A Hint of Spring In the Air

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. Hattie is initially excited when the Queen of Hearts' daughter Rosa announces a sleepover at Hearts Palace. When the time comes for the actual party, he can't sleep because of how different the Palace is from his home. Alice shows him that there's "No Palace Like Home" when she makes him comfort food that helps him settle down. Rosa wants her heart tarts to be "A Royal Remembrance" when her Abulito comes to visit. Even though her tarts aren't exactly like her Abulita's, she knows how to dress them up so her grandfather knows they were made with love.

Headed to work after that. No problems whatsoever there. We were quiet the entire morning. It was a gorgeous day at the end of the month and the middle of the week, and we're between holidays. I pushed carts, swept the floor, and enjoyed sunny, breezy, unusually warm weather that was already in the lower 60's by 1 PM.

Stopped at the Common Grounds Coffee House in Oakyn for lunch. Some jerk gave the baristas a hard time yesterday because they were busy and had no tables open. You don't make a fuss over that. Thankfully, they did have a table open this time. I bought a chai latte, a slice of mushroom and Swiss quiche, and a huge blueberry muffin and watched the college students and office workers tap busily at their laptops. 

Put on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic while changing and flattening all those boxes I unloaded yesterday to put in recycling later. "The Crystal Empire" is a magical land in the north that has suddenly reappeared after a thousand years. It was attacked by evil unicorn King Sondra, who made the ponies forget how happy they once were. Twilight Sparkle and Spike searches for a Crystal Heart that could protect the city, while the other ponies keep the residents happy at a Crystal Fair and Twilight's friend Princess Cadence and her brother Shining Armor use Cadence's magic to keep Sondra at bay.

Went through all those cookbooks and the stuff I unloaded yesterday while finishing up Roots. Chicken George (Ben Vereen) happily returns to his family a free man in the 1860's. His son Tom (Georg Stanford Brown) is now a blacksmith for man named Sam Harvey (Richard McKenzie) and has two sons and a lovely wife named Irene (Lynne Moody). Tom and his family are glad to see him and love his stories of England, but he can't stay long. If he remains in South Carolina for 60 days, he'll lose his freedom.

Tom is continually harassed by a pair of obnoxious brothers, Evan (Lloyd Bridges) and Jemmy (Doug McClure) Brent. At one point, he does a favor for Jemmy after he deserts the Confederate Army and finds him attacking Irene. He kills him...but no one will tell Evan who did it. Fortunately, not all whites are so unfriendly. George (Brad Davis) and Martha (Lane Binkley) Johnson turn up at the plantation in search of a meal. They end up befriending the community...and unlike Tom Moore or Missy Anne, they know how to be faithful friends, even though Tom's brother Lewis (Hilly Hicks) doesn't trust them at first. 

The postwar period doesn't go well for Tom, George, or their families. Corrupt Senator Arthur Justin (Burl Ives) buys up all the land and forces the black farmers into heavy debt. After raiders attack their farms, Tom figures out a way to find out who the raiders are. The Sheriff, however, is in Justin's pocket and tips him and Evan off. George is told to whip his friend, and only does it to save his life. Good thing Chicken George returns at this point, announcing that he has land in Tennessee...and an idea that will get Evan and his group off their backs once and for all.

Whew! That was quite a saga. Though the story lightened slightly towards the end, this is still really dark territory. As I mentioned last week, the N word is tossed around with abandon, there's strong violence, and honestly, even some of the black characters don't come out smelling like a bed of roses. The well-done drama and all-star cast still makes it worth checking out for those looking to see American history in a less-rosy light and can handle the violence and abuse.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated during dinner. Foster Brooks and Sarah Purcell joined in this week, just in time for the difficult "__ Balsam" Audience Match. After an audience member gets the answer that the rest of the panel can't figure out, the panel walks out!

Finished the night with Murder She Wrote. "The Grand Old Lady" from the sixth season goes for something different. Jessica Fletcher recounts how beloved mystery author Lady Abigail Austin (June Havoc) ran across a murder on the Queen Mary in 1947. She's there when wine merchant Peter Daniken staggers in, beaten and bloody. Turns out the man was hardly what he claimed to be. Aspiring journalist Christie McGinn (Gary Kroger) smells a story and helps her solve the case and bring together a nurse who fell for a wounded soldier onboard, despite him being married.