 |
| Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash |
—Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain
You’ve likely heard the news that earlier this week, actress Angela Lansbury passed away at age 96. Though Lansbury’s 70-year (!) career encompassed films, television, and theater, for me she’ll always be Jessica Fletcher, of the TV series Murder, She Wrote. This series is one of my go-tos for comfort TV, and when I’m feeling sick or stressed, I rewatch my favorite episodes, even if they’re on quietly in the background.
Aside from the fact that Jessica (or J.B.) became a
best-selling mystery author in her 50s (we’re never explicitly told J.B.
Fletcher’s age, but Lansbury was 58 when she was cast as the character), she was
unfailingly kind, tactful, and did not hesitate to do what she felt was right. She
was active—you see her running and biking in the opening credits alone. She
also fishes and gardens, lives on her own in her hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine
and later in an apartment in New York. She travels the world, visiting her
large circle of extended family and friends. She’ll drop everything to help her
loved ones when they’re in trouble (it goes without saying that they are often
on the hook for murder…). She’s always perfectly groomed and wears great,
casually elegant clothes. She always seems sensible, capable and equal to the
task, whether it’s learning to use a computer or catching a murderer.
 |
| Mendocino/Cabot Cove |
Murder, She Wrote isn’t highbrow TV, but many people besides me refer to it as comfort TV. Even if bad things happen (and as I type this, someone is being chased by a murderous remote-controlled van), perpetrators of bad things will be caught and face the consequences of their actions. One writer described it this way: “It’s Sherlock Holmes with less cocaine, more chowder and Coastal Grandmother Sweater Looks.” Murder, She Wrote ran for 12 years, from 1984 to 1996, and you can still watch it on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and streaming on Peacock, Freevee (Amazon), and The Roku Channel.
During its initial run, my mom and I watched Murder, She
Wrote together when we could (I was already away at college)—and we still
watch those reruns when we’re together. This only adds to the “comfort” vibe.
My favorite episodes—they’re the coziest—are those
set in Jessica’s hometown, Cabot Cove (which must be in line for murder capital
of the world). In exterior shots, Mendocino, CA, doubles for Maine. (My friend
Kerri and visited there on a road trip in 2018—see the pictures in this post.)
Of course, Angela Lansbury does not equal Jessica Fletcher, but it seems from all I’ve been reading that she was a lovely person. She was certainly a talented and versatile performer, nominated for and winning many professional awards. She was nominated for Tony, Emmy, Golden Globe and Academy awards during her long career, including 12 Emmy nominations for Murder, She Wrote (she never won).
She did win five Tony awards for roles that included Auntie Mame and Nellie Lovett, the pie maker with the gruesome fillings in Sweeney Todd. A Lifetime Achievement Award brought her total of Tonys to six, tied with Audra McDonald and Julie Harris for the most awards given to one actor. On Oct. 15 at 7:45 p.m., Broadway will dim its marquee lights for one minute in her memory.
Angela Lansbury’s work has brought me a lot of simple pleasure through the years, and I’m grateful. Rest in peace, Ms. Lansbury.
For an in-depth story about Angela Lansbury’s life, click here.
 |
Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from
Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
 |
| Our walking trail buried under debris last week. |
We’re still cleaning up after Hurricane Ian: raking, bagging, putting away emergency supplies, etc., but we’re still so grateful to be spared. Not so our neighbors to the south in Ft. Myers, Sanibel, and surrounding communities. Cleanup will go on there for a long, long time. We have been enjoying some cooler, drier weather as a result of the storm, which makes things so much easier, too.
Since this week has been about cleaning up and catching up,
today instead of a post I’ll share some links I’ve enjoyed over the past month
or so that I hope you enjoy, too.
Speaking of cleanup, cleaning is starting on Notre Dame’s
smoke-blackened stained glass windows.
I’m still loving my Merlin app, and found this Bird Migration Explorer, from Audubon, of interest.
How tired are you? And how are you tired? Take this quiz to find out, and read more about the different kinds of rest in “The Seven Types of Rest: I spent a week trying them all. Could they help end my exhaustion?” I wasn’t surprised to find my most pressing need was Creative rest.
Speaking of Hurricane Ian, this list of ways to help is updated regularly.
These rice fields blew my mind!
Iceland is already on my travel wish list, and this cracked me up!
If you ever wonder what difference one person can make, check
out this video of a man who planted a forest.
Happy Friday, everyone!
 |
| Our backyard |
To our relief, Hurricane Ian turned east earlier than expected and made landfall south of us rather than directly striking Tampa Bay. And if you’ve seen the images coming in from Fort Myers and other coastal communities, you know why we’re so relieved. We spent Wednesday watching The Weather Channel, following the path of the storm. We got a lot of wind and rain, but our house isn’t damaged, and we didn’t even lose our electricity this time. Tank is also safe. We have many hours of yard clean up ahead of us, but that’s nothing compared to what others are experiencing.
Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and prayers. So
happy to be able to mark ourselves Safe!
If you want to help victims of the storm, here are a couple
of places you can donate:
 |
| Our driveway |
I was halfway through writing September’s Happy Little Thoughts newsletter when I had to drop everything and prepare for Hurricane
Ian. The newsletter may or may not go out this month, depending on what happens
with this storm.
