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We have lived in our home for 20 years come the 31st of this month.  During this entire time we have had cable television in our home.  What am I saying, we have had cable TV the entire 25 years we have been married.

I personally  can take or leave the TV, give me a radio or cd player.  Ray, he LOVES the TV, from the time he wakes up till after he falls asleep the TV is on.  We have TVs everywhere except in the bathroom and the inside of the fridge.  If we could afford it I am sure one would be in at least one of those places too.

When I was growing up television offered very few viewing choices; channels 2,5,11, 36 and 46.  Those were the only channels available.  On our TV and you turned a dial to change the channel.  It was a color television, but some of the shows like I love Lucy or The Three Stooges were still in black and white.

I remember a time when rabbit ears and tin foil was used to get better reception.  Vice grips were used as a quick fix when the dial broke and the first remote control in my parents home was any financially dependent child within hearing range.

In our home the remote control is a very important item.  Ray would rather walk a hundred miles looking for a lost remote than 3 feet to change the channel, from what I understand this is something other husbands do as well.  I don't care if other husbands do it, that is crazy!

My parents did not get a VCR or cable television until after I got married and moved out of their house in 1985.  For many years I wondered what that was all about, I figure it had to be for one of two reasons; 1) They were finally able to afford it  because 2 of their three children were finally out of the house.  2)  They were trying to make us think that having our own place were we could have cable TV and stay out all night if we wanted was way better than living at home with the folks.  This was very wise on their part.

Things were different growing up at Ray's house, they had cable TV there,  and he was used to a bunch of channels,  around 20 or so of them.  Remember the brown box with the black buttons that  you used to change the channel with?  That's what they had.  He even had a TV in his bedroom!  I should have realized then what I was up against.

This past week Comcast finished "going digital" in our area so now the "Basic Cable" we had subscribed to all these years was no longer gonna cut it as this digital change cut Ray's channels back from around 50 or so to 35.  Yes friends, the world as we know it had come to an end.

The funny thing is I noticed it before the rest of them because I get up the earliest.   I just kept the grim news to myself, I wanted to see their reaction and hated to spoil the surprise.  I ended up leaving the house pretty early so I missed out on their initial response, but my phone started ringing off the hook when they all woke up (Mom is indispensable in our home.  They never confer with one another, they just call me.  I believe that is their way of cutting out the middle man),  you would have thought I forgot to pay the electric bill and they were in the dark.


As of today, Ray has obtained and installed all the proper equipment and all is right with the world once again.  In fact, things are even better, we have "around 300 channels"!!!!  Whoopee......I have said it before and I will say it again, you can only watch one at the time.

The channel that has captured their attention?  Boomerang.  Ray and Abby have spent the afternoon watching reruns of Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear and the Jetsons and they were thrilled when they realized they would be able to see Two Stupid Dogs.   I expect Nielsen Media Research will be in touch with us any minute now......

©  2010  Annette Bagley-Martin