I miss the wholesome classic sitcoms of the 60’s through 80’s? Flipping through the channels these days, I am overwhelmed with the lifestyles, messages and ideals being portrayed to a very impressionable grade school daughter. I find myself taping entire series so that I can share some of these lesson learning classics with her.
What is your favorite retro sitcom and why?
Material items seem to mean so much more when people pass. Every time I pick up a wooden spoon a rush of emotions turn to memories of my grandmother who I lost a few years ago. Grandma Tumbleson was a whirlwind, a silver ball of fire who could whip up an entire feast in the blink of an eye, darn a hole in any sock you thought was destined for the rag pile and had an incredible way with stories that could keep any child entertained for hours.
I remember when I left for college she gave me a dishrack dryer filled with soap, towels, cleaning supplies and a few other kitchen essentials to include a wooden spoon. I don’t remember grandma using a mixer too much if at all growing up, but I sure remember her wooden spoon. Its just one of those things I always associated her with. She was either using it to mix up one of the heirloom recipes, or shaking it at a child when they were out of line.
My entire family lovingly remembers her famous line that will forever be instilled in our hearts, “you better (here you have to insert the issue at hand) or I will beat your butt! “This was always said while clenching her worn wooden spoon and chasing the guilty around …most of the time the kitchen table, until you would be laughing so hard that you would agree to listen to anything she said. No one was immune to this treatment when she was around, I remember my father was even subject to this behavior a couple of times.
Today you will always find a wooden spoon in my kitchen, not only does it spark soothing childhood memories of a wonderful lady, it’s a way to teach my children about the gentle balance of order and turning life into happy moments.
The 80’s were just a hoot anyway, but Gary Larson made them all the funnier. Gary Larson is the creator of The Far Side, a cartoon series that syndicated internationally to newspapers for 15 years. He produced 23 books prior to his retirement in 1995. I remember his comedic coffee cups always being given as gifts for that bit of humor during that perfect occasion and everyone had a copy or two of his hilarious paperback books that were always fun to pass around. Something you may not know about Gary is that he originally worked in a record store, was a jazz guitarest, designed an album cover for a jazz band and a cover for the New Yorker. I dusted off my copy of The Pre-History of the Far Side: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit. From Gary Larson’s introduction:
One day, a long, long time ago at a retail music store where I had been working for almost a year, I had an unexpected revelation. As I stood next to the cash register, the sky seemed to suddenly open up over my head and a throng of beautiful angels came flying down and swirled around me. In glorious, lilting tones, their voices rang out, “you haaaaaate your job….” And then they left. But I knew it was true – Angels don’t lie. I hated my job.
He’s an amazing artist, who followed his dream through a successful career and now his highly collectable art is coveted my many.
The Complete Gary Larson Collection (1980-1994) Ebay Listing
Do you get goosebumps when you see dusty untouched boxes filled with colorful old glass at the thrift store? Are you guilty of tiptoeing out the front door at 0530 on a Saturday morning careful not to wake the kids with garage sale ads in one hand and the GPS in the other? Is there a constant race to beat the old veteran pickers at the swapmeets? Ahh….then you have it too, the VINTAGE BUG. Someone out there understands me!
jennidaizy
jennidaizy 
