Remembering my favorite television show lineup

I was remembering Saturday afternoon and evening television after Wide World of Sports.
They would run Lawrence Welk and Hee Haw and I do remember at some point The Dolly Parton show. I'd watch both. I lived in a trailer home the first seven years of my life and I remember it being clean and new. The living room came furnished with a black pleather couch and matching chair. The drapes were a dark green with a thin, gold pinstripe in some design. The walls were a faux wood panelling. There was a partition that separated the living room from the kitchen. It was a partial wall that had a delicate looking plastic screen. I remember the light from the stove top light reaching almost to the living room and with the glow of the small television set, the lighting was cozy and I felt safe singing and dancing with Bobby and Cissy or singing with Dolly Parton.

At a very early age I would watch Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and loved it! It would run back to back with In Search Of. My little brother and I loved the world of the esoteric and conspiracy that In Search Of created.  I can't remember much more after that except hot dogs or fish sticks were eaten on Mickey Mouse plates while watching these shows.

Nostalgic Minutiae

This time of year conjures up tons of memories. In fact I just read a book called Retro by Peter Laugesen, about what Retro is and why it is. To summarize, it's escape and the author uses the 60's as a starting point to illustrate the first retro movement (it was in art: Art Nouveau). The book states retro is popular when people find their own times unromantic and complex.

I LOVE old vintage cookbooks with their color saturated photos of strange food compositions. I actually read cookbooks from start to finish, reading all the ingredients and preparation instructions, thinking about the measurements etc... The recipes hit me later when I'm thinking of what to prepare with a limited amount of ingredients on hand. It will just come to me, flashback to The Farmers Cookbook (circa 1948). Old, vintage cookbooks are always  a welcomed gift.

Recently I've been reading a book called The House (circa 1939). It is an old "domestic science" book for college. It is awesome! Filled with info on how things were done back then, what was eaten, used in the home, how the homes were built (cool photos of 30's Modernist homes), prices of things, how to set up the kitchen, living room a real find for those interested in the past. Things are moving so fast that when you look back at this sort of thing,  it's like another world. As if the 30's were another planet. In the 80's I'd look back at the 30's and think wow, 50 years ago. Now "50 years ago" puts me in the 50's which was a year I could almost reach out and touch in the 70's.

To be able to pick and choose what you want from any era from the beginning of time until now is awesome. As I patiently try to procure a take up reel for my 16mm projector, I can hardly wait to watch a few old home movies I have. I don't have any family home movies of my own on film. I watch someone 3else's  family's movies.  The film I have is of some people who  lived on the East Coast years ago. Time keeps marching on.

WGN at Christmas

In the early 80's WGN would run the Suzy Snowflake cartoon every morning. It would get us all excited about Christmas and cold weather.  They would also show a clip from Holiday Inn. It's interesting to find other people who used to feel the same away when they'd catch these on WGN.

A snowflake was seen in Del Rio, Tx in 1973 but that was it. WGN would provide a portal to the world  (pre-cable and Internet days) beyond Texas where snow fell and the night was lit with the lights we saw on the Nightbeat intro. Chicago was this awesome and glamorous place. They had a lotto, several fun kid's parks and Bozo was always giving away tons of cool toys. Our local television stations had nothing. Just Captain Gus and he was so "meh" compared to the Bozo Show.  A DVD of the WGN  cartoons was released recently and sold out fast.

Austin gets it's first hard freeze and it's predicted to last Thursday-Saturday! Precipitation is expected. Oh please,oh please some sleet so we can get a sweet ice day and sip cocoa all morning. Would be nice to catch the Suzy Snowflake cartoon and feel like I am seven years old again.

Minutiae

1. Thanksgiving: It was uber sweet and delicious! Nothing beats real whipped cream made just minutes before the pie is served.

2. My inner Cinderella loves a well cleaned floor and so I spent my day off (day after Thanksgiving) getting the kitchen floor and floorboards spotless. It's a type of relaxation.

3. "This is my happening and it freaks me out!"
~ Z Man from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

This was a great movie to watch after Thanksgiving.

4. I only wish I could be in Cleveland to visit A Christmas Story House. I heard it opens after Thanksgiving.  

Cleveland and New Jersey have always called me. I want to visit both places. I have seen photos and I like the gritty, old buildings.  I found some parts of Houston just as fascinating. These old, abandoned buildings are filled with stories and other times. To view them all you have to do a is look at them and let your imagination go. Time travel.

What I've done, been thinking, been doing

1. This weekend we had great weather (cooler and sunny) so we went on a picnic to the Elizabet Ney Museum grounds. It was quiet, secluded. We had a transistor radio softly piping out the Graveside Service Show while we ate lunched on  sandwiches from Phoenicia. I couldn't ask for a better moment in life.

2.I don't do the Black Friday thing, instead I clean and bring out Christmas decor. I detest those awful corporations that want your hard earned cash at Christmastime.

3. This year I completed my Christmas shopping online: I'm Smitten, Boy Girl Party, Greater Good, Chia Hats and Etsy! Check out Etsy and find unique gifts and check out the webstores belonging to those who sell on Etsy.

4. I scored cute Christmas decor at thrift stores. I like the vintage look. So this day after Thanksgiving I will be sleeping in and  setting up the Christmas decor.

5. I have been busy  filling Tiki Monkey Christmas orders. Thanks for the business Canada! I am tempted to set up there! Thank you to those who have placed orders and chose me over the big box stores and corps.

Blogging through another holiday season

Remember how last year I bitched endlessly about being at work when I had cookies to make, movies to watch,crafties to do...Not this year because I saved my vacation time so I could enjoy the season with family!

Would you believe these were offered at auction on Ebay in November?  Last I checked they were at $26 and still going.  I actually remember these!

I remember as a kid what excited me just as much as toy wish books was the decor. I loved being around lights, tinsel and ornaments. My mother also made tons of cookies and sweets and cocktail foods like stuffed mushrooms and Swedish meatballs. I can't leave out the cartoons! I'll be watching Rankin and Bass cartoons for two weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meeting Jerry Cole and Thunderchiefs

Last Friday I went to see Jerry Cole, King of Hot Rod guitar, perform at Saxon Pub. It was a great show and he can still play the guitar awesomely. However, Jerry ended up being a bit of a dirty old man.

Nothing makes the night go kerplunk faster than a pushy man. He kept talking of the wonders of Viagra and making indecent proposals. Spent the evening finding new ways to run away from the old wolf and yet wanted to get answers to my music questions.

I did discover the Thunderchiefs and want to be at their every show! These guys are so awesome, you'd think you were time traveling! They completely embody the era from the guitar licks to their costumes.

My interest du jour has been investigating older homes. So many of the little tract homes in my area were made with the idea to add on. Many were built leaving a spacious backyard just for this. From what I have read it seems as though the idea was was for newlyweds to move in, same money, and build as soon as a family started. Ideas changed quickly after the war and bigger homes came along. There was no need for frugality after the war. Out went the post Depression and WWII thinking. There was money, jobs and opportunity so...why add on if you could move into a home big enough. Many of the old honeymoon homes remain small and unchanged. I do love our enormous backyard though. It's quite the oasis in the middle of a city.