Mitchy-ha-ha
I’ve always been a bit of a nature buff. This has gone back as long as I can
remember. One of my first favourite TV
shows was a nature show. Mutual of
Omaha’s Wild Kingdom had me entranced.
Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler venturing out into the African grasslands…
showing us elephants, lions, and crocodiles.
Their voices told a delightful tail and the images had me glued to the
set.
Of course this was way back.
Forget HD TV. Forget remote
controls even. I’d be plopped down on
the floor next to our TV and, if you wanted to check around during the
commercials, you’d have to hop up and click the dial around. But with less than a dozen channels at the
time, and not wanting to miss a second of the show, I never dreamed of
searching the other channels.
I’d sit during commercials and daydream about the
Serengeti. I’d think about a croc
grabbing hold of a wildebeest. Of
vultures picking at zebra bones. And of
lions basking in the African sun.
I was young enough that I didn’t even know how to say my favourite
show’s name. Mutual of Omaha’s Wild
Kingdom was simply Mitchy-ha-ha. I’d ask
my mother “Is Mitchy-ha-ha on?” with hopefulness in my heart.
My grandmother was also a big nature show fan. We’d sit and watch Mitchy-ha-ha… or The
Nature of Things together. Sometimes it
would be when they’d visit us… with popcorn at the ready. Often times it would be on our visits to
Botwood. A rainy afternoon would be made
cozy and enjoyable with a nature show on and a bowl of fresh blueberries…
swimming in milk with some sugar on top.
Granddad would never show much interest.
Perhaps he’d be at the dinning room table playing solitaire (or Patience
as it was called). He may glance up at
the striking shark as he reshuffled the deck.
But Nanny and I would sit upon chair and sofa respectfully… her perched
ready to rise to the kitchen when a pot of soup needed stirring… and me spread
out atop knit cushions.
I also shared my love of these shows with one of our
dogs. Schokee would often plunk down
upon my lap as I sat on the floor of my bedroom and watched a nature show on my
little TV. She’d stare intently at the
screen and twitch her head from side to side as wolves howled across Canadian
mountain winters.
For some years, I watched less nature programming. Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom was off the
air. The Nature of Things came on at
times when I should either be doing homework or was more interested in
sports. My grandparents were both gone,
as was the dog.
So it wasn’t that I was no longer interested in nature as
much as time moved on and, to state the obvious, things changed.
Things have changed again.
HD TV entered my world and nature programs have taken over the
airwaves. There are all sorts of
programing. Animals of every variety are
featured. Insects, reptiles, fish,
birds… if it lives, it’s featured.
But even if it no longer lives, the animal is there in high
definition glory. Computer generated
dinosaurs are often the topic of the show.
Looking so real that you’d think they roamed a remote part of the globe
to this day.
And there are even those nature programs that don’t cover
animals at all. Mountain peeks are
explored with such vividness that the camera flies over top and wisps of windy
snow can be seen hundred of feet below our point of view.
And then there is the granddaddy of all HD visual treats…
the Volcanoes. I have seen nothing as
spectacular in high definition as the brilliant red of a lava flow. Molten rock so clear that you expect to feel
the heat through the TV set.
Yes, High Definition television has renewed my passion for
nature programs. Sports remain a high
frequency watch for me… but if I was told I could only watch one type of TV
show from now on, it would have to be a nature program.
And often, as I watch… in one of those moments when
something is particularly spectacular to me… I think of my grandmother. Wishing she was there as well. Knowing she would be as spellbound as
me.
TUESDAY…
--- Work nights. It’s
kind of busy and we get worked up over typical garbage politics going on in the
office. Ready for another vacation.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Bit of a walk in the early afternoon. Watching some Olympics too but I must say,
winter games get my attention much more than summer. Most of these events bore me… Judo?
Gymnastics? Weight lifting? Badminton?
Blah. If the summer games was
only rowing, swimming and diving, I’d be quite satisfied.
--- Softball before work is fun. Getting into playing centerfield… even if my
arm is garbage now. Tracking balls is
fun times.
--- Yesterday’s work garbage cleared pretty well today…
changing teams in a few weeks… back to Keith.
Working with Claudio and Jonathan has been good… going back with Keith
should also be fine.
THURSDAY…
--- Out for a walk… run into a toad… then a deer crosses my
path. Walk over to where the deer
reentered the woods and even though I don’t see it through the trees, it sees
me… snorts several times and stomps through the woods away from me.
--- Groceries and some TV end the day.
FRIDAY…
--- Lunch and a walk with Karl. Good on the patio and a nice walk… but I
wonder if the fish and chips didn’t agree with me. I get really tired later in the evening… nap
for a while but am freezing in the house and have to bundle up… then am kind of
hot later in the night.
SATURDAY…
--- Feel better once I wake.
Try watching the Olympics… it’s a mish mash of coverage spread out too
much over too many TV channels. And even
when I’m watching when events are happening live in England, I see more
profiles of athletes and lead up to events than actually seeing events
themselves.
--- And Moses… the moronic carrying on by the Canadian
announcers after the first gold. Rosie
MacLennan wins trampoline and the crew go on pun overdrive. “Jump for Joy Canada!”… “Everything is Coming
Up Rosie!”… and the most horrid… “Champ of the Tramp!” No woman wants any connection to the term
Tramp… at least I’m guessing so.
--- Do a walk. Out an
hour in the heat. About 40 degrees with
the humidity. I’m actually pretty used
to hot weather now. I don’t feel overly
hot out there.
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