Sandy Supposes....

Memories

PROMPT: War Chest Wednesday! What product, that used to be on the market but is no longer sold, do you think should be brought back? Tell us why.

         I miss when vehicles opened, locked, and started with a key. Now we use electronic fobs to lock and unlock our vehicles, and start them. We no longer have to insert a key into a door lock or an ignition. These fobs are expensive. They are special order from a dealership if a driver needs to replace one or keep an extra one. Like most electronic gadgets, fobs require batteries, and they in turn need to be replaced and purchased. Keys, the old-fashioned kind, could be cut at any hardware store for a minimal cost. They were easy to copy because of this. Extra keys could be created and kept in handy places. Keys were impervious to water; they could go swimming or boating with their owners/caretakers with no ill effects. If they were lost or misplaced, the driver usually had a spare or could summon someone to make a new one. Keys were lighter and less bulky. A fob cannot get wet. What is an owner to do with one at the beach?

         I miss a soda that my friends and I were able to splurge on when we were kids. For the glorious sum of a nickel, we were able to indulge in our choice of flavour. After wetting our whistles, we could return the glass bottle immediately for a dime. This was recycling at its best. We were bribed or given a generous incentive to return the empties. Of course, our refund money was usually spent on penny candy, not another soda. I miss penny candy, too. A vast assortment of loose candy was kept in open bins from which we filled our brown paper bags. Each candy was not individually packaged like everything is today. For a dime, we received a lot of candy. The pricing was actually two-for or three-for.

         There are products that I never wish to see sold again. My sister-in-law once shampooed her hair with a product known as 'Body-On-Tap'. It combined with the hot water from a shower to create the malodorous fumes of a beer brewery. I have never liked the smell or taste of beer. I am relieved that the product sold as ' Tony Home Perm' is an extinct entity. I was once a five-year old victim of this torture treatment. I've always had straight hair, and at that age my mother decided to save the cost of a hairdresser's services and attempt to perm my hair herself. She was determined that I should have curls. Apparently, she could no longer listen to my complaints about going to bed with uncomfortable rollers in my hair. I don't know how we survived the chemicals from this perm kit. I still remember our burning eyes. Anyway, my mother was temporarily victorious. My stubborn hair sprouted/sported a mass of unruly curls for a brief time. I believe I was forced to carry the world's first afro. If I had liked to wear hats, I would not have been able to fit one over that mop.