Before Starbucks | Sanka Decaffeinated Coffee

I was lucky to grow up having two doting grandmas. Although they differed in their child-rearing ways, they loved me. However, my maternal grandma had no problem serving me a delicious cup of milky, watered-down Sanka. My paternal grandma didn't believe small children should be drinking coffee. She sternly told me so during a visit when she asked what I'd like to drink and my reply was, "Coffee with milk and sugar please."

When I was five, we lived with my maternal grandparents while my folks looked for a house in the town my mother grew up in. I felt so grown up sipping my coffee and watching the morning news with my grandparents while my folks were running errands or getting ready for work. Sometimes I even prepared my coffee all by myself. I'd take the small orange Sanka packet and carefully tear it and watch the dark crystals collect at the bottom of my cup. Grandma would pour the hot water. I'd watch as the water magically turn a deep, dark brown. We added lots of milk and a spoonful of white sugar (before the days of Equal, Splenda, Sugar in the Raw and Stevia).

Today, I still enjoy a hot cup of coffee, but thanks to my husband's obsession with the bolder the better, I can only drink dark and bold blends of coffee. However, a part of me longs for that little orange packet. Sanka was weak and today is no longer part of my morning routine. Though strong are the memories of the old house on Corona that stay with me always.   

Five Facts About Sanka Coffee

1. Sanka was 97% caffeine free.

2. Sanka was first marketed in the US in 1923.

3. Sanka was first served exclusively in two Sanka brand coffee houses in New York.

4. Sanka was a sponsor of I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show in the fifties and sixties. 

5. Coffee pots with orange handles can be found in diners all over America. Orange continues to symbolize "Decaf" because of our association with Sanka's orange packaging.

Sanka is still available and sold under the Maxwell House brand. Find it here at Walmart.

View old Sanka commercials here:

Check out a very young Facts of Life Charlotte Rae in the above commercial.

*Sources for facts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanka

*The above blog post does not reflect a connection with the Sanka brand or advertising in any way.

Grandma, Bob Ross & Happy Trees

Bob Ross painting

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may recall stories of my childhood. My parents both worked full-time. After school, my younger brother and I would stay with Grandma until our parents came home. Grandma would prepare dinner for Grandpa and fix us our usual snack of tea and toast. 

With my tea and buttered toast-filled belly, I'd sprawl out on her couch in the basement and drift off to sleep watching Bob Ross and The Joy of Painting. Grandma loved to paint. Much like, Bob, she'd paint beautiful happy trees (Bob Ross coined that term) and landscapes. Today, Grandma suffers from Alzheimer's and has since forgotten how to paint. When I found that out, it was one of the saddest days. 

I remember back in the 1980s and '90s, Grandma loved watching Bob Ross. I recently asked her about him  and just as I suspected, she has forgotten about him. I, of course, haven't. Bob Ross had the most soothing voice. Watching him on YouTube as I write this is making me want to shut my eyes and put my head down on the keyboard. 

I swear, although Bob Ross was a fabulous oil painter, he could have had an amazing career as a hypnotist. Between his relaxing tone and the sound of the paintbrush against the canvas, one could easily pass out in a manner of seconds. I kid you not!

Who is Bob Ross? 

Five Things About Bob Ross

1. Robert Norman Ross was born on October 29, 1942 and passed away on July 4, 1995.

2. Bob was the creator and host of the PBS show The Joy of Painting, which aired between 1983-1994.

3. Bob Ross was a native of Orlando Florida and spent ten years as a records clerk for the US Air Force.

4. Bob Ross died of lymphoma in 1995, sadly he was only 52.

5. He is survived by his brother Jim, his son Steven and his ex-wife, Lydia. 

  

Bob Ross Painting Happy Trees

Bob Ross Makes Me Sleepy

Parker Lewis Can't Lose | Corin "Corky" Nemec

Corin Nemec as Parker Lewis

A true child of the 1980s/1990s will remember watching the Fox primetime television show, Parker Lewis Can't Lose. This thirty minute show was must-see TV for tweens, teens and college kids. Although I myself was a college freshman, I made sure never to miss an episode.

Strongly influenced by the popularity of 1980s film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Parker Lewis Can't Lose,  aired between September 2, 1990 (1990-09-02) – June 13, 1993 and focused on an extremely lovable, and easy-to-relate to, cast of characters. You either wanted to be one of 'em or date one of 'em. Each week, the sitcom's storyline dealt with the high school kids' trials and tribulations in a hilarious way of course.

Parker Lewis Can't Lose was almost like a cooler, flashier, more mature 1990s version of The Wonder Years. You know me and my crushes, each episode, I couldn't decide which guy I liked more ... cute and slick Parker (Corin "Corky" Nemec) or rocker hottie Michael Patrick 'Mikey' Randall (played by Billy Jayne credited as  Billy Jacoby in Just One of the Guys). 

Remember this show? If not, here's a Parker Lewis Can't Lose YouTube clip to rouse your memory.