Countrified Matches

Awoke to pouring rain, which sounded oddly comforting as I read the Barbara Eden autobiography Linda Young sent for my birthday Jeannie Out of the Bottle and wrote in my journal. I'm soo glad I didn't work this morning! Definitely better to be inside on a dreary morning.

Had breakfast while watching the end of Supermarket Sweep and Split Second. Split Second had another photo-finish race. A hopeful young songwriter was ahead for most of the game. In the end, the sweet blonde lady next to him pulled ahead in the speed round. She didn't pick the right monitors for the car, but was perfectly happy to take a fur coat to keep her warm during her job doing stripper-grams. The former woman baseball player started with the Gold Rush bonus round on Blockbusters, but only got a few questions. The mother-daughter pair going up against her next had more luck, winning the first round.

Switched to Snoopy Come Home after breakfast. I'll go further into that on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog tomorrow.

Went over my rent three times during the first half of the movie. There is nothing in that 8-page novel about giving 30 days notice, or even what to do if I plan on moving anytime soon. It's mostly variations on "don't make noise, don't damage anything, and we're not responsible if you do." I intend to tell her early next week, either when or right before I give her the rent. (And I highly doubt she ever got around to switching the heat and water over to electric. She was supposed to have done that last year.)

Packed up most of the DVDs on the narrow folding shelf in the living room as the movie finished. I did pull a few like Fried Green Tomatoes I wanted to get around to watching eventually. I managed to squeeze them all in the medium-sized box with the octagonal corners I picked up at work the other day.

Did one a more recent episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while eating leftover pizza for lunch. "Daniel Learns to Ask First" when he takes a spoon his baby sister Margaret was playing with to use as a drumstick. She doesn't want to give it up, so he has to find an alternate utensil. When he goes over to Jodi's house, she's the one who learns to ask after she takes one of her little brother's carrot sticks and he gets upset. Prince Wednesday discovers that "Friends Ask First" when he takes a book O was reading to the class before he finishes it. Katerina does better, remembering to ask if she can borrow the pig nose from Daniel for her pig costume.

The rain had gentled down to a chilly mist by 1 PM, enough for me to head to WaWa. I needed milk, but of course, they were out of the skim milk quarts. I just grabbed a half-gallon and hope I can use it all. Treated myself to a Strawberry Chocolate Chip Smoothie and bought a cotton candy Chapstick to make change.

As soon as I got home, I finished the smoothie, rounded up my laundry, and went right back out. I had to get the laundry done today. I work all day again tomorrow. To my annoyance, this time, the laundromat was busy. People did wear masks, but they also bunched up around each other. Thank heavens I didn't have a big load anyway. I was in and out in less than an hour. (I'm just glad the laundromat is open. I don't know what I'd do if they weren't!)

Went home, put everything away, and went straight into the next Match Game marathon. Country music stars or performers associated with the genre turned up with surprisingly frequency over the years on the show. Probably the most frequent and popular was "Whisperin'" Bill Anderson, a charming fellow and a very good player who would eventually go on to host a few game shows of his own. Other country favorites who matched wits with contestants included Buck Owens of the Grand Ol' Opry, Mel Tillis (who even performed a bit of his best-known hit "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town"), Connie Stevens, and in the last syndicated season, Irlene Mandell.

My personal favorite country star to have appeared on the show, along with good-natured Whisperin' Bill, was the hilarious Minnie Pearl. She and her flowered hats really livened up a delightful week in 1977 that saw Brett wearing her own flowered hat in tribute. It's too bad they never got her back on the show. She was adorable, and not bad at the game.

Here's the entire marathon, so you can play your twangy gi-tar along with the best country performers around! Tomorrow's marathon hits the high seas as Nick at Match Game Productions puts out his tribute to The Love Boat.

Country Stars on Match Game 1974 - 1982