Pop goes the memory

During my grandson's Little League game, I bought some popcorn from a booth, and to my surprise it came in a small brown paper bag. Seeing it sent my mind traveling backward to the Common in Salem, Mass., when I was a boy and a popcorn man dispensed his product in the same kind of paper bag. The difference is that after filling the bag, he poured in a generous quantity of melted butter, which was hardly good for us but in this case, ignorance was truly bliss. Although the small bag was rather pricey at 10 cents, never did popcorn taste so heavenly. Sometimes I would splurge and also buy a Coca-Cola in a 6-ounce glass bottle for a nickel. Hot popcorn in a butter-stained bag and a cold Coke in a glass bottle -- it didn't get a whole lot better than that.

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Here's a puzzlement: Fred is 16 years younger than Joe. In 10 years, Joe will be twice as old as Fred. How old are they now?  Answer Saturday.

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This is not the Big Papi I remember.

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Gee, maybe I should have asked for a new rebate form (see earlier items). The DVD collection would have been quite a bargain and maybe this time I would have actually gotten the rebate. (And maybe the proverbial pigs would have flown.)