Winds of March

First of all, I saw on Facebook that my brother Keefe  has passed Navy boot camp! He's now on his way to Charleston, South Carolina to begin training. I'm so proud of him!

Second, I pre-empted the Beatles show today with Monkees records. Made German Chocolate Pancakes (regular whole-wheat pancake recipe with added cocoa and shredded coconut) and had a half of a grapefruit while running Headquarters (the first record the Monkees made on their own, with only a little outside assistance), and The Monkees Present (my favorite of the two records Mike, Micky, and Davy did as a trio after Peter left the group in late '68). I also did a little bit online.

Work was a total mess all day. Even with plenty of help from the new cashiers, we were backed up for most of my short shift. This time, we weren't lacking in cashiers - we were lacking in managers. There was no one to sign me out when I got out late, and I wasn't terribly happy.

After the problems and annoying customers at work, I NEEDED a long walk. The moment I got  home, I changed into regular clothes, grabbed some music, and headed outside. It was a decent day, chilly and windy, but sunny and in the mid-40s, really par for the course in early March in Southern New Jersey. I hiked down Goff Avenue to my favorite boat launch with the view of the Ben Franklin Bridge, then over to the playground behind the Oaklyn School, then back around to Manor Avenue. There were no kids in the playground, but I could hear them playing in backyards and on the baseball field near the school. People walked dogs, ignoring the wind. One kid ran his remote control car on Manor across from my apartment.

Spent the rest of a quiet evening baking Coconut Sugar Drop Cookies (a revision of my favorite Sugar Drop Cookie recipe from The Betty Crocker Cooky Book) and watching DVDs. Did some of the material from one of the Monkees DVDs I dubbed last year first, including the videos made for the 90s Monkees CD JustUs and a mid-90s interview Davy did with what was then known as TNN (now Spike TV). Ran Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation while having Roasted Brussels Sprouts, strawberries, and leftover chicken burgers for dinner.

Oh, and Lauren and I are finishing what we intend to be our final story in the Monkees Dream World series tonight. Look for it later this week!