In my home growing up, if one was sick, my mom would set you up in front of the TV – tissues, popsicles, sprite . . . everything one needed to be comfy for an afternoon. Sometimes my mom would just hand us the remote, but sometimes, if we were really sick, she’d turn on a musical –
And so I grew up watching: Camelot, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, and The Sound of Music.
Each has become very much a part of my movie-personality. I like musicals. Wyatt does not. Wyatt’s mom didn’t put them on when he was sick. Wyatt didn’t know color TV was invented until 1989. That’s beside the point.
When I was expecting Calvin, Olivia and I watched My Fair Lady every day. I had a small tv with a vhs player built in. I set it up on the nightstand of my bed, and Olivia and I would lay in bed, nausea abated by dreams of dancing all night.
When I was expecting Everett, Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story helped me cope with long nights of house-under-construction and wyatt-working-late.
But for a long time I’ve been wanting to watch The Sound of Music.
I know what you’re going to say: then just watch it.
It’s not that easy for me. I don’t watch tv very often. No, it’s not that I’m so on top of my life that I never squander time. But if I’m going to squander time, I prefer to do it on the computer, not the boobtube.
And when the kids are in bed and I could watch tv without worry of them being in and out and all the complications that brings . . . well, then Wyatt is home, and he’s still so fascinated with color tv that he has a hard time relenquishing his control to my musical desires.
This explanation just got WAY TOO LONG.
Last week my mom was in town (Hurrah!) and she watched The Sound of Music with me. Calvin and Everett took naps during, so I didn’t have to worry about the destruction taking place while I watched Frauline Maria sing about frolicking goat love. And what’s even better? My mom sewed while we watched. It truly had the feel of sick days past, only I didn’t have that self gratifying thought that I was missing school for this.
Olivia even watched – three generations listening to the Von Trapp family – a future musical-lover in training – it was a good day.