AND THEN I MET BILL by Diane Clark The end of an era Friday marks the last episode of the soap opera "Guiding Light." Apparently it has been either on the radio or TV for 72 years! I remember my Grandma either listening to the radio or watching them on TV when "Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns" came on. Back in the 50's they were only on for 15 minutes each. No self-respecting housewife would spend all afternoon watching her soaps like they do now unless, of course, she had an iron and sprinkling bottle in her hands. I remember Bert Bauer and her husband and father-in-law on "Guiding Light." I can't remember the content but I do know one thing, they wouldn't recognize TV now where you can learn about every perversion known to man. YUCK!!Thinking back these last few days after hearing about "Guiding Light’s" demise I remember how we used to turn the TV off after a couple of hours so that it could cool down. Seems funny now but TV was pretty new and we didn't want it to catch fire, you never knew about these new-fangled things. It was a kinder, gentler time then when dad went off to work and mom stayed home and tended the kids. You knew that mom (in my case, Grandma) would be there when you came home from school and every neighbor was like your parent. They loved you when you were good and they "showed you the way" when you weren't. You couldn't get away with anything! EUREKA! I've just discovered a great invention! Last night I had a City Council meeting and "America's Got Talent" was on. The final 10 contestants were performing and I am ADDICTED to the show. I knew that we had gadgets on our TV that would let me record, even though I've NEVER used them. I was desperate!! I fiddled with the remote, and by some miracle, was able to record the program. Imagine my delight when I figured out that I could watch my program and NOT HAVE TO WATCH THE COMMERCIALS TOO! There's this nifty little button that lets you just skip right by them. Life is good! I don't need to know that I can take a pill to make my eyelashes grow with only a few side effects like DEATH! Have a great week and go mess with your TV remote, a whole new world will open up for you.
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From the desk of...
by Robert Wolfington Remembering an old friend I have been reminiscing about my childhood a lot lately and one of the cornerstones to most of my memories is my dog Winston.My family adopted Winston about 20 years ago from the Humane Society in Germany. Winston was an average sized black poodle who had more energy than he knew what to do with. We took him home to stay with us over the weekend to decide if we wanted to adopt him and quickly realized he fit in our family too well to bring him back. Winston loved to play catch. We would send a tennis ball across a large field as far as we could throw it and if he didn’t catch it in mid air, he certainly got it after the first bounce. Winston quickly gathered a fairly large toy collection as my family showered him with gifts throughout the years. We tried to keep his toys in a basket out of the walk ways, but Winston would have none of that. Minutes after we put his toys away we would turn around to find them lined up in a particular way throughout the living room, every time. Christmas was his favorite time of year. The tree always had something for him and his stocking was always full of treats and toys. He knew what was his and he didn’t bother with anyone else’s gifts. Winston wasn’t a large dog by any means but his bark gave the impression of a ferocious dog that you didn’t want to mess with. Of course once he saw you, he was ready to be friends. I didn’t have an alarm clock for most of the time we had Winston. I didn’t really need one. Each morning Winston would come running into my room and jump on my bed ready to wake me up. Winston knew how to get what he wanted and if you didn’t pony up he was ready to go to the next person and work them over. With a slight squint of the eyes and a pitiful look, Winston would beg at the dining room table at each meal. He would normally get something out of someone. It didn’t always take begging for Winston to get what he wanted. On more than one occasion he found his way into some candy I left at what should have been a reasonable distance from his grasp but I always neglected to account for his amazing leaping ability. Peanut butter cups, mints and other errant foot items were never placed too far out of reach of Winston’s grasps. As time went by Winston started to slow down. He wasn’t a young dog when we got him but to this day we still have no idea how old he was. He had been through a lot. His previous owners had abused him and he showed the marks of a dog who was homeless for a period of time. Despite his injuries and abuse Winston was a loyal dog who loved being around people. I was in college when Winston passed away. He had been through a lot, living in Germany with us before moving to the U.S. with us. Whenever I visit my parents, Winston still comes up in conversation. He is a part of a lot of our best memories and I’m glad I got to know him.
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