Lawrence Welk, Dean Martin, and Ed Sullivan. Of these three shows, I would say the Ed Sullivan Show was fantastic. He introduced many famous acts, like the Beatles and Elvis Presley. One of my favorite moments of his show was his sweet and cute interaction at the end with Topo Gigio, the mouse. My second favorite show of these three was Dean Martin. he was funny to watch; he was permanently plastered! But I have to say my least favorite was Lawrence Welk, unnecessary torture that my elderly aunts inflicted upon me. 

“If you do not sit to watch Lawrence Welk, you cannot watch Star Trek or Dark Shadows,” my favorite shows. WOW! I still cringe thinking about Sissy and Bobby, the dancing couple! And that accordion music was not for me at all. But there I was, watching these shows with my Aunt Mary and Julia.

The Great Old Aunts

Looking back, these precious moments were shared with my great-old aunts. They were so unique, kind, and loving. They treated me like a princess. Aunt Mary made me beautiful dresses. She would pick a design from the magazine, cut the pattern out of brown craft paper, and reproduce the exact outfit for me. I had fabulous outfits: a beautiful wine-red velvet dress, a gorgeous lace pink dress with a pink satin undergarment, and a Jackie Onassis gown in baby blue satin.

Aunt Mary, the Master Chef

Aunt Mary was also a fabulous gourmet cook, creating elaborate formal dinners. I got my passion for cooking and baking from her. Anytime she was cooking something fancy, I’d be right next to her, helping her and learning all these wonderful cooking techniques. In our days, she would be considered a master chef! That is how good she was.

Aunt Julia was the Mystic Old Aunt; she taught me how to read tarot cards and tea leaves, and she loved telling ghost stories from the old country of Colombia. Stories about the family history there as well. My family went back as far as when Colombia was called The Republic of New Granada circa 1831-1858. 

Aunt Julia, the Mystic

Aunt Julia also taught me how to play Canasta, poker, gin rummy, and other proper parlor games, and she was also the joke teller.

Life with my aunts was very proper, with tea times and dressing up to the nines just to go shopping. They would turn in their graves to see me now at Walmart in shorts, LOL

So, watching Lawrence Welk was some quality time I spent with my beautiful aunts.

I learned kindness and civility, which led to a well-rounded upbringing.