A Things
We Appreciate
We once had
a resident barn rooster who never crowed before noon. The peacock
could be counted on to alert us only when the mail truck bumped along the dusty road for
special deliveries. The Alarm Clock was
something I relied upon to get me up for the 45-mile drive to work each day. It
didn’t even have a snooze button. Now there are clocks that will roll right out
of your reach while screeching at such a pitch as to roust the dogs off the bed
while you are chasing the clock around the room. Who could sleep after that?
Whenever the
phone rang we kids would battle to be the first to answer, while grownups would
remain calmly seated and eye the ringing thing with mild suspicion. To not
catch the call before the phone stopped ringing was cause for grave dismay. The invention of the Answering
Machine changed all that. Now we
all crowd around the machine to hear who called before we delete the message.
It was not
uncommon for beach towels to be spread across car seats, and the only window
that ever got dirty was the windshield (and sometimes the rear window) because
the rest were always left rolled down. But that was before Air Conditioning and power
windows.
In the 1960’s nearly 80% of cars in the southwest were equipped with
a/c – 60% elsewhere. How I ever survived until 1990 without it is beyond me,
but now I’m spoiled!
If not for
the winds in Corpus Christi, Automatic doors might
never have been invented to help us get out of stores with our goods –hands, and shoulders free, and keep the wind and rain
out of stores and businesses. While I still feel the need to hurry through,
lest the doors close too quickly, it sure beats those revolving doors that
always deposit me right back outside ;-)
As a fan of Aromatherapy,
I was thrilled to learn that researchers have found that the crisp scent of Apples
may mitigate the pain and duration of migraine headaches. Macintosh is my
favorite!
Any
thoughts? Can you add to the list of things we appreciate that begin with the
letter A?
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ReplyDeleteHi, diedre!
ReplyDeleteI am smiling this Easter morning because I share your memories of these "A" things we appreciate, wonder how we ever lived without and, in some cases, now take for granted, conveniently forgetting what life was like before we had them.
I remember the alarm clock living up to its name by scaring the pajamas off me with its loud, unsettling din. The whole idea behind it was to jar you awake and that it did.
Kids did indeed run for the telephone to answer it whenever it rang. Missing a call was verboten and left you wondering the rest of the day who had tried to reach you. I remember many occasions when the phone was ringing as we returned home, requiring the fastest among us to run across the room and hope it didn't stop before we got to it.
I spent my entire youth in a house with no air conditioning and, believe me, Pennsylvania can be very hot in summer. In 1959 a bowling alley was constructed a few blocks away and I spent summer afternoons hanging out at the lanes in air conditioned comfort.
I am a great believer in Aromatherapy as a way of promoting physical and emotional well being. Olfactory stimulation has the power to ease pain, change moods, trigger emotions, facilitate learning and influence behavior. "A" is for the many potential applications.
Thank you, dear friend diedre, and have a very happy Easter!
Hi Shady!
DeleteWe liked bowling alleys - and movie theaters - for the very same reason!
You're right, there are many Applications for aromatherapy!
Happy Easter Sunday ;-)
Haven't tried the aromatherapy but sure do appreciate answering machines (actually voicemail) and air conditioning. I can't imagine how you survived driving in Arizona without that until 1990! As for alarm clocks, they are mostly banished, here. Hubby works a steady afternoon shift and dogs are great for waking us up when they want breakfast. Best wishes for a successful A to Z Challenge, diedre! ☺
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie!
DeleteWe still use an alarm clock, but since it's a radio, I tend to drift right back to sleep unless the dogs hear it too, then sleep is out of the question for anybody ;-)
Hi Diedre - A for appreciation ... so many things - some of those I'd 'forget' ... eg alarm clocks at some terrible hour in the early morning. A -for excellent aunts ... abridged versions (sometimes!) ... lovely to read ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHi Hilary!
Delete"excellent Aunts," I love that!
I'm fairly certain I'd still get up early without the alarm, but I look forward to one day not having to ;-)
Nice theme choice. So much here to which I can relate. My family made 2 cross country trips in cars with no AC. In fact we never had cars with AC until the seventies I think and my mother didn't install central AC in our house until after my father died in 1990. I can recall trying to sleep comfortably through some really hot nights in my high school and early college years. We've gotten so soft in many ways.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Hi Lee!
DeleteMost of our trips were between Tucson and Phoenix, usually during summer, with fingers and toes crossed that the car wouldn't break down.
I don't mind being spoiled ;-)