Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

[jamespowers]

In my Girl Scout days we had a "uniform exchange" kind of thing where you could bring in outgrown uniforms and have them available for new girls coming in. I always wore my cousin's hand-me-downs and passed them down to my little sister when I was done. Anyone who needed a full uniform had one -- they weren't always the current right out of the catalog style, but they were official.

Another thing we had was what were called "make up kits." These had nothing to do with cosmetics, but were packages containing a pattern, fabric, and buttons to make your own regulation uniform. This was much cheaper than buying the outfit in the store, and you could get badge credit for doing it. The Boy Scouts likely didn't have such a program, but it worked great for us.

We actually had a uniform exchange pile in the basement of our meeting hall. I know. I didn't like the tan shirts that were popular then and grabbed one of the olive drab ones from the pile. The vintage shirt was much better than the polyester junk. It held a press better too.

 

[sheeplady]

In my Girl Scout days we had a "uniform exchange" kind of thing where you could bring in outgrown uniforms and have them available for new girls coming in. I always wore my cousin's hand-me-downs and passed them down to my little sister when I was done. Anyone who needed a full uniform had one -- they weren't always the current right out of the catalog style, but they were official.

Another thing we had was what were called "make up kits." These had nothing to do with cosmetics, but were packages containing a pattern, fabric, and buttons to make your own regulation uniform. This was much cheaper than buying the outfit in the store, and you could get badge credit for doing it. The Boy Scouts likely didn't have such a program, but it worked great for us.

In 4-H (this was before my time in it during the 80s and 90s) when they had uniforms (which weren't widely adopted and only really used for events at a certain level) they had the kits at least in the sense that you could buy the materials and pattern. I don't think they ever had pre-made ones, but what do I know. I've never run across a complete "kit" but I do have some of the patterns and 4-H cloth.

 

[Big Bertie]

I was a wolf cub, then a scout, in the later 1960s, not long after there had been a change-over in the UK scouting movement from the original uniform of khaki drill shirt and shorts etc to a green woollen jumper worn, I believe, with grey flannel trousers (shorts for wolf cubs). Sorry if this is common knowledge, but it interested me at the time - so traumatic had this change been that it led to the break-away of a splinter movement, the Baden-Powell Scouts, who kept the original more 'outdoors' uniform, believing the scouting ethos had been diminished in some way by this attempt at modernisation. I'm not certain of this, but I believe the Baden-Powell Scouts still exist. I think the main scouting movement has changed its uniform again since then. At that time, scouts routinely wore 9-inch scouting knives - long since made illegal in the UK, sadly. We sometimes paraded with the Baden-Powell scouts, who clearly felt themselves a cut above us.

 

[kiwilrdg]

Uniforms are set by the individual troop, and can indeed have blue jeans instead of the "official" BSA trousers. Anything "official BSA" is EXPENSIVE! In a lot of troops where the community doesn't have a lot of money, you will see blue jeans, or some other trousers, with a uniform shirt. ...
Now -- where is that BBQ? I sense a road trip coming on!!!

Too late. It was in Portsmouth, VA. It was Carolina BBQ but they also did a tomato based chopped pork.

It was in a really interesting neighborhood called Cradock. It is a turn-of-the-century planned development. The central square does not have very many businesses open and much is decaying fast. There is a push to redevelop and a foundation is being established to restore the old theater (movie and playhouse). Our inmate work crews have cleared the debris out of the shell of the theater and we hope to arrange for them to work on the construction crews in the restoration so we can get them more career training.

The scout troop is an old troop and does a lot of uniform exchange/issue. They use old style scouting in many ways. They even still use military shelter half pup tents for winter camping.

It is interesting to see an area that was a distressed neighborhood holding onto it's identity, keeping the gangs at bay, and keeping a traditional neighborhood around the kids.

 

[Gregg Axley]

I want to say we did an exchange, because I would turn my old uniform shirts back in, as I outgrew them, along with the pants.
When I achieved the rank of Eagle in the mid 80's, I got out of Scouting. I could have returned numerous times (as a volunteer) but school and work prevented it.
I agree that the uniform builds moral, it's not to show you how to match khaki and olive green.

 

[richie1958]

[/IMG]

Not all the shops in our English village had glass in the windows when I was a lad. The green grocers and the butchers to name but two were open to the elements during the day, and were shut up with wooden shutters at closing time. I can't say I miss that fresh air shopping experience, but I do miss these delivery vehicles. As a little lad their appeal was directly proportional to the unbelievable din that they made! The greengrocer's Reliant was always my favorite, because I suspect it had no silencing muffler what so ever!
Could a six year old kid get excited by a delivery van these days? Probably not.
Richie

 

[scotrace]

The other day, driving through Amish Country, I saw something I remember seeing fairly frequently as a child: Trees in front yards whitewashed about five or six feet up the trunks.

 

[jamespowers]

The other day, driving through Amish Country, I saw something I remember seeing fairly frequently as a child: Trees in front yards whitewashed about five or six feet up the trunks.

That is still actually done. It prevents sunscald on the trunks of trees. This is done mostly with citrus trees now. Borers don't like it much either.

 

[countryclubjoe]

Hi All

You will not find Doctors making house calls.
When I was a boy we had a family doctor that came to our home.
Best regards
CCJ

 

[sheeplady]

Hi All

You will not find Doctors making house calls.
When I was a boy we had a family doctor that came to our home.
Best regards
CCJ

They just had on the news here that there is a local vet that does house calls. So not a human doctor but...

 

[AtomicEraTom]

The farm vets do, too, of course!

They just had on the news here that there is a local vet that does house calls. So not a human doctor but...

 

[sheeplady]

The farm vets do, too, of course!

This is a small animal vet. Where I live, most large animal vets want you to bring your pets (cats, dogs) into the office. That and they want $100 to pull into the driveway (if they'd come out for a cat or a dog).

I've only ever known one farm vet who didn't say "bring the cats and dogs in for their shots." (Although I have known a couple vets who will see barn cats on a farm, never a pet cat that was friendly.)

 

[Big Bertie]

[/IMG]

Not all the shops in our English village had glass in the windows when I was a lad.
Richie

I grew up in a town so did not experience that sort of rusticity. But I do remember the greengrocer's had a parrot on a stand. Come to that, I remember a greengrocer's, and a butcher's, and a fishmonger's...

 

[John in Covina]

[/IMG]

Not all the shops in our English village had glass in the windows when I was a lad. The green grocers and the butchers to name but two were open to the elements during the day, and were shut up with wooden shutters at closing time. I can't say I miss that fresh air shopping experience, but I do miss these delivery vehicles. As a little lad their appeal was directly proportional to the unbelievable din that they made! The greengrocer's Reliant was always my favorite, because I suspect it had no silencing muffler what so ever!
Could a six year old kid get excited by a delivery van these days? Probably not. Richie

A cool rarity, a Trike delivery vehicle. Here in the US I haven't seen anything like it. Seems like when I was in Denmark in the 60's I saw some interesting vehicles for around town.

 

[richie1958]

Thinking about it, the old Reliant three wheeler monstrosities weren't the only novel delivery transport in our village. There was a motorcycle shop that had franchises for Vespa and Douglas motorcycles. I remember this old codger who would either deliver new, or pick up motorcycles for repair using a 1920s Douglas motorcycle and sidecar. The sidecar was designed to carry a complete motorcycle. The shop was called Brown Bros; but it was not until many years later that I learnt that the old codger transporting Vespas around the local area was Graeme Brown a very famous motorcycle racer, particularly at Brooklands race track during the 1920s and 1930s.
Richie

 

[Wally_Hood]

A cool rarity, a Trike delivery vehicle. Here in the US I haven't seen anything like it. Seems like when I was in Denmark in the 60's I saw some interesting vehicles for around town.

The USPS used some three-wheeled delivery vehicles for a while.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Makes sense. We were lucky enough that the vet's hubby was a friend and they lived a few farms down from us, she'd come and give the dog his shots right at the house.

This is a small animal vet. Where I live, most large animal vets want you to bring your pets (cats, dogs) into the office. That and they want $100 to pull into the driveway (if they'd come out for a cat or a dog).

I've only ever known one farm vet who didn't say "bring the cats and dogs in for their shots." (Although I have known a couple vets who will see barn cats on a farm, never a pet cat that was friendly.)

 

[sheeplady]

Makes sense. We were lucky enough that the vet's hubby was a friend and they lived a few farms down from us, she'd come and give the dog his shots right at the house.

With the number of farms dwindling around where I grew up (most are vacant land, development, or part of a mega farm) it's been more and more difficult to find a large animal vet at all. Most of the mega-farms (we're talking dairy farms of a couple of thousand of cows) don't even use vets because it is cheaper to cull a sick animal than treat it, which means that there is less business for the vets that do exist, so that has meant fewer large animal vets over time.

 

[John in Covina]

The old Auto Fooler! A device that is attached to your ignition which upon starting your car, lets loose a dropping whistle (like a bomb from a bomber) let's go with an explosion (report) and unleases a cloud of smoke.

Modern cars all seem to have hood locks these days.

Anyway, if you can watch W.C. Fields movie "It's A Gift" Fields has packed up the family to drive to their new orange ranch in Southern California. Just before they leave, a prankster has hooked one of these types of practical jokes to his car.

IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025318/

 

[jamespowers]

The old Auto Fooler! A device that is attached to your ignition which upon starting your car, lets loose a dropping whistle (like a bomb from a bomber) let's go with an explosion (report) and unleases a cloud of smoke.

Modern cars all seem to have hood locks these days.

Anyway, if you can watch W.C. Fields movie "It's A Gift" Fields has packed up the family to drive to their new orange ranch in Southern California. Just before they leave, a prankster has hooked one of these types of practical jokes to his car.

IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025318/

My father had a few of these laying around when I was a kid. The vice principal was not a happy man.
I still have one left for emergencies. Mine has two wires coming out of it. You attach each one to a spark plug and put the plug wire back on top of it. You can do it on modern cars as long as you can get under it.