songcatcher

I got a movie at the library that I thought looked interesting. Last night the girls and I settled down to watch how a musicologist became totally captivated by Appalachian Mountain Music. It seemed harmless enough, and somewhat educational too.

Interestingly enough, there were two lesbians in the movie and I was mildly horrified to have to explain a couple scenes to my girls. I couldn't find the remote so I was jumping in front of the tv -- looking like a totally crazed woman -- shouting "shut your eyes, shut your eyes."

My girls know a healthy amount of necessary sexual information for this stage in their lives, but I am not a bit comfortable letting them see a love scene of any kind during our movie watching.

When Gordon and I went to bed he asked what all the screaming was about while we were watching the movie. I told him about the scene that had me trying to block the girls viewing and of yelling at them to close their eyes.

He pondered a second or two then, attempting to ascertain why I lesbian scene was pertinent to the movie, he asked, "why did they do that?"

Totally missing his real question, I pondered a second and responded, "I guess they were horny."

Thursday Thirteen

Television Shows from my childhood - shows we actually watched.

We had one channel, Channel 5 out of Ft. Smith. If the weather was just right, we might turn the antenna -- a big heavy antenna that stood beside the front porch -- toward Tulsa. If we were lucky we could pick up Channel 7. But Channel 7 didn't grace us often.

1. Petticoat Junction. I'd love to see this show today. It was about a lady who ran an inn and her 3 daughters. It had something to do with a train too. I can't remember too much, but I remember the train tooting at the beginning of the show and the steam rising.

2. Lawrence Welk. Saturday nights, 6:30. Stacie and I would dance to the big bands.

3. Gunsmoke. 4:00 pm. Only if Daddy wasn't around to forbid us from doing something as lame as watching tv. If he caught us watching tv during the day, he'd find work for us. Typically we kept one eye on the tv, the other looking out for Daddy. When we spotted him, the tv went off FAST and we quickly started peeling potatoes or something like that so we looked busy. Awh, what a fond memory.

4. Billy Graham. He was never a regular program, as you know, but whenever he had a crusade and it was on Channel 5, we watched it. During Just As I Am at the end, I always got saved again. That's a joke. What I mean is that I wasn't sure I was a Christian, so just to be safe, I always invited Him into my heart again, and again, and again. Billy Graham crusades kind of scared me. They reminded me that I wasn't sure I was going to heaven.

5. Emergency. I'm not sure what they were saying, but "Rampirt" was what I thought they were saying. It was about Firemen and Paramedics. When they were working on a patient they always called Rampirt and reported the dilation of the eyes, pulse, blood pressure, and respiration. I felt I had the credentials of a doctor after watching Emergency.

6. HeeHaw. Yes, we were faithful HeeHaw watchers. "Where oh where are you tonight? Why did you leave me here all alone? I searched the world over and thought I'd found true love. But you found another and pluuutz, you were gone."

7. This wasn't a show, but a movie that was on tv. We never went to the theatre for movies. That's what the Methodists and Catholics did, and we weren't like them at all. We did watch movies on television. This particular movie gave me the scaredy cat willies. If there is such a thing as opening up oneself to demons, I got one or two that night. After that movie, I was pretty sure no one could be trusted. No one. Anyway, the movie was called, Diane the Devil's Daughter. I didn't see it once, but twice. I'm sure I didn't understand it, but one thing I knew was that everyone turned on her. I mean they turned on her in a really wicked way. Their eyes would spin real demon-ny like. Even Jesus in the stained glass window of the church had spinning, evil eyes. It was really quite a horrible movie for a little impressionable girl. I've often wondered if my hardship trusting others stemmed from that movie. It was quite critical to my emotional formation, I fear.

8. My Three Sons. I think we watched this after school when Daddy wasn't around.

9. Marcus Welby, MD. Another medical credential of mine.

10. WWF. World Wrestling Federation. This was NOT my choice. This came on on Saturday afternoons during the NBC's Wide World of Sports, I think. I hated the show. Michael was the wrestling buff. I cringed as he grinned evil grins while he watched it. It meant he was going to try those moves on me. And indeed he did. I knew lots of wrestling tricks. I don't mean to imply I could do them, rather I was on the receiving end of them.

11. Hogan's Heroes. Daddy would have had a conniption if he knew we watched these shows after school when there were potatoes to be peeled and fried. Seriously though, most of my tv exposure was sneaking it after school.

12. Brady Bunch. "Here's a story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls,..." I thought Greg was "hot" although I didn't know that expression back then. My girls use it now, so now I know that was what I thought of Greg. I thought that middle girl Jen was so petulant. I never liked her.

13. Andy Griffith. What a great show. I still love it, although I never see it. But Gordon bought me some DVDs of it a few years ago. My girls even get a kick out of it. We have all kinds of Barneyisms around here, but not as many as my sister Diane has.

Now, in the above I know I sound critical of my dad. I don't mean to be disrespectful. However he was terribly rigid about tv, especially watching it during the day, and he was quite the task master too.

So to balance that perspective, I will share a memory that is sweet. Daddy had a rocker that was his and his alone. For all my growing up years, it remained in the same spot. The rocker was replaced a few times with a new one, but it always went in the same spot. In the evening when we watched tv, I always sat on Daddy's left side with his arm wrapped around me. It was my watching-tv spot. I felt very secure and comfortable there. It's a very special memory.

Family and Movies

I just got off the phone with my sister Stacie. She's been way too busy and I've missed our regular talks. We have a delightfully fun relationship. There's so much to be said for sharing a family of origin. Families share a common style of communication, body language, insecurities, and even humor. My siblings and I do and say stuff regularly that would require an explanation to an outsider. I know other families are the same. Gordon's family has a style of relating that I personally can't grasp. They talk "truth," facts, philosophy, politics, and emotions that are "heavy". They enjoy their family visits; I consider them dry and boring. They would undoubtedly consider my family silly and shallow.

Stacie and I share an idiosyncratic bond in that we often quote movies, and occasionally a book, to drive a point home. When we don't really get along with a person, "there's a wall." (The Emperor's New Groove).

When someone gets what they deserve, "there's a price you pay for the life you choose." (The Godfather).

When we are in circumstances that put us way out of our comfort zone, "I just came here to worship, but this is the wrooong denomination." (The Out of Towners).

When things are going poorly, "We have no food, we have no money, our bird's heads keep falling off." (Dumb and Dumber).

When we've had the opportunity to express our heartfelt opinion, we may end it with, "and that's all I've got to say about the Vietnam War." (Forest Gump).

When one of us has a secret, "I am the soul of discretion." (Enchanted April).

When things leave us at the end of our rope, "Damn that octopus." (Portofino).

My kids are picking up on this silly way of communicating. We picked up some "I Love Lucy" videos at the library recently. A few days later Rachael wasn't feeling too great. She said, "I feel dowdy. You know, kind of blah." I knew exactly where her expression came from.

Last night we added to our movie quotes. We took the kids to see "Winnie the Pooh and the Hefflelump." As Rabbit was extolling the dangers of the Hefflelump, Tigger responded with, "You just can't argue with a word like 'fraught'."

From now on when someone presents a good argument, we'll say, "You just can't argue with a word like 'fraught'." The quirky tradition continues to another generation.