Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Just Remembering…

 Early Service Stations:

 


For today:

Remember the traditional pack of ‘chewing Gum?’ Nickle a pack, 5 sticks.

 

 Sherry used a small piece of aluminum foil this morning to heat biscuits for our breakfast and seeing it when I started to wash dishes kicked in a memory of my childhood.

 



 

Each stick of gum was wrapped in a piece of foil that was lined with paper. If you were very careful you could peel the paper off. Then taking the foil and placing I over a coin and rub it well you could get nearly a duplicate of the coin. If you took scissors and trimmed it well and placed it on a table or the floor it looked exactly like a coin. We kids had a good time with such a practical joke.

 

Mercury? Have you ever even seen real mercury? Here is what a drop of it looks like:

 

 (On  flat surface like a table  it looks just like those drops above, rounded edge but it is like a controlled liquid. If you were to drop that big blob above it would split into namy little droplets and look the same.)

I am not sure if you are old enough, but there was a time when we could get our hands on some ‘Mercury’ we were really cool.  With our fingers we would use it to shine a silver coin. A fifty cent piece, quarter or dime would shine like no body’s business.

 

This is the warning we did not know about:

Direct contact with elemental (liquid) mercury can cause irritation and chemical burns. Possible immediate effects may include dizziness, vertigo, flu-like symptoms, burning or irritation, pale or clammy skin, irritability, and emotional instability.

 

I cannot remember where we got the mercury. Except for one time me ‘n Vondale broke a thermometer and got a small drop.

 

Funny how the old statement, “God over looks our ignorance and protects us when we are stupid.”  That might just apply here. ;-)

 

Love you guys,

Thanks for allowing me to just be old and remember silly things.

 

                               Nite Shipslog

10 comments:

Chatty Crone said...

If I were rich Jack - one thing I would do is remove my mercury fillings!

betty said...

At the Wrigley Mansion here in Phoenix, the phone room was papered in aluminum foil from the gum. Years later you can still smell the flavors of the gum :)

I remember going to the doctor as a young child and having my temperature checked and being so afraid the thermometer would break and there would be a problem with the mercury spilling everywhere. Great memories you have Jack!

betty

TARYTERRE said...

smiling about the gum. my nana used to love beemans. i prefered the clove. mercury is a dangerous substance for sure. you boys were lucky you didn't get hurt.

Lisa said...

I have always been afraid of Mercury. I do remember the gum wrappers. We used to peel the foil off and it was a fun challenge to just be able to get it off in one complete piece. Then we would make a ring with it. This was a fun thing to do during church services. Haha.

From dreary Gtown
Lisa

yaya said...

You just described fun as a kid without any tech stuff to focus on. It sparked imagination and made memories...even memories that were a tad dangerous! Our hospital had a program some years ago where you would bring in a mercury thermometer and get a digital one in exchange. Maybe mercury is the secret for your good health and longevity! 😉

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I remember all those things to Jack. Kids used to make their own fun with what they had. Made the mind work better I think. Things like that wouldn't be done now adays.

Mevely317 said...

Like Lisa, I remember fashioning 'jewelry' from the gum wrappers - but not using the foil to make impressions. How clever you were! I truly believe kids used their own resources and imaginations more so than (they do) today.

Susie said...

Jack, That statement about God watching over us...it has to be true or my siblings and I would all be dead. The DA things we did as kids. Just not thinking or even knowing. I miss those packs of gum. My mother loved spearmint. Can not tell you the last time I had any juicy fruit gum. Thanks for those memories. Blessings, xoxo, Susie

Woody said...

Ah Memories, I remember if a Fuse Blew in the car, there was always a piece of Gum Wrapper Foil to wrap around the Fuse and put it back in and Bingo, almost New Fuse ! Loved the Old Blackjack, Beemans and Clove Gum ! Glad we had no Electronics back when I was growing !
.
Take Care, sending down Love from the Warm North Country, (74 Degrees) ! Gary & Anna Mae

Bernhard said...

wow