%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |  Come sit with me on the porch. We'll sip lemonade and talk. . . |
| Someone commented on a previous entry, thus bringing me to the porch tonight. I saw that my last entry promised the story of my first TV addiction. I don't even know how I got by with it. We had one TV. In rural Alabama in the 60's, having two TVs was a ridiculous thing to contemplate. One TV meant that it was the family TV, meaning it was Mom and Dad's TV. We were blessed to have the opportunity to watch their shows along with them. Saturday night at 7:00 p.m., we watched Gunsmoke. Once in a blue moon, my daddy would say, just before Gunsmoke came on, "Who wants to ride into town to get a coke at the Washateria?" That was the only place open that we could get a six-ounce bottled coke out of the machine for a nickel. It was the highlight of our week! Sunday night at 7:00 p.m., we watched Bonanza, accompanied by a big bowl of pop corn we passed around. Back then, it took great skill to cook pop corn. One had to heat the oil in a big pot. When it was just right, the pop corn went in, and the lid went on. One of the most important elements was shaking the pot at just the right intervals for maximum popped kernels. The rest of the week it was "seniority rules". I was the fifth out of six children. What were my chances of choosing? My sister Mary Ann usually chose the coolest shows. She liked Hawaiian Eye and Seventy-seven Sunset Strip. The blond one, Kookie (pronounce cookie), was always combing his hair. They drove a convertible, which was a cool thing to anyone in rural Alabama in the 60's. As my sisters went away to college or got married, I only had my older brother to keep me from holding seniority over my younger sister. Thankfully, he worked after school, went out with his buddies, and pretty much stayed out of my hair. Finally, I could choose, at least some of the time. A new show arrived on the scene. It came on Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. It was adventurous and imaginative and exciting! It was Star Trek. I watched it without fail—until one night in April that first season. My Glee Club teacher had the audacity to schedule our Spring Concert on a Thursday night! What? How could she do this? There are six other nights in the week! Well, there are five if you don't count Sunday. In Alabama, Sunday ALWAYS counted. Still, the stupid concert could have been on Monday or Tuesday or Friday—any night but Thursday! Believe me; I had to really use all my willpower to go to that concert. I had to go. Mama made my matching dress (mine was green for the alto section), and I had a duet to sing. OK, Pat, get your priorities straight. You will get in big trouble for not going to the concert. That was the bottom line. So I learned about setting priorities (sort of). I learned that life did go on without Star Trek. But the very next Thursday night at 7:00 p.m., I was on the couch, knees pulled up to my chest and bare feet on the couch, ready for that song to play. Of course, I sang along with it, but being an alto, I didn't do too well on those high notes. Maybe, that's a story for another evening on the porch. Please come visit often. I love remembering those wonderful times while I grew up on Hatchet Creek Hill. A Lovely Gift:
|
 Log in to Leave Feedback |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
