Loved these special Sunday memories, so full of concrete and specific details from your recollections of special times from the past when you and your family could be sure of being together after a busy week.
I still read “Calvin and Hobbes” from the huge 3-volume set of the collected comics when I need a good laugh. His poor beleaguered parents nevertheless had numerous strategies that sometimes worked to cope with their annoyingly precocious miscreant of a son. Hobbes was the refectory foil for Calvin. I remember clipping and saving “Ziggy” comics as long ago as 1977 when I was getting the Charlotte Observer. I could always relate to Xiggy’s dilemmas and quandaries. I have volumes of “Peanuts” books and collections of comic strips, but it has only been late in life that I came to fully appreciate the genius of Charles Schulz.
I loved to go through and read big, thick Sunday newspapers in the pre-Internet days, when they were a huge source of every kind of news and feature story, business news, arts and culture and more. When I was traveling across the country in the 1980s, I would go to all the newspaper stands and sometimes buy 4-5 Sunday papers, and then head back to my motel room and read them all. Of course, you can see from this why I was for years in the journalism business as a reporter and editor. I’ve always loved newspapers, but read them all online. The print editions are today reduced to tiny versions of their former selves, done in by the Internet. I so miss those big, fat Sunday papers. The big bonanza paper was always the Sunday “New York Times,” so full of excellent writing and photography. I loved the physical heft of the paper as well as the stimulating stories they always made me think.
It’s too bad Sundays have become busy and rushed with little room these days for big family dinners and get-togethers as in the past, which almost seems like a golden age.
I get very nostalgic for times gone by. This essay brought back a lot of memories for me. One downside, though, was that by Sunday night we had to finally tackle our homework for school on Monday morning. When I was growing up there was lots of homework every night, at least it seemed that way to me, which is why I procrastinated about doing it until I finally HAD to after Sunday supper. Groans at the memory of that! :)
Settling down with a big stack of papers sounds fantastic. One thing I didn't add to this piece was the time I spent going through the Times Union's Preview, the local arts and culture inserts, to look for upcoming shows and open mic nights and read movie reviews. I also liked the Food section with its recipes, restaurant reviews, and articles about food and health.
Lately, I've been itching to hit up a bookstore and buy a few actual magazines. There's something about flipping through printed pages, as you alluded to in your recollection of reading papers, that the internet can't replicate. Not that I don't already have plenty to read...but I love the feeling of browsing the shelves and discovering new titles. And maybe I'm weird, but I also love the way that books and magazines smell.
I've been making a concerted effort to slow down my Sundays. I don't bring my phone to church, and I limit my use of it the rest of the day. I spend some focused time in prayer, take a walk, and carve out time for deeper Bible study. In the afternoon, I cook a big batch of dinners for the week. So far, it's been working out pretty well as a way to unwind.
And, believe it or not, I have every single Calvin & Hobbes book. I haven't been back through them in a while, but I suspect the cultural commentary still rings true.
Loved these special Sunday memories, so full of concrete and specific details from your recollections of special times from the past when you and your family could be sure of being together after a busy week.
I still read “Calvin and Hobbes” from the huge 3-volume set of the collected comics when I need a good laugh. His poor beleaguered parents nevertheless had numerous strategies that sometimes worked to cope with their annoyingly precocious miscreant of a son. Hobbes was the refectory foil for Calvin. I remember clipping and saving “Ziggy” comics as long ago as 1977 when I was getting the Charlotte Observer. I could always relate to Xiggy’s dilemmas and quandaries. I have volumes of “Peanuts” books and collections of comic strips, but it has only been late in life that I came to fully appreciate the genius of Charles Schulz.
I loved to go through and read big, thick Sunday newspapers in the pre-Internet days, when they were a huge source of every kind of news and feature story, business news, arts and culture and more. When I was traveling across the country in the 1980s, I would go to all the newspaper stands and sometimes buy 4-5 Sunday papers, and then head back to my motel room and read them all. Of course, you can see from this why I was for years in the journalism business as a reporter and editor. I’ve always loved newspapers, but read them all online. The print editions are today reduced to tiny versions of their former selves, done in by the Internet. I so miss those big, fat Sunday papers. The big bonanza paper was always the Sunday “New York Times,” so full of excellent writing and photography. I loved the physical heft of the paper as well as the stimulating stories they always made me think.
It’s too bad Sundays have become busy and rushed with little room these days for big family dinners and get-togethers as in the past, which almost seems like a golden age.
I get very nostalgic for times gone by. This essay brought back a lot of memories for me. One downside, though, was that by Sunday night we had to finally tackle our homework for school on Monday morning. When I was growing up there was lots of homework every night, at least it seemed that way to me, which is why I procrastinated about doing it until I finally HAD to after Sunday supper. Groans at the memory of that! :)
Settling down with a big stack of papers sounds fantastic. One thing I didn't add to this piece was the time I spent going through the Times Union's Preview, the local arts and culture inserts, to look for upcoming shows and open mic nights and read movie reviews. I also liked the Food section with its recipes, restaurant reviews, and articles about food and health.
Lately, I've been itching to hit up a bookstore and buy a few actual magazines. There's something about flipping through printed pages, as you alluded to in your recollection of reading papers, that the internet can't replicate. Not that I don't already have plenty to read...but I love the feeling of browsing the shelves and discovering new titles. And maybe I'm weird, but I also love the way that books and magazines smell.
I've been making a concerted effort to slow down my Sundays. I don't bring my phone to church, and I limit my use of it the rest of the day. I spend some focused time in prayer, take a walk, and carve out time for deeper Bible study. In the afternoon, I cook a big batch of dinners for the week. So far, it's been working out pretty well as a way to unwind.
And, believe it or not, I have every single Calvin & Hobbes book. I haven't been back through them in a while, but I suspect the cultural commentary still rings true.
Beautiful memories told lovingly.
Thanks, Russell. :) This was a very random piece...I literally got the idea while making lunch one day earlier in the week!