Soft Spring Rain

I started a quiet, cloudy, warm morning with this year's first Easter special. The First Easter Rabbit was the second of Rankin/Bass' three Easter specials, and the only one that was a half-hour and done in traditional animation. Burl Ives narrates the tale of Stuffy, a beloved stuffed rabbit who is thrown out when his owner becomes sick. A fairy makes him "real" and anoints him the Easter Bunny who brings springtime joy to children everywhere. Stuffy wants to return to his little girl with baskets filled with Easter fun, but the evil Zero, who is in charge of winter, may not let him get out in time for the big Easter parade.

I spent most of the morning online, writing and looking around online. I just barely won a rare Kit outfit I've admired for a while. Kit's Scooter Outfit was a part of the "girls on wheels" historical outfit series in the mid-2000s that also included a bicycling outfit for Sam and a roller skating outfit for Molly. All of these outfits were only around for a few years and are expensive on the secondary market today, which is why I was glad to pick it up for about $32 with shipping. While this is a little more than it retailed for a decade ago, it's actually pretty cheap for the $40 to 70 I've seen it go for on eBay. It comes with all the pieces but the socks.

I also worked on writing. I just started the fourth "queen" story. This one is going to introduce the villain. I still haven't figured out exactly what her plot is, though. I'll have to work that out in my head some more.

Ran Whistling In Brooklyn as I turned leftover chicken and a cup of vegetables from the bag I bought last week into Orange Chicken Stir Fry for lunch. The third and last Whistling movie once again picks up from where we left off. This time, Wally "The Fox" Benton (Red Skelton) is on the lam after local police accuse him of being a serial killer. This idea is encouraged by Wally's chauffeur and press agent Chester (Rags Ragland) and a nosy reporter who wants a good story (Jean Rogers). Wally and his fiancee (Ann Rutherford) use their knowledge of baseball and recording to their advantage as she holds off the cops and he tries to stop a murder during a Dodgers game at Ebbott Field.

Maybe it's because I'm not a baseball fan, but I wasn't quite as fond of the third Whistling film as I was of the first two. There does seem to be more slapstick than plot at times, especially when Skelton hits the baseball diamond. On the other hand, the use of the record recorder was an interesting plot twist, and I still love how the women, especially agile Rutherford, are played as intelligent and just as good in a fight as the guys! Baseball lovers and Dodgers nuts may appreciate this one a little more than I did. Overall, I highly recommend the series for anyone who loves Skelton or a good comic mystery.

It rained lightly on and off all day. It was still raining lightly when I went to work, enough that I was able to ride my bike and arrive only slightly damp. Work was no problem this time, busy with rush hour when I came in, quiet as a mouse when I finished. It was raining much harder when I got off at 10, which may be part of what cleared out customers later. It was too late to call for a ride, so I just rode home and got wet.