Graham and I were talking about DVD box sets yesterday (on the phone). We seem to have rather a lot of them and he was wondering if there are many more before we run out of prospects.
“Well, there’s always The Waltons,” I quipped.
“My point exactly,” he said. “What kind of lunatic would waste money on that cr*p?”
“Well, there’s me.”
“You don’t count. You buy CDs of bagpipe music. And Greek bouzouki.”
“You forgot flamenco guitar and Indian classical music.”
“Well, there you are, then.”
Meantime, I’d been tip-tapping away on Amazon. ”Oh. You’re quite safe. There doesn’t seem to be a Waltons boxed set.”
“Good.”
“Meanie.”
Later in the day I was checking a reference on YouTube and found that there is a Waltons channel, and rather a lot of episodes, in ten minute chunks. I watched one, just out of curiosity, and found my eyes going all misty on me. It was like coming home to family.
So, I went on general search, tracked down a source of ‘The Complete Waltons‘, and ordered it. I shall tell Graham it’s for my birthday.
Later on still, watching the TV news, I came to think that perhaps, in these straitened times, I ought not to waste cash on such trivia. I could hear my mother: ”There are children in Africa who’d be grateful for food like that. Eat up your dinner.” She was right on waste, but a little wobbly on her choice of wise sayings.
Well, yes. That’s the approach I’ve always taken to waste. But I’m not sure it applies any more. Cash sitting in the bank provides employment for no-one other than fat bankers. When I spend it, I’m helping ordinary folks make a living.
So, leaving aside the money I set aside in jugs on the dresser for things like milk bills, I shall continue spending, within sensible limits, when I have the urge. Bankers get far too much as it is.
Besides. They don’t make TV like that anymore:
..
Well this just sent me off on a little look through the searches and listening to Mr. Earl Hamner’s voice, making me feel all cozy and safe.
Raining here, John.
I love the Waltons! I had no idea there was a complete boxed set! Off to look now!
Storming here, but not cold so no excuse for a fire, sigh.
Can’t say I know much about the Walton’s John, but the reasoning about spending a few bobeleens is good. Treats are very important for the sake of our mental health as far as I’m concerned.
G’night, John-Boy!
I love The Walton’s. I have The Homecoming with Patricia Neal, and I have an audio recording of The Homecoming with Richard Thomas reading. I think you would really enjoy both of these!
I do not have any episodes of the tv show, but I know I’d get the same warm feeling watching them as you.
Spencer’s Mountain is a very good book and movie, too.
We had sunshine on Saturday, but thunderstorms overnight and rain so loud and heavy about 6 a.m. that it woke us up. No rain right now but the sky is so grey and cloudy that it seems to be saying “I dare you to try to start doing any yard work, you will get so wet!”
Hallmark channel had me glued to their series of Little House on the Prairie yesterday. I moved on at news time as they wrapped up with one with Michael Landon playing the father. While I liked Michael I would of prefer the actor I watched all night. name? who knows.
John, where I live out in rural Saskatchewan, the Waltons was also popular on TV back in the day and the plain-living and decent people were just like those we lived among. In some ways it’s still that way. Here, everyone is related to everyone else. Families remain close. Everyone knows everyone. You smile and talk to everyone you meet on the street, stranger or not (can’t do that in the city; women fear you, men think you’re making a pass at them). People work long hours, long days, and live fairly simply. And we all love our grandmas and grandpas, just like people do the world over. We still have the odd barn dance. When a fire takes a family’s house or an illness devastates a family, the stores in the local communities collect money at their checkout counters for them, their home town puts on a dance and meal to raise money for travel, living and hospital expenses, and the neighbouring farmers pitch in with the seeding, haying, harvest or livestock care, whatever is necessary, in spite of their own busy workload. The small-town or rural values displayed in the Waltons are not old-fashioned and haven’t disappeared, at least not where I’m from.
Our Public TV carried a, by now, very old series made in England that was absolutely the funniest thing I think I ever saw called “Pennies from Heaven”. We, idiots that we are, made our very OWN version to be shown only in theaters, thank God! that I found utterly flat and downright boring, alas! Are you familiar with it? It’s a jewel, and I do believe you’d like it, John.
Wendy beat me to the punch. I was gonna give you the John-Boy line, too. Ah well. Great minds and all that. (grin)
Good for you, John! Get what you like and enjoy it to the hilt! Graham doesn’t have to watch if he doesn’t want to. “Different strokes for different folks.”
Yes, we are spending carefully here too….but spending.
George’s mother always said to eat everything on your plate for the starving children in Pakistan. I was told to get things clean for the starving children in China.
I think you can pretty much tell someone’s age by the geographical location of the starving children used to guilt-trip them into each their vegetables. (Being vintage 1943 myself, it was “children starving in Europe” who were supposed to prompt my food consumption.)
You just brought back so many memories! I liked the series too, I wonder if Netflix or Zulu….. off to look!