November–A Month of Thanks
November—A Month of Gratitude
Week 1. Thankful for JEOPARDY!
by Alice Jane-Marie Massa
Once again, during the month of November, I will be sharing a cornucopia of thanks. The challenge is that I will try to mention only a gratitude which I have not previously included on November blog posts of earlier years. In the comments section of each November post, you are invited to share something for which you are particularly thankful.
Most people who know me do know that I am a longtime and avid fan of the best game show ever—JEOPARDY! I have greatly enjoyed JEOPARDY since the thirty-minute program first aired on March 30, 1964, with then host Art Fleming. The first run of this famous game show was from 1964 through 1975. Sometime during the mid to late ‘60s, I even had a JEOPARDY game for playing away from the television broadcast. This game was quite low-tech with a print booklet of many answers; this booklet could be folded to fit behind a plastic frame that appeared similar to the early television program’s board with six categories.
Although Art Fleming had a second brief run of hosting JEOPARDY from 1978 through 1979, Alex Trebek earned his television fame with the especially long run of hosting JEOPARDY from 1984 through 2020 (with his last recorded program airing on January 8, 2021). As soon as Alex Trebek’s book THE ANSWER IS …: REFLECTIONS ON MY LIFE was released in July of 2020, I quickly purchased the audio version of the book, narrated by Ken Jennings and Alex Trebek, and promptly listened to the recorded book. Even through all of the guests hosts and current two hosts, my devotion to JEOPARDY continues. Now, I can even listen to a podcast entitled INSIDE JEOPARDY to learn more about the “behind-the-scenes” happenings.
Yes, I must admit that at times, my voice-mail message has been JEOPARDY-related. Well, you know I do not answer the phone from 6:00 to 6:30, each evening, Monday through Friday, when JEOPARDY is broadcast in the Milwaukee market. During the months football season does not interfere with JEOPARDY season, one of our local channels wisely broadcasts reruns of JEOPARDY on Saturdays. Thus, I can enjoy JEOPARDY six nights a week during the majority of the year. (Please do not ask me about CELEBRITY JEOPARDY.)
Except for holiday specials, the only time I listen to television is for JEOPARDY and news programs. Since the “Tournament of Champions” began on Monday of this week, I was able to quickly decide to place JEOPARDY onto my thankful list. For me, the JEOPARDY “Tournament of Champions” draws much more attention and enthusiasm than the Olympics and Super Bowl.
While I immensely enjoy playing the game at home, I have never had illusions of trying out for the game; however, I have known people who have tried to become JEOPARDY contestants. If ever I go to California again, I would love to attend a taping of JEOPARDY at the Alex Trebek Studio. My special thanks to all who made and continue to make this educational game show possible!
Enjoy the “Tournament of Champions”!
Alice and Leader Dog Willow
November 2, 2022, Wednesday
alice13wordwalk 
Alice, it is such a nice idea to use your posts to relate things you for which you are thankful! While I am also a Jeopardy fan, I do not have your lengthy history with this educational game show. It wasn’t until 2005 that we started to watch regularly. Part of that reason was my mother, who lived with us, was a big Wheel of Fortune fan which aired at 6 P.M. The Madison station we watch aired Jeopardy at 4:30 which was my commuting time from downtown Milwaukee. After Mom died in 2005, we started watching it regularly, and I can’t remember what led us to do that. It may have been that a friend named Alice mentioned it. A big issue when we traveled in the US was to find what time it aired where ever we were. So, like you, I am grateful for that show also.
My own thankful item for this week is being introduced to author Louise Penny. My sister and her husband are avid readers and highly recommended the series. After getting a few of the books from the library, I decided to re-read the series in order, and began purchasing the books. Today I started re-reading book #17 in preparation for the release of book #18 on November 29. I am such a fan that in 2017 we visited the Eastern Townships of Quebec focusing on Lac Brome (Knowlton) where Penny lives. She never disappoints me.
Good afternoon, Sue–What a most interesting comment! Thank you so much
for sharing not only your JEOPARDY history, but also something for which
you are thankful this week–the book series by Louise Penny. Wonderful
response! Coincidentally, last week, I asked “Alexa” when the next
Louise Penny book would be released, but “Alexa” was not as
well-informed as you. I appreciate knowing the release date for the
next Louise Penny book.
Please read Mary’s comment on this blog post for more JEOPARDY
information. I thought you had been a longtime JEOPARDY fan also.
Your comment may lead in nicely to what I have been planning for
next week’s blog post. which may be a day or two late due to computer
work that is scheduled to be transpiring next Wednesday.
Take care, and happy reading–Alice and Willow
Dear Alice, Do I have a surprise for you? You may have forgotten that I have your Jeopardy game from the 60s at my house. Yes, the box has been on the game shelf in our sunroom for many years and is in perfect condition. All five of our grandchildren have long enjoyed playing other games that belonged to their daddy and uncle. Our ten-year-old grandson Tyson has at times noticed the Jeopardy game with interest, which always prompted me to say that he’s not quite old enough for that game yet. Today when I pulled the Jeopardy game from the shelf, I saw that the game is marked for ages 10 to adult. Hooray! Tyson is now 10, so we will finally set up the old game and learn to play it. I don’t know if Tyson will be as devoted a fan of the game as his Aunt Alice, but he will probably come close to her enthusiasm. Stay tuned for more news of your Jeopardy game! Good luck as you continue to compete from home on your favorite game show! Love, Mary Sent from my iPad
>
To my sister–Yes, I wondered if you still have the–my–JEOPARDY game
from my younger days. You should take a photo of the box and inside
plastic board with print answers behind. I will look forward to hearing
how Tyson and Emmy like the game. I imagine that most of the questions
(answers) in the booklet are now all of the older variety–more
challenging for younger players, but better for us of an older generation.
Thanks–Alice and Leader Dog Willow