Thank you, Florence

November 25, 2016 marks a sad day for those of us over the age of 40. It's the day that we heard the heartbreaking news that Florence Henderson had passed away at the age of 82. Florence was an actor and singer whose career spanned 6 decades. She was known best, for two roles. The first and most significant was her portrayal of Carol Bady, on one America's all time favorite TV shows, The Brady Bunch, which ran from 1969-1974. However, she was also the spokeswoman for Wesson Oil from 1976-1996. I suppose we all remember her as the face of Wesson Oil.

Florence was born February 14, 1934, in Indiana, to two hard working, catholic parents. Her mother began teaching her to sing at the age of 2 and by age 12, she was singing locally at grocery stores. After graduating high school in 1951, from St Francis Academy, Florence headed to New York to study at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. The rest, as they say, is history.

Over her career, Florence performed in many stage productions, television shows, and various TV appearances. She was one of those Hollywood personalities that you just never really heard anything negative about. She was a class act and meant so much to those of us who grew up during the Brady Bunch era. While teaching her television children right from wrong and guiding them through their lives, she did the same for us. She taught us to never play ball in the house, that we can accomplish whatever we put our mind to, to always be truthful, and to never try to imitate someone else but always be ourselves. She was funny, witty, serious, and classy.  One of the lines I remember the best was during the episode when Peter's voice was changing. The other kids had voted on whether to keep him in their singing group, The Brady 6, or not. They were afraid he'd ruin the record that they had planned to re-cord. They asked Carol what they should do, and she said (my paraphrase), "sometimes, there are more important things than money and fame, like people." And of course the kids did the right thing and had Peter record with them, regardless of the turn out. Her advice was always solid. And from all appearances, her TV family loved her as much in real life as they seemed to on the televison screen. That says a lot about Florence, the person.

Ahhh, Florence, thank you for the laughs, the guidance, the morals, and the memories. We love you and will miss you, Mrs. Brady. Know that you left a mark on millions.


1 Thessalonians 5:18 ..in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The Good, The Bad, The Babysitters

As kids in the 1970's, there were plenty of times when my brother and I needed a babysitter. Our parents belonged to the Bar None Square Dance Club and every Friday night they would hit the dance floor and dosey doe, till the cows came home. They even wore that classic 70's Square Dance attire of boots, cowboy hats, petticoat and skirt, and the standard Roy Rogers/Dale Evans cowboy/girl shirt and blouse. When they came out all dressed up and ready to allemande left and promenade, this always meant two things for my brother and me. First, it meant we got to have Chef Boyardee for dinner, and second, a babysitter. This always meant a fun time was ahead. Well, usually, anyway.

We had two babysitters that we loved. One was our Aunt Debbie and the other was Sister Mary Imelda, from our grammar school. Let's start first with our aunt. She was only 8 years older than me and 6 years older than my brother, so we got along great! Debbie would arrive via a ride from my dad, and as soon as our parents left we would begin planning our "pig out" time, as we called it. My mom always kept great snacks in the house, such as, Suzy Q's, King Dons, Charles Chips cookies, and Danish Go-Rounds. So with mom and dad gone, we would make the most of our unsupervised snacking time. Once, when our parents were out dancing, Debbie, my brother, and I decided it would be a great idea to make popcorn to go along with our TV watching, which would start with the ever popular Planet of the Apes. Seems easy enough, right? Well, we got the popcorn maker out and placed it on the stove. We added the oil and the popcorn kernels and Debbie proceeded to turn the burner on underneath it. We then waited with great anticipation for our freshly popped corn! It didn't take long, however, for us to wonder where the "burning" smell was coming from. We soon realized that the popcorn popper was melting! As it turns out, it was electric and should have been plugged into the outlet. Oops! Boy, did we get in trouble for that one! But actually, I imagine my parents probably secretly laughed about it, later. We had such wonderful times back then with our aunt. She was always ready to watch TV or play games with us. We would play charades, board games, or cards. It was innocent and wholesome fun. It was like having our friend over and not the "babysitter".

The other beloved babysitter was Sister Mary Imelda. She was a nun and the librarian at our grammar school. She was very soft spoken and one of the nicest ladies you could ever wish to meet. I will never forget the first time she came to the house. Our mom explained that she would be babysitting us this particular night and we were very excited. We just knew that we had to be the only kids to have a nun from school babysit them. I remember telling my friends who lived across the street and also two houses down, that she'd be our babysitter that night. They didn't believe me. So, late that night there was a knock at the door. It was Billy, Clem, and Eddie, with football in hand. When Sister Imelda opened the door, the look on their faces was almost that of terror! I remember standing in the door with her and saying to them, "told ya". This lady had such a sweet and lovely spirit. She did whatever we asked her to do. She would watch TV with us and she also played games with us, such as Monopoly, Sorry, and Risk. Who remembers Risk? That had to be one of the most complicated and difficult games to understand, and to boot, it was a game that lasted forever once you started to play it. Even longer than Monopoly! I remember my brother wanted to play but we couldn't figure it out. So she went over the directions until the three of us understood it and we played for what seemed like hours. Finally, we got  too tired and had to go to bed. Sister would tuck us in and kiss us goodnight. She was a gem. We were fortunate to have her stay with us on several occasions.

Now, we only had one babysitter who we didn't like. She was a cousin of ours. An older teenager who we didn't know very well to begin with. The few times she sat with us, all she did was fuss at us and never wanted to do anything. I can remember my brother and I getting fed up, even as kids, and just going to our rooms and staying there all night. I had one of those giant sized Batman comic books that I read and plenty of Olivia Newton-John records to keep me occupied.  My brother was a bookworm, so he could read about the Crusades and WW2 all night and be happy. The morning after this particular night, when we woke up our mom told us that after we had gone to sleep, our cousin heard a noise and was sure that someone was outside. She was terrified, being all alone. They came home to her crying. I remember thinking, hmmm, maybe she should have been nice to us. I don't wish that on anyone, being afraid like that, but she really didn't need to be so grouchy. It's a good thing the movie, When a Stranger Calls, hadn't come out yet!

We really had a wonderful time with our babysitters. But that was a time when we had only 5 TV channels, all the programming was really good stuff, and we used our minds and imaginations to have fun. When the most exciting part of the night was "pig out" time, you know you were living in a wonderful era. 1970's, you are missed.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ..in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The Mid to Late 70's, Personified

There are many people who personify my childhood and how I think of the 1970's, and a particular type of person, as well. If you were to ask me who and what perfectly captures the mid to late 70's, for example, I'd have to say, "A tennis mom named Carol, who spent many hours at the neighborhood swim club rallying on the tennis court with her tennis mom friends, while their kids played in the pool and ran around the club on a beautiful, hot summers day, eating pizza and frozen brownies. She drove a mid 70's model station wagon, possibly a Ford Country Squire or maybe a Chevrolet Caprice, which her husband would wash, every other week. She also spent some of her time, off the court, helping out in the snack bar. She was very popular at the club. Everyone loved Carol because she was a joy to be around.  Always having a smile on her face and kind word for everyone. She was usually seen wearing tennis skirts and tennis shoes, and always had a golden tan. A sporty look was the norm for her. She was married to a wonderful guy named Bob and they had 3 kids. Two boys and a girl. She and Bob would often, in the evenings, play doubles with their best friends, Sue and Doug, while the kids, again, would be enjoying the pool or movie night in the clubhouse with their friends. Bob was known to regularly sport white tennis shorts, tube socks, and white tennis shoes, on the court. Adidas was their court shoe of choice. Carol and Bob always looked pulled together. They had a very smart sense of sporty fashion while always wearing the proper outfits for the court, though they were often seen doing other activities in the same outfits, such as grocery shopping, or walking the dog. Frequently, in the evenings, they might go for a stroll through the neighborhood, and would usually throw on their velour tracksuits if there was the slightest nip in the air.

Carol was green eyed and sandy haired with a lovely, slightly longer version of the Dorothy Hamill cut. While Bob had intoxicatingly crystal blue eyes, with a manly haircut which fell slightly over the top of his ears, parted on the right side, with mid-length sideburns and a well manicured mustache. Bob was a brunette.

Carols kids were always very well behaved and well mannered. However, Every once in awhile they would act up, prompting disciplinary action from their dad. Bob was very strict with the three of them, especially the boys. Carol was a disciplinarian, as well, but would very often say, "wait till your dad gets home!". The fussing would never last very long. Bob would break out his double holed leather belt, pop it a couple of times to put an extra scare into the kids, give each one a few licks on the rear end and life was back to normal... and the kids were back to enjoying Chico and the Man, followed by, the Rockford Files, before bedtime.

Bob was a great guy! He had a great fashion sense and was the "host with the most" behind his wet bar, during holiday parties. He was a huge Neil Diamond fan and would play his albums over their Sony stereo system, along with The Carpenters, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, and of course, The Captain and Tennille, among others. Carol and Bob, both, loved good pop music with an easy listening feel.

Carol was also an amazing cook, with one her specialties being good, old fashioned Lasagna. The kids loved it! They would often have Thanksgiving and Christmas at their home, and always a New Year's Eve open house, as well as, occasional Fondue parties with friends. Carol would do all of the cooking, while Bob did the decorating. They would have an amazing spread of food, always buffet style. They were a great team, together. They had a beautiful, slightly Neo-Tudor style, split level home, in a nice neighborhood, with plenty of dark and light wood tones throughout the home. They were not considered wealthy, but a typical middle class family. The even had a German Shepard mix named, Fred.

As a family, they loved the beach. At least once during the summer, they would take a short trip to the coast.  With beach towels, umbrella, and a cooler full of 7 Up, Grape soda, Tab, baloney sandwiches on white bread, and frozen M&Ms, along with Bob's transistor radio, a Frisbee and a football, they'd be off! And let it be known, Bob always smelled of English Leather, even at the beach. Carol, however, usually smelled of Cocoa Butter, which was quite appropriate for the beach OR the tennis court.

Saturday mornings were the best. The kids would be up at the crack of dawn, getting their cereal, or Morton Mini Cinnamon-Sugar Donuts, out and ready for cartoon watching. Once the TV signal was back up after the nightly sign-off, they were glued. After their breakfast (even Fred got mini donuts) was eaten and Soul Train was about to start, it was time to head outside for the rest of the day, until Carol called them in for dinner. For a real treat, occasionally, on a Saturday night, Bob would say, "pile in car, we're going out!". Going out usually meant McDonald's, but if they were celebrating something, they might head to Shoney's Big Boy! Very special occasions, however, might call for Steak and Ale.

Sundays were a bit different. The kids would get up very early, as usual, and watch an episode of Jot. Then, as a family, they would head to church, and afterward,  go to the bakery for donuts. And again, as always, Fred got a donut, too. The kids would play all afternoon and watch The Six Million Dollar Man in the evening. Weekends were usually laid back and family oriented. It was truly a wonderful life."

This is a very short example of who and what personifies the mid to late 70's for me. It's fictional, yet it's not. The family and activities are based on people I knew and grew up with and love dearly, to this day, as well as, many of my own experiences. I am so grateful to God for giving me such wonderful memories and a beautiful life. The personification of the early 70's is a bit different, but we'll get into that later. There will be more to come, for there is so much more to say about America - the way we were.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ..in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

What Were We Watching 45 or 50 Years Ago?

Many of us consider 50 years ago to be the "good old days" for many reasons, and one of those reasons would have to be the television we watched. It's difficult to talk about all of the great shows we were entertained by in just one post, because we had variety shows, sitcoms, dramas, specials, movies of the week, late shows, mysteries, musicals, sports, animal shows and more. For having only 5 channels, including the PBS and local station, we sure did have a lot of great TV to choose from!

On a typical sunday night we had quite a choice. We might watch Wild Kingdom and The Wonderful World of Disney, then maybe the ABC Sunday Night Movie, or maybe the NBC Mystery Movie. We might choose The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour or maybe Bonanza.

Monday night might be Gunsmoke, laugh-In, or The Doris Day Show. And if we jump a few years later, we might choose The Rookies or Gunsmoke. Tuesday night might be Happy Days or Maude, or Adam-12. Keep in mind we always had a weeknight movie to choose from. And throughout the rest of the week we could watch, Hawaii Five-O, The Waltons, The Brady Bunch, The Captain and Tennille Variety Hour, Bobby Vinton, Sonny and Cher, or a host of other wonderful shows. Now, in 1974 we had quite a line up on Saturday night. Are you sitting down? Good, now hold on to your hat.. We could watch, back to back, All in The Family, MASH, Mary Tyler Moore, The Bob newhart Show, and the pinnacle of all variety shows, The Carol Burnett Show. Is that a line up or what?!

Now, let's speak for a moment about the Carol Burnett Show. It was the ultimate in variety shows, and the 70's had plenty of them. No other show has or ever will come close to this masterpiece of entertainment brilliance. The chemistry between Carol and her cast of regulars (Vicki, Harvey, Tim, and Lyle) comes once in a lifetime. They show was classy and always had a major guest star. You felt as if you knew them. They were your friends that you got to spend time with every Saturday night. The were talented as all get out. Comedians, singers, dancers, actors. They were the cake and the icing, all in one. The whole kit and kaboodle. I would suggest to any young people who have never seen this show or any other great shows of the 70's, 60's or 50's, that you take the time to watch them. Even as kids in the 70's my brother and I watched reruns of the shows that came on before us, such as the Honeymooners, The Jack Benny Show, The Patty Duke Show, I Married Joan, Leave it to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, and so many others. Even a bit later on, mid to late 70's, the shows were still something special. Alice is a classic. The Facts of Life is still hilarious with a cast of class acts.. Columbo is one of my favorites to this day. We just had GOOD TV.

I could go on and on, listing show after show, but the truth is, they were all wonderful. There was something very special about TV back then. It's something that is missing, nowadays. Kids could watch and there was always a moral to the story. Families would watch TV together and parents didn't have to worry about what their kids might see.. Even the commercials were something special.

I miss those days. Fortunately, however, we can get most of these on dvd, now. But there was something about watching them as they aired for the first time. I suppose looking back makes it more special because of the memories that are attached to the shows. The feelings they bring on, the flashbacks of my brother and I sitting on the floor, much too close to the TV, in our pajamas, watching Carol or Mary, or Bob, and our parents sitting in their chairs behind us laughing along with us. Going into the kitchen for a King Don or some Charles Chips cookies during the commercial break. It was just a very special time in American history. I miss it, I really do. It's something that just can't be duplicated and I am so grateful to have been a part of it.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ..in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

A Tobacco Can, Water, and a Brush

I was born in the 60's, but I had most of my childhood adventures in the 70's. What an amazing time to grow up! We didn't have play dates or organized sports/activities that our parents had to drive us to. Instead, we had bikes, footballs, basketballs, pop guns, softballs and bats, and loads of imagination! Our parents couldn't keep us in the house, nor did they know where we were half the time. It was customary, on a Saturday morning, to watch the standard Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, Scooby Doo, Land of the Lost, along with the usual bowl of Sugar Pops or maybe a strawberry Danish-Go-Round, and then get ourselves outside for a fun filled day of who knows what until we figure it out. We made up a plethra of games, that nowadays, probably wouldn't fly amidst political correctness. Aside from playing "guns", we had a game called "Acorn Wars". We'd each get a plastic lunch bag and fill it up with acorns, make teams, and then look for our opponents and when we found them, hum acorns at each other. It was painful but boy, was it fun! We also played Swinging Statues, Jailbreak, football, softball, Dodge ball, basketball, rode bikes for hours on end, popping wheelies, jumping ramps, sat in our dads hot trucks jabbering on their CB's, and sometimes, just sitting on the curb, talking. What a wonderful life. 

Nowadays,. however, kids have to be entertained either by television, computers, ipads,  phones, or organized activities. When my cousins, my brother, and I were kids, my grand parents would have the four of us over on weekends, frequently. Looking back, I don't know how they did it, but my grandma was a very smart lady. One of the many things she did to keep us occupied was, she'd say, "who wants to paint the fence?". Of course we'd all say, ME! They had a long wooden fence that my dad, uncle, and grandpa built. And my grandpa used to smoke a pipe, so he always had plenty of empty tobacco cans in the garage. So, we'd each get a can, fill it up with water, get a paint brush and we'd be off! We'd paint the entire fence with water and have a ball doing it! If I had a dollar for every time we did that, I'd be rich, today!. We also made cookies and in the process made a mess of my grandma's kitchen, but I think she secretly loved it. We also had a playground around the corner that we'd walk to, and a levee right down the street which usually stopped the Mississippi River from spilling over. We had plenty of things to do as kids and none of them involved being zombified by a computer screen. I have to say though, my grandma was a genius. At bedtime, with four kids all within a couple years of each other, she had a great technique for getting us to go to sleep. First, she'd read us a story such as Goodnight Moon, Buttons, or Go Dogs Go, and then she'd ask "who wants a treat?", and the four of us would line up for a shot of Formula 44. Worked like a charm, though we had no clue of the purpose.

So, if I could tell the youth of today just one thing, it would be go outside, use your imaginations, find a can, some water, a brush, and start painting!