Post by peeves on Oct 20, 2021 14:50:03 GMT -5
None today or of the last generation will ever understand the limited means 'we' had for entertainment.
We had movies, many yet in black and white. We could go bowling, but not on Sunday. There was the pool room and the swimming pool.
No need to list the available choices of today. So we went hiking,road our bikes,played games of sorts and sports of sorts.
Some may recall, 'Red Rover', 'Kick the can' , 'Mumbletypeg','Penny pitch' 'Come over come over', Simon says'.
'Marbles' (Cats Eyes), sooo simple. How To Play Marbles - Basic Rules. 1. Two players compete against each other. Both players have to use marbles of different colour. The goal of the game is to place all own marbles into the hole as first. The game begins by throwing one marble from throwing line and aiming it into the hole.
Relievio is a team-based hide-and-seek style game, where the first team, the "seekers," try to catch all members of the second team, the "hiders.". If a seeker finds a hider, the chase begins. The seeker must grab hold of the hider and yell "Caught!" three times. If successful, the victim must go to a predefined waiting zone. Girls mostly played Rope skip or Hop Scotch.
In team games none liked to be last chosen, stigma forever!
We had darts and board games like Snakes and ladders, Monopoly, Sink the battleship, Parcheesi, Chinese checkers, Crokinole , Checkers and Chess. Several card games like Chase the ace, Go fish etc. But our pre-teens included our movie heroes. Cops and robbers with Dillinger,Cagney, Robin Hood, and any pirate we could imagine..Har! Har! Always am eye patch and pretend sword.
A 'Bull Roarer' was a novelty for a while. Known by ancient Greeks as the rhombos. A simple shingle like piece of wood on a string whirled to make a roaring sound. There were a lucky few with Cap guns, or quite ineffective bow and Arrows. Older kids got B.B. guns and they were always a threat with usual careless abuse.
Different games evolved in varied locations. One played was to 'king' a chestnut on a string 'Knockers' game played by in turn attempting to break another's.
We had hand made sling shots and Pea Shooters. Cutting rings off an old rubber tire worked for the sling shot or the gun made to fire the stretched ring. We made soap box cars that we called Doodle bugs, Scooters, bikes with a spoke flapper to get a motor noise, and kites to fly.
During the WW11 days there was always 'war' to be played often with rolled up hand built snow 'forts' with Snowball grenades.
We could rush to follow a fire or police siren and any building going up was a point of interest and sometimes..a source for,,something we could build.
I hitched rides on slow passing trains and played dangerously jumping from one box car top to another car.
Then for me,,books and books and books. I used to lock myself away in the old ambulance my dad had when he was attending the first aid at the plant or working with the Red Cross blood clinic. Comic books I bought from paper route earnings that now I wish that I'd kept. 
Skating in winter, fishing, and exploring places in summer these and more filled our young halcyon days
Hmm? On reflection, we had lots to entertain us if we had a will a way and our imagination. Lucky us!
