Monday, July 7, 2025

'The Goldbergs' and the Russians


Yesterday was calm and peaceful around here, for the most part. It rained in the morning and again, hard, in the afternoon -- which is great because the ground is as hard as baked clay. (Which is what it is, I suppose. It's raining now, too.) In between we had a burst of sunshine long enough for me to sit in the garden with a New Yorker, and for Olga to do some sunbathing. I watched this peacock butterfly (above) as it visited our buddleia and dusty miller plants.

I read an interesting article in The New Yorker about television pioneer Gertrude Berg. I don't think I'd ever heard of her, or her show "The Goldbergs," which was first on radio in 1929 and eventually moved to television in that medium's earliest days. "The Goldbergs" was a predecessor to "I Love Lucy," and its lead character, played by Berg, was immensely popular. But unlike "Lucy" it was never syndicated and many of its episodes have vanished into the ether, with some preserved only on kinescope.

I've long been interested in old TV shows so I'm surprised I didn't know of this one. But unless an old show was filmed and later syndicated for release as a repeat, I never saw it growing up. That's why shows like "I Love Lucy," "The Honeymooners," "Star Trek" and "Gilligan's Island" made a huge impression on me long after their initial runs, while I've barely ever seen other popular programs, like "Mission: Impossible" or "Honey West" or "The Man From UNCLE," that didn't become staples of syndicated TV in the '70s. (At least not where I lived.) "The Goldbergs," sadly, never had the benefit of syndication.

In other news, I found the real estate listing for the Russians' apartment. The one time I've been inside it was during the peak of their renovations, so it was interesting to flick through the photos and see how it looks now. I'm not surprised that it is pristine and pale. I am surprised at the rent they're asking -- Dave and I pay nowhere near that much, though granted, the Russians have an additional bedroom. I keep hearing about how crazy rents have become, and perhaps this is evidence. Food for thought any time we consider moving in the future.


Dave and I have scheduled a vet appointment for Olga this morning. She still seems a bit weak and off-balance after her "episode" last week and we just want to get her looked at. I think it's probably her vestibular disease flaring up again, in which case we may just have to wait for it to subside on its own. But we should have her ears and heart checked, at a bare minimum.


Here are some more blooming things in the garden -- the burdock (above with the bee) and the teasels. Some of our plants have been looking desperate, so once again, thank goodness for this rain!

13 comments:

  1. Those flower pictures are stunning, Steve, and I will be thinking about dear Olga, hoping that all is well!

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  2. Loved reading this! I had no idea about “The Goldbergs” either so interesting. Glad you and Olga got some sunshine between the rain. Hope her vet visit goes well. That peacock butterfly and burdock photo are beautiful!

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  3. Oh, the Man From Uncle - I loved that programme. An empty thermometer case became the communication thing and we would hide and talk into it!
    I love Lucy was also on TV here - but I didn't really get it - much too young!

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  4. It is interesting to see things that we watched avidly years ago...some survive the test of time, others we think...just why, what did we see in that ?!
    Lovely to see the insects in your garden.
    Rents are rising everywhere, even in areas where incomes are low.
    Good sense for Olga to have a checkup

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  5. I hope that the vet will find that Olga is OK.
    Lovely to get some rain after all the dry weeks. Watering the garden every evening was getting boring!! It is due to stop here very soon, so you should be dry too in a while! ( It is coming your way from here!)

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  6. I hope your landlord doesn't get any ideas after seeing how .much rent The Russians are asking.

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  7. All the best for Olga. Your butterfly and bee close-up are wonderful.
    We have a relative working in real estate and she told us all about the power of a wide angle lens and how to "resize" photos in ads to get a more realistic idea of space. The terminology includes the famous "swing a cat" measure.

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  8. £5,128 a month for 2 bedrooms, and no concierge or gym or pool. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Disturbed, but not surprised. I suppose now we know why they’ve been upgrading non-stop. It wasn’t for themselves. AND I understand why she was so rabid about trimming the front garden. For the photo. It made a better photo overgrown. The peacock photo is gorgeous. I know of The Goldbergs but never saw it (and it didn’t last very long, did it). Grew up on Honey West, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and Mission Impossible. I idolized Napoleon Solo and my friend, Mickey Mass (seriously), told everyone he was our cousin, which was confusing because he didn’t tell everyone WE were cousins.

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  9. Has everyone clicked on the link, what a bland looking home. Hope Olga gets the all clear. BTW I loved I love Lucy, it was so funny.

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  10. Despite myself I clicked on the link. That rent isn't "crazy", Steve. It's shit bat crazy. Roughly £46.00/sqm (I can't think in feet). Anyway, never trust an estate/letting agent's photos. They use an angle that makes everything look much bigger than it is.

    On the upside, considering the price, you won't be landing yourself with "riff-raff". More likely another Russian family. HA!

    Best to Olga (now, there is a fine Russian name),
    U

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  11. For some reason I got, "Oops, the page you're looking for could not be found" when trying to reach the estate agent link. This is frustrating because I am a nosy guy.

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    1. Now I have managed to get through the blips and defences to see the listing. Surprisingly, no mention of the property's American security guards who live downstairs with their vicious guard dog - Jaws.

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  12. Sounds like a peaceful day. I’ll have to look up Gertrude Berg—amazing how much early TV has vanished. And yes, rents really are getting out of hand

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