Page A2 The Joan De Arc Crusader / Sunday, September 16, 2012

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EDITORIAL PAGE

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” – Voltaire

 

Farewell Andy and thanks

 

     When actor Andy Griffith passed away in July, an irreplaceable time in our lives seemed to slip away with him. Yet for a brief moment, that whole wonderful era resolved back into very sharp focus.

     Griffith’s character in the long running “Andy Griffith Show” was probably unique in the history of television comedy. Sheriff Andy’s sensitive analysis of the problems that arose among the townsfolk of Mayberry would always yield to an ingenious intervention and solution that would spare everyone’s feelings and put the difficulties neatly to rest. The grace and humaneness of the Andy Taylor character was a thing of beauty and nothing less than that. His love and tolerance for the unbelievably (and hilariously) inept Barney Fife speaks for itself.

     We see some distinct similarities between Joan De Arc Avenue in the ‘60s and the mythic town of Mayberry. After all, Westown Barber Shop was our very own Floyd’s, and A.J. Bayless, with its country store roots, was our Foley’s Grocery store. We didn’t have an Emmett’s Fix-It Shop exactly, although G&E TV Repair bore more than a passing resemblance to that small business. We had our own Wally and Gomer at the Westown Union Oil service station, and there were certainly teachers at Sahuaro who could pass for Miss Crump, both in attractive appearance and stern classroom demeanor. Okay, well you get the idea.

     One thing is certain: life was much slower and simpler in those days, both in Mayberry and Surrey Heights.

     The point being that Mayberry was an idealization of American life in the 1960s, and as such, it actually did exist in a very real sense. The people and places in Mayberry were a projection of our own better selves and that’s why we all wanted to live there. We saw in that small, friendly North Carolina community precisely that which we longed to see in ourselves. And this quality makes the show quite timeless.

     Well anyhow, thanks for the sublimely wonderful TV program, Andy. Mayberry long ago became inseparably entwined with the cultural fabric of our lives.

     To quote the equally magnificent Carol Burnett: "I'm so glad we had this time together."  
     Hey to Ange.

 

LETTERS

 

Magnificent Mother-made musical memories

 

     I have a very distinct memory of Mother in 1962 buying a 45 rpm record of the song “Johnny Angel,” which was sung by Shelley Fabares, the young star of The Donna Reed Show.  I’m not sure why she decided to bring home a pop hit record, one that her kids liked, except that she really loved the song herself. I heard the song again recently and I went rushing back 50 years (!) to the basement of our house on Brookfield Rd. where we played it endlessly on a little portable record player. 

     It wasn’t unusual that Mother was a music fan; many of my childhood memories are tied to a song that Mother loved and shared with us.  Singing was a Bueker family tradition on road trips (“Red River Valley’, “I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad”), and I knew Mother knew ALL the songs.  AND all the words to all the songs. But it was unusual to buy a song, especially one that was a Top 10 pop hit. 

     And so began the acquisition of records to play, sing and dance to in the basement.  My own first purchase a short while later was a 45 of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” by Neil Sedaka. My sister and I were thoroughly obsessed with anything to do with teenagers, like Shelley (“Mary” on “Donna Reed”). We were wanna-bes in the worst way, watching American Bandstand daily, and playing with our teen model Barbie dolls.

     Musically speaking, it was an amazing time to grow up. As we got older and had more money to spend on records, we worked our way up to buying LPs just in time for the arrival of the Beatles, for whom Mother also had a great appreciation, lucky for us. She rarely criticized our musical choices, even though we occasionally chose the cutting edge (Mothers of Invention) or controversial (songs about the Holy Orgy Kama Sutra from the Hair album. I’m sure Daddy never listened to the words on that one, or he would have banned that particular song!). But we also had Andy Williams with those great old standards, and the Motown hits, and even old Baptist spirituals to listen to. What a rich legacy of great music. We loved them all. 

     Mother tells about her own childhood, waiting by the radio and hoping, hoping that the few minutes that she was allowed to listen would be music, and not some other uninteresting or unsuitable program.

     How lucky we were to have a home full of music, and I’m so grateful I had parents that made sure we had all these wonderful rich experiences that are now wonderful musical memories.

 

                                                                                                                                                                               Barbie Bueker Formichella

 

There can be little doubt that the youngest Bueker kid was the primary inspiration for the purchase of the “Johnny Angel” record. – Ed.

 

One reason per year

 

     Dear Editor: My mother is soon to celebrate her 80th birthday, and I wrote this in tribute to her.

 

80 Reasons Why I Love My Mother

 

1. She knows a lot.

2. She gives good advice.

3. She is kind.

4. She is tolerant.

5. She is funny.

6. She is talented.

7. She is strong.

8. She is independent.

9. She is a teacher.

10. She is a learner.

11. She sings pretty.

12. She paints very pretty.

13. She is pleasant.

14. She is sweet.

15. She is patient.

16. She is a survivor.

17. She is stoic.

18. She is optimistic.

19. She is grateful.

20. She is spiritual.

21. She is sympathetic.

22. She is disorganized.

23. She is creative.

24. She is spontaneous.

25. She loves fun.

26. She loves people.

27. She loves her family.

28. She is punctual.

29. She is wise.

30. She is respectful.

31. She is teachable.

32. She is generous to a fault.

33. She loves the underdog.

34. She believes in God.

35. She believes in Heaven.

36. She believes in reincarnation.

37. She believes we have a purpose.

38. She believes we are here to learn.

39. She loves children.

40. She loves Maggie.

41. She loves Bella.

 

42. She loves stray cats, and names them.

43. She loved her husbands.

44. She chose well.

45. She chose the perfect father for her children.

46. She is trusting.

47. She is honest.

48. She has integrity.

49. She has spirit.

50. She is opinionated.

51. She has faith.

52. She is hopeful.

53. She loves licorice.

54. She makes good chicken salad.

55. She loves clothes.

56. She loves shoes.

57. She loves purses.

58. She loves movies.

59. She loves animals.

60. She loves Coco’s.

61. She loves art.

62. She loves music.

63. She loves books.

64. She loves philosophy.

65. She loves to write.

66. She loves psychology.

67. She is A.D.D.

68. She believes in the greater good.

69. She believes in the golden rule.

70. She makes me laugh.

71. She helps me not take life too seriously.

72. She reminds me that life isn’t always fair.

73. She is always there for me.

74. She always told her children that they

were smart and wonderful and could

accomplish anything.

75. She understands me.

76. She is my friend.

77. She is my confidante.

78. She makes me happy.

79. She makes me feel safe.

80. She is my MOM.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                Susan Bueker Nolan   

The Crusader welcomes your letters at jdacrusader@aol.com

 

 Chuck's

     Corner

   

 

     News from around the Block

                                            & around the World ©

             by C.H. Bueker III

 

You’re not getting older… you’re becoming less young

 

     We all want it, we all hate it, and everyone does it.  Did you guess “get older?”  Well, congratulations on reading the above headline and putting it all together, Sport!  You certainly have your wits about you for a person of your age. Now, how many fingers am I holding up?  Haha!  That’s right!  Man, you are sharp.

     It seems like there’s only a small fraction of the human lifespan during which the average person is totally comfortable with their time of life, probably somewhere in the years between 21 and 30.  Outside of that brief span, we’re too often consumed with being older (“I’m nine and a half.” or “Dude!  I totally forgot and left my ID at home…”) or younger (see the maze of cosmetic counters in any major department store). Mankind literally had to invent the clock just so that we would have something to be constantly turning forward and backwards; it wasn’t until much later that we found it useful for other things, like celestial navigation or telling our digital video recorders when “Pawn Stars” comes on.

     There are, of course, notable exceptions to this rule. Men, in particular, are often oblivious to their actual age. A good friend of mine who happens to be single is frequently convinced that some woman at the bar who is young enough to be his daughter is an age-appropriate choice of partner. Consider also that most Corvettes are driven by balding, middle-aged men (or their 20-something girlfriends). I suppose it could be argued that the denial of maturity is just a subconscious form of the generalized youth obsession, which is a nice way of saying that some of us old guys are simply clueless, if not ageless.

     In our capitalistic society, the quest to be the “right” age naturally drives huge industry and consumes huge piles of cash and resources. In 2008, U.S. sales of Viagra alone totaled nearly two billion dollars.  I figure this was made possible only by the effective use of 500,000 Victoria’s Secret push-up bras and untold gallons of Olay Definity deep moisturizing antioxidant face spackle. And it’s really only this way because people have been convinced that they need this stuff by the folks that make money selling it. Seems like we’ll pay anything to avoid facing up to our actual age.

     Maybe someday our society will learn to accept and appreciate our given age through all the different stages. We might enjoy our freedom while we’re young, and accept the privileges of age while shouldering our increasing responsibilities as life continues forward.  We could gracefully relinquish the duties that we have grown past performing competently, handing them off to our younger peers with the wisdom we have gathered in our experiences and from our predecessors, passing into the next world knowing that we have most efficiently prepared ourselves and our loved ones for the transition. Maybe this is the way things will be in the future. 

     Or to quote the now 67-year-old Steve Martin: “…Nahhhhhh !”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ JDA

 

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