...when I was a kid.

I am middle aged, quickly approaching the top of the hill in 18 months. After that, I will be "over the hill" and be able to spout off tidbits of wisdom about my experience that know one cares about. So, I will describe some of the things that were different "when I was a kid."

Number one, as I tell my IntroGeog class, there was broken glass every where. Bits of glass from discarded bottles were strewn across our gutters, streets, creeks, and even the beach. I loved finding bits of colored glass worn down by the seashore. Each summer I would get at least one bad cut on a bare foot from broken glass.

Next, I am absolutely sure that there were a lot more bees when I was little. I would usually get stung 2-3 times each year! I can't remember the last time I heard someone talk about being stung by a honeybee. Something is wrong with the bees.

Finally, and I am not kidding, there used to be a lot more white dog poo. As a kid, I was fascinated by the process of how a dog mird changes into a crumbly white substance. Due to its ubiquitous nature, we even had a word for it: PURVY. (There is no "e" in that word.) My cousin Bradly told me that the Egyptians used it to make the blocks of the great pyramids to stick together. When I was a kid, there was purvy in every yard. I can't remember the last time I saw purvy...

--gh