Ice was still delivered to homes until well after WWII ended. People used to put little signs in their front windows to indicate how much they needed. In the summer the boys on the block used to wait for the ice truck to pull up; and when the man was delivering his frosty product, we would hop in the back, grab a few slivers then high-tail it to the corner before the man returned from making the delivery, and then sit on the curb in front of the corner grocer’s to enjoy this free treat. When he chased us away, we moved to the other corner were the drug store was located. We used the same curbs to eat watermelon, if we were lucky enough to get a slice, and see how far we could spit the seeds. Around Halloween, even though the cement was cold, we plopped ourselves down to eat pomegranates because our mom’s didn’t want us getting the red stuff all over the house,

We watched the produce hucksters make their rounds and the fish peddlers too; even the fresh horseradish man came around periodically. The Italian water ice cart and the ice cream truck rolled by every warm afternoon. And the hand-powered merry-go-round stopped at the corner, and a little old organ grinder with his monkey came by every couple of weeks. Once in a while a man showed up with a pony. He stopped showing up after realizing no one wanted to pay a nickel to sit on the moth-eaten animal or shell out a quarter to have a picture taken with the steed.

This wasn’t the end of the procession. The big department stores were downtown. They delivered, since the mothers couldn’t carry much home on public transportation. Each store had its own trucks and delivered on different days of the week. Plus, there were the debit insurance representatives that collected weekly along with the morning and evening newspaper boys and the people selling everything from brushes to vacuum cleaners to encyclopedias all making their way from house to house. It was a captive market, since most moms stayed home; but I don’t know how well they responded to the sales pitches.

Money was tight until late in the 1940s when the economy opened up, new cars became available, television came on the scene, suburban branches of the downtown stores began to appear in newly constructed shopping centers. That’s when American’s started to spend. And we haven’t stopped; there were a few slow-downs along the way but we always came back and bought more. For years we jumped into our cars, fought the traffic in search of the places that carried the things we want to buy, loaded up the trunk or the cargo area, and took our treasures home. Now, we go online, order whatever we need, and have it delivered. It’s convenient and efficient; but for this pre-boomer, it’s a long way from the ongoing activities and interactions that once took place on one little street in Northeast Philadelphia when I was a kid.

Don Potter, a Philadelphia native, was born in 1936 and is a 50 year veteran of the advertising agency business. Now living in Los Angeles, he has written two novels in retirement, frequently writes on marketing issues, and has a blog dedicated to pre-boomers (those born between 1930 and 1945).

Read more articles for and about pre-boomers with thoughts, comments and opinions designed to spark thinking, foster discussion, and stimulate debate by logging on to http://www.pre-boomermusings.com

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In the teen rehab, your children later will be able to get the best teen drug treatment to help them to get the best treatment for their addiction. One of the best places is the California teen drug rehab that later become the best place to treat your children. It is based on the teen drug statistics, which California is becoming one of the biggest states that the teenager is being addicted to drugs and alcohol. After all, within this site you will be able to get teen marijuana rehab and also the teen addiction info.

The best way to start getting ready for your garage sale is to create a map of the area you will be using. This can just be a quick and simple sketch on paper. But, you are going to want to include the layout of the yard, your porch, the big tree in the center of the yard, your mailbox, etc. Once you have drawn up your map, you will want to think about the flow of customers through your sale. Ask yourself a few simple questions, like…Where are the customers going to park? Can people see my sale as they drive through the neighborhood? The answer will give you some good ideas about where your sale will start and finish and get you ready to decide where your merchandise and cashier should go.

Next, you’ll want to think about organizing your merchandise for the sale. Try creating 5 or 6 major categories, depending on what you have for sale. Clothing, furniture, books and knick knacks are all good examples of categories you would typically find at a garage sale. Once you have your categories created’ you’ll want to place them on your garage sale map, so you know where everything will go. Think about what you would want people to see first when they arrive at the sale. Then, create some simple signs that you can place with each category.

The next step – and one of the biggest ones – is deciding on what price you want to charge for each item. You may want to price some items by category (everything on a certain table is $1, etc.) and some items you will want to price individually. Whatever the case, it’s important to make sure all your prices are clearly marked and easy to read. If they are not and you are with another customer, you may lose a sale because someone doesn’t want to wait around to ask about pricing on a particular item. Before you actually start putting your items out for your sale you will want to make sure the area you are having the sale is presentable. If the sale will take place in your driveway or your front yard you should be sure to cut the grass, rake the leaves, clean up any clutter, etc.

Lastly, you will need to make sure that you have customers at your garage sale. You won’t sell many items if you don’t have customers! The best way to get customers to your sale is to advertise. You may want to place an ad on the internet and there are several sites that will allow you to post free listings that will make it easy for the savvy garage sailor to find you and you most certainly will want to place signs around your neighborhood. When it comes to posting signs, be sure to find out the rules in your community. Your neighborhood HOA and Local Township will likely have some rules about where you can place signs. You will want to post your signs at least one week prior to your sale, so people have plenty of time to see them before your sale. Make sure that the date of your sale is big and bold and easy to read.

Once your sale is over you may have some items left. A great way to help those less fortunate is to donate your unsold items.

Of course, now that you have de-cluttered your home and earned a few extra bucks by holding you sale, you may need some new items for your place. You might consider looking for a garage sale in your area!

GarageSales.com is the best FREE site to post or list your garage and yard sales, as well as search for sales in your area.

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There is no escaping the fact that if your benchwork is not up to the job, then your layout simply will not last for long. When you consider that the benchwork has to take the weight of not only the layout, train and all the accessories, but perhaps one or two humans leaning on it, you will appreciate that it must be strong. Whether you decide to build your own benchwork or purchase a precut and predrilled kit, you must select the very best that you can.

If you do decide to build your own, a 3/8 or 1/2 inch thick piece of plywood should be strong enough to provide a solid platform. If you think that you may wish to move the benchwork at sometime in the future, simply cut the plywood into several pieces before you put the structure together. And remember to ensure the benchwork is the correct height for operating your trains from, you don`t want to be stooping over the controls and end up with a bad back!

Once the benchwork is sorted, it is time to get planning for the final design. Decide how much space you can afford to give to your railroad. Think about access to all areas of the track should a derailment occur. Take your time to decide exactly what you want to create and visit as many other model train display as you can to give you ideas and inspiration.

At the end of the day, this is your dream layout, so have some fun and let your imagination run wild.

Stuart Graham is a model train enthusiast. For more information on model railway trains visit http://www.themodeltraincenter.com

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This site will gives you many kinds of products that you need, like the complete series of the Babies and Toddlers stuffs that you need for your baby in your house. When you have a newly born baby, you should make sure that they have the best high quality of products that they need. You can also find the Nursery Furniture if you need it in your house to make sure that your family will get first help when they got injury in any kinds of activities that they have in your house. There are many kinds of Activity Sets that this site provided to you with complete series.

If people are still unsatisfied with the selection of pajamas that are offered by local shop, it is very fortunate for them to have the service of online shop that will be able to provide them with more selection that they can suit with their need or taste. There will be also so many selections of women’s pajamas in this internet online shop so that the customer can select and buy women’s pajamas that suits them well.

Yet, people should be careful in selecting the womens pajamas that are offered in the internet, since there will be various types and qualities of pajamas in this online world. The shopping guide will be the one that will be able to help people in select the material, shape, and size of the pajamas that suits them well.

In many countries, the abuse and addiction to drugs have been the two major problems in adolescents. It causes the teen drug treatment and teen marijuana rehab is high in demand. There are many institutions and organizations which offer their services to cope with such things, but only a few of those choices which can finally give the best help and assistance entirely. The Newport Academy is one of those possible choices. The great programs are offered to bring the hands for adolescent girls and boys to be free from such awful condition. If you live in California, the California teen drug rehab is the best options to look at.

In fact, you still want to find the other sources to complete this solution. You want to get the comprehensive teen addiction info and get more knowledge about it. It will be great idea to avoid the worse effects before everything is too late. To complete your references, you can look at the teen drug statistics and get the detail info about the drug users and the increasing number from time to time. If you really want to save your life and the life of many adolescents around you, start to take action now.

As you become aware of the vast selection of outdoor Christmas decor items that are available to you by shopping online, you will want to create a Christmas outdoor display that will dazzle your friends and neighbors. There are thousands of unique holiday decor items, made to be used outdoors, available to you as you browse through the websites of some of the online merchants that specialize in outdoor Christmas decor items. I hope that the information and ideas in this article help you make a real statement in your neighborhood and actually WOW everyone who sees your property and your Christmas display masterpiece.

No matter what you are decorating the quality vendors that you can find online have you covered. You can find great Christmas decorations and Holiday displays made especially for outdoor use so you can create any theme for any application. Your LED outdoor Christmas lights and other Christmas decorations will look great in front of your home or business, or as a part of a public display at a park or shopping center.

Advantage of Using LED Outdoor Christmas Lights

Many of the new Christmas decor products, made for outdoor use, are lighted with energy efficient, long-lasting LED lights. These lights will outlast dozens of the traditional C7 or C9 Christmas light bulbs. The LED lights will also burn cooler reducing the fire hazard associated with the traditional C7 and C9 light bulbs. Because these LED lights last longer, they will also drastically reduce the time you have been spending replacing burned out light bulbs. Also the energy savings when you use LED lighting with your outdoor Holiday displays can be up to 98% over using traditional light bulbs. You can dazzle your neighbors and friends and still be green at the same time.

Safety is an important consideration when you are dealing with lighted Christmas decorations. You want to always check to be sure that your lighted items, controllers, timers, extension cords, and other related item used in your Christmas lighted displays are all UL Listed. Many of the cheap imported electrical item are not UL Listed and should be avoided.

Include Inflatable Christmas Decorations in Your Display

You may want to include brilliant life size or smaller yard art displays in your outdoor Holiday display creation. These items may be lighted or might require independent illumination. There is a wide range in size, construction, and cost when it comes to inflatable Christmas decorations. They can range from simple inflatable nylon or vinyl figures to lighted and animated high-end yard art items. Including inflatable or other yard art items in your display can add real dimension and presence to your creation.

It Pays to Buy Quality

One of the things that is important when purchasing items for your outdoor Christmas display is to buy quality products. When you buy quality products from reputable online vendors, you will have Holiday decor items that will last you for many years to come. Since these items will last so long, you can continue to add to your collection every year so your display will become even better will each passing Holiday season.

Another of the great features of quality outdoor Christmas decorations is that they are easy to install. Quality products will come with all of the parts and accessories that you need for a quick and easy assembly and setup. Also they will be easier to take down and store for the next Holiday season.

Summary

We are confident that you are going to create one of the best if not the best Christmas yard displays in your neighborhood. We hope that the information in this article has been helpful to you. We wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday and a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment from creating your outdoor Holiday display.

Paul E. Dulin, Business Owner and Internet Business Coach. I have a background in sales, advertising and marketing. It has been my life’s goal to help people find and get what they are looking for. What I am doing now gives me great satisfaction because it fulfills my goal.

If you are looking for a great selection of outdoor Christmas decor products and a good deal on your selections, be sure to visit my website. Thank you for your consideration, Paul

http://www.outdoorchristmasdecorsite.com

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A neighborhood association is basically a group that organizes crime watches, welcome wagons and special events. A neighborhood yard sale or block party can help people raise money and meet new people. If you are really ambitious you could even start a neighborhood newsletter. It is community efforts like these that help neighborhoods grow closer and give each other the support system that is so important – especially during tough times like these. There is a comfort in knowing who your neighbors are, knowing that they will be there for you during difficult medical or financial times or even just when you need a friendly shoulder to lean on or a cup of sugar.

The first step to starting a neighborhood association is deciding on a place to meet. Usually a community resource like a youth center or school will let you use space for free. You could even use a room in your house if it is large enough to hold a moderate-size group of people.

Next you’ll want to print out flyers announcing your initial neighborhood meeting. It doesn’t have to be fancy or elaborate, just a simple sheet detailing the purpose of the meeting, location, time and date. Hang flyers up in prominent areas in the neighborhood such as churches, grocery stores, schools and recreation centers. It may also be appropriate to leave flyers on people’s doorstops. My neighborhood association set up a refreshment stand during Halloween and offered a sign-up sheet for people interested in joining the association. Later they could use the contact information to get people together for neighborhood meetings. However you get the word out the next step is preparing for the event/meeting. Some planning is a good idea at this time. Write an outline of the points you want to discuss and some plans you have for the future of the neighborhood. Next you’ll want to provide some coffee, fruit punch and maybe some baked goods for the meeting.

At this first meeting you can talk about the different functions that you would like the organization to perform. For example, you’ll need a committee to oversee the neighborhood association. Other possibilities are a welcome wagon which will welcome new families, introduce themselves and provide a basket with neighborhood information, coupons from local businesses, and possibly a little welcoming gift. Or possibly a group of neighbors would like to work together on a neighborhood newsletter to keep the neighbors up to date on the goings on in the area, such as births, deaths, school and church events, weddings, etc. You can also set up a group to act as a crime watch to either patrol the streets at night or at least keep an eye on homes while the residents are out of town.

You won’t believe the feeling of belonging that comes over a neighborhood when the members of it is working on making it a safe, clean, peaceful and friendly place to live.

For more information on becoming active in your community, please visit http://www.lendahandri.com

Jenn Carpenter works as a freelance writer, blogger and internet marketer from her home in Warwick, RI. She is a mother of three as well as an active member of her community. To learn more about her amazing story check out http://www.livingmybigdream.com

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