Hi everyone,

I hope you've all had a good week this week. It's been absolutely freezing here today and probably will be tomorrow as well. It's been snowing in some parts of Victoria today, but we've had rain and really cold winds. Really awful.

It's been a very busy week here, what with work and all the other things that need to get done. The boys are both busy rehearsing for the school musical for the year. It's My Fair Lady this year. James is also into final rehearsals for the performances of his music theatre group which come up in June.

Tim on the other hand, has been absolutely flat out with school things. For one of his subjects they give out this really big assignment which they expect to be done in 2 weeks. Everyone worries and worries about this one, and says that you need to have kept the whole two weeks free so that you can concentrate on it. The subject is Maths Methods. Over here the year 11 and 12 students get a choice of the type of maths they wish to study. There is Further Maths, which is the easiest, Maths Methods which is fairly difficult, and Tertiary Maths, which is very advanced. Tim is studying the latter two and tells me that Tertiary is easier than Methods. He is not the first person I've heard say that either. I don't know what the maths is like in other countries, but ours does sound a bit complicated.

There's not much news Waltons wise I'm afraid, although I did have an email about the Waltons Cruise again. I will post the information onto my site as soon as I can. It does sound like it will be really good fun, but I haven't heard yet if anyone on the list is going. With such a good lineup of people, I do hope it is successful.

I was thinking that it would be nice for some of you newer people to write and introduce yourselves too. How about making some time this week to write and tell us of your love affair with The Waltons?

That's it from Australia for this week. Tune in again next week.

Goodnight everyone,

Karen.

Hi Karen and everyone:

I had planned to send along this note in time for the latest digest, but while I was checking some other mail - the digest came in. Here is my little addition:

I usually try to watch "Talk Soup" on the E! channel each night before I go to sleep, but I never watch the show following it which is called "Night Stand." Well, the other night I was busy with paperwork and forgot to change the channel. I wasn't paying any attention until I heard a voice that sounded extremely familiar. I looked up and was shocked to see our own Joe Conley on "Night Stand". Apparently this show is some kind of a send-up of real talk shows, I think. The host was trying to find his father and Joe was playing one of the possible candidates. He (Joe) was also apparently supposed to be a child molester (I think!)? because he kept making these strange comments and gestures. I guess that was supposed to be the punchline, but I didn't really understand it. I'm glad that he is working, but I kept seeing and hearing Ike Godsey (the clothes were even the same), and it was just way too weird for me. I wish now that I had popped a tape in to record it.

Regards to all.

-Maggy

KAREN'S COMMENT: I'd think it would be difficult to see such a well known actor in that role, but I suppose someone has to do it.

I already wrote to the digest once tonight, but I wanted to add my two cents about this. You asked if anyone else had experience with a college which had an honor system like the one at UV. I have not attended one, but did encounter one about nine years ago. I was a nanny for a woman who was an alumnus of Wells College in New York State. They had an alumni weekend which I attended with her. While we were there, she took me through her old dorm, and what amazed me more than anything was that there were few people in the dorm at the time we were there, but most all dorm room doors were wide open, and you could see jewelry, purses, cash, all sorts of things just lying out in the rooms as we walked by. I remarked about this and she explained that there was an "honor contract" that you signed when you entered the college. She told me that in her six years there (4 undergrad, 2 masters), she knew of only two times that something had been stolen, and both times it had been done by someone visiting the campus. It's too long to explain the contract here, but it is almost exactly like what was described about UV. Not only that, but every building on campus was open 24 hours a day, including a part of the cafeteria where you could get some little snacks and leave the money in a basket. This was nine years ago, so I don't know if this still exists, but it sounds wonderful. It reminds me of when you could leave your house without locking your door (I can still remember this when I was a little girl.)

-Sorry this was so long.

Maggy

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thanks for letting us know of this experience Maggy. Obviously some colleges do have this sort of system going and it does sound wonderful. Imagine being that trusting. At our small school of 380 children, we have to lock everything up at recess and lunch times. Really sad. And of course, you would never think to go out and leave your house unlocked today.

<<They are all amazed to find that his "friend" is really old Zeb Walton and that John Curtis seems to somehow see his spirit when he is playing down by the pond. >>

Not only could John Curtis see Grandpa, but Virginia said she could too, remember? The two children were playing together with their "friend" on the mountain, and when they saw a picture of Grandpa, both identified the man in the picture as being their friend on the mountain, leaving the family speechless. (A very moving and memorable moment.)

Geri Ann

KAREN'S COMMENT: Definitely a goosebumpy moment. And remember Grandma's face when she realises that it has been Zeb who has been keeping the children company at the pond. Fantastic scriptwriting.

<<The Hunt (which interestingly is deemed the first episode to have aired on TV - I always thought it was The Foundling)>>

I'm positive myself it was "the Foundling" which was the first to air - I vividly vividly vividly remember having watched "The Homecoming" when I was 10 years old in 1971, and being excited to find out that the movie would be turned into a TV series, and thinking the very first episode was wonderful when I saw it in the fall of 1972. And the first episode was "the Foundling." (Which I call "John-Boy and the little deaf girl.") I remember it took me a few episodes to get used to Ralph Waite, Michael Learned, and Will Geer in the roles that Andrew Duggan, Patricia Neal and Edgar Bergen played in the original "Homecoming" movie.

As a P.S., the little girl who was playing with John Curtis on the mountain when John Curtis saw Grandpa's spirit was his cousin Virginia, Ben and Cindy's little girl. (Someone asked who the other child was.)

Geri Ann

KAREN'S COMMENT: You're quite right about The Foundling being the first to air, but indeed it was The Hunt, which was produced first. Now perhaps here is a talking point question...Which one would make the better premiere episode and why? Send us your responses and I'll publish them next week.

May 9 1999

Hi and Happy Mother's Day to you. I want to thank you for spending the time and energy sending out the journal. Also one of my special memories of Grandmother Walton was when she intervened between Ben and Cindy. She explained how she used the broom on Zeb "Old Fool" and called Ben "Young Fool". She had Cindy use the broom on Ben thus reducing the tension of the situation.

Love

Bill

KAREN'S COMMENT: Thank you for the Mothers Day greeting Bill. I've been watching some of the third season episodes, and those with Grandma featured are very special, especially those between Grandma and Grandpa.

We just saw John Boy graduate from high school Thursday I sent a note to the Forum which has been made into quite an issue-apparently they never had the episode where John boy graduates from Boatright. He went there but then suddenly he got his manuscript completed, sent it off, and then moved to New York.

When you wrote a commentary on an incident in one of the classics in the Literary Tradition-The Iliad, the Odyssey, The Aeneid, Beowolf, Song of Roland, Divine Comedy, Paradise Lost--you would sign a pledge saying that the theme or commentary was prepared entirely by me and I received no help from any other student or person. This was at the University of Dallas-1962-1963 I am not sure if that is still utilized there today.

It is often better to take examinations in an auditorium where there are seats between the students and it would be difficult for a persons eyes to wander far enough to see what another student has written unless they have better than 20/20 vision without glasses.

Donald

KAREN'S COMMENT: Yes we don't see John Boy graduating from college and really can only assume that he actually finished his degree.

Dear Karen:

Thanks so much for the digests. It's a joy to receive them. To Noreen in Vancouver, thanks for all the info about the Waltons episodes, I've been looking for them! Do you know if Virgin Records would do any specialty orders? I'd love to be part of a Walton fan get together. I know there are many, many fans here. Keep us posted, or perhaps you could e-mail me. Does anyone else know if Judy Norton actually lives in Vancouver? News to me!

Anyway, keep up the great work. It's really appreciated Karen. Janet.

KAREN'S COMMENT: Janet I thought I had read that Judy Norton lives around there somewhere. I think a fan get together is a great idea.