Take a second to stop and listen to others

While I was catching up on some late night TV, a commercial featuring red-haired Wilma Flintstone appeared. Of course, I immediately recalled the old days of TV.

When we first acquired a television, we were told it was only the ninth set yet sold in our hometown of Philadelphia. It was blond wood (golden oak, I think it may have been called) and it occupied the corner of the living room. My sons tell me it was a DuMont.

The massive 12 inch screen showed my first son's favorite program, "Howdy Doody," to full advantage. In later years my younger children were more inclined to enjoy "Captain Kangaroo."

Of course, having one of the first TVs in the neighborhood brought a few problems as well as pleasures. One such problem involved the S--- family. Many summer mornings when school was out, the S--- family's cleaning girl arrived at our front door and announced, "Miss Boyle, Sonny come up to watch the TV with your boys."

I soon learned that this meant Sonny's mother was going out shopping or to play cards and wanted to avoid having to find a baby sitter. Her impulse was to dump the problem on me and take off. Very often that would mean that he was still in my home at lunch time.

You might not believe it, but the last time I saw Mrs. S---, she was chasing the maid up the street, waving a butcher knife and shouting at the frightened girl. I guess she livened up the rather staid neighborhood, but we were not sorry when the family moved away. As our neighbor at the time, a physician, said, "it doesn't take much medical knowledge to recognize that she has a few problems."

Well, now my only problem is that I wish I had a 48 inch screen TV.

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If you managed to make it through all the Christmas and New Year's hoopla, you will want to get ready for Sacred Heart Health System's Senior Spirit program.

The program takes place on Jan. 12 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and features free health screenings plus door prizes at the Sacred Heart Medical Park on Airport Boulevard next door to Lowe's in Pensacola. Tests for high blood pressure, blood sugar, body fat analysis and much much more will be given. This is a free membership program. There will also be free refreshments and a prize drawing sponsored by Target Stores with a value of $200.

For details call 850-416- 1620. Let's check it out!

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Early on Christmas Eve, two very friendly women stopped by my door on their monthly rounds. The two ladies are Jehovah's Witnesses, sincere and very nice.

Whether one agrees with their specific beliefs or not, I have found that you can often find something worthwhile in talking with them. Meeting everyone with acceptance and friendliness at all times, and especially at this time of the year, can make us all better people. So don't hide behind the curtain, greet them with a smile. We can always learn something new!

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From the strange facts file: In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand. So - keep looking up!

See you next week!