Retired in Costa Rica. Life is funny so why not laugh?
Jan 1943, when I came forth out of my mothers womb, what a world this was. We had the beginnings of one of the worlds greatest population explosions, women were working and war was ending.
It seems that was the year thousands of houses were built using the GI bill. When I was born they still had cars you started by cranking them up. Man it almost seems like it was a thousand years ago. Do you remember that ringer washing machine? I don’t know a kid that did not get his arm stuck in it. It seemed you just wondered what all that wringer would wring.
Pop caps, cardboard sleds and garbage cans tops used to play in the snow. Bet you don’t remember those wax teeth we used and wax mustaches, candy cigarettes, and yum, yum bubble gum. It seems I can remember when corn candy was created. Think I’m dating back to ancient days of old, I can remember when men did not curse in the presence of women and the only women who cursed were considered as street women.
Platform high heel shoes, body girdles that were so tight you could not breath and good old Playtex girdle made out of rubber and you had to use talcum powder to put it on. When you walked in it you could hear it pop. You never went to the rest room because you could not get it off. What high price we paid for beauty.
Those were the days if you wanted to look as if you had bib boobs you stuffed Kotex in your bra. Those were the days when big hips and big legs were in, it was not until I was in high school that Twiggy was introduced. It was a favorite saying of most girls “no one likes a bone but a dog.” Then Twiggy came in play and the fashion word was hooked on skinny. We had a couple movie stars in those days who would be considered as fat today.
If a girl wore a shoe size larger then size 9 she would have to order them from Sears Roebuck catalog, size 5 and 6 were considered as small and 7-8 was average and 9-10 was large. Those were the days when you asked a woman what size shoe she wore, she would always quote a size smaller.
We had our craze diet fads, I can remember when cottage cheese was made popular. I can’t remember which movie star, but we found out she lost weight by eating cottage cheese. Man the cottage cheese flew off the shelves from California to Nebraska.
There was a guy who sung about a girl with a pony tail and I think every girl tried to wear a pony tail whether she had hair enough to make a pony tail. If you did not have enough hair you used colored clothes pins to add to the length. That was before hair extensions came on the scene.
I never will forget when a friend of mine told me about shaving my private parts, man was that something. Nylon panties and hair stubbles is not only irritating but painful and embarrassing. If you remember that Mum deodorant? that had to be one of the worse deodorants ever made. Your blouse would turn yellow under the arm after using it for a long time.
Bobby socks and Cancan slips, the socks we bleached out so much until you would have to replace a pair of socks every three months and Argo starch company made huges profits those days because of all the starch used to stiffen the Cancans.
No wonder kids get in trouble these days life has been made to simple.
The sad thing about progress here in Costa Rica they are losing some of the innocents, here it is easy to reflect on life in the 60’s because much of Costa Rica is reflective of that. Many Ticos have worked in the US and upon returning to Costa Rica they have come back with many N. American customs.
You want to see a country progress, but wouldn’t it be nice if in progress they could keep some of those old customs that are so nice. You know the custom of going by to visit grandma rather then twitting her, e-mailing her or talking to her over Skype. There is nothing like going by Grandmas and smelling fried chicken and peach cobbler pie. Now Grandma picks up the fried chicken from KFC and gets the peach cobbler pie from Wal-Mart.
Grandma has no time to cook because she is still working and to busy to cook. Do you ever really wonder about the days gone by? If you do and you would just like to reminisce, let me invite you to Costa Rica. Don’t take to long to come, because things are rapidly changing here as well. This country is becoming more prosperous and with prosperity comes change.
Written by Jeanetta Owens who owns the lovely La Terraza B&B in Grecia which is about one hour from San José, Costa Rica. For a taste of living the good life in Grecia, Costa Rica, may we suggest you to book yourself into Jeanetta’s B&B for a nice long vacation.
Jeanetta’s B&B has been rated the #1 B&B in Grecia, Costa Rica by Trip Advisor. You can find her blog here at La Terraza Blog
Toll Free Calling from U.S. or Canada 1-(877)-298-7439800
Calling within Costa Rica 2494-0970
Calling direct from other countries 011-506-2494-3493
Fax number from the U.S. 011-506-2444-5221
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Retired in Costa Rica. Life is funny so why not laugh?
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Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
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