jackpot

The other day, I was watching Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with MG and MB. My favorite part is when Snoopy is fighting the chair, while "Little Birdie" is being played as background music.
I really love the music used in the Peanut's stuff. I already have some of the tunes in my Ipod. Curious, I went to the ever present iTunes, (what did I ever do before iTunes?) and Jackpot!!
Little Birdie. And a bunch of others, too. (Vince Guaraldi Trio, the official musicians). So, 9 whopping dollars later, I had some music happiness..
     I needed to pop into work this am to fill out some paperwork after a super busy work night last night, so I hooked my music up, set the fun on shuffle, and off I went. As I was driving, the music was playing, and the memories were flowing. I love all music, but the music from Peanuts? Puts me in a happy childhood place like no other. I didn't want to stop driving. I was thinking all kinds of crazy things, like how much I identify with Woodstock, of all creatures ("Little Birdie, why do you fly upside down"), to how sad I got watching the special where Snoopy ran away from home, how much, every year, I want the Great Pumpkin to show up for Linus, and the Little Red Headed Girl to take some interest in CB, laughing at Lucy and her silly football, pretending she doesn't care about the other kids. I bet Lucy would Maim anyone who messed with them, though. I remember having a Snoopy and Woodstock soap dish as a kid. I was so enthralled with that thing. It even came with a dog bone shaped soap bar.
And Pig Pen. I love that dirty little boy. And Franklin, the way that kid can dance! And Shroeder, the piano genius. And on, and on. I love them all.
And then, I got sad, thinking of not only MB, but the countless other kids who don't get 'fresh' Peanuts anymore. No new cartoon in the Sunday papers, no new TV specials. Sure. We have reruns, we have reprints, we have books.
But it's not the same. I don't see todays kids taking the innocent joy from it that I did.
I know, they have their own, 'new' things now. But I'm still sad.
For the record, I miss you, Charles M. Shultz. You impacted my life with your goofy little cartoon. And I will be forever grateful.