Family Evening TV Time, the Mediterranean Diet for Beginners, and Roth Conversions Under the 2026 Tax Law

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For many families, evening television once served as a daily meeting point. It wasn’t background noise or something watched individually — it was a shared activity that shaped how evenings unfolded and how families spent time together.

In the 1950s and 1960s, television schedules were fixed, and families adjusted their routines around them. Dinner often ended in time for Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, or The Ed Sullivan Show. On certain nights, children were allowed to stay up later than usual because everyone watched together. Missing an episode meant waiting for a rerun — if one ever came — so being on time mattered.

Many programs were intentionally broad in appeal. Families gathered for westerns like Gunsmoke and Bonanza, variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, and comedies like The Dick Van Dyke Show. In the 1970s, evenings often revolved around All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, or M*A*S*H. Parents and children didn’t watch separately; they watched side by side, often discussing characters or storylines afterward.

Furniture was arranged to face the television, but the experience was still social. Commercial breaks were moments for conversation, snack refills, or explaining jokes to younger viewers. Even disagreements about what to watch were part of the ritual — taking turns choosing programs was a lesson in compromise.

Cable television, VCRs, and eventually streaming services broke the shared schedule. With dozens — then hundreds — of choices, families stopped needing to agree. Personal televisions, and later phones and tablets, allowed everyone to watch different programs at different times. Evenings became quieter, but also more divided.

What disappeared wasn’t just a habit; it was a dependable moment of togetherness that required no planning. Family TV time created connection simply by everyone showing up at the same time.

Some families now recreate this intentionally: choosing one show or movie night a week, sitting in the same room, and watching from start to finish without distractions — all together. The content matters less than the shared experience.

“The Clock Above the Hardware Store”
From the life overview of Martin R., 84, Ithaca, New York. Shared with permission.

For most of my working life, there was a clock mounted above the door of Heller’s Hardware. The object was round and sun-faded, and it ran five minutes slow—a fact that everyone in town knew and quietly adjusted for. I passed beneath it nearly every weekday, usually with a list folded in my pocket and sawdust already clinging to my sleeves.

The clock was never fixed. Someone mentioned it now and then, but no one took responsibility, as if correcting it would break a local spell. Time, in our part of town, moved at its own pace, and we accommodated it.

Years later, long after I’d retired and the store had closed, I walked past the building and noticed just four lighter circles on the brick where the bolts had been. The clock was gone. I stood there longer than I had intended, surprised by how unsettled I felt. I hadn’t realized how often I’d measured my days against that clock.

At home, I checked my watch, then the microwave, then the oven clock. Each one insisted on a slightly different truth. It occurred to me that accuracy had never been the point. What mattered was showing up, day after day, and letting time be something through which you moved together.

I still run my watch a few minutes slow. After all, old habits deserve their say.

***

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The American Antiquarian Society – Digital Collections
This independent research library focuses on early American print culture, offering digitized newspapers, pamphlets, and ephemera from the 17th through 19th centuries. The materials provide a vivid sense of everyday concerns and public life in earlier eras.

The Rijksmuseum – Rijksstudio
Rijksstudio allows you to explore and download high-resolution images from the Rijksmuseum’s collection, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer. The site encourages close looking, with the ability to zoom into fine details often missed in person.

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
by Lisa See
Inspired by the true story of a woman physician in fifteenth-century China, this historical novel immerses you in a world where a determined healer defies rigid gender roles and builds a circle of support among women as she pursues her calling. With lush cultural detail and rich friendship at its core, it celebrates resilience and female empowerment.

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Phones and tablets are helpful tools—but constant alerts can interrupt sleep, conversations, and concentration. Adjusting your notification settings gives you more control over when and how your device gets your attention.

On an iPhone, open Settings > Notifications. You’ll see a list of apps. Tap any app to choose whether notifications are allowed and whether they appear on the Lock Screen, as banners, or with sounds. Apple’s guide is here.

On an Android phone, open Settings > Notifications > App Notifications (the wording may vary by device). From there, you can turn notifications off for individual apps or adjust how they appear. Google’s official instructions are here.

Start by turning off notifications for shopping apps, games, and social media if they are not essential. Keep alerts for phone calls, text messages, medical portals, and calendar reminders.

You can also silence notifications at night. On iPhone, use Focus or Do Not Disturb. On Android, use Do Not Disturb mode.

Instead of silencing everything, you can allow certain people to reach you anytime.

On iPhone, Focus mode lets you choose specific contacts and apps that can break through silence. On Android, you can set “Priority” conversations so certain contacts always notify you.

You can also adjust how notifications appear—choosing silent delivery (no sound, no vibration) for less urgent apps while keeping sounds for important ones.

If you use a smartwatch such as an Apple Watch or a Fitbit, check its notification settings as well. Often, the watch simply mirrors your phone’s choices.

Reducing notifications doesn’t mean missing what matters. It means deciding which alerts deserve your attention—and when.

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