The Mouse and the Magic

Began a cloudy, humid morning with breakfast and episodes from the Chibi-Usa-focused fourth season of Sailor Moon.  In the first episode, a popular local fashion designer is feeling like he's lost his creativity. Fish Eye steps in, but his controlling nature and smothering isn't what the guy needs. It takes Usagi's request of a wedding dress to get him back on track. Minako, Sailor Venus, is in the spotlight in the second story when she's blithely dating two guys at the same time. They turn out to be Hawk's Eye and Tiger's Eye. She thinks they're after her, but what they really want is her dream mirror.

It was still cloudy when I headed out. Stopped at my first yard sale of the year on my way. It was only a couple of blocks down Manor. They mostly had knick-knacks, but I did spy a big box of CDs and DVDs on my way out. I ended up with DVD copies of Ever After and the 1995 Sabrina and the two Frank Sinatra Duets albums on CD.

Just made it to work on time. Good thing, too. They were busy for most of the day. I spent the majority of the afternoon outside, rounding up carts. It was hot, humid, and on-and-off sunny, the first really hot and humid day of the year. Also did the outside trash - the one in front was overflowing. The head manager unlocked the trash compactor and said "toss those in" - without saying "please" or "thank you" or lifting a hand to help himself. And at least one of the bags were broken. I had to load all the trash from it into another bag. (Those huge trash bags the store uses are so fragile! If they catch on anything, even something that isn't blunt, they'll tear.) He didn't tell me how to lock the compactor again, either. I had to get another manager to do that.

Got my schedule when I arrived. Pretty much the same hours as this week, only with slightly earlier hours on Sunday. Alas, early Saturday hours and late Wednesday hours means I'll miss the first farm markets of the year. Otherwise, everything is pretty much the same, including the days off.

Had a bit of grocery shopping to do afterwards, especially once I found out that I'll need produce. I bought green beans along with bananas and grapefruit for dinner this week. Found three fish fillets and a canister of shrimp with good manager's coupons. They were having a decent sale on small tubes of ground turkey, too. Couldn't resist a buy-one get-one sale on that delicious Talenti Gelato. They're expensive, but so worth it. Restocked Chobani yogurt, skim milk, canned crushed pineapple, applesauce in cups for lunches this week, yellow cake mix, and peanut butter. Bought tortillas for tacos later this week.

Went straight home after that. Did another Sailor Moon episode while putting everything away. Usagi is upset when Mamoru offers to share his umbrella with an older woman and she's rude to him. Chibi-Usa and Diana aren't happy, either. They learn that the lady is living all alone in a big old mansion, waiting for someone to return. Meanwhile, she's fending off men who want to buy her massive home, not to mention Hawk's Eye, who is after her dreams of running a restaurant.

Spent the next few hours writing. Leia is downtown with her aunt and Mon Mothma visiting with several senators Mothma knows. Among them are the obnoxious and snobbish Brendol Hux (eventual father of Armitage). Leia argues with Hux over the importance of the people to the land and his poor treatment of the Wookie natives who are basically regarded as slaves. He puts down Henry Solo for being an outsider and allowing Charles to be "one of the family" and Luke for his relationship with Wedge Antilles.

Broke for dinner around 6:30. I was too hot and tired to make tacos by then. I settled for shrimp with a spinach and cherry tomato salad.

Returned to crocheting while watching The Secret of Nimh. Mrs. Brisby is a timid widow mouse living on a farm field that's about to be planted. She and her children can't leave their home, thanks to one being deathly ill. The Great Owl orders her to go to the rats who live in the rose bush near the farmer's house for aid. They turn out to be a society of highly intelligent rodents who were injected with a serum from Nimh that made them very smart. They're tired of stealing food and supplies from the farmer and want to leave, but a splinter faction doesn't want to upset the rose bush. Mrs. Brisby finds herself thrown in the middle of all this when they move her house and she helps them with the farmer's cat. When push comes to shove and it's her children who are in danger, Mrs. Brisby discovers the true depths of a mother's love, and that courage comes from the real magic of a loving heart.

Don Bluth's first full-length film on his own is truly lovely, with lush animation and a haunting score. Brief violence, three gristly on-screen deaths, and frank discussions of death, illness, and animal testing make this for older children on up. If you've got kids who love animals and can handle the relatively mature subject matter, this is one of the most beautiful animated movies of the 1980's and gets a major recommendation from me as well.