Got my "Keds" this morning. Well, they're not real "U.S. Keds" Couldn't find any. Do they make them anymore? So I "settled" for Converse All Stars. Had planned on getting the low-tops, but the heel was so low I figured my heel would be slipping out after I put the inserts in, so I got the high-tops. It got me to remembering about my first pair of Keds. They were for my first day of school in 1952. Keds, blue jeans, and sportshirt was the "uniform" of the day for boys. Nothing official. Just the style. You can see a photo of my first day in my photo section. Take a good look at it. You'll see things you haven't seen in years or never seen. Notice how big the Keds are. And notice the jeans. How about those cuffs?! Jeans were bought longer than needed in case we grew fast during the year, so the cuffs might get smaller during the year. And those are no ordinary jeans. They had triple fabric on the knees because little boys were always sliding around on their knees. Looked kinda odd when you broke through the first layer. And my mom starched them! Starched them! Then stretched the legs with metal forms when she hung them on the line to dry. They could almost stand up by themselves!! The lunchbox was blue steel. Every lunchbox came with a thermos that would maybe last a couple of months before we broke it. Then, it was buying milk at school. But that was cool because we could stand in line with the other kids instead of going right to the lunch table by ourselves. The other new photo is of me, my first grade teacher and Judy. Yes, I still remember the little girl's name. As you know, my mind's funny that way. Anyway, Mrs. Byron was the beginning of the end of my Texas accent. She was from Brooklyn, New York and she had the accent. How she got to Texas I'll never know. Add to that that my best friend was from Bellville, Illinois(Yes, I remember that and his name, too.) Texas didn't have a chance. And my succeeding friends were from up north all the way through college. One from Canada. Not having the Texas accent came in handy when I got into radio, although my Texas friends didn't trust a guy with a "yankee" accent and wouldn't believe me when I said I grew up in Texas. Anyway, back to the shoes. As "they" say, they just don't make them like they used to. First, the uppers aren't as thick as in 1952. The high-tops would stand up on their own. Not, now. The soles are thinner. And, they're very light. I'm looking forward to seeing how they work out.And now, for those of you who have put down SPAM. I love Spam! You just have to know how to use it. Fry some slices and have them with your eggs for breakfast and you can't beat it. The Spam salad was a dismal failure, but here's something to try. Make some macaroni and cheese and add some diced Spam. Oh! Now, that's eatin' Sorry to disappoint yall. I'm a simple guy. Love yall!!!
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I\'m glad you got the Converse All Stars. We call them Chucks around my way. What color are they?