Wild Wild Toons

Began a cloudy, cool morning with more F-Troop. "The Return of Bald Eagle" has everyone in Fort Courage keeping a close eye on their scalps. Bald Eagle (Don Rickles) is a wildcat who, unlike most Hikawis, prefers to kill any soldiers he gets his hands on. It takes Parameter's intervention after he kidnaps him to find out what's really bothering him.

animated shorts set in the Wild West. "Drip Along Daffy" may be the most famous of the Looney Tunes western-themed shorts. Daffy and Porky spoof Roy Rogers-style oaters as the virtuous hero and the goofy grizzled sidekick respectively. The duo intend to clear a nasty bandit out of town...but only one of them is able to figure out how to really do it.

Bugs heads west in "Bugs Bunny Rides Again." He's the only one in town brave enough to take on Yosemite Sam, the toughest, roughest bandit in town. The town ain't big enough for the two of them, but a train to Miami may offer some incentive for leaving...

The Pink Panther has his own problems keeping the Pacific Northwest free of trouble in "Trail of the Lonesome Pink." Two trappers want to do serious harm to his forest friends and accidentally trap his tail. He recruits snapper turtles and other forest animals to get rid of them.

Headed to the Collingswood Farm Market around 10:30. Despite it being cloudy and cool, it was also incredibly humid. You could cut the air with a knife. That didn't do much to keep the crowds away. The summer harvest abounds now. They have every type of tomato you can possibly find on the stands. Lettuce and spinach are gone, but I saw the first melons and small peaches of the year. I bought blueberries, Chinese beans, two small organic cucumbers, a small watermelon, and the aforementioned small peaches.

Went straight home after leaving Collingswood. It was too humid to linger! When I got in, I ran more cartoons while having Blueberry-Chocolate Chip Muffins for lunch.

Woody Woodpecker appeared in a long list of western-themed shorts (possibly because the studio that put out the Walter Lantz shorts, Universal, did quite a few westerns) starting with "Wild and Woody." Drifter Woody is made the new sheriff the moment he comes into town. He's elated, until he realizes that bandit Buzz Buzzard has been killing off sheriffs. Their battle of wits comes to an explosive conclusion by a burning stove.

"Puny Express" is somewhat similar. This time, the job Woody wants - and Buzz wants to stop - is mail carrier. Woody has to get the mail through on the Pony Express, no matter what!

"Scalp Treatment" isn't quite as PC today. Native braves Woody and Buzz both want to impress a pretty Indian maiden. When she says she wants a feathered Indian hat, Buzz tries to scalp Woody for his feathers!

Work was busy when I came in, steady-to-quiet when I left. The sun started coming out about an hour after I arrived, which may have encouraged people to head outside, humidity or no humidity. There were no major problems, and my relief, one of the new college girls, was on time.

Did more western Woody as I had the last of the the meatballs and cucumber salad for dinner as a meatball sandwich with sauteed cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. We're back in the northwest for "Operation: Sawdust." Woody and Buzz are this time competing to see first who can get to Chef Wally Walrus' big dinner spread first. (Incidentally, this would be Wally's last appearance in a Woody short until the 1960's TV show episode "Spook-a-Nanny.")

"Hot Noon" has fun with the Gary Cooper classic High Noon. Once again, Woody finds himself a reluctant sheriff who has to deal with Bandit Buzz. This time, he's cheered on by a pretty senorita.

Woody's a "Square Shootin' Square" when bandit Dapper Denver Dooley tosses a bag of stolen money into his tree. He thinks he has it made...until Dapper Denver wants it back.

Woody turns the legend of Davy Crockett on its ear when "Woody Meets Davy Crewcut." Tired of being chased, a bear encourages Davy to shoot at woodpeckers instead. Naturally, Woody doesn't take this lying down!