Oh, Adam, this was SO great! I smiled and chuckled at so much of it, especially these sentences, "Would I!? Heck yes I would mister!" I could just hear the Beav say, "Gee, Wally . . . . " What a blast from the past with Lyle's house's architecture, and the pine trees, and the sap that one got on (a favorite) saw from having at it with pine trees. So good. Top drawer. 😁 P.S. $100 is a TON of money to me, still,too, and I can imagine how you felt, hitting the jackpot with Lyle. That Transformer, btw, is way cool.
Thanks so much Mary!! Yeah, 100$?? I’d think that was too much to ask for today. Still trying to understand my own motivation for asking for it… (I gave my Transformers to my son so am lucky I can still see them when I like)
What a great thing to hand down to your son. I love that! Maybe your reaction was that 100 is easier to say than 10 . . . sometimes three syllables are better than one . . .😃
Haha, the Talking Coke Machine indeed. Fun to read! When I was a kid, a relative also told me to name my price after performing one particular task. I was taken by surprise as well!
I loved this story of your boyhood! Interesting that you still have that toy. Not sure if I have anything from going that far back when I was eleven (in the 50’s! 🤭)
I never saw or experienced the talking Coke machine living in small town Iowa… it was decades before McDonald’s even made an appearance!
Thanks so much Gundy!! I bet 1980s Menomonie was similar to small town Iowa in the 50s… minus the Talking Coke Machine 😁 (and we “luckily” had McDonalds)
Reminds me of the day, in the late ‘50s, when my dad gave me a $20 & I was able to buy an entire box of baseball cards, with all of that cavity-causing bubble gum.
Lyle def seems like a nice guy! lol My dad would have done the same thing too. Love this post. Nothing beat getting a toy from Kmart, that's for sure. The talking Coke machine definitely brought back some great memories!
I've heard that too! There was one last hold out about an hour and a half north from me but it shut down a few years ago, I was sad to hear that. Before the last Kmart shut down in my area I went to the toy section and bout a couple of toys for nostalgia's sake. I sure miss them for sure. There's target, but I haven't been to one in a few years.
Oh, Adam, this was SO great! I smiled and chuckled at so much of it, especially these sentences, "Would I!? Heck yes I would mister!" I could just hear the Beav say, "Gee, Wally . . . . " What a blast from the past with Lyle's house's architecture, and the pine trees, and the sap that one got on (a favorite) saw from having at it with pine trees. So good. Top drawer. 😁 P.S. $100 is a TON of money to me, still,too, and I can imagine how you felt, hitting the jackpot with Lyle. That Transformer, btw, is way cool.
Thanks so much Mary!! Yeah, 100$?? I’d think that was too much to ask for today. Still trying to understand my own motivation for asking for it… (I gave my Transformers to my son so am lucky I can still see them when I like)
What a great thing to hand down to your son. I love that! Maybe your reaction was that 100 is easier to say than 10 . . . sometimes three syllables are better than one . . .😃
Haha, the Talking Coke Machine indeed. Fun to read! When I was a kid, a relative also told me to name my price after performing one particular task. I was taken by surprise as well!
Thanks Catherine!! Also, how is a kid supposed to know 😂😂 (I wish they still had talking Coke Machines)
Loved the story :) Especially the part where there was a possibility of Lyle opening up a briefcase full of money had you asked for 😂
Thanks so much for reading, Tapo!! Glad you enjoyed it. 😸
I loved this story of your boyhood! Interesting that you still have that toy. Not sure if I have anything from going that far back when I was eleven (in the 50’s! 🤭)
I never saw or experienced the talking Coke machine living in small town Iowa… it was decades before McDonald’s even made an appearance!
Thanks so much Gundy!! I bet 1980s Menomonie was similar to small town Iowa in the 50s… minus the Talking Coke Machine 😁 (and we “luckily” had McDonalds)
Reminds me of the day, in the late ‘50s, when my dad gave me a $20 & I was able to buy an entire box of baseball cards, with all of that cavity-causing bubble gum.
I loved that gum! I always wondered if collectors who buy the older unopened packs pre 1990 get cards that are destroyed from the gum 🤔
Lyle def seems like a nice guy! lol My dad would have done the same thing too. Love this post. Nothing beat getting a toy from Kmart, that's for sure. The talking Coke machine definitely brought back some great memories!
Thanks, John! When I was writing this I googled Kmart... and apparently it still exists in Florida! Couldn't believe it.
I've heard that too! There was one last hold out about an hour and a half north from me but it shut down a few years ago, I was sad to hear that. Before the last Kmart shut down in my area I went to the toy section and bout a couple of toys for nostalgia's sake. I sure miss them for sure. There's target, but I haven't been to one in a few years.
This is starting to sound like "The Last Blockbuster"