Winds In the Sunset

Began another sunny, windy morning with breakfast and Mickey's Christmas Carol. Despite the title, Mickey actually has the supporting role of Bob Cratchit in this 1983 Disney take on the beloved Charles Dickens novel. Uncle Scrooge is a pitch-perfect Ebeneezer, Donald is Nephew Fred, Daisy is Belle, Mickey's nephews Morty and Ferdie are the Cratchit children, and Goofy makes a better Jacob Marley than you might think. (His gags with the chain are among the highlights of this short.)

Did a quick short while getting the laundry together. "Santa's Workshop" is one of two Silly Symphonies featuring Santa Disney did in the mid-30's. I love the first half, with the elves making the toys, and the parade of the toys in the end. The tumbling teddy and spotted wind-up piggies are so cute!

I picked the right day to hit the laundromat. It was empty when I arrived, and I never saw more than two people the entire time. I didn't want to do it tomorrow. Figured everyone would be out tomorrow to get their linens and tablecloths done before Thanksgiving. Listened to Rachel Ray and The View and worked on story notes while my very small load was in the washer and drier.

Did a little writing when I got home. Leia and the girls appear in her office. The battle is going on right outside the door, with First Order Clan soldiers fighting their own army and volunteers from the local villages. Leia grabs hold of one of the soldiers. It turns out to be a woman, the intimidating Captain Gwen Phasma. Leia demands that she take them to Snoke and Luke.

Had my lunch at 1. Ran an episode of the wacky swashbuckler spoof Jack of All Trades while eating and getting ready for work. This is the last show you'd think would have a Thanksgiving episode, but somehow they manage to work one in with "One, Two, Three, Give Me Lady Liberty" from the second season. Jack's ready to celebrate a real all-American Thanksgiving, but Emilia has other ideas. Midget French king Napoleon has built a ten-foot statue holding a torch that he intends to give to President Jefferson...but he has ulterior motives. Jack and Emilia first invite him to their Thanksgiving feast to get the plans off him, then distract him with another Thanksgiving tradition - football!

Headed straight to work after the episode ended. Other than a half-hour spent cleaning the bathrooms after break, I once again was outside gathering carts for most of the day. It was too nice to be inside dealing with harried customers and panicking managers anyway. Despite the wind, it was even sunnier and warmer than yesterday, into the upper 50's.

It was worth doing the carts for most of the afternoon just to catch that absolutely amazing sunset. Around 5 PM, the sky lit up with strokes of melting roses, lavenders, and oranges, tinged with streaks of deep purple clouds . It was a gorgeous display, as pretty as any of the lights at street level.

Put on another Thanksgiving sitcom episode when I got in and made scrambled eggs with peppers, spinach, and taco meat for dinner. "Wild Turkey," from the seventh season of Perfect Strangers, has Balki, Larry, and their ladies gearing up for their first big meal in their new home. Larry is excited about the live turkeys he hopes to sell the day before the holiday...until Jennifer tells them that one turkey may have swallowed her wedding ring. Turns out Balki sold a turkey the day before. They head to the house of the family he sold it to to try to find out if it took the ring.

Did The Nutcracker: A Fantasy On Ice while eating milk and Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert. Lorne Greene narrates this 1983 special, with Dorothy Hamill as Clara and Robin Cousins as her Nutcracker prince. This used to turn up a lot on HBO around the holidays in the early and mid-80's. It was likely the first version of The Nutcracker I ever saw, well before I knew it was a ballet. If you have a little girl who loves figure skating or ballet or have fond memories of seeing it on cable too, I believe it can currently be found on YouTube.

Finished out the night online while watching An American Christmas Carol. I began the day as I ended it, with an unusual version of Charles Dickens' beloved holiday tale. This one has Henry Winkler as Benedict Slade, a miser in a small New England town who runs a real estate company. It's the height of the Great Depression, and he takes great delight in repossessing the townspeople's property and firing his employee when he tries to convince him to reopen the local quarry. It takes visits from three ghosts (who greatly resemble three of the people whose possessions he took) to make him see the error of his ways and understand the importance of charity.

Ok TV version of the story. Winkler is decent as the Scrooge character under a ton of makeup. Mostly for fans of Winkler or those who have to see every Christmas Carol out there.