SATURDAY MORNING SHOWS FROM THE 70's

Here's some fun for the day..........

TRIVIA:  (Answer at bottom)

Which Caribbean Island did Christopher Columbus originally name Juava?

BRAIN TEASER: (answer at bottom)

What is the similarity between '2 + 2 = 5' and  your left hand?

JOKE:

Q:  Where do you find a one-legged dog?

A:  Wherever you left it.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Why is the Lone Ranger called 'Lone' if he always has Tonto with him?

COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:

If you are always talking about your problems, don't be surprised if you live in perpetual defeat.

SATURDAY MORNING SHOWS FROM THE 60's & 70's

I'm taking a look at 70's Saturday morning shows (not the cartoons) in this post.    I always enjoyed getting up on Saturday mornings and watching shows when I was a kid.   I preferred the cartoons, but we'll look at those in a future post.    

I wasn't one to sleep in on Saturdays.  Mom made sure we got up early and now I'm glad she did.   I'm a morning person and have no problem getting up in the mornings.    It was fun to be able to hang out in pajamas for longer on Saturdays and to not have to get ready for school.    As I mentioned, I preferred the cartoons, but because I loved lounging around in my PJ's on Saturdays, I'd stick around for the 'people' shows too.  They usually aired later than the cartoons.

My husband's Saturdays were different than mine.   He's an outdoor guy and grew up on a farm.  He preferred fishing, hunting, farming and mowing yards on Saturday mornings and was not into the Saturday morning shows.    Sometimes I like to ask him questions that I already know the answer to just to watch his expression.    So before I wrote this post I asked him...."hey....did you ever watch H.R. PufnStuf on Saturday mornings when you were a kid?   The expression on his face did not disappoint me.   Needless to say, he did not.

So here's a look at some of the shows.  Starting with.....

1.  H.R. PufnStuf  

I still remember the theme song from this one.  Here's the premise:   A boy named Jimmy has in his possession a magic flute named Freddie that can talk and play tunes on its own. One day he gets on a magic talking boat that promises to take him on an adventure. The boat happens to belong to a wicked witch named Witchiepoo, who uses the boat to kidnap Jimmy and take him to her home base on Living Island, where she hopes to steal Freddie for her own selfish needs. 

Witchiepoo ( I don't think this make-up artist won any awards)

Fortunately Jimmy is rescued by the island's mayor, a six foot dragon named H.R. Pufnstuf.  After Jimmy is rescued by Pufnstuf and his two deputies, Kling and Klang, his adventures begin as well as his attempts to get back home.

I always had a problem with H.R. PufnStuf.   I couldn't deal with his big head and tiny legs with white boots.   As one who likes balance, this was just too off kilter for me.  Plus, the boots gave away that it was person and not a creature.   They should have given him feet like Barney the Dinosaur.   I had a real problem with those boots.  In fact, for some reason, they really creeped me out.

2.  Land of the Lost  

A family is thrown back in time and must survive in a dinosaur dominated land.   

I remember this chick (Holly Marshall) because of her straight blond hair.  She, along with Marcia Brady and Jan Brady, made we wish for straight hair.   I had thick, curly brown hair and it wasn't in style in the Marcia Brady days.    By the time I got to college, my type of hair was in style....so take that Holly, Marcia and Jan.

The above picture is of Chaka.    I always thought he looked like Ernie Douglas from "My Three Sons"    

3.  Shazam

A young man, Billy Baston, is able to transform into a superhero, Captain Marvel, and travels the country fighting evil.   

I thought Michael Gray, who played Billy Baston, was a likable guy and not as horrible an actor as most of the people on these shows.   He had a David Cassidy quality about him.   

4.  The Secrets of Isis

An archaeologist gains an amulet that lets her turn into the super heroine goddess Isis and fight evil.   To turn into Isis she would chant  "O Mighty Isis'  ( I loved the chant)

The Secrets of Isis was the first weekly American live-action television series whose lead character was a female superhero, debuting September 6, 1975 and predating the weekly debuts of both " The Bionic Woman" (January 14, 1976) and "Wonder Woman" (April 21, 1976).    

I liked this one because the chick had dark hair.   It wasn't curly, but it was closer to mine than Marcia Brady's.   "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.."    

Here's a look at a few more.  I won't go into detail about them, but you may remember them if you were a kid back in those days.     

5.  Lancelot Link:  Secret Chimp

6.   The Monster Squad    

7.  Big Foot and Wild Boy

8.  Space Academy

There's a look at a few.   I'm sure there were more.   Mainly, when I look back at these shows I can tell they were from the 70's.    I'm beginning to think the writers and producers of these shows were on some type of heavy drugs.   Many of them look like L.S.D. trips put on screen.   They were pretty strange and cheesy shows.    

Here's to Saturday mornings and a comfy pair of P.J.'s.

TRIVIA ANSWER:

Cuba

BRAIN TEASER:

neither one of them are right

Until next time........

FAN OR FOLLOWER?

Here's some fun for the day........

TRIVIA:  (Answer at bottom)
What disability did Thomas Edison have?

BRAIN TEASER:  (Answer at bottom)
Give me food and I will live.   Give me water and I will die.  What am I?

JOKE:
Q:  If there are 5 flies in the kitchen, which one is the football player?
A:  The one in the sugar bowl.


QUESTION OF THE DAY:
If pro and con are opposites, wouldn't the opposite of progress be congress?


COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
Patience is not the ability to wait, but how you act while you're waiting.

FAN OR FOLLOWER

In some earlier posts, I've mentioned some stories from a Tony Campolo book called "Let Me Tell You a Story".   I'm taking a look at another one today.   This one is the parable of the ducks.   Here's the story:

There's a town where only ducks live.  Every Sunday the ducks waddle out of their houses and waddle down Main Street to their church.   They waddle into the sanctuary and squat in their proper pews.  The duck choir waddles in and takes its place, then the duck minister comes forward and opens the duck Bible.  (Ducks, like all other creatures on earth, seem to have their own special version of the Scriptures)  The duck minister reads to them:  "Ducks!  God has given you wings!  With wings you can fly!  With wings you can mount up and soar like eagles.  No walls can confine you!  No fences can hold you!  You have wings.  God has given you wings and you can fly like birds!"

All the ducks shouted, "Amen!"  And then they all waddled home.


The gist of this story is that many people are like the ducks.  They hear about their potential with God.  They agree with the declarations about new life that can be theirs through a faith commitment.  But in the end, they don't act upon what they've heard.   They just waddle home.  

This parable of the ducks goes along with another book I'm reading right now called "Not a Fan" by Kyle Idleman.   He takes a look at the difference between being a fan of Jesus and being a follower.   It's a really good analyzation of the difference.   It's easy to think we are followers, but in truth, many of us are just fans.    

A fan is a 'enthusiastic admirer'.   Fans want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that is requires sacrifice.  Fans may be fine with repeating a prayer and attending church on the weekend, but is that the extent of the relationship Jesus wants?

Think of it in terms of a football game.   Fans cheer on the sidelines, but they never get in the game, they don't take the hard hits.   Fans can turn on their team when things are not going how'd they'd like.    A fan does not have the same investment in the game as a player.   In our walk with God, are we more like the fan or are we more like the player?

Kyle Idleman asks a good question in the book.    How many of our churches have gone from being sanctuaries to being stadiums?   Every week the fans come and cheer on Jesus, and yet they have no interest in following him if it means a sacrifice.   If it means taking some hard hits.   If it means actually getting in the game.

I'm not finished with the book yet, so I'm sure I'll share more about it in future posts, but for today I'll close out with asking 2 questions that both these books bring to mind.

Are you like the ducks?   Do you have wings but choose to waddle home instead of using them?

and.....

Are you a fan or a follower?


TRIVIA ANSWER:
He was hearing impaired

BRAIN TEASER:
Fire

Until next time..........

HALLOWEEN HUMOR & FUN

Here's some fun for the day...........


Here's a soundtrack to listen to while reading this post:   It's 'Grim Grinning Ghosts' from the Haunted Mansion Ride at Disney World.  


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXK-1e4Xm5g


HALLOWEEN TRIVIA:  (Answer at bottom)

1.  The Ancient Celts used what vegetable to carve out their Jack-O-Lanterns?

2.  Which candy is ranked as the #1 most popular Halloween candy?

3.  What country is considered to be the location of the origin of Jack-O-Lanterns?

4.  What was the first wrapped candy in America?

5.  How long did it take to make the movie "Halloween" in 1978?


HALLOWEEN JOKES:

Q:  What do you call a skeleton that won't work?
A:  A lazy bones.

Q:  Why is a ghost such a messy eater?
A:  Because he is always a goblin.

Q:  Why did dracula take cold medicine?
A:  Because he was coffin.

Q:  Where do ghosts like to water ski?
A:  On Lake Erie

Q:  What does a skeleton order at a restaurant?
A:   Spare ribs.

Q:  Why didn't Dracula have any friends?
A:  Because he was a pain in the neck.

Q:  How do you make a witch itch?
A:  Take away her 'W'.

Q:  Why don't mummies take vacations?
A:  Because they're afraid they will relax and unwind.

Q:  What's it like to be kissed by Dracula?
A:  It's a pain in the neck.




HALLOWEEN COMIC FUN:

Here's a look at some vintage Halloween decorations that remind me of some from my childhood:  ( some of you from the 70's may recognize these)

CARVING PUMPKINS

I loved carving pumpkins as a kid and later in life with my husband and daughter.   I still enjoy it, but haven't done it for a couple of years.    I remember that my brother and I would love to reach our hands inside the pumpkin and feel the slimy seeds.   My daughter enjoyed that as well.  I grew to love that smell when you first carve open the pumpkin.   The sense of smell can bring back lots of great memories.

The design above is the one that most closely resembled the type of carving we did when I was a kid and when our daughter was little.    I think most people tend to repeat the design that they grew up with.    Of course, there's all kinds of fancy smancy carving designs these day, but I still prefer the traditional face.    The mouth design is slightly up for grabs, but in my world the eyes and nose must always be a triangle.   I was the official 'drawer' of the design as a kid.   Another great smell was that of the big black magic marker that I'd use to draw the design of the pumpkin.   I remember it squeaking as I'd draw with it too.    The pic below is another design we would sometimes do.  

Whatever your design, going to the pumpkin patch ( or the grocery store) and picking out your pumpkin for carving is a fun time for kids and for those of us that will always be kids at heart.  




TRIVIA ANSWER:
1.  Turnips   
2.  Reese's Peanut Butter cups
3.   Ireland  (people placed candles in hollowed out turnips to keep spirits and ghosts away on the Samhain holiday.
4.  Tootsie rolls
5.  21 days


TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 
(Philippians 4: 13)


Until next time..........

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

Here's some fun for the day...........

TRIVIA:  (Answer below)
What city is known as 'The Icebox of the United States'?


BRAIN TEASER:

If you cross out all unnecessary letters in the above string of letters, a logical sentence will remain. Can you read it?

AALLLOUGNINCEACELSSSEANRYTELNETCTEERS

JOKE:
Q:  What animal can jumper higher than a house?
A:  Any animal.   A house can't jump.


QUESTION OF THE DAY:
How come we choose from just two people for President and fifty for Miss America?


COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
The one who benefits the most from forgiveness is the one who grants it, not the one who receives it.

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

Trick-or-Treat will soon be upon us, so I'm taking a look today at Halloween costumes and memories that go along with them.

Back in the 70's there wasn't a lot to choose from.    The costumes were masks with a plastic, generic outfit to go with them.    If you didn't come up with your own costume from home, odds are you were going to look like several of your fellow trick-or-treaters because there wasn't a lot of designs to choose from with the plastic costumes.   I can remember Cinderella/Princess (most of the girls' favorite), a devil, a witch, a clown, a skeleton and Frankenstein.   (Sylvester the Cat came along later with Tweety Bird and some others )  These costumes were very generic and the mask was uncomfortable.   I remember breathing in the mask and feeling like I was having a facial steam.   I also remember how our voices sounded trying to talk through them.   Then you'd try to move the mask so someone could hear you and it would snap back on your face.   

Eventually I had enough of these type of costumes and started wearing costumes I could put together out of stuff from home.   My standard was a Gypsy so I could wear my Mom's jewelry.   Here's a pic of my Gypsy costume with my brother in the middle as a devil (face makeup looking like a clown though) and my cousin and some neighbors.   I don't look particularly thrilled.

I grew to love costumes and 'making up my face' so to speak.   As I got older I would look for costume excuses so I could dress up for more than just Halloween.    I started having "Oscar" parties and "Miss America" parties that aided in this.   Also, our church drama team gave me lots of costume opportunities as well.

(playing Phyllis Diller for a church dinner theater)

(Oscar party with friends as Capt Hook.  They're Peter Pan & Wendy)

(beach bum for a choir beach party)

My daughter and husband do not share my love of costumes.   When my daughter was little and didn't have much of a say, I would do elaborate makeups and costumes for her.   Here's one of her early costumes.  She's not looking thrilled with the make up.

My daughter's birthday parties were more opportunities to wear costumes.

(Beauty and the Beast)

(Cruella DeVille and Perdita the Dalmatian)

(at a friend's party as Jafar and Jasmine from Aladdin) 

Eventually, she told me she didn't want costumes where there was anything (makeup or mask) on her face.   I was crushed.    One year she wore a costume that was basically nothing but a sign that said  'If you are wondering what I am I don't know.  Maybe a rockstar'.

(my daughter and the 'sign' costume with my nieces)

My husband wears a shirt that says 'Costume', so I am truly outnumbered here.

(my husband & I at our church Fall Festival.  I was Mr. Mint for the Candyland booth.  He wore his regular outfit)

Some people are into costumes and some are not, but it sure is fun to see all the creativity at Fall Festivals and Trick-or-Treat time.     Here's a few more.   There's no way to include them all, it would take me too long to find the pics and there's been so many.    

(my friend Jane and I as Zombies from Michael Jackson's "Thriller)

(me as Capt. Jack Sparrow.  Probably one of my favorite costumes)

As I think back to all the costumes I've worn over the years, most of them are put together from things I have at home.   I think it all goes back to that Gypsy costume and when I said 'no more plastic costumes!'


Here's to costumes and all the fun memories they bring.  : )

TRIVIA ANSWER:
International Falls, Minnesota


BRAIN TEASER ANSWER:
If you cross out the letters in ALL UNNECESSARY LETTERS,  then the remaining letters will spell A LOGICAL SENTENCE


Until next time..........

TOP 9 CLASSIC TRICK-OR-TREAT CANDIES

Here's some fun for the day...........

TRIVIA:  (Answer below)
For what Latin number is October named?

BRAIN TEASER:
Mr. Smith has 4 daughters.   Each of his daughters has a brother.   How many children does Mr. Smith have?

JOKE:
Q:  What type of music does grass hate?
A:  Mow-town

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Can a cross-eyed teacher control her pupils?



COMIC FUN:

MORE COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:

God is bigger than any storm we face.  Focus on Him and He'll give you strength to get through the storms in life victoriously.

TOP 9 CLASSIC TRICK-OR-TREAT CANDIES

It's that time of year where the leaves are turning and there's a nip in the air.   Good ole' Fall.   I love it and it's my favorite season.    I thought I'd take a look today at some classic Trick-or-Treat candy.   When I say it's the top 9, I mean the top 9 for me when I was a kid.    My tastes were a bit different than the other kids.    I've never been a big chocolate fan, so I loved when I would get something other than chocolate in my bag.

Trick-or-Treat back in the 70's was classic.    I really loved going house-to-house and running around outside in the cold air.    The outside house-to-house thing is slowly fading and I'm glad that it was the norm for my day.    

My brother and I would get so excited to run around the neighborhood.   There was actually one neighbor who worked for Nabisco and each kid would get an entire package of Oreo cookies.  That was quite the popular house.    

Once we were done running around the neighborhood, we would go to our rooms and dump out our bags and see what we got.   I loved when I got the  non-chocolate items. These days, when I donate candy to our church Fall Festival, I purposely donate bubble gum or something other than those mini-chocolate bars.   Mini chocolate bars.....how ho hum.    There's plenty of those to go around, so here's to the other candies.    

Here is my list of my favorite candies that would be in my trick-or-treat bag.   

1.  Mini-Chicklets.

These were my ultimate favorite because I loved the mini package.   It seems that the special 2-piece chicklet box only came out around Halloween.   I loved them and was most excited to see these.   Funny thing is, someone could have put an entire regular size box of Chicklets in my bag and I would have preferred the 2-piece one.

2.   Dubble Bubble

A very close second to the Mini-Chicklets.   Ahh....the smell and taste of Dubble Bubble.   I can't seem to find the Mini-Chicklets anymore, so my regular donation to our church Fall Festival is a couple packages of Dubble Bubble.

3.   Sixlets

Ok, so this breaks my chocolate rule, I know.   But the candy coating was a bit stronger than the chocolate.   I also liked them because it seemed to be another candy that I only saw at Halloween and so that made them extra special.

4.  Wax Coke Bottles

Yep, I liked 'em.   Not sure why.   It was just kind of fun to bite off the top waxy part of the coke bottle and then drink the liquid that had most likely been in there for 8 years. 

5.   Wax Lips

As long as we're talking about the wax stuff.    These were always fun.   My brother and I would crack up when we'd put them on.   Creepy little me always preferred the vampire ones.    You were supposed to be able to eat them, which I tried, but they were pretty gross.  

6.  Mary Janes

Yummage.   This picture is the one of the Mary Janes I remember.   The ones that would show up in my bag.   These days they are packaged in black and orange wrappers.   Love the peanut butter flavor.   I also like spreading them apart before I eat them to see the peanut butter in the middle.    These were originally made in 1914 back when Mary Jane was just a cute little girl and not a weed people smoked.  

7.  Bit-O-Honey.

I loved these too and the small packaging that came out at Halloween.   Good ole almond bits embedded in honey flavored taffy.   I'm starting to get hungry and think I may have to go get me some of these candies.   Bit-O-Honey came out in 1924.   For some reason, I loved saying the name of this candy when I was a kid.    I loved the 'f' being left off of 'of' and saying the 'o' instead.   It the little things in life that thrill you.

8.   Mild Duds

Yes, this also breaks my chocolate rule, but the caramel was stronger than the chocolate.   I kind of had a thing for candy that rips out your fillings.    I loved the small boxes that came out at Halloween.    I obviously had a thing for mini-versions of regular stuff.

9.   Eyeball Gum

Yes, I was just a tad strange.   Really, this eyeball gum should be ranked higher because I would get very excited when I saw it.  ( I guess it saw me too)   Definitely should be higher than the Milk Duds but I'm too lazy to change that right now.    If was great if I got at least two, then I could run around the house holding them up to my eyes and being all bug-eyed.  When the Fall Festivals first started at our church, I went to buy candy and almost bought the eyeball gum.   I started to think maybe that's not the best choice.  But......I did buy it and many of the things above for our house.    

So here's the deal kids......if you want something other than mini-chocolate bars......the Beard house is the place to visit.    You'll know us......we're the ones all lit up for Trick-or-Treat.    ( let's all pause for a moment and 'boo' the houses that turn their porch lights off and hide out from the Trick-or-Treaters.   That's what my brother and I would do back in the day when we would pass those houses)   

So, there's my list of 9 classic Trick-or-Treat candies.    Do you have a 10th??

TRIVIA ANSWER:
'Octo'  which means eight.    Before Julius Caesar, October was the eighth month not the tenth.

BRAIN TEASER:
5.   Each daughter has the same brother.


Until next time.........