This is what Hanson (my son) said to me about 25 years ago, when I thought I was getting old! I have repeated it often and it becomes more evident every day. When I decided to write today, I was shocked that my last blog was before Christmas.....I thought it had been about a month.
Last time I wrote, I was reflecting on the evolution of music and entertainment during my lifetime, and ended talking about my Magnavox console stereo. A lot has happened in the years since console stereos were the vogue. Mine also had an 8-track tape player, so it was pretty up town, but 8 track tapes didn't catch on so much and soon were replaced by cassette tapes and tape players. They were much smaller and portable, but there were still issues with skips and the tapes getting stuck in the machines, etc. But we could purchase pre-recorded cassettes or make our own and that was a big deal,
You could even get portable ones with corded headsets so you could "wear" your music. After we all got lots of cassettes, next came the compact discs, or cd's which were even smaller, more trouble free and had better quality music, Automobiles had 8-track players, then cassette players and eventually CD players, but now most newer vehicles have blue tooth and satellite radio so you can pretty much listen to anything you want, anytime you want. Right now I am listening to Amazon music on my iPhone played through my homePod speaker. You can choose almost any song, any genre, and it is almost instant gratification! And now there are even wireless earbuds with high definition and "spacial" sound! I wonder what will be next?
And then there is television! We got our first TV when I was about nine years old because my grandpa was a Yankees fan and wanted to watch the world series. Before that, we occasionally went to a neighbor's to watch tv. You had to have an antenna on the roof and we got one channel. KDIX out of Dickinson, which signed on about six or seven in the morning and off about ten o'clock at night. It played a test pattern and the Star Spangled Banner both times. It was black and white and we thought it was a miracle - we all watched the same program at the same time, or nothing at all.
I boarded out for high school, so basically didn't watch TV, except, occasionally, when I was home on weekends. In college, the only TVs were in the dorm lounges and I do not remember ever watching a program there. I was much too busy making sure I didn't 'miss' anything! When I graduated from college, I taught school in Mandan for a year, but certainly couldn't afford a TV. I remember going to a friend's house a couple of times to watch Tom Jones or Dean Martin, but that is about it, I did not own a TV until Howard and I had been married about six months, and then purchased one with my Christmas bonus from the bank where I worked. I think it cost about $150. By then (1972) I think we got three channels, CBS, NBC and PBS.
I remember when everyone was into watching "Dallas" on TV and you had to be home at that time that day to see the newest episode.. If you happened to be in Dickinson, running errands at that time, it was very noticeable that there were fewer people out and about,
This is getting long, but I am having fun going down memory lane and hope you enjoy it too. I think I will continue on in my next blog, since we are only up to the 70's. What changes we have seen since then!
So how did so much time pass since my last blog? I really don't know. Guess I didn't have anything to say or was busy. Of course, there was Christmas and New Years, then some 'weather' and birthdays and basketball and volleyball and programs, etc. I have had some fun sewing projects and have been experimenting some with my photography and am starting to think about what to do when spring comes and we can use our motorhome and I want to do some yard improvements as well.
Howard's mom gave this to me and I have it hanging in my sewing room. It sure is a good reminder, as I am certainly not a perfect seamstress, but I sure enjoy it!
Just a little down time with Quinn.
One of my photo experiments with double exposure.
This is Kalli, showing me how 'big' she is!
The mighty Quinn!
Last, but not least, Pepper, on guard.
TTFN