Rainy Harvest

It was just cloudy and humid when I got up this morning. Ran The Backyardigans while I ate breakfast and got organized. In "Scared of You," Tasha is a mad scientist who sends her assistant Austin out to find three monsters. Austin's upset because he thinks everyone's forgotten his birthday. The other kids don't help. Tyrone the Mummy, Uniqua the Werewolf, and Pablo the Vampire are more scared of each other than anything.

Didn't make it to the farm market until nearly 10:30. They were bustling with people buying produce before the rain started. I even saw an apple pie contest. The Brussels sprouts emerge for the first time this week, and oddly, the corn truck booth was back...but a lot of other fall produce is missing or in short supply. I haven't seen pumpkins most places in a couple of weeks. I finally got a medium-sized one at the organic booth. The lady who runs it told me that the heat we had all summer caused the pumpkins and a lot of the squash to come up too early; they rotted when the rains finally came. I did manage to pick up an acorn squash (also from the organic booth), small gala apples, pears, and Brussels sprouts.

When I got home, I threw on a Three Stooges short as I had a very quick lunch and got ready for work. "If a Body Meets a Body" brings Curly, Larry, and Moe to a spooky old house. Curly might be the heir to a fortune, and the other two want to cash in. Shortly after they arrive, they learn that Curly's uncle was murdered, and then the cops insist they stay. Now they have to spend a night in a possibly haunted house with a killer loose!

It started to shower just as I was crossing Nicholson Road on my way to work. It's continued to rain for the rest of the day. And of course, I was outside for most of the afternoon. I did gather baskets a few times and emptied the trash on the wet wipe holders as you come in...but I mostly rounded carts, including an hour and a half after my break. The rain never abated. I just put on a raincoat and got wet.

It continued to rain as I headed home. As soon as I got in, I changed into dry clothes. I had leftover chicken legs and a green salad for dinner while watching Kung Fu Panda 3.

Po (Jack Black) is happy as the Dragon Warrior and a member of the Fearless Five. Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) thinks he's ready for the next level - teaching. Po's not so sure. His first attempt to teach his friends is a disaster. As he contemplates what being the Dragon Warrior means, he and the Five discover that an evil ox master (JK Simmons) has returned from the spirit world with the chi - the energy - of every master there, determined to gain the wisdom at the Jade Palace. Even as he gathers the chi of every master in China, Poe is confronted with someone he never thought he'd meet - his real panda father (Bryan Cranston). His dad insists on taking him to a remote village where other pandas live, and Poe can learn to be a panda. This makes his crane adopted father (James Hong) rather jealous. When the pandas learn that the ox's army of green jade masters is on its way to the village, Poe learns that the best way to teach is to use everyone's strengths...and that teachers can learn a lot from their students, too.

I love the Kung Fu Panda movies. I think they're my favorite Dreamworks movies, and certainly my favorite series. Who knew so much could be made from a panda who was into the martial arts? The animation is awesome (especially during the chi fight in the finale), Poe's panda family is a riot, and there's quite a bit of father-son bonding that's both touching and hilarious.

I do recommend that you see at least Kung Fu Panda 2 before coming here to get a better idea of the characters and situations. If you're already a fan of this series, hop aboard - it may be the best one yet.

Finished the night with more Lego Star Wars. Tried "Retake Thneed Palace" again - got True Jedi and the red brick, but couldn't find more pieces. As I told Linda Young on Facebook, I did finally re-do the Pod Race. Honestly, I loved using every other vehicle but the darn speeder in the race! Got a few more pieces and "True Jedi."

Skipped way ahead to do a few New Hope levels. "Secret Plans" was a snap. I had no idea Princess Leia's ship had so many corridors! Using a bounty hunter (Greedo in my group) or a stormtrooper gets you into a whole maze of black tunnels that includes a white piece and the red brick. With Darth Maul smashing the walls into atoms and a Jawa to crawl under the grating on some floors, I had no problems getting "True Jedi."

"Through the Jutland Wastes" was tougher. That round takes forever in Story Mode. It was equally difficult even with more characters to work with. I think I did pretty well in the Sandcrawler, but the wastes themselves had many pieces up high or in places where the characters would slide that I just couldn't figure out. I did find the red brick, but I couldn't get more pieces, and got nowhere near "True Jedi."