I can remember the big piece-of-furniture radio that stood in Mama and Papa Harrison’s living room.
We sat around it and listened to a few minutes of the evening news or a bit of country music from “The Light Crust Dough Boys,” and some really great “family” shows. Actually, I believe they were all family shows. “Fibber Magee and Molly.” “Baby Snooks.”
Daddy gave one like this Mother for a very special gift.
I remember lying on a chenille bedspread with her on hot summer afternoons and listening to short soap operas. I was about five, which means she was about twenty-five. I can still hum some of their theme songs and commercial jingles. “Just Plain Bill.” “Stella Dallas.” “Pepper Young’s Family” was a particular favorite. And I wanted Ivory soap for my bath. “So pure it floats.” Still, does, I think. Or “Camay, the soap of beautiful women.”
Later, when I was about ten years old, I got to keep that radio in my bedroom and I remember listening to some great “radio plays” as I was falling asleep. “The First Nighter from the Little Theatre just off Times Square,” starring Barbara Luddy and Olan Soule.
When I was in high school, I was the very proud owner of a transistor radio. Way out in West Texas at night, we could pick up all the top songs from KOMA in Oklahoma City. “Only the Lonely, dum dum dum dummy doo ah.”
Now, I really only listen to NPR. In the car or on my laptop.
But today, I decided I wanted a simple little radio so I could listen to NPR other than on my laptop.
In my dreams.
The simplest one available has a weather band, a flashlight, a lantern, a siren, a thermometer, a phone charger, a solar charging panel, and a hand crank. Sadly, it does not seem to have a water purifier. Guess I’ll just add it to my go-bag. You know, the one you’re supposed to grab in a a tsunami. Right now, all mine has in it is cosmetics and dog treats. Hope in the midst of a disaster I can figure it out. Dum dum dum dummy doo ah.
