I do not have the years of experience that Doc possesses. And, I only have a couple-three on you.

When I truly noticed major differences was when I was an overseas expat for a decade 'r so. During that time, other than two brief visits, I was gone. Seriously, I hardly recognized the nation when I returned. When you see everything unfolding ... over real time, the changes don't seem nearly as drastic.

However, since that intense shock, I became more aware of serious changes .... Even then, being so close and all of it being day-to-day, I still become acclimatized to many of them (changes). It's only when I sit down and think about it that the changes seem as drastic as they were/are.

When I tell others about going squirrel hunting, with my father and older brother, at the age of six .... And, yes ... at that age I shot at squirrels ... They cannot believe it. But, it gets even more involved ... for my ninth birthday/Christmas present (on the birthday you got a picture cut out of a magazine .. on Christmas you got the gift) ... that the present was a .22 rim fire ... and I went squirrel and rabbit hunting by myself, with no adult supervision ... When I tell people about that, the looks of incredulity abound. However, back in those days ... that was not uncommon. Whether it was farm boys or townies ... that simply was the way that it was.

I remember saving up for an Ithaca SKB over/under (20 ga.) and trading in my pump 12 gauge that was my birthday/Christmas combo for my twelfth birthday .... I was talking to our advanced math teacher about it. He said, "You have it with you, don't you?" I answered in the affirmative. Within the next few minutes we were at my old beater, parked in the gravel student parking lot. I'd popped the trunk and handed it to him. He mounted it and was swinging it ... and he said, "That is suweet. I have to get one of these."

Can you imagine that happening today? Even in a rural town (County Seat of Iowa County, Iowa), there'd be a S.W.A.T. team there within three minutes.