Springtime Dolls

I couldn't believe how warm out it was when I got up this morning. I threw open the windows and celebrated the weather with breakfast and The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town. My favorite Rankin-Bass springtime special celebrates the origins of everyone's favorite rabbit. Sunny the Bunny was raised by orphans who live in an isolated town in the Big Rock Mountains. He wants to sell their eggs and other goods to gloomy town, but grouchy Lady Lily doesn't like him, his eggs, or kids in general. Seeing how unhappy her strict laws are making her gentle nephew King Bruce, Sunny and the orphans find a way to bring Easter to Town...and teach everyone about the importance of traditions, new beginnings, and making changes.

Spent most of the morning dressing the American Girl dolls for spring and St. Patrick's Day. Whitney's trying on the Our Generation Retro dress and purple shoes Lauren sent for Christmas . The lavender flowers on the white dress have prominent green stems, enough to pass for the holiday. (Besides, I wanted to see how it looks on her. It's adorable. I may have to see if I can find more OG Retro outfits.) Since the dress is sleeveless, I threw the white ruffled Springfield Collection sweater on over it, along with Molly's bobby socks and the lavender bow scrunchie that goes with Sam's Pink Frilly Dress. Samantha wears her Spring Day Dress, red shoes, and headband from last year with the pink tights from the Ballet Outfit. Felicity has borrowed her friend Elizabeth's Summer Gown. Its quilted petticoat really makes it more appropriate for spring. Molly is in a shamrock-print dress I found at a yard sale years ago, bobby socks, and Sam's black "meet" outfit strap shoes. Josefina's sporting her Harvest Outfit and beige moccasins. Jessa's in a mix - a green wrap blouse I found at a booth at the Deptford Mall at least six or so years ago with the khaki trousers and loafers from Molly's Aviator Outfit and thick socks.

Ate a fast lunch while watching an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures. Spring in Acme Acres brings thoughts of many things to the Toons, starting with love. The Elmer Fudd-like Cupid quits his job, but his replacement, Conrad the Buzzard, wrecks havoc among the Toons' love lives. In the second story, Elmyra's spring cleaning proves to be hazardous to the health of everything around her, including one poor goldfish whose water is sucked into her vacuum cleaner. The last story has Plucky and Dizzy courting Lady Luck on a parody of the Double Dare/Fun House-style stunt game shows of the late 80's and early 90's.

I had just enough time to eat really quick, change, and pack a snack before rushing off to work. Work was only slightly more interesting than it was Monday. Along with doing returns and the few carts, I picked up trash from the front of the store and cleaned the break room. The break room is disgusting. They don't even have a sponge back there. I had to clean with paper towels. I don't know how everyone else can stand it being such a mess. The tables are sticky with spills no one has bothered to wipe up. There were a spoon and a knife that hadn't been washed, papers scattered all over the tables. I cleaned as best I could under the circumstances.

There was a box waiting for me, leaning against what remains of the front patio area, when I got home. It was the other part of my eBay order, the storybooks for Star Wars (A New Hope) and The Empire Strikes Back. I couldn't believe how well-wrapped they were for two thirty-year-old hardback kid's books that weren't even in good shape! They were in a box, in a bag, in another bag, smothered in bubble wrap. At least they got here. We never had these. I was a year old when Empire came out. Mom says she didn't see either movie until much, much later in their theatrical runs. She once told me the line to see New Hope at the Beach Theater in Cape May stretched literally around the block!

Worked on a little writing after getting the books organized. Han, Luke, Ben, Chewbacca, and the servants are fleeing Aldran Castle in the enchanted Falcon, Han now driving. Ben says he can feel something terrible coming. Luke's worried, but Han scoffs at such magical trickery. At least, until Luke hears leathery wings, and they see enormous, scaly monsters soaring in the inky early morning sky...

Finished off the night by making Chicken Salad from Samantha's Cooking Studio (though I opted to eat it on a bed of spinach, rather than as a sandwich). Watched the first half of A Night at the Opera while I ate. My favorite Marx Brothers movies has Chico and Harpo trying to help a pair of opera hopefuls (Kitty Carlisle and Allan Jones) get together, while Groucho woos Margaret Dumont and her money and tries to get the head of the opera company (Sigfried Ruman) off his back. I know a lot of fans prefer Duck Soup, but for my money, it doesn't get any better than this one. Even the lovers are hilarious. This is worth seeing just for the classic scene that manages to fit at least twenty people, an enormous trunk, and about thirty hard-boiled eggs (and one duck egg) into one tiny stateroom.