Commentary: Not bad times, it's just life

Time Traveler: "Oh, I'm sure it wasn't all that great. You probably only remember the good stuff," she said with a smug smirk. I call it a smuck. The 20-something young lady was responding to my statement that Norman Rockwell paintings captured little moments of time in Americana, when things were simpler, less chaotic; times when a simple misused word or phrase did not result in a cry to the heavens for vengeance. "Of course you're right," I responded. "What the hell would I know? I was only there." I am always so impressed with people who have gained the knowledge and wisdom that has eluded me over my three-quarters of a century, after living only a couple of decades on the planet. I am humbled. Actually, little Miss Twit was wrong about one thing: I remember it all – the good and the bad. As a matter of fact, I remember events from 70 years back better than I can remember yesterday morning. Why, I don't know. Maybe because there was less to remember. I remember the good and the bad, but what this little twit would call bad we just called life. That's why it's called life and not utopia. When we first moved out to what we called "The old Jones Place," there was no indoor plumbing, so my dad would have to go out to the well and fire up a gasoline pump to fill pans and buckets. I know what a coffee can full of lime outside the outhouse door is for. And NEVER use the shiny pages on a Monkey Wards catalogue. Was it bad times? Miss Twit would think so, but we just called it life. The next place we lived was at the Dobbas Ranch. That was a step up, although it didn't have electricity. It did have gravity-flow water from the spring up the hill. Gravity-flow water means the water is not under pressure; it comes out of the faucet as fast as it damn well pleases. This was fine until mid-August, when the upper spring dried up and we had to haul watering in a bucket from the lower spring. As I mentioned before, we acquired an old gasoline-powered Maytag washing machine. It had a kick starter like a motorcycle. It was a pain in the neck to get started, and I doubt if it had a spin cycle or wringer either, for that matter. But it worked well enough, even though it was my job to haul buckets of water from the spring to fill it. About every other week, Mrs. Bigley would bring her laundry over and she and my mother would spend the day washing clothes. In those times, people spent more time appreciating what they had and less time whining about what they didn't. Were these bad times? Little Miss Twit would think so, but we thought it was just life. And besides, I don't remember one person getting their panties in a bunch over a pronoun. People from time to time ask me why I spend so much time dwelling on the past. Maybe in my offbeat way, I'm asking, "With all our advancements in technology, communication and so on, are we really any happier than we were in so-called bad times?" I ain't seeing it. Garden party pot luck On a lighter note, mark your calendars for Aug. 20. The Newcastle Community Association is sponsoring a garden party pot luck at Loomis Basin Park South from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It won't be the usual barbecue. It's a brunchy menu. I'm hoping a lot of local Newcastle residents show up to visit neighbors they haven't seen in a while. But Auburnites are welcome, too. Water, juices and soft drinks will be provided. Cold meats, cheeses and mimosas courtesy of Carol's Market. Those folks whose name starts with A-H please bring an egg or vegetable dish. I-P salad or fruit. Q-Z baked goods. We are hoping to get RSVP by Aug. 13, but since you are reading this now, call 818-414-6522 or email tLauer.nca@gmail.com. For more on the Time Traveler, tune into our Newcastle Television Show on AM-950 and FM-104.5 KAHI radio at noon each Saturday or listen online at www.kahi.com. To comment, call 530-320-6441.