A Good Mail Day

A package arrived while I was finishing breakfast this morning. It was from Linda Young again, and this time, only one present was "do not open until Christmas"; it's in the back room. Everything else was awesome - a Mini Julie American girl doll (she's sitting by the printer until I can find her another place), a video copy of the movie The House Without A Christmas Tree, more of that fun Voyagers! show, and another WebKinz, the reindeer.

I named my new friend Clarence. I love the movie It's A Wonderful Life, and I debated "Bailey" (I already have a bear named George), before settling on "Clarence." Like his siblings, Clarence has one "cool" outfit (a maroon hoody and worker boots that look exactly like mine), a t shirt, a polo shirt, and a good outfit (an argyle sweater and the same penny loafers his brother wears). I did his room in a mix of the ice (the light, the toy box) and country (the bed, the wardrobe, the bed table) themes. Clarence had the honor of picking our first strawberry crop.

I also began a new room tonight, my first "theme" room, a cross between the candy and diner themes based after The Fudge Kitchen candy shop in Cape May.

Today was Laundry Day. Blue's Clues went for the gold, as Steve and blue demonstrated various ball games, from bouncing to a full obstacle course.

The Munsters learned a lesson in jealousy when Gramps and Herman find a treasure buried in the backyard and decide they can't trust each other with it. It's Lilly and Marilyn who finally dispatch the treasure...and show the guys how silly they were acting.

Dora the Explorer went from doctor to postal employee as she and Boots delivered letters to Tico the Squirrel, Benny the Bull, Isa the Iguana...and yes, they made their second trip to Blueberry Hill to deliver a letter to Swiper the Fox. A simple and very early adventure that introduces Dora's basic buddies and sometimes-villain Swiper.

Go Diego Go!'s Alicia and Diego have fun with Ollie and Oscar, a pair of inseparable river otters, until a wave created by the ever-careless Bobo Brothers washes the otters and human siblings onto different river paths! From here on in, it turns into something of a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure tale as Diego and Alicia show off their own skills and that of the otters as they try to find their ways downstream. Otters are another animal I have fond memories of from the Cape May County Zoo. The goofy otters were a prime attraction for years, and the otters' pond is probably still there today.

Uniqua, Tyrone, and Pablo played Coast Guard rescuers on The Backyardigans. Tasha, on the other hand, tries to ignore their attempts to help her as she goes fishing for "the big whopper." The ever-bossy hippo continually ends up in increasingly dangerous waters, only to be saved by Tyrone and Pablo when all she wants is a fish. It's Tasha, however, who eventually saves the boys, as all four kids learn lessons in staying safe and helping out, to the tune of funky 70s urban rock.

Work was steady-to-dead tonight, especially as the night wore on, with no problems beyond some obnoxious people. The wind was still pretty bad when I left, but by the time I got out of work, it had gentled down to a chilly breeze.