Gentler Times

I grew up in a different times, when

a neighborhood was a community

of folks knew each other and folks

shared their lives together.

Every one seemed to have s way

of helping their neighbors. My mom

pulled out the kid's splinters and

gave them home baked cookies

after she pulled out the splinter.

A neighbor handed me a 

Cocker Spaniel puppy over

our fence and no not a charge.

I called my puppy Taffy and

he was my best friend.

Our neighborhood businesses

were small and they knew all

of their customers by name.

There was a Laundromat, a

beauty salon, a drug store, 

two small grocery stores ,

a barber, a gas station and 

a family tavern where kids

got green rivers, a soda fountain

drink that was popular with kids.

Not far from there was another

group of businesses, a small bowling

alley, a dime store, a book store, a bakery,

and two grocery stores.

I got my black boots at the shoe store

and I wore them to school.

There was also a one screen movie

theater, with a balcony.

Finally there was a bike store that

also sold model kits, cars, boats,

and so on.

Each of the business were owned

by one person who knew us all

by name. There were no chain

stores. Shopping at each of them

was a time with friends. Yes, the 

grocery stores were smaller than

today's Seven Eleven stores.  But

we couldn't see  the need for

bigger stores. We had everything

we needed in our neighborhood.

Then gradually things changed

and chain stores were responsible

for that. You could say, "There goes

the neighborhood." And you would

be right. But we fought hard to

keep our neighborhood together.  

But gradually businesses closed

and good neighbors had to 

leave us. Finally all that I was

left with were memories of

gentler times.