The Buckets by Greg Cravens for February 17, 2015

Le sigh. My fondest memories from childhood are television moments. I blame it on the fact that my family didn’t get a computer until I was a junior in high school (1994).

My generation was the first to be brought up with (by) television. My most vivid memories are from The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, Lost In Space, and the original Star Trek. Not all the best of TV.

Most of what I watch is on Netflix or Amazon Prime. It’s neither awful nor great but it is commercial free.

I don’t know either of my great grandmother’s 1st names, it’s really sad but I grew up in a family that did not share memories. I didn’t even know my mother’s father’s name until I read it in her obituary.

I made it a point to collect as much info about my mother’s life and family history from her as I could and wrote her biography. Now everyone can get the book and learn about her growing up in the 20s and 30s, etc.

My family was so dysfunctional that I never knew the name of my paternal grandfather; something happened that my dad never forgave and he would not explain what it was.

Are you ok Sarah?

Mash, Taxi, Barney Miller, Soap, Bob Newhart…There were a few gems.

The original Star Trek ran for more than a single season. Two, possibly three. TV has always had some well-done shows and some tripe. Shows targeting kids are usually, but not always, awful.As to family, I know both my grandmothers maiden names and I only met one of them. The other died before I was born. But great-grandmothers? Not a clue, though it is available in a family tree for one side of our family put together by my brother. As usual, Frank is needlessly alarmist about all things he views as modern.

My father knew his grandfather; his grandfather was a civil war veteran. My sons knew their great-grandmother. My father knows his great-granddaughter, but she is too young to really know him or me.

You can pick your friends and remember their names. You can pick your TV shows and remember the ones you like. You can not pick your family even if you do or do not like them, and who remembers who they did not associate with or worse did not want to associate with.

My grandmothers maiden name (on my maternal side) was Brewer. One of the first families to brew beer in Canada, in the 1600’s.On my paternal side, it was “Francis” I think.

My husband and I found out a few years ago we have a common Mayflower ancestor—which means we’re both related to a lot of US Presidents, though not entirely the same ones. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has the biggest genealogy database in the world and they let anyone use it for free.

I hate being put on the spot to remember things.One of them is remembering my National Insurance Number but thankfully I know it off by heart now.xxx