Born in Bushyhead, Oklahoma, Minnie Castevet is a Manhattan housewife in her late sixties. A chatty bundle of good cheer and neighborly concern on the surface, she's occasionally overheard berating her husband behind closed doors. ( Sometimes I wonder how you're the leader of anything! ) Hubby is the widely traveled Roman Castevet, who writes an international newsletter for stamp collectors.Perhaps because she's childless herself, Minnie has always extended a hand to those in need. Neighbors remember her selfless rehabilitation of former junkie Terry Gionoffrio, as well as her devotion to expectant mother Rosemary Woodhouse in Apartment 7-E. (Rosemary is wife to celebrated actor Guy Woodhouse, who burst on the theater scene with slashing authority in Don't I Know You from Somewhere? and cinched his stardom in the hit television series Greenwich Village, playing an out there writer. Woodhouse is currently in negotiations with Warner Brothers Studio.)An outspoken agnostic, Minnie's passions include drinking root beer in bed, last minute Christmas shopping, growing herbs in her tiny kitchen, and stocking up on black candles. Though she's whispered to be a lousy decorator whose weird desserts have a chalky undertaste, her wide circle of friends also admire her beautiful, beautiful silver and tart Vodka Blush cocktails. Those who linger after dinner can look forward to a hot cup of instant Sanka, and perhaps a peek at Jokes for the John (a book on a hook) should they visit the bathroom.Oddly, many of Minnie's linens are monogrammed MM rather than MC , leading some to speculate that she purchased the late Marilyn Monroe's possessions at auction.