As we age, our interpretation of the same object we see changes. Take a bowl of ice cream.
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| My favorite, mint chocolate chip. |
Recently, I got a bit amused as I was watching an old Western on TV. I remember the time when that was all you could find on the tube. Westerns owned the small screen like cop and medical shows do today.
We could chose a cowboy who either carried sawed off rifle strapped to his hip, a six gun, or a long barreled gun with pump action. There were one armed heroes, tall ones, short but cool ones or funny ones. Some had amazing bodies that always required a shirt off at least once during the show (Clint Walker). Some lived by wits over brawn. Some by the fast draw. Regardless, there was an amazing cowboy out there for everyone. Most were romantic, manly, traveling men who could handle any situation. Then there were ensemble shows.
One of my favorite ensemble shows was Rawhide. Today you can watch that show almost any time of day, any day of the week if you have cable or satellite. As I was checking it out the other day, I smiled at how my view of the main characters has changed dramatically.
Younger me was impressed by Rowdy Yates, a drover, played by a young Clint Eastwood. What a hunk---we didn't use "hot" in those days.
By the time it was in rerun mode, I found I was leaning towards the more mature Gil Favor played by Eric Fleming. He was the level headed but firm trail boss.
What kind of surprised me was when I hit my 60's Wishbone, the trail cook, played by Paul Brinegar, was looking really cute to me. Besides, what is sexier than a man in an apron cooking your dinner.
I am in my seventies now and that same show is still on. However, today when I give the show an hour of my time when things are slow, I see the same men and think, 'my, what nice young men they are.'
Same show, different views by the same person. Have you been aware and surprised by your own changing views of the same thing.
Great post, Patti! I also, slavered (and still do) at those views. However, now that I'm knocking on the door of seventy, the mint ice cream with chocolate pieces holds more appeal than the younger Clint. Could go for a bowl right now. Cheers for the memories!
ReplyDeleteFlorence
Absolutely loved this post. You're right - there's something about the tilt of the eyebrows and the wrinkles at the corner of the eyes of cook Wishbone!
ReplyDeleteWell said, Patti. Definitely I do notice how much my views change as I do. In fact, I was just realizing that I see my size that way, too: I judge my size by the people around me. When I'm surrounded by plumpness, I feel pretty thin! And if I were to run into a bunch of anorexic models, I'd feel fat! Yes, where I'm standing in age and size has everything to do with it. Great post! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nice "fill-in" on Rawhide. Can you
ReplyDeletebelieve that I don't think I ever saw that show. I
know I often heard the name. In those days we
had only one TV and Mom was always low-woman
on the totem pole of selecting TV shows. LOL
Excellent post!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it nice how age changes your perspective. As a young man I would have had a thing for Kim K. Now not at all, but that Meryl Streep...Hello!
I'm not a big ice-cream fan... although I do like it. DH *loves* his ice-cream. As for cowboy shows, always loved them. Clint Eastwood was a good looking young man and to be honest, I think he's aged well. The Rifleman was probably my favorite growing up, but I also remember Sugarfoot, The Restless Gun, Gunsmoke, etc. We actually met Clint Walker once. He was visiting New Orleans and our fan club met him at the airport.
ReplyDeleteYes, I surely do know what you mean. Everyone looks younger, and my views of who is handsome or pretty have changed along with my years. I don't much care for western tv shows, except for Bonanza, but I have always loved western movies..especially anything with John Wayne in it!.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post, Patti! It's so true that, as we age, we do see the world and the things in it in a different way! Everyone looks so young and pretty in those old t.v. shows and law enforcement people today look so very young! (We had firemen and paramedics to the house two weeks ago when my husband had three grand mal seizures (unusual for him and his seizures are very dangerous). They all looked like such babies and the oldest among them was still significantly under 40.) And you're so right about the ice cream -- though I never ignored it in my twenties, even though life was busy!
ReplyDeleteThis is my second visit today. I was involved in deciding who I liked when that I forgot to comment. Then I wanted ice cream. But I came back to see if I commented because I didn't remember...and here I am. Commenting.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully distracting post. I loved it.
I loved Clint Eastwood in high school, and then James Drury as the Virginian. Now we watch the old episodes of Gunsmoke and Bonanza, and I am more inclined to Doc Adams and Sheriff Roy Coffee! What's that all about?
ReplyDeleteThe biggest change is probably Amos 'N Andy. My family used to watch it every week and laughed at the antics. We thought it was great. Now I see it as extremely racist and not funny at all. One show whose enchantment endures is The Andy Griffith Show, especially the first four seasons. Of late I have been watching old episodes of West Wing. I would love to live in a country Aaron Sorkin made.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post! We never go back and watch old shows - don't know why. i guess we are stuck in the "now".
ReplyDeleteBut I did notice that I was more attracted to that bowl of ice cream than to Clint Eastwood. Oh dear.
ReplyDeleteFlorence,
Thank you and me too. Now throw in an older Clint and I might change my mind.
Marty,
Ah ha, you see it too. Twinkly eyes gets me every time. Glad you enjoyed.
Djan,
Thanks. Boy isn't that the truth. Relax, in my eyes, you are down right scrawny.
Manzi,
My Mom wouldn't even let us have TV. She said we would quit talking. She had a point.Think texting would have put her over the edge were she around today.
joeh,
Thank you.
Glad to hear it about Meryl. Seems when we get a little seasoning ourselves, we appreciate it in others.
Rian,
Oh my, you got to meet Clint Walker? Lucky you. That was one well built man and I was a huge fan.
Terri,
Funny isn't it how our standards change. John Wayne was not classically handsome but he certainly was all MAN.
Dr. Kathy,
Ha ha, I know what you mean. The young looking guys don't bother me too much till my surgeon looks like he is fresh out of college.
Gail,
Ha ha. Well I am happy I got you distracted enough that you had to make two trips. My work is done.
A Reader's life,
Welcome to TNS and thank you for commenting. Had to laugh for I also have started giving Doc Adams a closer look. He and Miss Kitty dated in real life so she saw it too.
NCmountainwoman,
I hadn't thought about Amos and Andy till you brought it up. You are so right, it would never make the air today. Never saw West Wing for some reason but I think I am now living in Mayberry.
Linda R,
Thank you. Well you have your own hunk at home in Tom. Pretty sure I could do more with the ice cream than I could with even an older Clint:))
I haven't thought about cowboy shows in such a long time. I grew up on Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Rawhide. I haven't seen one of those old shows in quite a while. We just got Netflix, makes me wonder if they have those old shows available for streaming. When I was young we watched a lot of the early sitcoms: Father Knows Best; My Four Sons; Donna Reed Show; Dick Van Dyke. I think if I saw them now, I'd probably be amazed by the simple problems portrayed on those shows about modern family life. Even back then my family did not look or sound like those families.
ReplyDeleteWhen our son was little he loved Dukes of Hazzard. He thrilled to the guys and car chases. Now he's thirty-five and when he recently saw a rerun he asked,"when did they put a girl on the show?" daisy Duke was always on the show but he hadn't noticed.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Patti. My BF watches the same westerns over and over and over. I know all the lines by heart. The very worst is The Searchers. The character that is played by Festus (Ken Curtis) Gunsmoke... His worst line in The Searchers is, "har har har"
ReplyDeleteYes it is all a matter of perspective. I remember that my grandmother had this old lady crush on Marshall Dillon (Gunsmoke?) I just thought that was so weird!!
ReplyDeleteVery clever observation. I never watched Rawhide ... but I'm very familiar with mint chocolate chip ice cream. Guess I'm a kid at heart -- I had some this afternoon and I loved every spoonful!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, Patti.....And I agree--ones perspective changes as we get older....I never watched GUNSMOKE when it was on, back-in-the-day.....But a few years ago I got kind of hooked on it, mostly because I knew so many of the actors who were 'guest stars'....And seeing them young and so attractive as I had known them, made me remember those early days when we were ALL young and filled with hope....Now, so many of these friends are gone, or old, like me.
ReplyDeleteAs to ice cream....I laughed when you spoke about it---I was always dieting and denying myself certain things in my younger years----Now, I don't care what it is doing to am arteries or anything else. I eat some ice cream every day and enjoy every spoonful. At 84 I'm not going to deny myself anything that makes me feel good cause there isn't that much left that does....lol!
I've got NETFLIX and I find myself binging on a lot of the older shows---I'm having a wonderful time watching THE WEST WING----What a great great show. I loved it when it first came on and that hasn't changed, except to say, I love it even more now----We have nothing like it on TV now and we need to be inspired....This show still inspires me! And the writing is Brilliant! Worth checking out while eating a bowl of that Mint Chocolate Chip, my dear.....
Indeed. my spouse is addicted on a daily basis to ice cream. I don't like D.Q & only an occasional dish of the real stuff is ok. If I didn't stop at the bakery once in a great while I wouldn't even remember what pie, cake & cookies taste like.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm starting to hate ice cream...
What? Wait? My view on ice-cream might change over the years? Nooooooo ;)
ReplyDeleteKeith and I sure love ice-cream. I think we had more ice-cream these past months than anything else LOL.
I do agree though. I have noticed the same thing with foods, with TV and movies, with books. We do change our views on things and it's sometimes amusing to realize those changes. And I do believe it's a good thing that our experiences make us grow and change :)
I hope you are doing well! Have a wonderful rest of the week! :)
I always say that you're never to old to look...or in other words, admire a good-looking man. However, I have to say that at 69 yrs young, the ice cream looks almost as good to me. And my favorite flavor is Pistachio Nut from Baskin-Robbins.
ReplyDeletePS I thought Eric Fleming was a hunk, too. :)
Robin,
ReplyDeleteYou are right. The old shows were as we might want our lives to be. Today's make us hope it never happens that we are like them.
Stephen,
Ha ha, that is funny. He really was young wasn't he?
turquoisemoon,
Yikes, that has to be hard to watch. I saw that one but don't remember Festus. If I see it again, I will pay attention and look for that line:))
Olga,
Well he really was all man. Not handsome but would make a woman feel safe.I still admire the young studs, I just am attracted to the Wishbones of the world.
Tom,
Ah, enjoy and I hope it was the mint chocolate chip. That is the best.
Naomi,
You know, everyone loved West Wing and for some reason I never saw the first episode. Think I will correct that with Netflix. Thanks for the reminder. I'll make sure I have a bowl and spoon handy.
TB.
I understand. I worked in a DQ in high school and learned to loath ice cream, especially the soft kind. It took years to get the smell of sour milk out of my mind. Now I have recovered and do enjoy it.
Beate,
You can relax. You and Keith are in the perfect age for eating and enjoying ice cream. Keep those spoons a flying.
Terri,
Yes he was. I still enjoy looking at a hunky guy, I just look at the older ones for an actual relationship.
Well you know how my views/tastes have changed, Patti. From raising our own chickens for eggs, and buying freshly killed chickens, turkeys, beef and pork just a few years ago to completely eliminating all animal products from my diet. 3 years and counting and I can't even consider going back without gagging a little. I don't miss ice cream at all. We make our own now from frozen bananas and whatever other frozen fruits we have.
ReplyDeleteCan't think of much on the TV end since I don't watch much anymore, but I am sure glad we got beyond the 70s and 80s styles. Someone mentioned Meryl Streep in an earlier comment. I could not agree more! I spend a good bit of time with people in their late 20s and 30s and appreciate the beauty of youth, and am trying to hang on to the last bits I have. I could stand a lot less sun on my face if I want to be serious about that I suppose. ;)
Great post.
My views have changed on many things from the time I was young until now - food, clothing, friendship, and politics to name a few. And - I think I'm STILL changing! Nice post, Patti.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic. I don's seem to view men the same way anymore myself. I rarely see one that I find attractive.
ReplyDeleteSo true, so true. Our tastes definitely change... not for mint chocolate chip though. It's still my favorite.
ReplyDelete