I would presume that, like me, many seasoned citizens spend at least a portion of their waking hours reminiscing about the past and noting how things have changed.

For those of you that were around in the 1930s and ’40s, let’s reminisce together:

Hats: Back then, when adults were outside, they wore hats. When a man met a woman, he would tip his hat. When he went inside, he removed his hat. Most ladies wore hats when they went out. Nowadays, a lot of people (women, too) wear baseball caps, often with the bill in back or sideways. They seldom remove them, not even in a restaurant. I’m sorry, but I don’t think that hats, including baseball caps, should be worn inside, especially while eating at a table.

Smoking cigarettes: Remember when eight out of every 10 people smoked? It was a social thing. Nowadays, most people do not smoke and government at all levels is making it difficult and costly to be a smoker. I smoked for about 18 years. I gave it up when I realized that it provided no redeeming features. I don’t know about you, but I’m glad that most people don’t smoke anymore.

Nurses’ uniforms: Remember when nurses wore starched white uniforms and caps, and white stockings and shoes? I always thought they looked clean, neat and efficient as they walked crisply about the halls of Napa’s Parks Victory hospital. Nowadays, most nurses wear loose-fitting outfits that resemble pajamas. I understand that today’s attire is more comfortable and more sensible for the nurses, but I still miss the starched, sterile look of the old uniforms.

Catholic nuns’ attire: Remember when the nuns at St. John’s school wore long, black habits, headpieces that (except for the face) covered the entire head and clunky black shoes? To me, the nuns looked saintly and I felt an aura of holiness when I was around them. Then, a few decades ago, the church hierarchy made a lot of changes, and the dress code for nuns was relaxed. Now, many of them wear regular street clothes, even sneakers. In the old days, no one could have imagined a nun in sneakers. I miss the nuns’ attire of old.

Getting dressed up: In the old days, people used to “dress up.” If they were going out to dinner or a night on the town, the men wore suits and ties and the women wore dresses and high heels. Over the years, dressing up as we knew it went out of style and dress became more casual. Now, for a lot of young people, getting dressed up consists of wearing black T-shirts and baggy pants down around their hips, exposing their plaid boxer shorts and perhaps a little bit of skin. I admit that when I go out now I no longer dress up in a suit and tie, as I once did, but I still like to look nice and will wear a pair of slacks with creases, a nice shirt with a collar and shined shoes. Even though I do wear plaid boxers, I don’t think the baggy pants would look good on me.

Denim jeans: When I was a teenager, new Levi’s that rustled when you walked were the trousers of choice. One would never wear any other brand and one did not wear faded Levi’s. Some girls wore men’s Levi’s, but only after school and on weekends.

They would roll up the pants legs to just below the knee. Nowadays, there are a jillion kinds of jeans and everyone, regardless of age or gender, wears jeans everywhere. If you are stylish, the jeans will have the knees torn out. I still don’t understand how wearing clothes with the knees torn out can be stylish, but I guess it is. I know that faded jeans with the knees ripped out and ragged seams cost more than new unwashed jeans with straight seams. Does that make sense to you?

Tattoos: In the old days, a few men had tattoos. The subjects were such things as an eagle or a panther or the word “Mom.” But tattoos were not “in” back then. Now, tattoos are definitely in. Even my granddaughters have them. Some people have their entire bodies covered with tattoos. I’m sorry but I never understood why anyone would defile their body with art that does not wipe off. Unless they go through lengthy removal sessions, they have to live the rest of their lives with the tattoos. My concern would be that the tattoo I got when I was 20 would not be recognizable when I was 80 because of the wrinkles.

Wearing rings: Back then, women wore finger rings — max two — and usually on the ring finger(s). Now, women not only wear a lot of rings on all fingers and thumbs but they also wear them on their toes, nose, ear lobes, navels, nipples and perhaps other places. I’m sorry but I just don’t see the rationale in piercing your body so you can hang things on it.

Jim Ford writes his Napa As It Was column every other Monday for the Register..