Friday, April 27, 2018

An Orchard of Love

It was still raining and gloomy when I got up this morning. After reading several short stories on Arbor Day in the Harvest of Holidays anthology book, I did It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown during breakfast. Sally's studying Arbor Day in school and talks Linus and the other kids into helping her plant trees and a garden for her project. Trouble is, they pick the worst possible spot to plant in - Charlie Brown's baseball field. Chuck's understandably upset, until it looks like the plants may actually help them win a game...

Worked on writing for the next few hours. Leia awakens in the cottage of Ahsoka Tano, a woman whom most of the City of the Clouds believes to be a witch. She's actually a former Jedi who trained under Anakin and Obi-Wan before she left the order due to an altercation with another member. Lando and Luke found her unconscious on the mountainside and brought her there. Kanan, Hera, and their family have taken refuge there as well. Ahsoka has stopped Leia's hand from bleeding and healed most of her external wounds, and Kanan is making the girl a new hand. Ahsoka knows that Leia needs to heal internally, too...and thinks the best way to do this would be to construct a new sword. Seems the mountain is full of the crystals the Jedi used for their blades. She just needs one that calls to her.

Broke a little early around quarter after noon. I went through things in the back, grabbing clothes to dump in the DARE boxes in back of the Acme and other things to bring to the church thrift shop tomorrow. After I brought those out, I had a quick muffin-and-yogurt lunch.

Ran two wedding-themed episodes of Get Smart as I worked and ate. Max thinks that "Diamonds are a Spy's Best Friend" when he goes shopping for a wedding ring for 99. Turns out the ring is part of a CHAOS plot to smuggle diamonds out of the US via the bald members of a bowling alley.

Max and 99 finally get married in "With Love and Twitches." Max meets up with a former CHAOS scientist who has him drink a formula that makes a map to a uranium mine appear on his chest. He can't sit down or scratch it for 48 hours, or it won't appear. He tries to explain to 99 and the Chief why he can't sit at his own wedding, but they think he's getting cold feet...until CHAOS agents grab Max, and he's almost late for the ceremony.

I headed off to work a little early to print out the payroll stubs I needed for my food stamp renewal application. It took me 20 minutes alone to find someone to help me print them out. In the end, one of the college students who work produce ended up helping me with it on the computer in the back lounge room.

Things didn't get much better from there. I spent almost an hour in the register, right before I went on break. We got insanely busy around rush hour, and we're still short on help. Thankfully, I spent the rest of the time after my break outside gathering carts and doing trash.

Not entirely happy with my schedule next week, either. While I'm back to having three days off (one of them for a dental appointment on Tuesday), I'm also back to an 8 and 1/2 hour day on Wednesday, and I lost hours. I'd rather keep the extra hours and keep them spread out.

Dodged more heavy traffic in the shopping center behind the Acme as I headed to the post office. Of course, it had been closed for an hour. I dumped the application in the mail box in the back of the building and hoped Camden County didn't mind it being a day or two late.

Cheered myself up with dinner at Sonic. It was a little chilly and damp by 6:30, though the rain was long gone at that point. I had a tasty grilled chicken sandwich with tater tots and my favorite cherry-limeade. I was the only one eating outside on a day that was still rather dark and gray.

Headed back to the Acme to get my grocery shopping done. Took advantage of coupons and sales to pick up Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, canned pineapple, buy-one-get-one-free eggs, Pillsbury cake mix, and a card for Dana and Jesse's wedding tomorrow. Restocked bananas, grapefruit, mandarin orange cups, cooking oil, ground turkey, and yogurt. Found a seasoned tilapia fillet and a lobster cake with manager's coupons.

I didn't roll in until almost 8. I never did get to working out tonight, but I did get to watch Father of the Bride. I have the original 1950 version of the tale of doting dad Stanley (Spencer Tracy) who, despite his reservations about the groom Buckley (Don Taylor), gives his daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) the most lavish ceremony and reception he possibly can. Of course, this involves having to remove almost every stick of furniture in his house to make the guests fit, hiring a snooty British wedding organizer (Leo G. Carroll) to see to the details, and even talking the bride back into the wedding when she almost calls it off when she and the groom fight over their honeymoon spot. In the end, Stanley finally realizes that his little girl is now a woman...and that growing up means making your own choices, for better or for worse.

If you're a fan of the cast or the sitcoms of the 50's and 60's, you may find a great deal to enjoy in this domestic charmer. Tracy was Oscar-nominated as the bemused father of the title; Elizabeth Taylor is equally good as the glowing bride. Director Vincent Minnelli keeps everything sparkling and fun. (The Steve Martin remake from the 90's is also really cute if you ever run into it on cable or online.)

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