Today is my birthday and also the anniversary of one of my coolest writing memories.If you grew up in the Northwest in the 60s and 70s, you probably remember J.P. Patches. In the late 60s, I was a dedicated viewer and of his TV show and an official Patches Pal.
J.P. had this thing called an ICU2 (I See You Too) TV set and he would look into it and tell kids on their birthdays where they could find presents.
On my 7th birthday J.P. looked into his I See You Too TV set and told me, Diane Mettler, to go look under my bed. I screamed upstairs and there was a present, just like he said. It was my first diary — green plastic vinyl with a little gold lock, which was extremely easy to pick. Good thing, because I lost the key immediately.
I wrote in that diary the first day I got it and I've been writing diligently in journals for four decades.
It was a big day for me. J.P., wherever you are, thank you!! And mom (who I'm sure had a hand in it too) I'll give you a big hug later.
Have a wonderful day today!
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4 comments:
First off- Happy Birthday!
Secondly- a few years ago I got the honor of actually meeting J.P. here at our local fair(he's a fairly regular guest at our small town fair) and it was amazing. My parents were both fans back when he was on the air so a few years ago for their anniversary I actually arranged for them to be able to get to meet him as well. I'm pretty sure it made their day(I sadly had to miss it thanks to rigorous schedules at the fair).
If you get the chance to meet him in person you really should, you will not regret it.
The last time I met him I was about 5 when he came to our hometown. He scared me to death back the (much bigger in person that on TV). I hadn't even thought of finding him now. I'm going to check out this website. I would LOVE to meet him.
Every summer he appears at several fairs around the region. I know he really enjoys doing the ones up here on the north end of the state. I don't know if he does much down south but its worth looking.
There's something to be said about giving a writer a blank journel and a pen. If you're anything like me I seem to collect both.
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