Farewell to Pine Valley

When I worked in a research lab, back in the mid-90's, we all had these dry erase boards hanging outside our lab doors in the hall, where we would leave each other messages.  I vividly recall that one day my board announced "I'LL BE BACK AFTER LUNCH.  TAD IS GOING TO RECOGNIZE DIXIE TODAY!!!" Oh, yes, I confess that there have been a least a few times in my life when I have left work to watch a soap opera.  But not just any soap opera...the best one!  

All My Children began its run in 1970.  I was a freshman in high school.  I recall watching it occasionally during the summers, but I only vaguely remember it back then.  I was just beginning my long lasting love affair with TV.  A few of my favorites were I Dream of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island and Here Come the Brides (Oh, Bobby Sherman!).  

In college, the soap The Young and the Restless was all the rage.  A large group of our dorm residents (all girls, of course) would gather at lunchtime in the TV lounge to watch the story of someone who I believe was named "Snapper".  Obviously, for me that obsession didn't last.  

After graduating from college & going to work, in the pre-VCR/DVR/Soapnet past, it was difficult to find times when I could catch up with the goings on in Pine Valley.  I'd see it during the occasional quick lunch at my apartment or on a holiday or sick day.  Characters would come and go, but still it was pretty easy to catch up and keep up with the drama going on, mostly centering around Erica Kane.  

One of my all-time favorite couples was Palmer Courtland's daughter Nina, and Cliff Warner.  Their lavish fairy-tale wedding was amazing to me when I was a young wife myself.  When I was home with a new baby in the early 80's, I watched All My Children every day.

Cliff and Nina

In all these years, I've only known one other person who loved the show almost as much as me.   At the last job I had before I retired to become a full-time GrandMartha, my co-worker, Amber, was also obsessed with the residents of Pine Valley, PA.  But, being a very busy young mom, she rarely watched the show herself.  I'd watch it on Soapnet in the evenings and then update her at work over morning coffee.  I believe she enjoyed watching my animated re-caps more than she would have enjoyed watching the show herself.  

In the past few years of baby-sitting my grandsons, I watched less and less of AMC.  Although I was home, I spent more time watching recordings of The Backyardigans & less watching people who were supposed to be dead return and watching people who had pledged to love each other forever, fall into the arms of someone else.  The storylines had begun to annoy me.  

But I've watched again for the past couple of weeks.  Since the news of the show's ending was announced, I've wondered how they would go out.  Talk about bringing people back from the dead!  But you know what?  I'm kinda cool with that!  How else would you be able to see again one more time these characters you loved in the past?  As the show closes, Tad and Dixie (Dixie freshly resurrected!) are planning to get married again.  

So, today at noon I'll be watching.  And when the strains of that familiar theme start playing, I'm probably going to cry. (I swear if they use the old string version in place of the new one, I'm really gonna lose it!) I'll be saying goodbye to something that has been an almost constant in my life for 40 years!  How many things can you say that about?  

The beautiful Susan Lucci (aka Erica)