When We Was Kids In Chicago

Radio was the big communicator, back when I was a kid. Whole families huddled around the speaker of that hulk. Our minds, working like a cotton picker on a hot summer day. We had imagination. Vivid, plentiful thoughts, moving throughout the story which was being broadcast.

The characters, were like people we somehow knew. People who lived right down the street from us, in the three story apartment building. That apartment building, was a warehouse of eclectic personalities, popping from every floor, and every door.

Old cars, now relics of the past. New, when we were young. Cool cars too, metal so thick, you could hurt your hand just bumping into it. Lasted a long time, and made moving about the big city of Chicago much easier than taking the trolley, bus or "EL", short for elevated train.

Oh yes, want to get the scare of a lifetime, ride the "EL" around one of those sharp corners, thirty feet off the ground. Steel wheels grinding against steel tracks, making sounds so shrill,the devil himself, would cringe. I know my Mom's hands were crimped for a week, when I would grip her hand so tight around those curves.

People wearing clothes that made them all look like gangsters. Suits way to large, cuffs on shirts that could hide a deck of cards, and a pair of dice.

Litter blowing everywhere, down windy streets, sweeping dicarded cigarette packages, and paper, and dirt, like a hurricane unleashed. It is the Windy City, after all.

Another memory comes to mind now, tennis balls being bounced off the lowest step of building's porches. Thump, thump, and crowds of kids leaping over one another, trying to catch the ball, as it bounced high into the air. No kid would even care to watch that now, much less participate. We did it for hours. Boredom played tricks on the mind.

Did I mention, the best steps to bounce a ball on, were the steps of Peterson's store. To us, it was the candy depot. Apothecary jars, filled with candy of every description. Hands full of candy for pennies. Kids drool when I tell them how much candy, they could have bought back then with two dollars.

We learned young, that after long hours of the thumping noise. People were inclined to buy you some candy, just to make the noise stop for awhile. We weren't too dumb.

Fighting in Chicago was a prerequisite to boyhood. When we would walk down the streets, past the alleys, fear was constant, as all the really bad boys lurked down that alley way. No place for the faint of heart. We all thought we were tough guys back then. Maybe we really were?

No drugs back then, at least, none of us every heard about them. Our parents made vague references to drugs, in retrospect, but, really, they didn't even know what they were. Although, Pops knew what beer was. He knew all about that. All the World War 2 guys drank beer. Because, they really were tough guys. We didn't know that you could be tough, and not drink, and smoke cigarettes.

Life in the alleys of Chicago, was not only for tough guys. It was an avenue for commerce as well. The coal man came with the truck, and shovelled coal down a shute into your basement, to keep your furnace going. Thats right coal. Black smoke billowing from everyone's buildings.

Men selling rags, singing a song that was well known to us. "Rags, Rags, everyone needs rags, Ragman coming, come and gettem" Gosh, they sold everything in those alleys.

Milkmen, with horse drawn carts. Oh now, we loved those horses. They were huge with covers over their eyes. As kids we didn't know what those were. We really didn't care as long as we could pet the horses.

The milkman was kindly, and chipped off chunks of ice, from the big blocks in the wagon, which kept the milk cold. We absolutely loved that. Ice, who would think that a little thing like that would be so important to little kids. I will always be gratefull to that man for his kindness.

Scissor and knife sharpeners. They all had a song. Singing loudly, I admired them so. They were the best kind of entepreneurs. Business men, who set their own pace, in a world of frantic motion.

There is so much more to those days. So many memories that were the best kind of life experiences, back when we was kids in Chicago.

Part two, tomorrow night. Look for it under my pen name/ Native American name, Luksi Humma, in the search bar on the left menu.

---

Yes Tarot Readings Are For You!

Have you ever thought?What is the best way out of this situation or which job do I take which decision do I make and offcourse which path... Read More

The Oldies? Nostalgia? Watchyacallit?

Our culture is defined by what we have access to! With the concentration of media the access as been restricted to the newest tunes...Or the latest product... Read More

Gold Jewelry -The Rest of The Story

Gold is one of the metals taken from the earth and is probably the first metal known to man. Its first use has been traced back to... Read More

Debussy and Gamelan According to a 150 Year Old Man

Hello!If you haven't been transported by the mesmerizing sounds of Gamelan yet, we highly recommend you hear some. It will change the song you can't stop singing.... Read More

Brazil--Comments by a Gilliam Fan a Little Too Late

Either I am one of the darkest people ever or this was not one of the darkest movies ever made as its own packaging claims. I have... Read More

Mexican Living: Myth Busting

Myth One: Mexicans are lazy, good-for-nothings.I mention this one first because it is one of the vilest myths and an excellent example of Americans' xenophobic stereotyping. The... Read More

Game Theory - What Do Game Theory and Improv Theater Have in Common?

"Game" TheoryThis article was inspired by Mick Napier's book ?Improvise: scene from the inside out" in which he draws comparisons between Physics and Improvisation. It made me... Read More

Elvis Presley, Lifting Off

He seems to live forever. A network television movie about his life is scheduled for 2005.Three years ago,in 2002, the month of August was set aside for... Read More

Mythology and Parables in Modern Communication - Part 2

There is a big adjustment coming in terms of our Human and Spiritual evolution, where Mythology and Parables will again play a vital role in the process.... Read More

Heraldry in the Crafts--Why Not Specialize?

I have a small website where I try to sell custom-made lapel buttons. In addition to these made-to-order buttons I also offer several specialty lines of off-the-shelf... Read More

Paul Hamm: Did He Deserve Gymnastics Gold in 2004?

What was the controversy all about?In the 2004 Olympics, an all-star group of athletes from around the world gathered together to compete for titles in gymnastics. In... Read More

Export/Import of Inuit Eskimo Art Sculpture Containing Whalebone or Ivory

The export of certain Inuit sculpture from Canada to other parts of the world including the United States does have some restrictions. In order to reduce harvesting... Read More

Personal Protection Specialists and Celebrity Stalking

Celebrity stalking has become the way for the socially inept to; A. "normality" or B. stardom. They may have no friends, they may never have had a... Read More

Ancient Indian Civilizations - Where Did They All Go?

In 1350 AD we were still quite a few centuries from settling at Plymouth. I have been luckily in that I have found adequate records back to... Read More

Learn How to Solve Problems With a Feng Shui Mirror

A mirror, when becoming a feng shui mirror, can be used to many more things than allowing us to see how we look. Feng shui teaches how... Read More

The Wandle Trail - Announced Regeneration Project

The River Wandle is sourced from the North Downs above Croydon, surfacing now in Waddon, running west until it meets the secondary source in Carshalton, then via... Read More

What About Those Pyramids?

'Mr. Rhodes aspired to be the creator of one of those vast semi-religious, quasi-political associations which, like the Jesuits have played so large a part in the... Read More

The Trafalgar Way - Devon Remembers the Battle of Trafalgar

During the third week of August 2005 the Trafalgar Way was officially inaugurated in Devon to commemorate the bi-centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar.The Lorna Doone, an... Read More

What is Your Birthstone?

Just about everyone knows what his or her birthstone is. Why is that? Because people still enjoy the folklore associated with the tradition of the birthstone. They... Read More

Old Russian Symbolics on a White and Blue Porcelain

Russian porcelain is widely known and is often used as a traditional gift. The art of decorative painting on porcelain is handed down by craftsmen from generation... Read More

Precious Stones The Big Five-Part 5 The Pearl

Since pearls are so rare and possess such a high degree of natural beauty, they have been considered to be among the most splendid of gems for... Read More

Learn How To Draw Faces Realistically

Drawing a face isn't as hard as it looks. To draw a realistic human face, it takes mapping out the face correctly before you fill in the... Read More

Inuit Drum Dancing Of The Arctic

Like many other aboriginal cultures around the world, the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic have made use of drums in some of their traditional music for centuries.... Read More

Hip-hop Jewelry and Todays Stars

Watch any of the major movie, television, and music award shows on television today and one of the first things you'll notice about the celebrities on the... Read More

The Life of Nikola Tesla - Intro

It is not my purpose to claim to know all the wonders of the life of this great man who is acknowledged as one of the great... Read More

Return to Ouvea, New Caledonia

"Ouvea is everything you'd expect in a South Pacific island. Twenty kilometers of unbroken white sands border the lagoon on the west side of the island and... Read More