Lazy Afternoon

Began a gloomy morning with breakfast and To Tell the Truth. The grandson of WC Fields wrote a book about him in the early 70's; three young men claimed to be him and have had access to his father and grandmother's papers and reminisces about the famous comedian. The panel was divided, but they turned out to be all wrong. Half went for two and half for three, but it was really handsome, laid-back number one.

I got lucky the rain stopped again just as I went to work. Spent the entire day gathering carts. I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. It showered lightly off and on all day, but it didn't really bother me. The only times I went inside were for my break and to use the bathroom. At least we have snacks in the back room again; today, they also had pizza from a local restaurant leftover from a managers' meeting.

Went straight home after work and into a much-needed bath. Ahhh. I desperately needed that. It felt good to kick back and relax, listening to jazz music and poring over old cake book decorating magazines.

My landlady Willa called while I was in the tub. There was a package downstairs. I ordered a new carbon monoxide alarm from Amazon. I know, the McHughs should have ordered it, but I don't think anyone is supposed to be going into anyone else's house right now. It's the same design as the old one, but smaller; it only took two batteries, rather than three.

Did writing for the rest of the afternoon. Gene explains to Betty and the three fairies that he knows where King Allen is - locked away in the evil Queen Malade's stronghold. He orders Charles to bring him a bowl of water. Charles is worried that his powers aren't up to it, but he assures him that they're doing much better, and he should be able to show them what's going on with the king...

Broke for leftovers for dinner at 6:30. The Match Game episode was ironically one of the ones that turned up recently on the Happy Days marathon. Purrfectly witty Lee Merriweather and irascible Pat Moriata joined deadpan Patti Deutsch and the regulars as a sweet gentleman in a bright mustard-colored coat continued to beat all comers. Sale of the Century pitted a pretty young lady against a gentleman and another lady.

I called Rose while Sale was running. Rose finally called back a few minutes later. Turns out Dana and Jesse moved over a week ago. Yes, she has bins and boxes she's willing to lend me. Yes, she can help me move...maybe. Trouble is, if everything doesn't reopen by the time I move, she won't be able to find a babysitter for Khai and Finley. Plus, Jodie's not surprisingly having trouble getting a painter to work on the apartment.

Finished the night switching around streaming channels for a sitcom marathon. The ongoing gloomy weather practically begged for a spooky I Dream of Jeannie episode on the Roku Channel. "My Master, the Ghost Breaker" from the third season takes Jeannie, Tony, and Roger to England after Tony inherits a dilapidated manor house from an uncle. Roger and Jeannie think it's haunted, but Tony believes that the shady real estate agent who told him about it (Jack Carter, who also appeared frequently on Match Game in its early years) may have something to do with it.

Patty and Cathy deal with a less-frightening house guest in the second season Patty Duke Show episode "The Perfect Hostess." The duo are excited to have a third look-alike cousin, breathy blonde Betsy (Duke) staying with them on vacation from boarding school. They're not as happy when she moves in on all the boys, including their boyfriends, and then tries to get between them. The duo are ready to toss her out, but Mrs. Lane knows why Betsy's so desperate to remain with them.

Felix also thinks he's handling a ghost in his and Oscar's apartment in "The Exorcists" from the fourth season of The Odd Couple. He's heard moaning at night, especially after a janitor convinces him that the spirit of the previous tenant is housed in their old air conditioner. A seance only results in Oscar's secretary Myrna (Penny Marshall) finding a pigeon stuck behind a radiator. Felix is still convinced there's something more going on, especially after he hires a flamboyant professional exorcist (Victor Buono) to come in and check things out.

There's already a spirit haunting the lovely seaside cottage in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, albeit the generally friendly Captain Gregg (Edward Mulhare). He's not thrilled when Mrs. Muir (Hope Lange) catches a young man with a camera (Bill Bixby) poking around the cottage. He claims he's interested in architecture, but he's really "The Ghost Hunter" who tells his colleagues there's a ghost living in the house. It'll take the combined efforts of Mrs. Muir and the Captain to convince this young man that the only ghostly presence in the house resides in his imagination.