Who is that woman on 'Orange is the New Black'?

Red, the character on the far right.
Orange is the New Black (Photo credit: massdistraction)

I admit it; I'm a television junkie.

There is nothing worse than seeing someone on television that I know I've seen before, but I just can't place. It drives me crazy.

This just happened recently as I was watching the new Netflix series, "Orange is the New Black," a true life story about a woman who was incarcerated for a drug offense. 

The minute I saw one of the characters--Red, a tough woman who portrays the prison cook--I knew I had seen her somewhere before. Every time I looked at her, I knew who she was. I also know it was from a long time ago, when both she and I were much younger. 

I remembered her pretty face and a kindness about her, although that was not absolutely the kind of character she played in this series. 

I didn't know anything about the show, but was intrigued by all the ridiculous flap over Julianne Hough wearing a Halloween costume that portrayed one of the show's characters. Hough was accused of being a racist because she wore bronze makeup on her face in her portrayal of the character Crazy Eyes. 

Kate Mulgrew
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am getting hooked on the series, which seems to be an honest portrayal of life in prison. 

Still a newbie, I've been power-watching episodes, watching two or three at a time. Whenever I saw Red, I wondered who she was. It was actually very distracting.

Finally, my husband looked it up on the Internet for me. He came in last night while I was watching it and announced that her name was Kate Mulgrew.

Ryan's Hope (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Immediately, I knew. 

Of course. She played Mary Ryan on the soap opera Ryan's Hope in the mid-1970's. 

I watched every episode. I loved that show. I remembered how fond I was of the character she portrayed. I have no idea how I was able to associate her name with the former character, Mary Ryan. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen or heard of Kate Mulgrew in 40 years. 

I suppose that might just be a testament to how much I liked "Ryan's Hope" and the character Mulgrew portrayed. I've noticed there are some YouTube videos containing episodes of the show. I may have to peruse them, just for old times' sake.

Once again, Thanks Internet! 

I'm so hooked on "Heartland"

Image by davipt via FlickrI almost feel as if I’ve struck gold struck gold.

My newly found discovery does not take on a monetary form, but rather a more important kind—one               related to my psychological well being.

I’ve been watching movies on Netflix, when not too long ago, I came across what I thought was a movie. All I knew about it was that it had to do with horses. I have discovered that little is more relaxing to me than watching one of those sappy horse movies, where the horse is the star and the hero. It usually contains human heroes too and almost always has a side plot that is just as sappy. It almost always has a happy ending. These kinds of movies are so wholesome, usually make me cry, and nearly always make feel good when it is over. They remind me of some of the television shows I watched as a child—Flicka and Fury—come to mind. It was way back before too much sex and violence took over the big screen and commercials invaded television. Ah, the good ole days!

I have always been enamored with horses, though have not had much experience with them. I have ridden only a couple of times in my life, and not for many years. I just have always had such a fondness for horses. There is nothing more beautiful to me than one or more horses grazing in a field, their long manes and tail swaying in the breeze. I love to watch them run. Their movement is so fluid.

I especially love their faces. Their eyes are so big and expressive; their nuzzles are so soft. Just everything about them is beautiful. I used to draw them when I was little. I always preferred horses in my coloring books, in puzzles, and paint-by-number pictures.

I have never really had much occasion to get to know any horses personally. I was born in the city and grew up in the suburbs. A few years ago as a reporter, I covered a few horse shows, but that is about the extent of my experience with these beautiful animals.

Heartland is set at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. The scenery is beautiful. The characters are perfectly cast. It is about a young woman, Amy, who inherited her mother's sensitivity for horses. She is called a horse whisperer, though Amy dismisses the term, simply claiming to understand her equine friends. The story line revolves around Amy and her family, including her boyfriend Ty, who started out as a misguided ranch hand.

After I watched Heartland, a closer inspection on Netflix revealed that Heartland was actually a television series; it was a product of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. There were 22 episodes. I wanted more, so I was elated.

I watched a couple shows at a time. Then when I got to the final episode, I was all ready to enjoy a wrap-up of the entire season. Instead I was shocked when one of the prominent characters was shot by cattle rustlers as he tried to protect his herd. It ended abruptly, leaving me completely unsatisfied. I was not happy with the “Who shot J.R.” moment. Assuming there had to be more, I scoured Netflix, but I couldn’t find additional episodes. I was devastated, but motivated.

A little Internet sleuthing revealed that my instincts were correct. I learned that what I had seen were all of the first and a portion of the second seasons.

In Canada, the fifth season is now airing. I learned that Heartland is now being shown in the U.S. with the premier episode last September.

More information is available on the following website about show times in various markets and information about the cast, etc. There are even a couple of clips which are probably enough to get anyone hooked. http://www.theheartlandranch.com/category/watch-heartland

Most of the shows are available on YouTube, although they are not easy to find. Be warned that some of them are even in French, which for me was a little unnerving.

If anyone wants to watch this series on their computer, it is possible, to find all of them. One hint, search Google videos. Some of the episodes are recorded on You Tube in five parts. I haven’t found that to be a problem. But then, I’m addicted to this show. I love the characters, cast, and stories which incidentally originated in a series of books (25) by Lauren Brooks, starting in 2001. That will be a project for another day.

I’m currently enjoying my fourth season. I just love this show, so I thought I would share.

This summer sucks!

It's official--I don't like summer--at least not this summer anyway. 


With temperatures hovering well into the triple digits for days--as high as 114º yesterday--things are looking pretty grim around here. Most of my plants are dead; only one or two flowers remain close to the porch. That is only because I water them. Even my house plants on the shaded front porch are suffering even though I water at least every other day. There will be no fresh tomatoes to can this year--at least not from my garden. I am beginning to feel like a shut-in because it is just too hot to go outside. 


Thank goodness for Netflix. We have taken to watching movies during hot afternoons or evenings. 

The weather has taken its toll on the wildlife as well. Deer have actually come onto the front porch to eat my flowers. That may not be weather related--it might just have to do with the rascals thinking they can get away with gourmet dining at my expense. They already ate a hibiscus and newly-planted crab apple tree. 


Their behavior does seem rather odd, however. For a time they were here every day. There was a buck, a doe, and two fawns. I haven't seen any of them lately. I'm sure they abandoned our desert landscape in favor of river or lakeside property. And who can blame them? 


The hummingbirds which generally flurry from flower to flower and to the sugar-water feeders we keep on the porch, are now just sitting listlessly on the feeder, their long beaks parted. It is so sad. This morning while watering my plants, I found one had died in a pot of coleus. Just yesterday I saw her perched on that pot. 


We have tried to keep the bird bath full and cool.


I have always been fond of the rain, which is now so scarce. The drought is getting very serious. The last nice rain we had was in June. I can barely remember the dance of the raindrops and gentle sounds, not to mention the smell of it. Chanel No. 5 has nothing on the scent of rain in the woods.


There has been some rain in the area; showers and some storms have popped up on radar images. And we did get a few drops the other night, but it was hardly enough to wet the sidewalk. The clouds seem to form close by only to go some place else to release their precious moisture. Instead, the outdoors now smells like a newly-mown hay field--which is in reality just dying Bermuda grass. It is hard to believe that we enjoyed 11 straight days of rain yielding more than 30 inches just a few months ago. 


As August marches on, there will be more moderate temperatures, at least for a little while. It won't be long before I harangue about how cold it is outside and how I feel like a recluse again. Funny how that works?


It isn't just the weather that promises annoyance. During this respite from the out of doors, the news was all about our country's political divide and lack of compromise among the nation's leaders. During the winter months, we can look forward to the 2012 campaign season which promises to highlight perhaps a greater political divide.


Yes, thank goodness for Netflix.