Senior Moment

Wait a minute, did Ellie just read correctly or are my eyes playing tricks on me?? Did the news item just refer to a 54 year old man as a “senior citizen”, what the heck?!!!!!

Of course I read it correctly!! Why am I even surprised, this is not the first time I have seen it in print or heard in the media where persons in their late forties early fifties are termed as “senior citizens”. As far as I know, and there are dictionaries to support my point, the term senior citizen is used to refer to persons 65 years of age and older!

Because this term is now being used incorrectly, I am beginning to wonder if current writers are some late teens-early twenties journalists who think that “50” is so faaaaaaaaaaar away!!! Schucks, the last birthday I remember I was 25; I had no idea when I got to ... let’s say this age. In other words, you guys and gals will reach “senior citizen” status faster than you would like to believe.

Actually, sometimes I do feel a little Jurassic…I can’t seem to relate much to most “youngsters” and their style of dress, speech, conduct, work ethic or lack thereof. It has me totally befuddled.

Ellie is from a different era where life was less complicated and more fun! And like a “senior” I find myself reminiscing over the yesteryears quite frequently.

I vividly remember the days of primary school preparing for Common Entrance Examinations to secure a place in high school. No, that was long ago before GSAT Exams. We as kids were less pressured. No need for extra lessons from you in Grade 3 and Saturday classes, Summer Classes and all sorts of classes!!! We were free “ramp down di place” until you are in the year to do Common Entrance!! Then and only then were you in extra lessons.

Remember how you had to write compositions or essays? Yes, you were given several topics and you had to choose one and write about it! “My Day at the Beach”; “What I did for the Summer Holidays”; “My Life as a Dog”…..at the end of the day we were taught how to write and express ourselves! YAAAAAY!!!

Speaking of school days, let’s talk about the “food”…no not the awful canteen lunch! YUCK! But things we loved to buy like Sky Juice!!! Who remembers sky juice?? Okay, for the benefit of the young folks here, sky juice is shaved ice with syrup and a little water served in a plastic bag...YES, before you had “bag juice” there was “sky juice”. Sky juice came in red (strawberry syrup), yellow (pineapple), orange (self explanatory), and purple (grape)…okay so you get the drift now.

Moving along, with the sky juice you bought bun and cheese, coco bread and cheese or my favorite cornbread and cheese!!! Yummy!

We will not discuss the asham (not even sure how it is spelt) which is corn that has been ground into a powder and sugar added. It was sold in little plastic bags which Miss Edna had on her stall and as kids, without any sense of danger or clue of hygiene would bite into one edge of the bag and throw it into our mouths…not too fast though as it could easily cause you to choke!!! It was NICEEEEE!!! Oh, we would also buy all the paradise plums, red and white mint balls, kool-aid and sugar (also in bags), icy mint, peanut brittle, gizzada….you name it – we bought it!!

Of course, I could not leave without mentioning “swimsy” – yes, the faithful man on his rusty bicycle who sold shrimps to us at the school gate. Sometimes, after the first bell rang signaling the end of lunchtime you would see “swimsy” pedaling as fast as his bicycle could go just to catch a sale before the second bell. “Swimsy a come, see him deh!!! Run go buy one bag a shrimps before di second bell ring no!!! Hurry up! see Ms. Brown a come wid di belt!!!”

After school we looked forward to going home to do homework (not really….but our parents made sure we did homework first) then it was time to watch CARTOONS!!!

“Yuh finish yuh homewuk yet?”

“No mommy”

“Tun off di blinkin’ t.v. and go do yuh homewuk!”

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We would hurriedly complete the assignments so as to watch our bellies full of cartoons! Anyone remembers Superfriends, Johhny Quest, Inch High Private Eye, Scooby Doo, Where are you?, Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour, Flash Gordon, Fat Albert????!!!

Oh my! Then there were the sitcoms…some of them we were not allowed to watch cause they were “adult” you know like Soap, Maude and Benny Hill? Then there were The Jeffersons, Threes Company, M*A*S*H, Good Times, Benson, One Day at a Time, Sandford and Son, Different Strokes, Happy Days, Carol Burnett and Friends!!!!!!!!! SIGH…too many to mention…but I loved them then and I still enjoy the re-runs now…if I can find them.

 

Who remembers the Six Million Dollar Man? I still remember the opening “Steve Austin, Astronaut.  A man barely alive.” It was even more ridiculous as everybody (kids only, of course) suddenly became “bionic” and could not walk, talk or run without doing it in “slow motion”…oh don’t forget the “funny sound effect too”- now that I think of it reminds me of some old rusty spring!

Time would not allow me to delve into Falcon Crest, Dynasty, Dallas, Knots Landing….but those of you old enough will remember those too!

“Ring Ding” with the late Miss Lou (Louise Bennett-Coverley) was one of my favorite local children’s programs.

Although I am not THAT old, I also recall a couple of local radio serials that I listened to as a child because my elderly relative could not miss them.

“Mazie, look yah nuh, mi gone now cause Dulcimina a go start an mi wan’ know wha’ happen to Pressa Foot!”

Dulcimina was written by Elaine Perkins and was highly popular for decades! There was also “The Fortunes of Floralee” and “Life in Hopeful Village”, does anyone remember those?

Sadly, I hardly watch t.v. now unless it is the Investigation Discovery Channel or A&E, can’t stand the STUPID sitcoms now which I don’t find funny, absolutely hate the plethora of not so realistic “reality shows”; wish they would stop bombarding us with all the “talent shows” and all off-shoots.

It is now official - Ellie is really, really becoming a dinosaur! But those were good times and they are fondly remembered...does this qualify as a "senior moment"?