I’m a 74-year-old “child” of the ‘50s, a so-called “Boomer.” I have been self-employed my entire adult life, and because of this freedom, I don’t think I ever really grew up—and I owe it all to my parents and their total lack of supervision.

Let me explain.

In the 1950s, adults were preoccupied with getting back on track after World War II, and kids were an afterthought; they just seemed to show up every couple of years, and our parents, in most cases, were not really prepared. The inter-generational family structure of the 1930s had broken down during the war; our parents were on their own when it came to child-rearing, and I don’t think they were particularly good at it.

But one good thing came from this knowledge gap: our generation was spoiled. We weren’t spoiled in the same way as kids today, with money, cell phones, or a room of our own, but with freedom. We were feral, free-range, and never bored. It seemed that we lived in two parallel universes: children were to be “seen and not heard,” and adults were to be left alone, all-knowing and feared. Parents did adult things, and kids were on their own to do whatever they wanted.

My dad was a hobby guy. After dinner, he was off to the garage and his Ham Radio friends. Family and kids did not exist after dinner or on weekends. I told myself that when I grew up, I wouldn’t have kids or hobbies until I was “old.” Well, I’m well over seventy now with no kids and a little time on my hands, so perhaps I can find time for some hobbies and interests other than work!

This blog will be about some things that interest me, and I hope it will engage others.

Some of my favorite things include reading writers of the early 20th century, landscaping of the early 20th century, the architecture of the early 20th century, and building early 20th-century homes and buildings. Do you see a pattern?