I hadn’t really talked to anyone for a while - maybe a day or three. I was in a store near my home and a girl walks up to me and asks, “Can I help you with anything?”
I respond, “NO, IM FINE THANKS!!” - the whole place could hear me.
I’m not really sure why my voice volume control ability had run amok, but she looked a little frightened and concerned…
“Oh…sorry”, I said less loudly “I haven’t talked to anyone today - I kinda forgot what my voice sounded like!!
She laughed and understood….then I felt like I had to buy something to balance out the situation but the store was pretty lame so I cruised on outta there.
It’s been beautiful lately, warm golden sunshine everyday…..the smell of barbecues. One of my favourite summer sounds is the splashing of someone jumping into a pool…
I grew up on a street where everyone had a pool, including my family - (we weren’t rich)…and all summer long sounds of water play surrounded me. I lived in my bathing suit. The worst punishment I could have as a kid was to be banned from the pool..
Sometimes, when I got into trouble I would be sent to bed early (the worst!!) and I could see and hear my family and the neighbours swimming and diving as the sun set…
I would stand at my window, which faced the back yard and pool area, and watch everyone having fun.
My sister Jill would tell me how awful it was to look up and see my sad crying face staring down at them….the thing is it would be, like, 6pm - so I could stand there for hours before I got tired and gave up!
There are no swimming pools up here in Running Springs really but I can sort of conjure up a splash or two and it sounds amazing..
I have a new hero and her name is Jessica Fletcher. I want to be ‘Made’ into Jessica Fletcher.
I have known and seen Jessica on ‘Murder She Wrote” over the years - my brother-in-law Floyd had watched the original series - but it all really started on Memorial Day last week when The Biography Channel had a ‘Murder She Wrote’ marathon..
I realize that the show is not the most sophisticated thing there is, but I love it…I ended up Tivo-ing several episodes and watched them late one night this week. I quickly figured out the formula…Jessica, the mystery book writer, is in a situation - usually where she knows some of the characters - and a murder takes place. The wrong person is accused and Jessica saves the day by figuring out the real culprit!
I started to dig the whole show right away and wanted to be Jessica by the third episode that I watched. First of all, Jessica (played awesomely by Angela Lansbury) has a cool career - a successful mystery book writer. She lives in Cabot Cove - a quaint ocean side town in NY State - I think (Nope - it’s Maine!) . She also had a pad in Manhattan. Who could ask for anything more?
Since she’s so well known as a writer she has lots of friends all over the country….she knows millionaires, doctors, hair dressers, talk show hosts, botanists, veterinarians….heirs, opera singers and models. Nobel Peace Prize winners. Even CIA and M16 agents…Rock on Jessica.
Jessica lost her husband way back and loved him very much - so there are no romantic angles going on. Oh sure, every now and then a nice cattle ranch owner or something makes a play, offering her companionship - but she refuses, content with her single life, a fulfilling career and gobs of interesting friends.
See where I’m going? I think it’s the life for me! Trips to Athens to catch a kidnapper! Cairo to nab a smuggler! While visiting Rome, put away a murderer!!
The episode in Rome was extra cool. The girl who played Jessica’s opera star friend was played by an actress that Doug Stanhope used to date. I can’t remember her name but I remember that Doug was going out with her when I first met him through Mitch. She was also on ‘Head Of The Class’. When Stanhope gets back from Ireland, I ‘m going to ask him if he was going out with her when she filmed “MSW”…
One thing that I noticed mid-marathon was this: Each show had many characters. There a few that are on regularly - like the doctor and sheriff in Cabot Cove. Many others appear each week for a brand new mystery - these are the guest stars. Now, after a few shows, I noticed that some guest stars came back but were playing different people all together. Like, I saw Ian Ogilvy (from the British “Return of The Saint” series), in two Murder She Wrote episodes - “Murder of The Month Club” and “An Appointment in Athens”. I just looked him up on the IMdB and it says that he did six episodes. There are other actors that appear in several also…
Now, I was thinking - did the producers and casting directors just happen to love these actors? Or was it meant to show the viewers that each show is really a book of Jessica Fletcher’s? It’s not really happening except in Jessica’s talent and imagination? Maybe someone can tell me…
Anyway, The Biography Channel airs two episodes every week day at 7 and 7:30 am, so I’ve been recording them. I hope I don’t get bored of my new favourite show….
Jessica Fletcher is always the coolest chick in the room. She always gets the bad guy or girl. She’s totally adventurous, knows everybody. She tells cops what to do. She’s famous. Travels the world. She is involved with museums, art galleries and fashion shows….
I’m going to call MTV…..”I want to be Made into Jessica Fletcher!!
Added Extra Info*** - Every episode someone is asked my the police to ‘not leave town’. Also, Jessica usually says “give me a couple of days” every show…At the end of EVERY show, Jessica is laughing about the situation and they freeze on her face.
