When people refer to the good, old days, I don't know if those days were better or just different. I know the cipher zero was different. It hadn't been confused with the letter "O" in numbers.

I remember candy bars costing ten cents. Not only were they cheaper, they were bigger. Both children and dentists were happier.

There was a time when candy and other foods were made without preservatives and stabilizers. Food was made to eat then - not to last forever.

The price of stamps seems to have been going up forever. Today to save money more and more people are communicating and paying bills over the internet, which means less mail, which means less money for the Post Office, which means there will be another increase in the cost of stamps.

In the good old days not only did gas cost less, there were station attendants to wash windshields and check oil and tire pressures. Now they should have attendants to check blood pressures because of the stress caused by driving.

n the past when we traveled by air, we were dressier. We didn't wear jeans, t-shirts and flip-flops. Baseball caps were for baseball and baseball caps on backward were for umpires.

We didn't have to get to airports two hours early, there was more room on planes and there were lots more on-time arrivals. Traveling by air wasn't a plane in the neck.

Watching television wasn't a choice of cable or dish. The remote control was asking someone only remotely interested in the program to change the channel and television speakers were asked not to speak during the program. Families that didn't have televisions could go to movies and buy popcorn and drinks without needing a credit card.

Doctors made house calls. Carrying little, black bags, they rang the doorbell, made a diagnosis, gave you medicine and had time to chat - maybe have coffee. Today it's the Avon lady who rings the doorbell. You might not feel better after her visit, but you'll look better.

Dry cleaners, dairies and diaper companies also came to your house for free. The only person I know who still does that is Santa.

I remember when fame like Santa's was deserved. People were famous for painting masterpieces, inventing cures for diseases, walking on the moon. They weren't famous for being blond and rich. Fame wasn't made out of a mole Hilton.