Television was not a big part of my life as a kid, and I was forbidden to watch on Sundays. I missed the Beatles debut on Ed Sullivan, and never watched Bonanza until I got married (we had church on Sunday night and attendance was mandatory). I remember watching Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, Lassie, Gunsmoke, Paladin and Combat.

I still don’t watch a great deal of TV. It’s never on during the day, but usually by 8 pm we’re watching a couple of our favorite programs unless B1G sports (Iowa Hawkeyes) or our grandson’s college basketball game (Cleveland State) is on.

So I’m kinda perplexed why I became fixated with the TV guide magazine years ago. I can’t remember not reading the TV Guide. Although grocery money was hard to come by, I always added the Guide to my grocery cart. A few years later I bought subscriptions whenever a good deal was advertised. (I’ve added to my subscription so often the magazine will arrive years after I’m no longer around to read it). Back in the 70’s it was the size of a fat Golden Book. Several years ago they changed their format to publishing every other week, then scaled back to every 3 weeks during the summer when it was mostly reruns. Now they deliver every 3 weeks permanently. I hate that change. And life around me stops until I read it cover to cover. I read about every soap opera but haven’t watched one since the mid-70’s. I pour over program details/stars that I absolutely have no interest in-ever. Weird. For decades I was the queen of TV/movie trivia. When the kids were in college they often called when stumped over an obscure line/scene from a show or movie. It was rare if I couldn’t come up with a quick answer which was usually right.

Most of my inconsequential nonsense has been forgotten (like what I made for supper last night). But I’ve not given up reading the TV Guide from the cover to the last page every time it arrives (although I don’t retain these obscure details like I did 20 years ago), I’m still compelled to read every juicy detail. With all the streaming services when I spot a program that interests me I’ve got to write it down or I’ll forget the name of it but I’ve always been a multiple list maker so I just make more.

The mail fetcher at our house has changed hands. When handwritten letters/cards were commonplace I loved running out to the mailbox but those personal correspondence days don’t get much traction these days. I used to be good and faithful at writing cards and notes to friends but arthritis in my hands/knuckles has ended that practice. I still miss writing unimportant notes though. I have no desire to pick up our bills so Hubs has taken on that daily routine. He plops the TV Guide near ‘my nest’ and I immediately go through and remove all advertisements that have been inserted throughout. I give them a quick once over in case another offer (too good to be true) for extending my TV guide reading enjoyment past 2030-hahaha.

And then it’s time to get serious with the inside cover, top shows for the week, renewals, premieres, finales and cancellations which can be a downer if I hadn’t heard one of my programs wasn’t renewed for next season. They write a few daily tidbits included in each of the 3 weeks and now highlight when the program is N (new). If it doesn’t have a capital N in red, you’re looking at a rerun (but there’s usually several mistakes). This season has been especially thin/short because of the writer’s/actor’s strike with regular programs adding up to only a dozen or so before their season finale. (When I was young regular programs totaled about 30 episodes, now 20 is considered a long season, and many stop at 8-10. It’s like a miniseries with long stretches of time between seasons. Enough about lamenting about something I shouldn’t care about at all.

So here’s what happened. I’m about 2/3 done reading this guide dated April 1 to the 21st when I spot, “What’s Worth Watching” for 4-15 through 4-21 and my eyes do a double take. WHAT? A small paragraph with a picture the size of a postage stamp.

WNBA BASKETBALL

7:30/6/30 ESPN WNBA Draft

The Indiana Fever have the first pick in the WNBA Draft in Brooklyn. No surprise: They’re going to select Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (above) the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.

Holy moly! I know that young lady! (No I really don’t but feel like I do. Been watching her (and the rest of Lisa Bluder’s Hawkeye team hoop it up with Caitlin breaking scoring/assists/3-pointer records and setting attendance records wherever they play). Oddly enough this Caitlin tidbit was right above a picture of Steph Curry, who she’s often compared to in basketball.

Although my Hawkeyes didn’t win the national title, the ladies championship game drew about 5 million more viewers than the men’s final. Ha! Keep pursuing your dreams Caitlin. I’ve never watched a WNBA game but plan on watching this year. My sincere hope is that Caitlin keeps playing her exceptional game and viewership is through the roof…

We’ll miss you too…