Tom and Jerry and Toyland Tales

Started a sunny, cold morning with the Vol 1 set of Tom & Jerry Tales that I picked up from a yard sale a few months ago. The violent cat and mouse duo kick off their most recent show with a slightly surreal Christmas episode that has Jerry climbing into his own Christmas Eve dream to rescue himself from Tom. The second segment has Spike abusing Tom and Jerry while having fun with his new sled. The third story moved the pair to the North Pole, where Jerry has to defend his salmon from a hungry Tom.

If you're a fan of these two, you have to look for these. I'd heard all over that they were really good, and everyone was right. The animation style is similar to the originals from the 40s and early 50s, the writing is good, and there's enough violence to keep grown ups who enjoy cartoons happy without scaring kids.

Spent most of the day behind a computer. I checked the Disability website. As of this morning, they hadn't gotten my papers yet. I sent them yesterday, so they should get them today or tomorrow. I looked up some shopping ideas for my nephews and my sister Jessa. I took a couple of things to the mail box, including a birthday card for my brother Keefe in the Navy in South Carolina. (His 20th birthday is Sunday.) During lunch, I picked up two things from the mail box, the second American Girl catalog and the Vermont Country Store's big Christmas catalog.

Once again worked on the inventory and writing in the afternoon. Finished out the Holiday Books Inventory. As with my inventories for holiday music and movies, the Holiday Books Inventory covers all holiday books from all genres - fiction, nonfiction, kids, adults, craft books, novels, picture books. They're mostly picture books I snared from libraries or craft/history/cooking books. I tend to shy away from buying books I'm not going to use year-round. Not to mention, I don't have a lot of room for them.

Put on the Disney Babes In Toyland as I worked on the scarf for my friend after my writing was done. This 1961 operetta fantasy was Walt's first foray into live-action musicals. It's about as simple as fantasy gets. Tom Piper (Tommy Sands) is set to wed Mary Quite Contrary (Annette Funicello), but nasty Barnaby (Ray Bolger) wants her money. He hires two bumbling and not-very-tough ruffians to get rid of Tom. When that plot fails, he steals Mary's sheep to force her into marriage. Her siblings, determined to keep her out of Barnaby's reach, go after the sheep, and Mary and Tom go after them. They all find themselves in Toyland, where the Toymaker (Ed Wynn) and his nerdy assistant (Tommy Kirk) are trying to make the Christmas deadline. The group offers to help, but Barnaby and his men aren't far behind...

While many people prefer the Laurel and Hardy version, I've always thought this one has its charms, too. The production design is eye-popping and colorful, the costumes are delightful, and some of the numbers are really fun, including the imaginative "I Can't Do the Sum" for Funicello and Bolger's "Castle In Spain" dance solo.

Oh, and I made my next Foot & Ankle Center appointment this evening. The orthopedics for my heel spur have finally arrived! They just have to fit them to my foot. I'll be going in on Monday at 4PM.