I don’t know about you, but it certainly feels like we are getting into the dog days of summer now. Even though we’ve passed the solstice, the days feel like they are getting longer instead of shorter.
Maybe it’s because of all the rain we’ve been getting here in my neck of the woods. With so much work to be done around here, the rain has me putting it off and making the days feel like they’re never going to end.
As an adult, rainy days in the summer keep me from being productive outside. But I used to welcome the occasional rainy day when I was a kid. Somewhere around the ages of 7 and 10, we lived on a farm, and in the summer I had to spend a lot of the day helping out with the never-ending chores that go along with that life. They were simple tasks since I was young, but watering the horses, putting out hay for the horses, helping in the garden, and working in the tobacco field could certainly cut into a fine summer day. But when it would rain my brother and I got to skip the chores. We would pile up on a couch we had on the carport, and read comic books all day. My brother had a hodge-podge collection, but I enjoyed reading random issues of The Incredible Hulk, The Unknown Soldier, and Justice League America.
Rainy summer days can still be for reading though, so I’ve put together some stuff for this week that I think you’ll enjoy. We’ll start off with all of the new stuff I dropped in various places this week before we get into all of the cool stuff from everywhere else.
The Retro Rambler around the web…
Over at The Retro Network I wrote an article looking back at Enertech water guns of the ‘80s and the controversy that ensued from them. Those water guns were high tech for the time, and took outdoor play to a whole other level.
At Retro Ramblings on the web, I reflect on my favorite episodes of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero cartoon. While I could pretty much say they’re all tied for first, I forced myself to narrow down to a list of just five favorite episodes.
Also at Retro Ramblings, I added another episode of the Wax Pack Flashback video series, this time opening a pack of 1990 Donruss baseball cards to see what has stayed hidden for over 30 years.
In this week’s issue of This Nostalgic Life, I penned an essay looking back at the local radio request show of the 1990’s that was our version of social media back then. SOng request, dedications, and leaving messages to be relayed to one another over the airwaves was so much fun back then.
Our friends over at Retro-Daze were treated to my latest article there entitled In Defense of American Defense Action Figures. American Defense was a G.I. Joe knockoff line but offered an appeal of it’s own.
More Retro and Nostalgia fun…
Why GenXers Have More Sex Than Boomers, Millennials, and Zoomers (GenXcellent)
‘90s Beach Vibes on Baywatch (Yester Year Retro)
The Faded Scent of Childhood: Scratch ‘N Sniff Stickers Company To Close After 50 Years (Nostalgia Nation)
The Time I Stole Something and Almost Got Caught (Ninjas and Neon)
Weird and Wonderful Cult Movies of the ‘70s (The Awesomer)
Dolly Parton’s Bold Decision to Pose For Playboy in 1978 (Dangerous Minds)
Is Skynet Still Just Science Fiction? (The Retro Dad)
House Rules: Backyard Summer Games (The Retro Network)
5 Awesome Things on eBay This Week (Plaid Stallions)
That’s a wrap for this week. If you’ve got a link you think I should check out, drop it in the comments below. See you again next week.