A Not so Wordless Wednesday on Thursday

When I was a little girl, I loved puzzles, paint by numbers, anything arts and crafts, our family pets, my family, my friends and a few outfits and shoes I had.

I also loved music. I grew up in house full of music of many genres. The music my parents listened to, the music my big sister listened to and the popular music on local radio and TV shows. One of those shows was American Bandstand.

I think there was a time that everyone in the US had American Bandstand on their television at some point. Yesterday was not only my birthday, but the day that Dick Clark died. The ultimate teenager and man behind the show that introduced so many "top 40" artists to the US, died from a massive heart attack while having some procedure done at a hospital in Santa Monica, CA.

Then today I learned that not only did Levon Helm from The Band die, but Jonathan Frid (the original Barnabas Collins) passed away as well. Levon Helm passed away from cancer today, and Jonathan Frid passed from natural causes on Saturday.

I was a major Dark Shadows fan as a child. I mean seriously obsessed. I would run home from school every day so that I could watch the show. This was way before the days of VCRs and DVRs. The show was, in retrospect and watching from an adult perspective, very campy and full of  "bloopers" such as boom mikes in the scenes or stage hands, but, as a kid I never noticed that. I was just thoroughly caught up in it.

Once I woke my parents up screaming because I had a Dark Shadows type nightmare. My mom threatened to cut me off. She told me I couldn't watch it anymore. I really thought I would die! I could NOT comprehend life without it (and I was so young to be so dramatic). I cried, begged, whined, carried on and basically tortured her until she agreed to let me watch it and the agreement was that if I had another nightmare, no more Dark Shadows. Luckily, I never had another one, or at least not one that made me scream in the middle of the night!

So, I dedicate this post to Dick Clark, Levon Helm and Jonathan Frid. They were such a part of my childhood and my life. They brought joy and entertainment and music that I will forever be thankful for.