One afternoon when we came home from school, Mom told us that Nellie Briggs, our landlady who lived next door, had invited us over to watch Bonanza the following Saturday night.
She had just purchased a new color television.
Bonanza was one of our favorite TV shows, and we knew that it was now broadcast in color. It was hard to imagine since we were used to seeing it and all other television shows in multiple shades of gray.
I was so excited! I could hardly wait for Saturday night to come around.
When the time came, we walked across the two connected yards between our homes. We stepped up onto her front porch and knocked. Nellie welcomed us and ushered us into her living room.
And there it was. The television was larger than ours. The screen was set behind a thick glass front with rounded corners.
Mom and Dad exchanged pleasantries with her, while Monty and I sat quietly in our chairs, anxiously waiting for the show to begin.
Finally, it came on—and I was instantly mesmerized.
It was almost like walking into a magical world, color replacing the tones of gray that I was used to. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.
After the show ended, we sat in silence for a few moments, and then the adults started discussing the program.
I was so enchanted by the colors that I barely remembered what the show was about.
Soon, it was time to go home again. My parents said their goodbyes and thanked Nellie for inviting us over.
We walked home, but I barely remember anything that came later. All I could think about was the color.
It would be another fifteen years before I would have a color television of my own, but I never forgot that night at Nellie’s and how special it was to me.
By today’s standards, the color probably wouldn’t seem remarkable. But to a little girl who had only known black-and-white television, it felt magical.
Through My Eyes, Gently 