Richard’s Almanac: TV land
I spend some time, especially at night, watching television. I am not addicted, but I do like to escape into the “tube” every once in a while. And I like to watch the stations that play old TV shows from the ‘50s, ‘60s and the ‘70s. I always try to remember what was going on in my life when they were on.
Some of the shows that I watch, I had never seen before. Like the one about the sheriff of Mayberry with Andy Griffith and Don Knotts. It seems to be on a lot and always deals with some dilemma that is resolved with a moral to be learned. Everything was perfect in Mayberry.
In the wee hours you can see “77 Sunset Strip,” “Mannix” and “Cannon” where the heroes are all private detectives who always catch the bad guys. Very reassuring.
Then there are the westerns I remember like “Gunsmoke,” and “Maverick.” The good guys always won because they had standards and strong beliefs.
There are also the mindless sitcoms that filled the airways like “I Dream of Jeannie,” “I Love Lucy” and “The Honeymooners.” It’s always fun to see Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball and Barbara Eden goofing around. Then comedy became socially involved with “All in the Family.”
Archie Bunker was portrayed as a narrow-minded buffoon (which he was). The problem I had with this show which I have only seen in reruns was that it used words that were nasty and by saying them on TV perpetuated them.
So many of these reruns are new for me because during the 1960s and 1970s, I lived in an area upstate where it was very difficult to get TV reception. Once in a while an NBC show would come in and that was fuzzy. So the television was not the preferred form of home entertainment. We mostly read.
This brings me to the commercials on the oldies stations. The advertisers know that their audience is of a certain age and probably take one or more prescription or non-prescription medications. They are all designed for specific ailments. They also have to list the side effects which are pretty scary when you actually hear them. I suppose that it’s all part of full disclosure. If I could get certain cancers, have a heart attack or become paralyzed, I should know about it, even if these side effects are very rare.
We also have to worry about drug interactions that can produce bad side effects.
Always read the labels on over-the-counter medications and pay careful attention to the warnings. It’s OK to be extra careful.
Products such as antacids, antihistamines, nasal decongestants, laxatives, pain killers and nicotine replacement products can be dangerous if combined with alcohol or some prescription drugs. Always check first with your health care professional.
Meanwhile, I enjoyed this past weekend visiting the craft fair and the green expo. I am particularly interested in the new septic systems that are able to be purchased through grants.
They seem wonderful. My only hesitation is that they are not passive. They require monitoring and power.
At the expo I also enjoyed being informed about all the open space on the Island; how to find it and how to appreciate it. Joe Denny was very helpful with his descriptions.
The craft fair did not seem to be as well attended as in the past, although I did like what I saw. On the way back to the school parking lot I saw Brian Cass and his wife Donna selling Bucks shirts. Brian said to me as I was passing, “Can I ask you a question?”
I always get nervous when people do this. Maybe I said something wrong in this column and he wanted to complain.
Quite the contrary. Brian wanted to know how long ago I purchased the two Adirondack chairs on my lawn.
I thought for a moment and went back to 2002 when my son visited and bought them for me. He saw them at the hardware store. He had to go to Brian’s house to pick them up. You see, Brian made them. They’ve been outside ever since and I still enjoy sitting in them.
I saw Jean Lawless also at the expo and she asked me to remind everyone that on Sept. 6, Jenifer Johnson is performing the “Belle of Amherst” at Peconic Landing at 4 p.m. Jean is the producer of this one-woman show.
