Under the Clear Blue Sky

Began a late morning with breakfast and one of the earliest episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Prince Tuesday is "Daniel's Babysitter" when Dan's parents go out for the evening. Daniel is worried at first, but Tuesday assures him that his parents will be back by the end of the night. When "Daniel Goes to School," he's nervous about Dan Sr. leaving him behind at first, but then he helps Miss Elaina find her lost locket.

Cleaned out the collectible Effanbee and Star Wars dolls next. With the exception of three porcelain dolls that mean a lot to me, I really don't want any more collections I can't use in some way, play with or listen to or read or dress or cuddle. Not to mention, the ridiculous and childish furor over the sequels ended any interest I had in Star Wars. I enjoyed those movies...but not only do I think I burned out on them, the fandom just got plain annoying. I don't know if I'm ever going to even finish the Star Wars fanfiction I had planned. I probably will finish watching the genuinely interesting Clone Wars series someday, but that's it. 

Watched The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That while I worked. Sally's upset when she can't "Jump!" high enough to rescue her balloon from a tree. The Cat takes her and Nick to Jumpalaroo to learn how a flea, a kangaroo, and a pair of grasshoppers manage to jump super long distances. The kids want to draw a butterfly's wings, but they keep scaring it away. The Cat and Onslow the Sloth teaches them how to "Slow Down for Sloths" and let the world come to them. 

Switched to Match Game '74 after breakfast. Richard Deacon made his first appearance on this week that also included Gunilla Hudson of Petticoat Junction, Mitzi McCall, and Nipsey Russell. Deacon got a rare chance to help out with "Safe __" in the Head-to-Head during the first episode. In the second episode, Gunilla showed off her jeans with the word "skol" printed on her rear, predating the fad of pants with words on the rear by forty years. 

Headed out on foot shortly after Match Game ended. Wanted to run a few errands in the neighborhood. Got money for a gift card and a banana smoothie at WaWa. Took a nice, long stroll after that down to Dollar General. My recyclable bags were just sitting in an extra-large bag. Picked up a plastic container for them, along with the watermelon-strawberry electrolyte drink mix they finally got in. 

Had a quick lunch when I got home. Watched All-Star Family Feud while I ate.  This time, it was a battle of suburban families, as Leave It to Beaver played Petticoat Junction. The Cleavers would get it, only to not come up with the right answer and lose it. In the end, the ladies of the Shady Rest Hotel not only won, but beat the bonus round by a large margin, too. (And I think I saw Frank Cady swipe one of the Tootsie Roll Pops the players on the end chose for extra money in the end!)

Did some organizing after the episode ended. Listened to Dick Clark: 20 Years of Rock and Roll while dropping the totes and paper bags in the new plastic container. Moved sweaters into a container with one of my blankets, freeing up a tote for the Christmas records. 

Went out for a short stroll around 4 PM. Library boxes, brightly-painted wooden cubbies with shelves of books people can take out or put in, are scattered around the neighborhood between Newton Lake Park and Cuthbert Road. Donated any books I didn't want to two of them. Since I was in the area, I dropped the gift card for my brother and sister-in-law's baby shower at the post office. 

And...it was a nice day for a walk. The weather remains sunny and breezy, though I believe it's also warmer and a bit more humid than it was. I didn't want to be inside all day and waste such nice weather. Saw a bunch of people out and about, too, including at least four dog-walkers.

Went into writing when I got home. Brett's not happy when the queens talk about inviting people to dinner parties without asking her first. White Queen Helen says they need to get the Red King's scepter, the source of his power, and destroy it, before he tries to recharge it. 

Broke for dinner at 6:30. To Tell the Truth panel-mates Bill Cullen and Peggy Cass reunite for a week of Password Plus. Apparently, I got to see Peggy's first shot at the Alphabetics bonus round all week. They just missed it on the last few words.

Decided to finish up this round of All Star Family Feud specials while I had dessert. The championship pit country gals against suburbanites, as Petticoat Junction went up against The Brady Bunch. Tight game, too, with lots of back-and-forth. In the end, the ladies of Petticoat Junction ruled supreme and beat the Fast Money round again, too. (And interestingly, Gunilla Hutton showed up here as well.) 

Ended the night on YouTube again after a shower with more Laugh-In. The sixth season played with the format a bit. Some segments were dropped pretty early, notably everyone sitting on a set of bleachers, making jokes about the topic at hand. We also got some filmed segments with people trying to make a car move, girls being carried around by a gorilla, and young men losing their taxis to older ladies. Not to mention, Willie Tyler and his dummy Lester became the show's first ventriloquist act and their minority representatives. 

Too bad Police Woman didn't start until a year after the show ended. They might have been able to give Angie Dickenson more to do than joke about being married to Burt Bacharach. Monty Hall got to wisecrack about the weird contestants he's handled over the years on Let's Make a Deal. Plus-sized comedienne Totie Fields fielded a slew of weight jokes and did a recurring skit with her, Dan, and Dick on a deserted island. Michael Landon and Lyle Waggoner filled out the show's beefcake quotient. Frank Welker did animal imitations (and showed why he later took over as the voice of Scooby Doo after his original voice actor, Don Messick, died).