Originally Posted by tessagin

I'm 65 so I relate to all of it. First time I did my hair was with pin curls. My aunt had the aluminum tree with the red and green lights. The most vivid memory of the soda fountain is the day a friend of mine and I decided to skip school on senior skip day. We left the school at lunch and went to the plaza nearby. We had saved our money to have lunch at the W. T. Grant store (Maybe it was Woolworth's) anyway we felt very empowered and all grown up. Half way through our meal, I looked toward a familiar sound at the end of the counter. Oh my Lord! it was my dad! I was caught. He ordered his lunch, came down and said; "Young lady, you will be leaving with me. So finish your lunch, come sit by us and wait till we're finished." I could hardly finish because I knew the outcome and sweat bullets the rest of the day. Dad took me back to school to the principal. Finished the day, got detention, then waited for my dad and the ride home. So much for empowerment at 17 years old when you have a father who has zero tolerance for skipping school. Didn't matter your age at our house, if my parents thought you needed a whooping you got it.
My first washer was a Kenmore wringer and had belonged to my paternal grandmother. Used it for 3 years and with Lestoil and Oxydol it got the machinists oils and lube out of my husband's (ex) work clothes.Let them agitate for 30-45 minutes. That dirt and grime was going to come out one way or another.