Saturday Afternoon Chat: An escape from it all if you will….Do you remember The Monkees?

/ Lisa R. Howeler

This past week was super rough emotionally-wise for a lot of people for many reasons.

I almost didn’t write anything today because when I started to write, I felt a lot of anger and absolute rage at the callousness of people when it comes to the death of others.

I wrote an entire post full of anger and ranting. Then I deleted it all because I remembered a verse my mom has recited to me time and time again when I am angry or down about events in the world.

Paul, writing to the church of Phillipi said, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Whew. Yeah. I needed that reminder this week.

I have not been focusing on things that are just or pure or lovely at all this week.

I am going to try to change that this weekend and next week, though.

I almost wrote an entire post about the many sad events of last week, but I think today I’ll leave this space as somewhere that we can connect on the lighter, happier things. Bettie Gilbert from BettieG’s RA Seasons helped change my mind when she wrote on the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot post yesterday: “Thank you for this resting space to connect, Lisa. It really has been such an intense week full of so many prayers.”

Don’t we all need a bit of a resting space right now? Or an escape if you will?

So, just as I was sinking more into depression yesterday, I saw a post about how The Monkees aired for the first time yesterday (September 12) in 1966 and thought, “I’m going to share that on my blog instead.”

Now, I am not old enough to remember this but I did watch reruns of The Monkees on Nikelodeon on my friends’ TV in the 1980s.

I was obsessed with the show and absolutely over the moon when my brother (I believe it was him) found one of their records. Like a real record. For a record player.

I played that thing all the time.

I was probably about 8 or 9 at the time and even though my brother tried to explain they were old now, I just ignored him and skipped around the house singing their songs.

I had the biggest crush on Davy — or the young Davy. Of course, by the time I was watching him, the dude was like in his 40s or 50s. I must say that when I got much older, I realized he had aged very well.

The show was ridiculous but actually quite funny. Last night I watched one of the episodes which I found on YouTube, and it really did hold up well!

I am considering writing a full blog post on the band after I do some more research, but I can say already that I know that the band was formed for the show and their popularity and touring continued after the show ended. I also know only one band member is still alive — Micky Dolenz.

Many of their songs are still heard on the radio today —  or at least the oldies station with the most popular probably being “I’m A Believer”, written by Neil Diamond. The song was covered in 2001 by Smash Mouth and featured in the movie Shrek.

Personally, I really liked Daydream Believer and even found myself singing along to it last night. After a week from hell that left me reeling and sleeping very little, it was a healing balm to my soul.

I’ve linked it here for your enjoyment:

I found it interesting that at the end of the one full episode I found, there was an interview with the band about some “demonstrations” going on in L.A. about curfews that had been put in place for teenagers, or those under the age of 21 at least. I clipped that for you and thought I’d share it here too.

Bettie told me that when she likes to read and watch garden journals when her heart is overwhelmed.

She also wrote, “God’s nature soothes my soul.”

For Bettie and all of us, I thought I’d share the photos I took on a drive to take my husband’s truck to a mechanic in the middle of nowhere. They aren’t the best quality but I was struck with the insane beauty of the area.

 And Paul said to mediate on what is lovely, so I did that.



I hope you can focus on lovely, just, and noble things this week as you work on healing from whatever might have been hard for you this past week.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

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14 thoughts on “Saturday Afternoon Chat: An escape from it all if you will….Do you remember The Monkees?”

  1. Your post was a bright spot for me as the last several weeks have been emotionally draining and full of sadness on so many levels. I am old enough to have been Monkee-crazy over that group when they first appeared in 1966. I remember it well because my 12-year-old self never missed their show, was madly in love with Davy Jones, and had all of their record albums, including the one you show here. I still know all the lyrics to their songs. My bedroom walls were plastered with photos of them. And even as an…ahem…older adult, I was so sad when Davy Jones passed away and later to learn that only one of them – Micky Dolenz is still alive. Thanks for that little walk down memory lane.

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  2. Those big skies are amazing, thank you for sharing them! Skies always seem bigger there than here, even when you’re in our flatter areas or up high! I have a soft spot for Micky Dolenz, I transcribed an interview with him not so long ago. Here we go, here’s the article: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/24/micky-dolenz-on-the-madness-of-being-in-the-monkees – might be interesting! As for all the horrible things going on the world, I just have to concentrate on what little bits of good I can do around me. And, indeed, looking at nature, noticing the flowers that are still around, etc.

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  3. Awww… you brought a smile to my world, Lisa, with your visit to the Monkees! I was five or six when it debuted and I remember my parents were not too excited about the show but I was a bit intrigued and, of course, as I got older, I had a Davy Jones poster in my room as most my age did (along with Bobby Sherman and David Cassidy)! I enjoyed their music but wasn’t too interested in the show. Although, now looking back, it really was the precursor to the music video, wasn’t it? Thanks for being vulnerable and real here – thee was LOTS of hurt and hopelessness going around last week and we all need those bright spots (I call them God’s little nuggets) to remind us that there is goodness and compassion around us!

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  4. Pingback: Sunday Bookends: Some comfort shows, mystery reading, pretty views | Boondock Ramblings

  5. Aww Lisa, thank you for being so kind to me! Your post today really is another resting place. Your photos of the nature in your area are gorgeous! And hey, just like “gleaming” commented, “I’m a believer” too! Lol. 😂 And yep, I did watch the Monkees when they aired originally. I was only 6, but my brother (he was 7 years older than me) and I would make sure we didn’t miss it, along with Batman too! He’s in Heaven now, so I am very thankful for those fun memories tonight, especially after this week. Blessings to you dear friend.

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  6. My friend, you were there for me when I needed you, and that is a bright spot for me. Of course, then you write this post which is an even brighter spot for me! I watched The Monkees when they first came out…gosh, I think that means I’m probably old enough to be your mother! I had the obligatory crush on Davy, but I also loved Peter because he was such a sweet dork. In fact, we did a Monkees song, Pleasant Valley Sunday, on my blog for Songful Style (I linked it for you…can you believe I figured out how to do that). My grandmother had had a stroke so we (meaning my siblings) inherited her little color tv. We would all crowd into my and my older sister’s bedroom to watch them! I think you can watch them on Tubi.

    You may live where there are few grocery stores and such, but you certainly do live in a beautiful part of this country! I used to live in an area where you could drive a couple of miles and find the same thing. I surely do miss that. If we were younger, I think we’d be moving back.

    Thank you so much, Lisa, for this post and for being you!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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    • I am impressed that you linked that. I don’t even know how to do that in a comment! Ha! I think I could figure it out, though.

      I loved the stories about you watching the show.

      We are very lucky to live where we live even if I don’t enjoy not having the conveniences!

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  7. Good post. I was 4 when the Monkey’s debuted on t.v. but my older brother was 8 so we watched. Then we had the records and we watched in re-runs. I remember at my Nursery School a boy came dressed just like Mike Nesmith–hat and all. His Mom told my Mom how much it cost and my Mom told my Dad saying it was ridiculous. My brother was super impressed though and wanted that outfit lol

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