up at rhubarb
Corn husking and cleaning Kerr jars were common chores
Skinny dipping, smoking barkies, were vices of the time

The stove was always warm
Wounded knees and scrapes always got cleaned and bandaged
Mom was always home
And dad whistled in the garage
And worked on the car
And fixed whatever was broken
Beds got made each morning
Laundry was hung on the line
Clean sheets smelled like summer days
And nights like jasmine blossoms

Rain fell whenever the grass needed it
Or the sprinkler got moved around
Kids were always busy with chores
Or playing near and sometimes in the pond

One always said ‘please’ and ‘thank you maam’
The mailman was the kindest man in town
Groceries were rare as long as the garden grew
Which usually lasted til October
When apples were sold by the bushel
And pumpkins sat on every porch
We raked the leaves and burned them in the backyard
Fences were painted and sidewalks got swept every day
Sharpened metal blades whirled around
Without a motor when the lawn got mowed

Sunday Shirts were always ironed
And ties were always worn
Church meetings started early and spread throughout the day
Home Teachers usually had lessons
Unless they were working with us on some project
Like the Stake Farm or building a new chapel
Tithing was paid first
Fast Offerings were collected by freckled face boys on bicycles
The chapel was always a little bit warm in summertime
And there seemed to be a little more going on
During those 11/2 -2 hour sacrament meetings
The Bishop often napped, a few kids always crawled
Under the benches while
Mom’s and Dads flirted
And notes were commonly passed between friends
Footballs were made out of paper and field goals with fingers
Boondogle was a favorite pastime
James Talmage and Mormon Doctrine were frequently quoted
Firesides were popular with teens and adults
Speakers would always have you laughing
And crying too

Meadowlarks sang and pheasants would stealthily cross the road
Dogs rarely bit anyone but sometimes were hit by cars
Boys called girls on the phone and asked them out on dates
They always paid and opened doors and ladies first
Girls were subtle and very wise
Holding hands was golden and a kiss was dreamed and treasured

Girls were modest in word and deed
Their clothes were always clean and often homemade
When the ladies from the Relief Society spread the
Quilting frames in the front room they listened
To sage advice and a bit of gossip too

Boys worked hard and obeyed their parents
Who relied on them to do their part
Even at ten or twelve years old
a boy would have to drive the tractor home
Or help dad install a waterpump in the family car.

Boys knew lots of things then
Like; how to make kites and fly them too
Fix things with motors on them
And siphon gasoline from the car
All of us swallowed at least a gallon before we were 16

Each town had a haunted house
And each kid had his own tale
Of how they barely escaped with their life

Skies were bluer then
Roses bloomed more frequently
Shoes lasted longer and
Every boy had his own dog
And every girl dreamed of marrying a prince
Days were filled with sunshine
And nights were filled with stars
Dreams were filled with hope not fear
And God smiled over mankind

Those were the days
The best I ever knew


Marcus