11/14/12 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
Thanks to South Lane Television’s translator on Hansen Butte,
our family is one of the recipients of Cottage Grove’s 'free' television. When
we moved here in 1989 we did not have television reception. A visit to our
local Radio Shack and an antenna was installed so we could receive three
stations—ABC, CBS and NBC. We were stoked!
Thanks to a recent Sentinel article, I know a little more
than I did about the history of the translator that transmits broadcasts to us
here in the country. Kudos to the five local businessmen who decided in 1957
that if they were going to sell more televisions they were going to have to get
us better reception. Now, according to Lloyd Williams of SLTV, that system is
one of the finest in the United States.
At our house, we receive far more channels than we watch but
nothing compared to those of you with access to dozens of channels on cable or
satellite dishes. We toy with signing up for one of those just to watch certain
HGTV and History channel shows. Still, nothing can beat OPB (public television)
as our favorite network channel.
My husband is the principal viewer of all television at our
house and most of the programs he watches are on OPB. He enjoys everything from
“This Old House” to “Oregon Art Beat.” Anything from car shows, woodworking
shows to travel, history or old guys solving cold cases is fair game for his
clicker.
I, on the other hand, have just a handful of favorites.
First and foremost, I am an avid fan of the Antiques Roadshow. Life comes to a
standstill at our house on Monday night. The Roadshow is arguably the best
reality show on TV. It mixes nostalgia with hope and a little greed. Probably
one of my favorite segments was an Oklahoma man who was utterly shocked when
his (ugly) Chinese rhinoceros-horn cups were appraised at $1.5 million. In
everyone’s dream, he went from Social Security to millionaire in the blink of
an eye.
Last year, we discovered a new treasure on OPB. “Doc Martin”
is the name of the hit show that began its run in England. It took only one
episode for it to become our must-see Thursday night TV event.
We love the unlovable and cantankerous Doctor Martin
Ellingham. He is a surgeon whose rising star in the London medical world
crashed and burned when he developed a blood phobia that prevents him from
operating. He’s a bitter man.
Doc was forced to retrain as a general practioner and hired
to set up his surgery (office) in Portwenn, a tiny little Cornish town where he
spent childhood summers with his Aunt Joan. His patients were used to tea and
sympathy. He is a brilliant physician and diagnostician and a total curmudgeon.
On this premise is built one of the most complicated and enjoyable story lines
on television.
Doc is socially challenged to the maximum. Over and over it
is clear that this he could care less about how his patients and peers
emotions. He lives to make them well physically. Any other kind of relationship
is an intrusion. He is blunt and to the point—“do this and check back with me
in two weeks. Goodbye!” No bedside manner.
Slowly, the story line introduces a pretty primary school
teacher Louisa Glasson into his life. She’s attracted to him. He’s attracted to
her. And you cannot imagine how complicated and stressful their relationship
becomes. Most of the time I wonder how she keeps from slapping him but
then…well, you just have to watch it evolve.
As I understand it, the show only films every two years.
Right now, it’s in re-runs and if you haven’t seen it, tune in Thursday nights.
Doc Martin has something for everyone—humor, relationships, mystery, suspense
and romance. And you don’t have to worry about it being inappropriate for mixed
company. It’s all done in good taste.
“Call the Midwife” is my latest addiction. This OPB series
is based on a memoir written by Jennifer Worth describing her life in the East
End of London during the 1950s. It was written in response to a call for
“someone to do for midwifery what James Herriot did for vets.” Worth died in
2011 and Vanessa Redgrave narrates her story.
I must admit that as a child of the 1950s, I was shocked at
the poverty and harsh living conditions that are portrayed in London tenements.
Young twenty-two year old Jenny Lee Worth was also shocked as she arrived not
at a clinic but at Nonnatus House (a pseudonym for the Sisters of St. John the
Divine in Whitechapel) to live and work alongside her fellow nurses and the
Sisters.
The Sisters of St. Raymond Nonnatus have been active in the
East End as Anglican nursing nuns since the beginning of the 20th
century. I love the way their humanity is portrayed and the way they teach the
young nurses their mission. They are there to serve their patients. They are
not there to judge the often harsh and immoral lifestyles. Their primary work
is to bring literally thousands of babies safely into the world and help the
moms care for their newborns.
The stories revolve around the drama and trauma in the lives
of individual mothers. There is lighthearted fun back at the nunnery as the
young nurses struggle to have a personal life. And then there’s Sister Monica Joan, an elderly and
eccentric nun who is also a kleptomaniac! It’s a dedicated, diverse community
ministering in a challenging and diverse environment. The story line is intense
but also a breath of fresh air.
So check out OPB. It has something for everyone and you’ll
be glad that you did. And thank you SLTV for making it possible for everyone to
enjoy quality television!
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people,
places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via
e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
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