1. What’s the weirdest rule you had in your home growing up?
Not weird, perhaps, but a firm rule – be home for dinner by 6:30 and come in for the evening when the street lights go on (a mostly summer rule as we tended to run wild through the neighborhood in our small town as kids.)
2. What is a handy appliance in your home as a child that doesn’t appear in homes anymore?
The kitchen telephone on the wall with the 25-foot cord that could reach over most of the kitchen and the dining room. Also the phonebook.
3. If the world had to return to just 3 television networks again – what shows on today would still be a hit?
Any one of the cop shows – I’ll go with “The FBI”
Any one of the medical shows. I’ll go with “Chicago Med”
Any one of the reality singing shows. I’ll go with “The Masked Singer.”
4. What behemoth of a Detroit auto was your family car when you were growing up?
We had this huge, huge, huge 1972 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale with a Rocket 455 HP engine. A literal couch on wheels. About 9 MPG.
5. What was your go-to childhood snack/drink?
Bagel pizzas with pepperoni that I made in the toaster and grape juice. Pure after school contentment.
1) There was a weird rule that came out of my destructive behavior. The rule was to not throw knives at the kitchen cabinets. Which came from me emptying the dishwasher and throwing the sharp knives at the kitchen cabinet door about 8 feet away. I stuck most of them. A little insight into me…
2) Regular old blenders seem to be a thing of the past. Now there are ninjas and blend masters and such, but the basic blender was very common and used often.
3) Impeachment hearings on all three channels, 24/7.
4) The family van. Big smelly, but got us to the mountains for skiing.
5) My mom was a baker, so there was always some homemade cookie or cake on the counter. For drinks, orange juice from frozen concentrate or we’d make Kool aid from the packets quite a bit.
1. While not necessarily a rule, it was considered polite to greet the cat when he/she entered a room–inadvertently presaging the Hello Kitty movement. To this day I still greet the cat when he enters a room.
2. The two-slot toaster. I rarely see them in peoples homes.
3. NFL Football, College Football, College Basketball.
4. 1974 Chevy Impala in chocolate brown with a white vinyl top. We felt like royalty getting taken to school in that rig.
5. Seven-Up mixed with Kool-Aid powder. Delicious and refreshing.