Granny and Corie crocheting

Granny teaching Chatter a new crochet stitch

We’re all in and out of Granny’s house. I’m still staying an entire day with her each week, but there are other reasons to stop by too.

Sometimes she needs help with something, sometimes we need to borrow something from her, and sometimes we need her help—like with a new crochet stitch.

The girls and I all tease about getting pulled in by Granny’s choice of tv programming. It’s almost always playing an old western show or movie. And every day at 3:00 p.m. it has The Waltons on it.

If we need to hurry on home we all tease by saying “Oh no I’m getting sucked in to the tv.” 🙂

Sometimes it’s nice to let yourself become immersed. I love the western shows. Seeing the horses, the outfits, and the story-line that always ties up nicely makes me feel better about life.

A while back Chitter got pulled into a Waltons episode and was introduced to a new song. It was written by Jimmie Davis, but Merle Haggard was singing it on the show.

Hope you enjoyed the old song!

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24 Comments

  1. I really enjoyed the song, especially the guitar playing. The Waltons premiered on TV my freshman year in college. John Boy’s Boatwright College was based on the University of Richmond, and I was a freshman at the girls’ division Westhampton College. Earl Hamner, author and creator of the series, spoke at a convocation at our school, and I was thrilled to hear him speak. Streaking was a craze at the time, and a streaker ran up the center aisle of the chapel where the convocation was held, wearing a bag over his head. I was mortified! In the chapel, of all places!

  2. My daddy use to sing this song. Tears spring to my eyes just remembering.
    Tipper I am loving your reading of “Dorie” … & I even won it from one of your give away’s! The part where her Dad is described as Black Dutch…I relate!!! My husband & I helped in a Christian school in Clinton Tn. Years ago & the pastor’s mother stopped me one day & asked if I was Black Dutch! My Daddy’s family was knowN to be just that! I asked her what made her ask & she said, well you look just like those folks over in Dutch Valley not far from here & you favor them …dark hair & eyes. Probably cousins!

  3. Enjoyed the song so much. The Walton’s is one of my favorite shows. Really enjoyed the interview with Granny. She is a dear! Your family is a blessing to me. Take care and God bless!

  4. I am shocked that Corie had to learn that song from the Walton’s. The Louvin Brothers recorded it in 1958. In fact it was recorded at least 29 times before Merle Haggard did it. Jimmie Davis himself recorded it along with the likes of Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, Hugh X Lewis, Sonny James, Wanda Jackson and even Rosemary Clooney. In case you haven’t heard of Rosemary Clooney she was a pop star in the 50s and 60s. She also had a famous actor nephew George Clooney.
    I’m not showing my knowledge (I looked it up), I showing my age!

  5. My father in law was an extremely good singer and picker. He used to sing this song and oh how this makes me miss him. His gentle voice and calm living. He used to sing a song called Soldiers Last Letter that would bring me to tears. They did a wonderful job on this song!

  6. Wonderful job Corie on the song! Seeing you with Granny is so special. You and your family are so blessed to have her. When I see her, I just smile because she is such a sweetheart! I also grew up watching westerns with my Daddy but my favorite show of all was and is the Waltons. I loved the family and how they all lived together. Back when I was growing up it was not uncommon for the grandparents to live with the rest of the family in the same house. Precious memories! And Tipper, I am loving the book about Dorie. I can’t wait to see what happens in Tennessee.

  7. I remember the song well, and so good that your family brings back the oldies but goodies. Out of step I guess, but I go way back where it seemed the only thing on was westerns, the Hit Parade, and wrestling which I did not care for. In those younger days I never was much of a tv fan, especially in the 50s. Radio was always my favorite, because I could listen and stay busy. I always liked reality and so did my Mom. I sat and enjoyed her shows with her while we had lunch sometimes when I worked from 3-11. She liked Judge Judy and Court TV. Now I am an addict since discovering YouTube. It seems to have opened up an entire learning world for me including our own “Celebrating Appalachia.”
    Those young ladies are so good at anything they set their mind to do. They have talents that seem to come natural, but I know it takes a lot of hard work and focus.

  8. In case anyone is interested, the book Ron Stephens mentions in his comment is “The Way Back to Mayberry – Lessons from a Simpler Time” by Joey Fann. This is a GREAT book. Each chapter starts with a Bible verse then applies it to one of the episodes.

  9. The songs are one of the reasons I love the old shows so very much. I’d much rather watch the old shows than what plays today.

  10. The Waltons are my all time favorite TV show along with The Rifleman. Granny sounds a lot like my late mother in law, she was confined to a recliner in the last year or so of her life and she knew the exact time a western would be on TV.Her favorite was Gunsmoke. My son bought me the complete Walton series of tapes one year for Christmas.

  11. The past couple years I’ve taking a liking to watching westerns. It’s amazing how many actors I recognize from other movies and programs who must have gotten their start on westerns. One thing I like about westerns is the good guy always wins. We also love the Waltons. Two others we love are Little House on the Prairie and Andy Griffith. We bought the series of all of these on DVD so we can watch anytime we want. These shows are so much more wholesome and moral than the junk on TV these days which is why we cut out cable TV years ago. So glad you spend time with Granny every week; you will always be able to look back and treasure these times.

  12. I, too, have rediscovered those old Westerns. Just something warm and cozy about returning to my childhood in the late 1950’s. Aside from all the gun violence and murders, escaping to The Lone Ranger, Cheyenne, Gunsmoke, and The Virginian, puts the current turmoil in perspective. I have a new appreciation for the role of the horse in shaping America. I really don’t think that ANY women in the old west looked anything like Miss Kitty, but as usual, Hollywood had to glamourize everything to satisfy their audiences. I noticed that a number of episodes of Gunsmoke were written by Thomas Savage, whose 1967 novel has been made into the psychological thriller, The Power of the Dog, which might win for Best Picture at the Oscars this year. Nostalgia certainly works for me.

  13. Love that song & that singing ; also Granny showing Tipper the new stitch as I taught myself to crochet & I still love it at my age (72) but wish I’d had a granny handy to teach me! Ya’ll are a precious family…….love to watch the videos & read the wonderful blog! Tipper, you are amazing to do all you do!

  14. That’s a lovely song. I find it soothing!
    I’ve seen Granny do her new stitch; it looks strange to me. It somehow goes from corner to corner instead of the usual square. I can’t quite wrap my head around the difference, but the outcome is very pretty!

  15. I grew up without TV. That is probably why I do not like background noise, course being a loner and liking the woods is part of that to. My wife and I have always had one ourselves but to this day I rarely watch TV. I sit in the corner where I can’t see the screen. Once in a great while I’ll watch something.

    I’m not down on folks who watch it. Like everything else, it has good and bad and so watching it requires good judgment. Like at Granny’s our kids grew up with the old shows. After about 1970 or so our knowledge of shows and actors and actresses gets rather poor because we got too busy and we also didn’t care for Hollywood’s ideas.

    Somehow I missed “Nobody’s Darlin but Mine” on Andy Griffith. i thought I knew that show inside and out. But Chitter and Paul’s rendition is just as good I’m sure. By the way, you all probably know but Joey (I think is the name?) Fane did a whole book of Sunday School lessons derived from the Andy Griffith show. I mention that simply to say that show had moral foundations and, in my opinion, that is a major reason it has endured. The Waltons was like that ro. Hollywood just never seems to get the message that much of America doesn’t want to be dragged down.

  16. Good morning, all, and what a pretty little song! You always do such a fine song! Merle Haggard was once a patient at Vanderbilt. He was a very nice, pleasant and humble fellow in my brief interactions with him over the course of several days. Tipper, we can all relate to old shows, old clothes, old ways and old love. This new stuff is moving us to TRANSHUMANISM. That’s the end goal and it ain’t PURTY…

  17. I loved those old TV programs. I must of watched every episode of the Waltons a dozen times each. Those kind of shows had a moral lesson and emphasized the good in people. It’s hard to find that on TV today. I find I’m watching more and more U-Tube. Channels like the ones you and your girls have on.
    I did like the song.

    1. Same here, MeTV (on free airwaves-antenna tv) and YouTube are what we watch also. Don’t miss paying out all the money for paid tv.

  18. Was just taking about the waltons and little house on the prairie this morning…
    Merle haggard was at the studio often when they filmed, as he had other things going on there and sort of developed a friendship with Michael Landon, and others. He taught the one boy on Walton’s to play the guitar for the show. Something I read somewhere. I’m a wealth of useless trivia, but this one seems to be relevant. Lol
    Love the song! Glad they learned it.
    I’d be at granny’s often also. The bbq and fries looked good that she gave the girls.
    So nice that you spend the day with her.

  19. You are blessed to still have your mom with y’all. She’s a blessing teaching Corey new crochet stitches, or any at all. One of my grandmother’s did tatting. I asked her when I was a teenager to teach me and all she said was “you either know how or you don’t “ and that was my lesson. Sadly I never learned. Corey and Paul did a beautiful job on this song. If my dad was alive he would so enjoy listening to all your families music as much as I do, if not more. Thank you for sharing all your families talents with us.

  20. soon as they started playing it i was “hey i know this song”…hadn’t heard it in at least 40 years but remembered it…ty for the trip to childhood

  21. I love Chitter’s song! She does such an excellent job on whatever she touches, be it music, making soap, decorating her house, or sharing with us what God is showing her in His Word. She is very talented. And very sweet and genuine. It is always wonderful to hear her, and her Uncle Paul, play music. Your Mom is very talented also. I really enjoyed seeing her placemats in your interview video with her this past week. I love to hear about her homemaking adventures through her life (all of life is an adventure!), and all the wonderful memories she shares about her life and others around her. I grew up on Westerns. My Dad took us all over the southwest as I was growing up. I think that is why I love reading Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour – I have been to many places that Louis L’Amour’s stories take place at. As I read these two author’s books, my mind clearly pictures the setting of the story. And I love all the old westerns on tv. I only recently discovered The Waltons, about 4 years ago. I enjoy that show a lot now, too. What a wonderful life Corie has had, and still has. It shows in how she conducts her life as a young adult. I always look forward to the videos her and Katie do for The Pressley Girls you tube channel – their music, their teaching videos, their day-in-their-life, their driving videos – all of them! I think the charm about them is they are very down-to-earth real. They aren’t pretending to live a life they really don’t, so that makes them very relatable to the majority of the world. Corie inspires, and motivates me to live my life fully. She gives me new ideas to pursue, and reminds me of past dreams I wanted to make reality (but I got so busy with other things, I let those dreams collect dust and I forgot about them). And she encourages me to keep moving forward. I bet she doesn’t realize how just being herself has helped so many lives she touches. But it is true for all of us. We need to be who God made us to be, and not try to be anyone else. And that is what Katie and Corie do., they are delightfully real. Thank you for sharing this video on your blog. Corie deserves a huge standing ovation!

    Donna. : )

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