Little Saint Nick

Began a rainy morning with breakfast and several Disney Junior Christmas and Hanukkah episodes. It's a "Happy Hot Diggety Dog Holiday" on Mickey and the Roadster Racers. Chip rides with Goofy and Dale with Donald in order to win a special star tree topper, not realizing they want to give it to each other. Minnie and Daisy are "Happy Holidays Helpers" who help everyone in Hot Dog Hills with their last-minute Christmas preparations, then have no time to set up their own party. Everyone in town has a surprise for them when they're done for the day, though...

Hattie is ready to celebrate Hanukkah with his fathers in Alice's Wonderland Bakery. It's "A Hat-Bachi Hanukkah" when they use oil to cook flavorful vegetables on a hibachi grill. Hattie is upset when Fergie is better at chopping and cooking vegetables than he is. Alice reminds him that he has things he's good at, too...like making grilled veggies with little or no oil. Alice's friend JoJo the Caterpillar has never seen snow, so they make snowdrops and create "A Snowdrop Summer." Trouble is, they make so many snowdrops, it starts snowing all over Wonderland! When the Cheshire Cat and the flowers protest, Alice and the kids have to figure out how to bring the warm weather back.

Switched to Tattletales while I made my grocery list. Betty White and Allen Ludden were among the first couples to appear on the show. In this early episode, they're joined by Bill Cullen and his wife Ann and Jo Ann Pflug and Chuck Woolery (the latter two years before he became the host of Wheel of Fortune). Betty and Allen adored each other...but so did Bill and Ann, who were married until Bill's death in 1989. They were the big winners in the episode I saw.

The clouds were trying to break up and the sun was out when I finally made my way down to the Westmont Plaza. My first stop was Target. I wanted to pick up cat treats for Rose's cats Lynx and Toothless and a friend's cat for Christmas. Found fresh cranberries for super-cheap, too. 

Sprouts was almost as busy. I mainly wanted coconut milk here. They had something called "coconut pillows," some kind of coconut pastry bites with maple-flavored white chocolate filling on clearance. I got soda and sparkling water, a turkey on multi-grain sandwich for dinner, and vegan caramel-chocolate chip cookies on clearance off the bakery rack. Got to try mildly sour jelly candies and bread with an orange jam and butter, too.

The rain returned with a vengeance while I was in Sprouts. It was pouring cats and dogs when I came out, with lashing winds. Thankfully, it was already ending, even as I unlocked my bike. By the time I rode home, it was cloudy, chilly, but not abnormally so for December, and gale-force windy.

Watched What's New, Scooby Doo? while I put everything away and ate a quick lunch. "A Scooby Doo Christmas" has Mystery Inc stranded in a town that hasn't felt like celebrating in years. Every year, a headless snowman attacks their town, destroying their chimneys. Shaggy and Scooby would rather get to the bottom of a Christmas cake, but the others are determined to solve this mystery and make the holidays a lot merrier for the town.

Moved to The Bernstein Bears' Christmas Tree next. I went further into the first Bernstein Bears' holiday special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog 

The Bernstein Bears' Christmas Tree

Bluey and her sister and cousins play "Veranda Santa" the night before Christmas, pretending to be Santa and give gifts. It's all well and fun, until Bluey's littlest cousin Socks bites her and she doesn't give her any presents. Bandit points out how badly she hurt Socks' feelings. 

After the near-miss with the weather earlier and the ongoing gale-force winds, I wasn't taking chances. I called Uber. Thankfully, it only took them 7 minutes to pick me up and five to get me to work. They took 13 going home, but that gave me the time to use the bathroom, and it was the dinner rush hour.

Between this being their Pajama Day and it being less than a week before Christmas and their winter break, the kids were really rowdy today, even for them. Two of the boys in particular just would not sit down and play, no matter how much we argued with them. It got so noisy after snack time, we took the kids into the library to read Christmas stories instead. There was a Frozen Night Before Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and two others. I tried to keep an eye on the kids who were just looking at books rather than listening, but they would yank a book off the shelf, look at it for two minutes, then grab another one. 

I did manage to coax one upset little girl out from behind a table by showing her the exquisite artwork in a gorgeous picture book version of The Nutcracker. The book was too long to read, so I just used the pictures to tell them the story. The little miss was so entranced, one of the younger boys poked his head in and listened, too. 

Not long after that, we put the books away and took the remaining kids back to the cafeteria. In addition to the usual coloring, wooden blocks, and magnetic tiles, one of the teachers just got the very same bristle blocks that push together with plastic "bristles" that I remember playing with in elementary school when I was a kid. The kids especially loved that the set came with plastic eyes that could allow them to make their own monsters! I helped two older boys figure out why their magnetic tile tower wasn't standing, too.

After I got home, I worked on The WENN Nutcracker Suite. I don't know why this is coming so slowly after I had no trouble with my last two stories! Gertie brings them to a gingerbread train station and gets them all tickets. She tells them that the Mouse King has convinced Queen Gloria that if she can't be happy, no one should be. She's canceled the Christmas Festival and is only putting on the Christmas Ball because the Mouse King wants to persuade her to make the Land of Sweets part of the Cheese Kingdom.

I also got my schedule at this point. In good news, I did get Christmas Day and the days after off, along with Tuesday for the last half-day before the kids go on winter break. Trouble is, I wasn't expecting to work Monday too, or six hours on Sunday. Monday is going to have to be rushed - I'll have both jobs that day. Thankfully, the kids are off Christmas Eve, which means I'll only have to work four hours that day. I'll be able to hurry home afterwards and enjoy the start of my vacation. 

Watched two movies about the existence of Santa while I worked. Ernest Saves Christmas takes us to sunny Orlando, Florida in the late 80's. Ernest P Worrell (Jim Varney) loves Christmas with every fiber of his being, and even he's shocked when the real, genuine Santa (Douglas Seale) climbs into his cab. Santa's in Orlando to recruit kindly former kid's show host Joe Carruthers (Oliver Clark) as his replacement. Trouble is, Joe already got an offer from a sleazy agent (Robert Lesser) who is pushing him to make an 80's Christmas horror movie. Meanwhile, Ernest is also dealing with a selfish runaway who calls herself Harmony Starr (Noelle Parker) and ends up flying the sleigh himself after he and two elves pick the reindeer up from a couple of very confused baggage handlers.

This is an old childhood guilty pleasure of mine. It's arguably the best movie in the long-running Ernest series, and actually the biggest hit in the series by far. Varney has a blast with Ernest's holiday fandom and plays well off Parker and Seale. Seale makes such a wonderful Santa, he was the man I imagined when I thought of Santa until well into the 2000's. If you're a fan of Ernest or want to show your older kids a goofy Christmas comedy, this one is well worth your time.

Moved north to chilly New York City for the original 1947 Miracle On 34th Street. The Santa in question here is Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn), who works at Macy's after he was a smashing success in the Thanksgiving parade. Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) has her doubts about him. He keeps insisting he is Santa Claus. Doris has raised her own daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) to not believe in fairy tales of any kind, Santa included, after she went through a painful divorce. She's falling for Fred Gailey (John Payne), a kind lawyer, but isn't happy when he takes Kris on as a client. Kris got angry at Mr. Sawyer (Porter Hall) and hit him on the head with an umbrella, who then sent him to a mental institution. Fred represents Santa in court, arguing that he is the real Santa. The lawyers and judge don't bear Kris any ill will, but they do need to do their jobs, insisting that Fred bring real, substantial evidence. It takes a letter from Susan and Doris to show Fred the evidence he needs, and to remind Kris and Doris that faith does indeed mean believing even when common sense says not to.

A huge hit when it came out despite being released in the summer, this remains one of the most beloved Christmas movies to this day. Gwenn made such a convincing Santa, he won a supporting actor Oscar. The adapted screenplay also won. Wood is a lovely, curious little Susan, too, and Payne comes off much better here than he ever did chasing Fox blondes in their musicals. I also like that the law officers aren't played as villains. The only bad guy in this movie is the nasty and obnoxious Sawyer. The district attorney and judge are just normal politicians doing thankless jobs. I've heard the 1994 remake with Richard Attenborough has its moments, but this one is high recommended as well.

Finished the night at Tubi with an exquisite BBC version of The Nutcracker. Other than a short prologue and epilogue showing that the Nutcracker is Drosselmeyer's nephew transformed by the Mouse Queen into a toy, this about as traditional of a Nutcracker as you can get. The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince (not cavalier) dance the solos in the second half. I think the first group of candy dancers were supposed to be Greek, but the others remained the usual Asian, Arabian, and Russian. The mouse fight and "Dance of the Flowers" is especially gorgeous here. 

Welcome to the Holidays

Began the day with apple pie for breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. Daisy takes the others mini golfing, but she finds more holes than there should be on the course. She and the others have to figure out who made those holes, and how to help them and still let Daisy get her hole in one.

Rushed off to work the moment the cartoon ended. Work was busier than I thought it would be for the day after Thanksgiving, especially early-on. It did slow down later in the morning as more people focused on other types of shopping. It being a cold day probably didn't help. It was sunny, yes, but still very windy and bitterly cold, barely in the 40's. The wind didn't make gathering carts easy! They all tried to blow away from me.

And I got my schedule next week. In good news, three days off the Acme in a row, including Sunday. I'll be having my annual pre-Christmas get-together with my friend Amanda that day. In bad news, fewer hours, and working next Wednesday and Friday means I'll have two days next week where I have to rush between jobs. 

Did this week's grocery shopping after I finished my shift. Mainly needed to restock apples, yogurt, soda, and granola bars. Found the Acme's generic organic chocolate chunk-coconut granola on clearance. I've never seen Fresca at the Audubon Acme, but they did have Orange Vanilla Coke Zero. Got something small for Amanda, along with cards and candy canes for the Christmas tree (which I'll be putting up this weekend).

Went home and put everything away, then watched two episodes of What's New, Scooby Doo? while eating leftovers for lunch. "Gold Paw" is a gold-covered spook running around Fort Knox, turning military officers into gold statues. Mystery Inc is there to visit Scooby's old friends the Secret Six puppies, who have been tired and going to bed with dirty paws. Turns out they and the Gold-ade Factory next door are at the heart of a mystery revolving around mysteries military explosions that are damaging the factory.

"Reef Grief!" has one of the most unique monsters in the entire franchise, and may be one of the very few times the monster in question wasn't really the villain. Scooby, Shaggy, and the others are in Australia for a major sand castle building contest. The entrants have just begun to disappear under the sand when an enormous coral creature appears, attacking everyone. When Shaggy and Scooby vanish too, the others have to figure out why the creature has left the Great Barrier Reef, and who's the one who is really behind the disappearances.

Headed back out after Scooby ended. After a brief check around Target for one last Christmas present, I finished my grocery shopping at Sprouts. Picked up coconut milk, soda, and peanut butter cookies. They still had plenty of the apple fritter-flavored cranberries left, so I grabbed some of those, too. 

Spent the next hour after I got in and put everything away taking down the Thanksgiving and fall decorations. I'll be putting the Christmas decorations starting tomorrow afternoon. After I got everything down, I vacuumed and Swiftered everything.

Listened to two more True Value Happy Holidays records as I worked. Volume 13 from 1978 is the oldest True Value collection I currently own. 13 and 16 have pretty similar line-ups, probably due to both being from RCA. Both feature Julie Andrews, who sings "Deck the Halls" in 16 and "Jingle Bells" in 13. Perry Como kicks 13 off with "There's No Christmas Like a Home Christmas" and gets "Christ Is Born" in 16. Both feature at least one country singer. Charlie Pride performs "Christmas and Love" in 13, while Dottie West gets the sweet "You are My Christmas, Carol" in 16. Eugene Armandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra perform "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" in 13 and "Angels We Have Heard On High" in 16. Henry Mancini and His Orchestra have "The Christmas Song" in 13 and a medley of traditional carols in 16.

Volume 13 also tosses in Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass with a livelier "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." Lorne Greene recites The Night Before Christmas on Volume 16. Also on 16, we have Roger Whittaker performing "Christmas Is Here Again," and Ella Fitzgerald's rollicking "Sleigh Ride."

Had dinner and watched Match Game '76 and '78 while eating dinner. We started out with the smoky-voiced older contestant Evelyn finishing her long run. For some reason, they skipped way ahead after that to early 1978, before the set changed and Richard left. Joe Gargiola's only week on the show coincided with the introduction of a new camera angle that showed the backs of the panelists and what they were doing. Betty White and Debralee Scott had more fun flirting with the camera and flouting the new angle.

Watched Nutcracker: The Motion Picture on Tubi next. This exquisite version of the beloved ballet was filmed in 1986, with genuinely creepy sets and costumes designed by Maurice Sendak, of Little Critter and Where the Wild Things Are fame. Certainly, the squat, big-toothed Nutcracker looks like his work. Though the first half is pretty consistent with other retellings, it's the second half where this differs. The Spanish dancers are Arabian, and the Arabian Dance is performed by a woman in a peacock costume. The Chinese dancers perform with a huge gnome. Even Drosselmeyer goes Arabian in the second half, where he directly competes with the Nutcracker Prince for a decidedly adult Clara. This is also another version where Clara and the Nutcracker Prince take over the Sugar Plum Fairy's dances. The unique sets and costumes alone make this worth seeing for fans of The Nutcracker or ballet in general.

Finished the night at YouTube for something else that's truly unique. Kevin Perjurer of Defunctland created a four and a half hour documentary on the Walt Disney Company's attempt to create "Living Characters," aka Audio-Anamatronics that can talk and interact with theme park guests. They were apparently really gung-ho on this in the 2000's and early 2010's, but mobile figures like Bunsen and Beaker in their own Muppet Lab or a dinosaur that moved and pulled a cart proved too expensive, too difficult to maintain, and too prone to breakdowns. 

Animated puppet shows like Talk With Crush at the Living Seas With Nemo that gave audiences a chance to talk (and flirt) with versions of a beloved character were cheaper and went over slightly better with Imagineeers and audiences. There were supposed to have been droids and more "living characters" in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, but cost-cutting and the difficulty with their maintenance ended that idea. I didn't know anyone could do a four and a half hour documentary on the history of Disney's attempt to make robots that interact with guests, but Kevin knows how to make even the driest bit of theme park history vastly entertaining and even hilarious. If you have any interest in the history of robots and Disney's involvement with them, you owe it to yourself to check this out, even if you have to break it down into a couple of days' viewing like I did.

Disney's Living Characters: A Broken Promise

Waltz of the Children and Flowers

Began the morning with breakfast and new episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "Daisy Can't Say" because she screamed so loudly cheering on her frog for a big show, she lost her voice. The others help her gather ingredients to make tea with honey and lemon to soothe it.

Hurried off to work soon as the episode ended. Actually, I spent a lot of the first half of my shift working with the floral department manager. The head bagger did the sweeping and carts at that point. I took the last of the Halloween stuffed monsters and mini-Beanies-type toys to the clearance racks in the back, put teddy bears in their place, and watered poinsettias. After break, I took over sweeping and pushing carts from the head bagger, who went in a register to help with the lunch rush hour.

I was also able to get my schedule at work. In good news, I took Thanksgiving and the day before off, the latter due to the after school program starting earlier than usual, and I got Monday off, too. Alas, I work early the rest of the week except Sunday, which means I'll miss the Collingswood Christmas Parade again and I'll be rushing on Tuesday.

Headed straight home after work. Changed, then had lunch while watching more Clubhouse Plus. Minnie wants to make muffins, but all of her friends are working in every room. Somehow, Professor Ludvig Von Drake creating a "Minnie Mouse Clubhouse" shaped like a pink shoe turns into bringing a baby bear home to his family when the bear wanders into Minnie's new home looking for treats.

The Go-Getters - Detective Minnie, Super-Spy Daisy, and Captain Clarabelle - use their collective powers to solve "The Ice Cream Mystery" in a hilarious spoof of Charlie's Angels. The ladies follow the trail of melted ice cream to find out who stole the goodies intended for Ice Cream Day. Mickey is "Agent M," their own rodent Charlie.

Headed to the Thomas Sharp School even before the cartoon ended. There weren't quite as many kids today, probably due to it being close to a weekend, but it was still pretty rowdy. The kids decided they wanted to create their own home and set up their backpacks and coats under the jungle gym and slides. I wish they'd at least left their coats on their bodies. It was hard enough to talk most of them into wearing their coats. Though it wasn't raining or windy at that point, it was cool, in the lower 50's, and in-and-out cloudy. Not a day to go without a jacket. The few remaining kids ended up in the cafeteria when it started getting dark, coloring or playing with Duplos and magnetic tiles.

When I got home, I had dinner while watching Match Game '76. Most of the night finished out the week with Dick Gautier and later Angel Della Reece. The last episode of the night brought in Scoey Mitchelll, and in her debut on the show, Debralee Scott. Deb was more than happy to get that "welcome to the new kid on the block" kiss from Gene. 

Worked on The WENN Nutcracker Suite for the rest of the night. Mr. Eldridge leads the group to a gingerbread cottage. Cookie children dash out, petting Mack the Lion and asking Betty if she's a princess. Mother Gertie Ginger - Gertie in a huge icing gown - calls them in and tells Betty she'll explain what's going on when they've warmed up and had cocoa.

Finished the night with several different versions of The Nutcracker currently on YouTube. The 1977 American Ballet Theatre recording with Mikhail Baryshnikov is an old favorite of mine. As you can guess, the emphasis here is on Clara (Gerry Kirkland) and her Prince. They replace the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier in their dances in the second half of the show. We also get a short dance with a man in the Mouse King outfit showing what happened, and Drosselmyer showing the children a puppet show about a prince defeating a Mouse King.

Hello Kitty's Animation Theater from 2001 did their own version of "The Nutcracker." This one generally follows the original E.L Hoffman story, complete with the Nutcracker's tragic back story, the Mouse Queen, and Princess Pirlipat. Clara is able to help defeat the Mouse King by way of a magic amulet, though. Utterly adorable little rodent Kiririn is "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse" when he joins his friend Michael at his palatial urban home. Michael may tout the fine food,  but Kirirn's too scared by people trying to hit them with frying pans and dogs chasing them to eat it. He returns to his friend Sakura and decides he'd rather eat seeds in peace than luxurious food in constant fear.

The Russians took a crack at an animated Nutcracker in 1973. Their half-hour version is dialogue free, using music and sketchy visuals to tell the story of Marie, a servant girl who takes the ugly Nutcracker doll to heart. He tells her his story, which is pretty close to The Hard Nut other than he was enchanted by the Mouse Queen as a baby, not as a young man. After Marie throws her shoe at the Mouse King and changes him back, we get a series of dream-like snow imagery, including what I suspect to be fairly advanced Scanimate effects for 1973.

(Oh, and it did finally rain hard around 1 PM. It hasn't rained since then, though I think we might get a little more early next week.)

When the Autumn Winds Blow

Began the morning with breakfast and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. It's the "Moment of Truth" when Angela, fearing losing more people, refuses to help Glimmer rescue Adora. Glimmer turns to Shadow Weaver to get her, Bow, and the Princess Alliance into the Fright Zone instead. Hordak and Catra are obsessed with using Adora's sword to open a portal to another world. Entraptra discovers this is a very bad idea, but Catra, who wants revenge on Hordak and Shadow Weaver for their abuse, goes through with it anyway.

Hurried off to run errands after doing some things online. Started with grocery shopping at Sprouts. I mainly needed coconut milk here. Those apple fritter-flavored dried cranberries were so tasty, I got another container. Grabbed peanut butter cookies, soda, and sparkling water. 

The Acme was slightly busier when I arrived. Yogurt and granola were the big things here. I had online coupons for yogurt and for Kellog's "Extra" granola. Got two sodas, plus Sprite White Spiced Cranberry Zero soda and the Diet Coke Lime - no Fresca this time, alas. Also needed a Dunkin' Donuts gift card for my brother Keefe, whose birthday is next week. Treated myself to two small slices of pumpkin cake roll.

Made a quick stop for pretzels at the A&A Pretzel Shop on the way home. They said they baked too many, so I got three extra regular along with the stuffed cheese steak pretzel. 

Put everything away and had lunch while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Mickey's Thanks-a-Bunch Day" has Mickey and Minnie trying to make a vegetable and fruit salad for their Thanks-a-Bunch Day feast, but Minnie's garden isn't growing. Professor Ludvig Von Drake gives Minnie a spray to make it grow...but the fruit and veggies get too big! Now not only do they have to get the vegetables to where they can cut them, they have to figure out what to do with the leftovers.

It's also Thanksgiving on Mickey Mouse: Mixed-Up Adventures. "Mickey's Thanksgiving Fun Race" has the Racers and their friends and family driving together in vehicles that look like giant Thanksgiving meal foods and containers. Donald and Mickey are driving the gravy boat, but Donald keeps rushing, while Mickey wants to plan ahead. Their arguing lands everyone down a creek without a paddle when all of the cars end up in the river. Daisy's nervous about making her Gram Quaker's famous Double Berry Cranberry Sauce in "Happy Thanksgiving Helpers." She gets upset when she can't find the cranberries, and then all of their friends bring something besides the traditional meal items. Gram finally points out to her granddaughter that the people they're eating with are far more important than what they're eating.

Got my schedule at this point as well. In good news, more hours. In bad news, I work on Friday, which means I'll be running around all day, and work early on Saturday. I'll miss the last day of the Collingswood Farm Market, but I'll make up for it by going to see Wicked: For Good Saturday afternoon. (There's no way I'm missing that. I'll deal with the crowds.)

Hurried out to the Thomas Sharp School after the cartoons ended. Once again, we got the kids outside soon as they finished their snacks. I'm glad we did. It's supposed to get colder next week. Indeed, it was windy and cloudy outside today, though not as cold as it could have been. I talked with several children. I chased one of the littlest boys, and he chased me. I made sure everyone went down on the slide the right way. 

When we got back in, I joined the group playing Heads Up 7 Up and Silent Ball in the library. I even played Heads Up myself. First time I've played that probably in almost 40 years. "Silent Ball" involves kids sitting on a table, throwing a ball around while not talking. If you talk or miss the ball, you're out and have to sit down. I opted out, since I'm not the best at catching balls. Some of the kids were really got at that one! It was down to two boys and the other teacher when enough kids went home that we gave up and returned to the cafeteria for the rest of the session.

When I got home, I watched Match Game '76. Wish Soupy Sales had come back. He's not the greatest player on the planet, but he could be really funny. Betty White got really offended by a hurt-an-animal question in the last episode, to the point where she protested.

Finished the night with a shower and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King at Kanopy. This is the most unique production of this show I've seen that didn't get into The Hard Nut turf. I believe it was filmed in the Netherlands, so the story is set on the night before Saint Nicholas Day in the early 1800's, instead of Christmas Day in the vaguely late 1800's. We even see Old Saint Nick himself at one point. For some reason, Herr Drosselmeyer has created a magical movie projector, and the dream takes Clara into the projector itself. The Nutcracker doesn't turn into the prince right away, but fights the Mouse King a second time in the projector, and it's insinuated that he's eaten by the family's cat. We have Greek dancers instead of Spanish, Clara's brother Fritz turns up in the second half of the dream as the Mouse King's prisoner, and Clara and her Prince replace the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier.

Worked on The WENN Nutcracker Suite while I watched. Mr. Eldridge emerges at this point, wearing a black cape and top hat. The Nutcracker keeps staring and tugging at Betty like he knows her, but can't place her. Annie just wants to move along. Mr. Eldridge says the Sugar Plum Fairy Hilary and Cavalier Jeff will be able to help the Nutcracker and get Betty to her right size in the Snowflake Woods. Mr. Eldridge leads them there through the mouse hole in Betty's kitchen. 

Harts of the Morning

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Daniel says "Thank You, Grandpere!" when his grandfather plays with him during a visit to his family's home. He's disappointed when Grandpa can't stay, but there's a surprise waiting for him and his parents at the Enchanted Garden when they arrive! It's "Neighborhood Thank You Day," where everyone puts a card in the Thank-You Tree to tell someone theyy're thankful for them. Daniel doesn't know who he'll mention in a card, until they all blow away and Mr. Mcfeely brings them back.

Moved on to Hart to Hart while doing job research. It's a "Homemade Murder" when one of Jonathan's employees is killed while delivering the clue to a murder and bank robbery to his home. The thieves, including a strange albino man, first hold Jonathan and Jennifer hostage until they reveal where the clue is, then Max when they escape. They have to get to a Canadian Mountie who is also looking for the thieves and convince him that those people in the house aren't them.

Headed off to work after the episode ended. Work was surprisingly quiet for the start of the weekend. It picked up a little bit near the end of the day, but never really got that busy. Most people will probably save their food shopping for next week, closer to Thanksgiving. It being a gorgeous, chilly day in the upper 50's probably helped, too. I spent the day gathering carts and sweeping with no trouble whatsoever.

I got my schedule at home, then confirmed it at work. I have slightly more hours and a far more normal Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday off. Great! I've waited 20 years for Wicked to finally hit the big screen, and now I can see it on opening day. 

Had dinner and watched Match Game Syndicated, then returned to it after a shower. Judy Landers and Lou Grant reporter Robert Walden joined in this week to see a gentleman in a plaid shirt and tie straight out of vaudeville, Gene telling Charles he's indispensable (and he was right), and Charles calling Brett "Arlene Francis." Later in the week, Marcia Wallace complains about her hot flashes, and a contestant shows off the Buddha statue she brought for good luck.

I wanted to watch something at Kanopy, but it went down twice. Moved to YouTube instead for the 1979 Mikhail Barisnicov version of The Nutcracker. He's the Nutcracker Prince here, with wafish Gerry Kirkland as his Clara. This is a pretty traditional version of the story, other than Clara and the Prince replace the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier in their dances. It's also relatively short and features some narration that makes it fairly easy to follow. Might be a nice starter Nutcracker for younger kids and ballet fans who aren't up to sitting through longer versions, if for no other reason than giving them their first look at a ballet legend. 

Windy Leap Year

Started off a quick Leap Year morning with breakfast and Charlie & Lola. "I'm Just Not Keen on Spiders," says Lola. She's so scared of them, she won't even brush her teeth when she finds one in the sink. She feels a lot better about them when Charlie captures the spider and tells her about all the wonderful things they can do.

Soon as the cartoon ended, I went outside and waited for Karen. And waited. And waited. I waited for 20 minutes. Finally called Karen. I don't know why we've been having problems for weeks getting our texts to go through, but it turns out she had to cancel. She definitely had the flu. She sounded awful on the phone. I'll text her my schedule tomorrow and we'll try again next week.

No matter. Since I was already awake, I figured I'd just run errands early. My wrist felt well enough to take the bike out. It was windy and cold, barely in the 40's, but it was also brilliantly sunny. Rode down to Collingswood first to make a quick stop at PNC Bank. Their outside ATM machines were busy, so I went inside. Used the ATM, got my money, got out.

Took the back roads through Collingswood and past Newton Lake Park to Westmont. Since I passed by it on my way, I stopped at Rite Aid. The one on the corner across from Westmont Plaza is in the midst of closing. Normally, I don't like how Rite Aid rounds up your orders for charity without asking if you want it done or their high prices, but they do sometimes have good DVDs. 

I didn't get DVDs, but I found a lot of other things I needed. I've been searching for panty hose ever since my last pair got runs on Halloween, but couldn't find them anywhere. Not only did I find them at Rite Aid, they were such a good price, I bought four pairs. I have a slight cold right now. My temperature is normal and I'm not nauseous, but I do have a sore throat and a stuffy nose. A box of basic Mucinex usually cost $21; with their big sales, it came to $8.50. Also grabbed honey for tea and a drink, both of which were more than half-price.

My next stop was Sprouts, since I was already over there. The Olyra breakfast cookies were on sale. I picked up the blueberry yogurt and chocolate hazelnut sandwich cookies. Though they had samples of yummy Irish soda bread and pistachio muffins, I ended up getting caramel chocolate chip cookies on clearance. Wanted more of those delicious Cara Cara oranges. Grabbed a bag for $4.49. Ran into a display with creamy root beer and ginger ale Zevia cans 4 for $1. They must have overstocked those flavors. I bought my four.

Made my way across Cuthbert Road, and then through Haddon Township and down to the White Horse Pike. Stopped at a very quiet pretzel shop for lunch. They didn't have the stuffed pretzels out, but the young man behind the counter said they were in the warmer. I picked up a stuffed Philly Cheeesteak pretzel and was on my way.

Got home in time for the second half of Press Your Luck. It was all about the ladies. The one guy couldn't get a word in edgewise as the ladies kept amassing big bucks, losing them, and passing spins. One of the ladies only had $700, but she still passed her spins to the other. That proved to be a wise decision when she hit a Whammy on her last turn. The lady only took home $700, but that was enough to win.

Things were a little less wild on Split Second. An adorable young man who had gotten into a car accident after barely having his license for a few hours played very well, dominating the game. He didn't get the car and opted to come back, but was beaten by a sweet dark-haired woman who just barely got by him on the final Countdown round. She too opted to come back and try for the car when she didn't get it.

Finally got around to signing Netflix up on my TV (and signing back into Disney Plus and Hulu) so I could watch Roxanne Roxanne while I vacuumed, dusted, and swept my rooms. I go further into the biography of pioneering female rap artist Roxanne Chante on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On Streaming - Roxanne Roxanne

Switched to WKRP after the movie ended. There's "Changes" afoot at WKRP. Jennifer tries dressing Herb in a suit that's not violent plaid in order to attract better clients, while Venus tries to be more stereotypically black for an African-American publication. Neither works out - the man they send to interview Venus is white, and Herb's regular clients are expecting someone who dresses less stylishly. 

Johnny needs $40,000 in donations to repair a mission that was burned out in a fire. Jennifer offers her rich friends to help. "Jennifer and Johnny's Charity" runs into class conflict when Johnny brings the homeless people from the mission to the party Jennifer holds for her older well-heeled friends, and no one can agree on how to rebuild the mission.

"I'll Take Romance" is the name of a computer dating service that's currently being advertised on WKRP. Herb encourages Les to make use of it in order to get a date for a big dinner. The lady he's assigned is gorgeous...but he wonders if it's him he's interested in when it turns out the dating service is a front for a prostitution ring. 

Made my bed, then went online. I applied for a secretarial job with a plumbing company in West Berlin. It's kind of far, but I am interested in moving. It's something. It has health insurance, anyway. 

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched Match Game '77 while I ate. For some reason, they skipped ahead several weeks to well into 1977. Nipsey Russell and Arlene Francis join in as an audience full of local high schoolers cheer very loudly for Rich and Arlene happily flirts with Gene. 

Took a shower after I ate, then worked on writing while watching Match Game Syndicated. The jokes about the stunningly gorgeous contestant continued in the first episode, especially after she won. Brett starts in on Elaine about her hair not being natural, before Charles reminds her that other people's hair on the show isn't either. The second episode began with cracks about the fancy embroidered patch on Gene's jacket. Even after the beautiful contestant finishes her round, we have a second contestant who is even perkier. Big George Kennedy is more nervous about dealing with "__ Glands" in the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night with something different on Kanopy. Matthew Bourne's Cinderella was a unique version of the ballet filmed in England. Set during the Blitz in World War II, here Cinderella has three obnoxious stepbrothers (one of whom has a crush on her) along with two sisters. Her father is a World War I vet in a wheelchair; her glamorous but drunk stepmother throws herself at anyone who will give her the chance to put herself and her boys in the spotlight. The "prince" is an RAF ace who is downed near Cinderella's home. She kindly gives him shelter when he's disoriented after his crash, but her stepmother throws him out. The "fairy godmother" is a male guardian angel who protects Cinderella and her flyer from the Blitz, helps her get to the big party at the Cafe Du Paris, and reunites them at the hospital after Cinderella is hurt during one of the bombings. 

Slightly darker than usual for a Cinderella tale, but very well done. The setting gives it an urgency and sense of danger not often seen in fairy tale adaptations, while still retaining some magic with the guardian angel who can bend time and appear as anyone, including a psychiatrist helping Cinderella at the hospital. I also really like the idea of Cinderella meeting the "prince" and treating him kindly. It gives them a connection that explains why they fall so hard for each other later. 

If you love ballet, fairy tales, or the Prokofiev Cinderella, you'll want to hop on a magical motorcycle and check this out. 

Black Friday Magic

Began the morning with breakfast and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Huckle and Lowly want to be "Young Vikings" when they make a raft and sail downriver like Huckle's dad did as a child. Sally isn't supposed to tell their parents, as it's to be a surprise for Dad...but when they're stranded on an island, she may not have a choice. We get a Scarry crossover when Pip Pip recruits Inspector Sneef to find the Queen's jewels onboard Her Majesty's ocean liner bound for Australia in "Sneef Saves the Queen." "Hilda the Director" brings on the other kids in her class to be in her play, but drives them away when she won't let them help her. She learns how important it is to work together when her set falls apart on her.

Hurried out to work after that. Needless to say, we were dead the entire morning. It's the day after the biggest food holiday of the year. Food is the last thing on most people's minds right now. I swept the store, pushed carts, and gathered trash. Other than one of the trash bags making a mess, there were no problems. Even Mother Nature cooperated. It started out cold and cloudy this morning. By the time I finished at 2, the clouds were vanishing, the sun was out, and it was a little warmer, into the lower 50's. 

Had grocery shopping of my own to do after work. Needed to restock granola bars and yogurt - both were on good sales. I did buy grapes, but they cost a fortune. I thought I had an online coupon for them, but I guess it didn't work. I won't be getting them next week unless they're on sale. Found a solo cinnamon roll for dessert later.

Also got my schedule for next week. Other than working at noon on Sunday, it's pretty much the same thing I had before this week. Three days off, Tuesday, Thursday, and next Friday; Monday is the only early day.

Went straight home after that. Watched Password Plus with Allen Ludden, Marcia Wallace, and Wesley Eure on Buzzr. Marcia is normally really good at this, but Wesley's contestant won the round and made it to Alphabetics. 

Let it go into Super Password after. One of the show's most interesting weeks came early in 1987, when Betty White and Estelle Getty of The Golden Girls played Lucille Ball and her screen daughter Ann Dusenberry from Lucy's short-lived final sitcom Life With Lucy. Lucy more than held her own against sassy Estelle and seasoned Betty and played very well with Ann. They even made it to the Super Password bonus round. (Which Lucy did move rather slow on.)

Stayed at Buzzr for their annual Black Friday Frenzy marathon. This year, three episodes of Supermarket Sweep were followed by three episodes of Sale of the Century. Sweep started off with a random episode from early in the original run. David Ruprecht wore a crazy sweater, the women still had big hair, and there were only the huge inflatable bonuses and the shopping list in the Big Sweep. The remaining two episodes were from a "Double Your Cash" week in I believe 1998. Dave's now sporting silvery hair and a crazy tie, the hair is flatter, and there's far more bonuses in the Big Sweep, including candy, grinding your own coffee, and remembering a bread list. 

(And I wish we could have seen more of "Double Your Cash" week instead of the 1992 episode. I want to know if the couple who got that almost 2,000 total in the first episode ended up winning the $5,000.)

Sale of the Century ran its Thanksgiving episodes from 1988. Pretty similar to the 1985 Thanksgiving episode I watched last Monday. Once again, everyone's playing for holiday-themed goodies like a trip to New England, a beautiful blond wood table, and pretty Limoges china and a certificate to a dessert-of-the-month club. Two people missed the guess-the-subject Bonus Round, but one guy did win $5,000 on it.

Oh, and the next Buzzr marathon is going to be a big one. Buzzr opted to keep their tribute to Bob Barker anyway, whether he made it to 100 or not. Along with the Bob on Price Is Right special CBS ran last summer, there will be episodes of Tattletales, Match Game, and the late 80's Family Feud featuring Bob. Price Is Right: The Barker Years will finally show half-hour episodes from 1972 and 1973. It's so big, it'll run the whole first full week of December. 

Worked on writing after that. I went back and added an earlier scene of Cora fleeing to the garden to escape Stephen's dull parties with dignitaries and his wenches. She's strolling through the garden when she notices the hunchback servant working in the garden, lovingly spreading mulch and removing dead leaves. She helps him remove a dead leaf that his short, stubby fingers can't grasp. As she's praising his work in the garden, the head gardener comes around the corner and scolds him for dilly-dallying when he should have been working. She tells him there was no harm done and asks him to be gentler to the man from now on. 

Broke for leftovers and Match Game '79 at 7 PM. Buzzr jumped back to the week they skipped a while back with Foster Brooks, Lorna Patterson, and Betty White. Gene Rayburn rubs the shoulders of a nervous contestant in a way that would likely get him into trouble nowadays near the end!

Finished the night on YouTube after a shower with variations on The Nutcracker. The exquisite Playhouse 90 TV version from 1958 was only rediscovered in its original color a few years ago. Kudos to whomever found and restored the color, because it's gorgeous. It really adds magic to this New York City Ballet production. George Balanchine not only choreographed, he played Godfather Drosselmeyer.  Clara and her prince remain children during the entire Candyland sequence. The Sugar Plum Fairy performs her dances with four cavaliers. Other than men in striped leotards representing candy canes replacing the Russian trepak dancers, this is a traditional but quite well-done version of the show.

Ran across two unique animated Nutcrackers after that. I remember seeing the Russian Nutcracker from 1973 in school as a child. Here, it's a servant named Marie who rescues the Nutcracker. His backstory follows "The Hard Nut," only it's the prince who is cursed, rather than the princess. When Marie frees him, he turns her into a princess, and they go to his parents and never return to Marie's former place of employment. This relatively dark and ominous retelling haunted me for years. 

A British stop-motion Nutcracker and the Mouse King from 1978 is a bit lighter. Once again, it follows "The Hard Nut," only it's a prince who cracks the nut for the ugly princess rather than Drosselmeyer's nephew. The flashback sequence is done in regular animation, made to look like Russian tapestries. It was done by Bob Bura and John Hardwick, who apparently specialized in stop-motion TV shows in England and had won awards for their work. No wonder. Everything here looks smooth and fluid. The Nutcracker is actually rather cute; the Mouse King and his followers most certainly aren't, but they're not too scary for young kids. 

Older children who are ready for a slightly darker version and don't mind that it's dialogue-free may want to check out the Russian cartoon. Younger kids looking for an introduction to the story that's only slightly scary may be more interested in the stop-motion short. 

Nutcrackers In the Sunshine

Began the morning with breakfast and The Care Bears Nutcracker. Funshine and Grumpy are called to help a little girl named Anna whose best friend just moved away. She may find a new friend in an unlikely place when a moving nutcracker suddenly appears in her bedroom. He's followed by the Mouse King, who tries attacking him right then and there! He chases them and the Care Bears and Cousins to Toyland, where they help rescue the Sugar Plum Fairy and the ring she protects from the evil Vizier. Meanwhile, Baby Hugs and Tugs are searching for their own special ornament to hang on the Bears' tree, and Anna's little brother Peter just wants to take part in an adventure.

Did some job hunting after breakfast, since Karen couldn't make our appointment this week. I still don't see much around. Either they don't make enough money for me to leave my current job, or they don't have health insurance, or I'm not sure if I could do them. I'll keep looking. 

Headed to work after I got offline. We were dead the entire afternoon. In fact, we were so dead, the floral department didn't need help, and they barely needed help bagging, either. I spent almost the entire afternoon pushing carts and enjoying a stunning, bright blue and gold day in the mid-60's. It was so warm, I was out in my blue hoodie sweatshirt all afternoon. I was in and out with no trouble whatsoever. 

Went straight home after that. Changed, then put on The Great Caruso. I go further into this biography featuring Philadelphia tenor Mario Lanza one of the most beloved opera stars of the early 20th century at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Great Caruso 

Went through my bin of Christmas wrapping paper, ribbons, cards, and cookie boxes while the movie was on. I shouldn't need more cards or cookie boxes until the half-price sales go up after the holidays. I'm overloaded on both. I may need more wrapping paper and gift bags, though.

Worked on writing for a while after the movie ended. Cora dreams that she finds the handsome man from the portrait right where he was depicted in the garden. He claims to be the real Stephen. He and his kingdom were put under a spell by his cousin, an evil sorcerer who usurped his throne and his fiancee. Cora knows him from somewhere, but she really can't place those intense dark eyes...

Broke for dinner at 7 PM. Watched Match Game '79 while I ate. The last week of the CBS run kicks off with Gary Burghoff sitting in for Charles again. He's joined by Marcia Wallace, Elaine Joyce, Bart Braverman, and Bill Daily. Bill is unusually on his game in this episode, getting two answers right in a row and getting the top answer on the Audience Match. Marcia is more nervous about doing "Fantasy __" in the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night with another version of The Nutcracker on Kanopy after a shower. Nutcracker: The Motion Picture is a 1986 recording of the Pacific Northwest Ballet run of the show. The unique thing here are the Maurice Sendak-designed sets and costumes. They do look like his work, especially the oddly grotesque Nutcracker. Clara appears as an adult in the Land of Sweets sequence; she and the Nutcracker Prince replace the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier in their dances. The Chinese dancers perform with a little gnome, and the Arabic Coffee dancer is a lavish peacock.

Dark and unsettling, this is worth seeing for ballet fans and older girls who are looking for a slightly different version of this beloved story. 

Go to Sleep, Slumber Deep

Started off the morning with breakfast and Charlie & Lola. Lola and Charlie are taking care of their grandparents' cat Casper. Lola and Lotta think it's funny when they say "Help! I Really Mean It!" and Charlie comes running every time. The joke's on them when Casper runs up a tree and they can't get him down...and Charlie and Marv don't believe them and won't help out.

Work was pretty quiet for most of the day. I spent the majority of it sweeping or outside gathering carts. Other than having to clean up a broken jar of cherry peppers, there were no problems whatsoever. By the time it began to get busier, I was on the way out. 

Took the long way home down Nicholson. That may not have been smart. It was pretty busy there today. I guess everyone wanted to get started on their Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping. I didn't dodge the traffic until I got to Oaklyn. At least the weather remains nice. It's a little cloudier, but is also still breezy and in the mid-50's. 

Put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as I ate lunch. Minnie is concerned that there won't be enough fruit and vegetables in her scraggly garden to make salads for "Mickey's Thanks-A-Bunch Day." Professor Ludwig Von Drake's formula does improve the garden, but it also makes the produce grow to giant size! The gang has to figure out how to gather the massive food items, and what to do with all those leftovers.

Switched to Garfield's Thanksgiving next. Garfield is horrified when Liz the veterinarian puts him on a diet the day before Thanksgiving. Worse yet, Jon invites her over for Thanksgiving dinner when he can barely cook lasagna. Good thing Grandma from the Christmas special knows how to make things right.

Made my Christmas lists while the cartoon ran. No, it's not what I'm getting. It's what I'm giving. I made lists of what I'm giving people for Christmas, who's getting food and who's getting presents sent in the mail, and who gets Christmas cards or gift cards. I already made my list of what cookies and fudge I'm giving a while back, but I did remember to print out the recipe for my favorite Cherry Coconut Bars that I love to make for Christmas.

Went down for a nap after I finished. Once again, I was up too late last night and too early this morning. I was really worn out. I hit my bed at 3:30 and didn't get up until quarter after 5. 

Did some writing after I finally rolled out of bed. Cora tries to figure out who the man in the portrait is, but no one in the castle seems to recognize him. When she goes back to check it out again, she finds someone took it down. That night, she dreams herself into the garden, where the handsome man awaits her. But he seems so sad...

Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7 PM. For some reason, they skipped past Carolyn's episodes entirely to the second-to-last week of shows. In the first episode, the others tease Gene about his rather loud tie; Fannie Flagg tries to give him horse racing bets. There's also their answers to "__ Giants" that wouldn't seem so strange nowadays. I'm surprised some fairly offensive answers to what the mice have in an authentic Japanese house got past the censors on Buzzr on the second episode. Meanwhile, Bill Daily gives an answer that's so bad, Brett and Brianne Leary beat up on him.

Finished the night online with various versions of The Nutcracker Ballet. I began with a relatively straightforward version from the Australian Ballet at Kanopy. Godfather Drosselmyer is far younger than he usually is in these shows; one of the three dancing toys he introduces in the beginning is likely supposed to be a robot. Clara is slightly older and dances with young men at the party in addition to being thrilled with her nutcracker. Mother Ginger and her children are replaced by young ladies in red-striped tutus and canes who are likely supposed to be dancing candy canes. Clara is so fascinated by all the candy characters, she joins their dances. 

Switched to YouTube for two more creative Nutcrackers. Mickey's Nutcracker was a stage show at the Disney parks in the early 90's that was recorded for TV and video. We open with Minnie's rollicking party at her house. She tries to bring together a young lady who loves to eat and a lonely young man with little success. Godfather Drosselmeyer is replaced by a narrator, who is the one who gives her the Mickey nutcracker. In addition to Mickey, the Rat King is also a prince under a curse, and there's the eternally hungry female toy soldier and the cheerful Snow Queen who belts out romantic ballads. 

Er, yeah. Definitely a strange one, even for Disney in 1991. There's a few things that work; I love the cowboy routine that replaces the Russian trepak dancers and the Snow Queen's romantic Ethel Merman-style ballad in the Enchanted Forest. The silly costumes and annoying voices of the Rat King and female toy soldier make this one primarily for younger children who won't mind the goofiness.

Hello Kitty plays Clara in her version of "The Nutcracker" from Hello Kitty Animation Theater. This one is based on the original story "The Hard Nut," complete with the Mouse Queen turning the princess into a monster and the princess rejecting the Nutcracker after he bears the brunt of the curse. Here, though, it's an amulet that allows her to destroy the evil mice, rather than her shoe. Cute little hamster Corocorokurinin is persuaded to try the luxuries of city living by a friend of his in "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse." He learns the hard way that city living isn't what it's cracked up to be when a dog chases them and they have to dodge the humans who actually own the place.

Christmas In Living Color

Once again began my morning with breakfast and writing. Debralee's shocked when the mice explain their reason for attacking the Nutcracker is his king killed their kind over them raiding his pantry and eating his Christmas party food. She's even more surprised when she recognizes the Mouse Queen and her trilling voice...

Broke to change, then headed out to work. Got there right on time. Work was pretty much the same as yesterday - busy during rush hour, not bad the rest of the afternoon. People are finally starting to come out of the malls and pick up baking ingredients, food for Christmas dinner, and last-minute gift cards. Other than being a little late to go in for someone's break after I got backed up with an older woman's order, there were no major problems. It slowed down enough by 7 for me to leave without a relief. 

Went straight home and into dinner and Match Game '79. TV hunks Robert Walden from Lou Grant and Tattletales host Bert Convy join lovely Audrey Landers to answer "Whadya __" in the Audience Match. Meanwhile, Patty Duke gives a really strange answer to what a bad athlete has training wheels on. 

(Incidentally, I found out why Buzzr's running the 1979 episodes in prime-time. Rumor has it they're finally going to be starting in on the syndicated Match Game episodes from 1979 to 1982 next month. Sounds like they're also finally getting around to doing their annual Lost & Found marathon next month as well. The Lost & Found marathon usually runs in late September; maybe whatever they dug up wasn't ready by then.)

Finished the night with a beloved holiday classic and a genuine rarity. Started with the classic, Christmas In Connecticut from 1945. Elizabeth Lane (Barbara Stanwyck) is the most popular food columnist in the US during the mid-40's. Everyone loves reading about her scrumptious recipes, her bucolic farmhouse, and her cute baby. Trouble is, it's all fake. Elizabeth is really a single career girl who lives in an apartment and can't boil water. Her recipes come from her Uncle Felix's (S.Z Sakall) restaurant. 

Elizabeth is understandably panicked when her boss Alexander Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet) insists on coming to her farm for Christmas and bringing the handsome soldier Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan). She agrees to marry dull architect John Sloan (Reginald Gardiner) in order to use his Connecticut farm house and the babies his housekeeper Nora (Una O'Connor) takes care of. It's only after she falls for the charming Jones, babies are switched, and cows get loose that she begins to realize that honesty really is the best policy, especially where love is concerned.

Charming holiday romantic comedy may be the grandparent of everything that ever turned up on Hallmark, but it's way more fun, thanks to that nifty cast. Sakall and Greenstreet come off the best as the two bosses with very different ideas of listening and how to treat their employees.

The anthology show Playhouse 90 did their only color episode, The Nutcracker, on Christmas Day 1958. This adaptation of the George Balanchine version existed only in black and white until someone uploaded a color copy to YouTube last year. I'm so glad they did. The soft pastels look exquisite, like something from a dream. June Lockheart is the gentle narrator. They do have a Sugar Plum Fairy here, but her "cavaliers" are the four head male dancers from the previous sequences. Mother Ginger and her children are intact and do a very cute dance, but the Russian Trepak routine is replaced by candy cane dancers who jump through hoops. Balanchine himself dances Godfather Drosselmeyer. 

Here the YouTube link, so you can check it out for yourself! 

Playhouse 90: The Nutcracker (December 25th, 1958)

The Nutcracker Sweets

Started off my morning with breakfast and the first Christmas Scooby Doo episode. "A Nutcracker Scoob" from The New Scooby Doo Adventures has Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and the dogs putting on a holiday show at a destitute orphanage. Mean old William Nicholby wants to throw the kids out in the cold...but he's really interested in the priceless gem hidden in their home. He's not the only one. The kids also have to head off the Ghost of Christmas Never Was and make sure they don't get their spectral hands on that fortune, either!

Headed straight to work even before the episode finished. Work was busy for most of the day. We're still in the beginning of the month. Quite a few people were grumpy or fussy, but at least the day went fast. It slowed down enough by 5:30 for me to leave with no relief and no need for one.

Sat down for some writing after I got home and changed. Debralee's shocked that the Nutcracker thinks she's the princess transformed into a doll from Gene's story. She only wishes she was a princess! He's still ready to defend her for her kindness to him, anyway.

Broke for dinner at 7. Watched Match Game '79 as I ate and put up the garland and stuffed cloth gingerbread people around the TV. Beloved vintage puppets Kukla and Ollie finished off their week as Gene chatted with a Hispanic woman who had just become an American citizen. The others try to figure out what Fannie Flagg is singing for "__ Sleeves" in the Audience Match. Brett spends the second episode complaining about the high taxes in California and encouraging people not to pay them. The others tease Bill Daily about his rather scraggly beard. 

Finished the night online with more variations on The Nutcracker at Tubi. Nutcracker On Ice was a more traditional truncated version of the ballet from 1995. No dancing candy, but we do have dancing flowers. US skating champs at the time Todd Eldridge and Nicole Bobeck are the Prince and Clara here...but the real spotlight is on legendary Peggy Fleming as an elegant Sugar Plum Fairy.

The Nutcracker Ballet also goes the more traditional route, other than they also eliminate the Sugar Plum Fairy. Here, Clara becomes the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Nutcracker turns into the Prince when they duck under Godfather Drosselmeyer's cape. We also get a rather nice prologue showing everyone heading to the party, including Drosselmeyer. Not bad dancing, but there's other versions out there that use more of the full score. 

Welcome to the Holiday Season, Charlie Brown

Got a quick start today with breakfast and A Charlie Brown Christmas. Charlie Brown's finding it hard to enjoy the holiday season. He's worried about all the grab, grab around him. Lucy suggests he direct their school Christmas pageant, but it's really more of a jazz concert. Chuck's attempts to get the kids back on track are largely ignored. He buys a tiny live tree to get them into the right spirit, but the girls were expecting one of the pink tinsel trees popular in the mid-60's and make fun of him. Linus finally gives one of the most famous speeches in television history to remind the kids of what Christmas is really all about. 

Went straight out to work after that. We were off-and-on busy the entire day, frequently with large orders and annoying customers. I had a hard time dealing with everything, especially when the sales weren't what they wanted. Thank heavens it slowed down enough by 7:30 for me to rush out with no relief and no need for one.

Got my schedule while I was there, too. Fewer hours, but otherwise, this is far better than the last few weeks have been. Sunday off for Amanda's visit and Tuesday for my dental appointment and counseling, only one short and late night, nothing earlier than 11:30. 

A big package waited for me when I got home. Lauren's annual box from Kimberly-Clark arrived! Lauren and her parents own some small stock in the tissue company. She always sends me a box of their products for Christmas every year. I kept the two squares and the packs of tissues and the Cottonelle wipes. Gave the Viva paper towels and the car towels to a friend who could use them. I'll send my brother in Virginia and his wife the baby wipes and coupons for diapers in their box. 

Watched It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown while I went through the box and had dinner. This time, Chuck's trying to sell wreaths to buy the Little Red Haired Girl a Christmas present. Snoopy's efforts as a sidewalk Santa aren't always appreciated, especially by Lucy. Peppermint Patty and Marcie attend the Hallelujah Chorus, and Patty's upset when her best friend gets to be Mary in the school pageant, and she's stuck being a sheep. Meanwhile, Sally struggles to remember her one line. 

Finished the night online after a shower. Started with the holiday episode of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, 'The Ghost of Christmas Past," at YouTube. Claymore finds a baby in his car and brings it to Carolyn Muir to take care of for Christmas Eve. Mrs. Muir doesn't mind that much, but she really has her hands full, and Claymore just will not sell them a good tree cheap. Resident ghost Captain Gregg gives them all the gift of a dream for Christmas, one with Claymore as a Scrooge who learns a lesson about being kind to his family.

Switched to Tubi for Nutcracker: The Motion Picture. This is a recording of the Seattle Ballet's version of the show, with grotesque Maurice Sendak costume and set designs. We get a nifty opening showing Godfather Drosselmeyer working on the toys and dreaming of Clara. Oh, and Clara starts out as a child in the party sequences, but they switch to her being an adult with the Nutcracker in the Land of Sweets, and she and the Nutcracker do perform the Sugar Plum Fairy's dances. The Asian dancers lead around a huge grotesque monster. The Arabic Coffee dancer is a slender peacock with pastel feathers, and Mother Ginger's children dance around a painted backdrop. 

Holiday Fantasies

Had enough time for a decent breakfast this morning while watching Charlie & Lola. Lola's grandparents gave her an alligator costume, and she refuses to take it off for anything. "But I'm An Alligator," she keeps insisting, despite her brother's obvious embarrassment. Charlie's really worried when he learns Lola plans on wearing her alligator costume in front of the whole school. Lola however, has her reasons for wearing it - to explain how much she loves dressing for any part.

I awoke to rain. It seemed to be coming down at a pretty good clip when I got up, so I called Uber. Not only did it slow down even as I walked outside, but it took them 17 minutes to arrive. Naturally, that made me late for work. 

Thankfully, that was the worst thing that happened the entire day. We were off-and-on steady, probably because one morning cashier called out sick, and another said she didn't feel well and went home early. It's the day after the biggest food holiday of the year. Most people are shopping for everything but food this weekend! Other than my last two breaks being late, there were no major problems. It died so quickly by 6:30, I was able to shut down with no relief and no need for one.

Though the rain had long vanished by 6:30. the wind whipped around the carts as I headed outside. I called Uber again. This time, they took 13 minutes. I went further down to check if a car was them...and it not only wasn't, but the right car showed up just as I did that. Fortunately, we had no trouble once we got on the road, no traffic anywhere.

When I got home, I went straight into dinner and The Care Bears Nutcracker. The Care Bears and Cousins head down to Earth to help lonely Anna get over her best friend moving away. Her brother Peter just wants adventure. They both get what they want when a confused nutcracker falls through a hole opening in Anna's room. Anna's shocked to see an army of rats, including the Rat King, on his heels! Anna and the Bears and Cousins eventually join the Nutcracker to help him save Toyland from the rats and the evil Vizier. Peter tags along with Hugs and Tugs, who are looking for their own special ornament. 

Finished the night online with more vintage holiday fantasies. Found the Laurel & Hardy March of the Toy Soldiers on Tubi. I went further into this at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog back in November 2018. 

Family Fun Saturday - March of the Toy Soldiers (Babes In Toyland)

Ran into the Mikhail Baryshnikov Nutcracker at YouTube. This is more-or-less a traditional version of the ballet's story. Here, though, the emphasis is on the Nutcracker Prince and Clara (Gelsey Kirkland), who replace the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier in their dances and dance with the snowflakes as well. Mother Ginger's dance is down to just a group of clowns cavorting. 

Dance Into the Holiday Season

Awoke to a ringing phone. It was my new counselor for Abilities Solutions, Karen. She wanted to know if I could meet her at 10 AM on Friday morning to discuss my resume and where I could be employed. I made it very clear that I do not want to be in retail anymore. I want something sitting down that involves writing or organizing. My current job is driving me insane, and I want out as soon as possible. She mentioned bringing my social security card, ID, the signed papers they sent two days ago, and a resume to figure out what my skills are and where they can place me.

Went back to sleep for an hour, then read A Deadly Feast for so long, I didn't get to breakfast until noon. Sarah Kennedy and Bobby Van join in for Match Game '75. Brett and Charles really got into teasing each other here, especially on the limerick question in the beginning and the Audience Match "Twinkle __."

The next episode was one of the funniest of 1975. Gene heard that the Germans read "Schnick Schnack" in place of "blank," since they have no word for blank in their language, and decided to try it himself. That led to a round of German accent jokes, especially from Richard Dawson, who worked with several real-life Germans and Austrians on Hogan's Heroes.  

Worked on my Christmas list during the second episode. It's not what I'm getting. It's what I'm giving. All I want this year is to have a relatively normal holiday season after what happened last year. I should be able to send out cards, and I'm hoping to make cookies and candy. Need to round up someone to get me to the storage facility to pick up my Christmas decorations.

Stayed briefly for Tattletales...because Gene Rayburn hosted it. It was one of those game show host weeks where Bert Convy sits in with his wife Ann. They tossed in a few Match Game-style "blank" questions, and Gene had a great time, really running with it. 

Headed out after the first question. Dropped a book at the kiosk in front of the Lutheran Church, then headed to Collingswood to do some Christmas shopping. I would be in and out for the next hour or so after I went to the bathroom at the library. Picked up a game for Lauren and her parents at the Educational Ed toy store and a stuffed gingerbread man toy for tiny Aurora at the new Occasionette Joy Shop, a baby store.

Dodged early rush hour traffic as I headed down Cuthbert Road to the Westmont Target. Had a brief lunch at Starbucks. Just barely missed the teens coming in from the local high school. Thankfully, by the time a long line formed, I'd sat down with my spinach, egg, and feta wrap and Peppermint Mocha Frappucino. After I ate, I found Christmas presents in the toy section for Anny's daughter Lilah and son Collyn. Went next-door to Dollar Tree for cookie bags and candy canes.

Put on the Peanuts Thanksgiving specials when I got in. In A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Peppermint Patty invites herself, Marcie, and Franklin over to Charlie Brown's house for the big meal. Trouble is, he's going to eat at his grandmother's house. Linus, Snoopy, Charlie, and Woodstock make a dinner of popcorn, pretzels, and jelly beans to appease them. Patty's upset, until Linus and Marcie remind her and Charlie Brown of the real reason for the holiday.

The Peanuts take the part of The Mayflower Voyagers, playing pilgrim children and pets traveling to the New World. While the kids and animals did survive in Plymouth, their parents had a rougher go of things. Many settlers died until Squanto and the local natives taught them how to plant corn and other crops. They're so delighted with their harvest, they share what they have in the first feast of Thanksgiving.

Worked on writing for a while. Debralee is impressed with the handsome old Nutcracker Gene found in an antique shop in Burbank. Bart teases her because he can't really crack nuts anymore, but she likes him anyway.

Broke for dinner with friends at 6:30. Came back up at 7 PM. Watched Match Game '77 while I went through Christmas books for baking ideas. Conny Van Dyke may have been obnoxious, but she did get a good zinger on Dick Martin and Gene Rayburn in the opening. The others have a harder time with "__ Matter." Charles ends up in a hospital gown Conny gives him in the second episode and spent the half-hour making doctor jokes.

Finished the night online with several unique versions of The Nutcracker. I love seeing how different countries and regions adapt the story to their area. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King on Kanopy is from Denmark. Their version is set around the 1820's on St. Nicholas Day. Clara's Nutcracker Prince isn't changed back so quickly. The "Land of Sweets" is inside a steampunk camera Godfather Drosselmyer created. There's a second mouse fight in the camera, and the Mouse King's designs are truly terrifying. The Sweets dancers mostly have a Greek theme (though they do retain the Russian trepak dancers and the dancing flowers).

A Russian animation company made a half-hour animated version of The Nutcracker in 1973. I remember seeing this in elementary school, probably sometime in the late 80's, and thinking how strange it was. Here, Marie is a servant rather than one of the household children. The Nutcracker is a neglected toy, and his story is based after The Hard Nut, but with the Prince being turned into a Nutcracker in infancy rather than a bratty princess. The story ends with Marie dancing off into a psychedelic "Waltz of the Flowers" with her prince and never being seen again, which I found quite ominous as a child. (Though the version I found is dialogue-free, I remember the one at school had a male narrator. Apparently, there are at least two US versions with English-dubbed narration. We must have seen the Hans Conried one. According to Wikipedia, Shirley MacLaine narrated a later dubbing.)

Even Hello Kitty played Clara in an animated Nutcracker from her 90's show. Her version follows The Hard Nut, complete with the cursed princess who rejects the Nutcracker after he in turn is cursed by the evil Mouse Queen. Here, she defeats the seven-headed Mouse King with a magical amulet, rather than by throwing her shoe at him.

Very Warm for Autumn

Started off the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Daisy In the Sky" has Daisy literally taking off when she holds way too many balloons for a picture. Minnie and Pluto try to get her down, and end up floating with her. The others chase after them, trying to find ways to bring them back to Earth.

Worked on writing for the rest of the morning. I decided to do my first Match Game Christmas story. Nutcracker Blank is set during the 1981 syndicated season, and is inspired by Debralee Scott and Bart Braverman's feuding during several weeks where they appeared together. Debralee arrives at the panelists' party in the lounge room. Brett greets her, vodka in hand. Deb admits that she's probably already long gone.

Headed out to work and got there just in time. I cashiered for 20 minutes before they pulled me to help with carts. Though I did take a few customers when it got busy, I mainly spent the day outside, pushing carts and gathering trash. They picked the right day for it. Honestly, it was too nice for November, sunny, breezy, and way too warm, probably in the mid-70's. At least a second bagger came in to help later.

I actually got a good schedule next week, the best I've had in weeks, if not months. Nothing later than 6:30 or earlier than 11. Seven hours on Sunday and next Saturday, but that's not 8 1/2. Tuesday and Thursday off. 

Only needed a few things after work. Nature's Valley granola bars are on that buy 2, get them for $2.50 each sale again. Went with two Fruit and Nut boxes. Bought muffins for lunch. I'm supposed to have a free coupon for a two pack of bakery cookies, but it keeps not working. Bryers ice cream is on sale and I have a digital coupon. Grabbed a bag of honeycrisp apples. Needed gift cards for Anny's birthday the day before Veteran's Day and Keefe's the week after. 

Put on Match Game '77 when I got home. A young man born in Germany wore a suit based after the national costume of Bavaria that came in for a lot of ribbing. He did well enough to get in two Audience Matches. Everyone kept tossing out German jokes during "Parker __." The second Audience Match was "Werner __," prompting Richard to recall the actor Werner Klemper who played Klink on Hogan's Heroes (and apparently brought his own uniform!). Anson Williams and Mary Anne Mobley got to hear jokes about "Age of __," especially how young-looking the female contestant (and Williams) were!

Had dinner with friends, then took a shower and finished the night on YouTube with versions of The Nutcracker. My favorite of the traditional stage shows posted there is the one by the San Francisco Ballet that sets the story in San Francisco around the early 1910's. We get a lot of this in a charming prologue that depicts the guests arriving at the party and the people passing by the house. 

There's been several adaptations of the ballet for TV. One such version debuted in 1958 on Playhouse '90 as the big Christmas Day show from CBS that year. Like The Pied Piper of Hamelin, it's one of the few broadcasts of its era to exist in its original color. It's a lovely confection with George Balanchine choreography. 

The direct-to-video Good Times Entertainment Nutcracker wound up being better than its low-budget origins would suggest. It's one of only three screen Nutcrackers I've seen adapt the original story "The Hard Nut" rather than the ballet. The characters, with their wide, pale eyes, were a bit on the creepy side, the songs are boring, and the Mouse Queen was too cute to be scary. On the other hand, there's a genuinely interesting Beauty-and-the-Beast type story of Marie dreaming that only she can rescue the Nutcracker from his cursed form. 

If you love this story, all three are very different and worth checking out!

Nutcracker by the San Francisco Ballet (2007)

Playhouse '90 - The Nutcracker (1958)

The Nutcracker - Good Times Entertainment (1995)

Sunshine Surprise

Awoke to a gloomy, windy, rainy morning. Cheered things up with a spinach omelet for breakfast and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Peppermint Patty invites herself, Marcie, and Franklin over for Thanksgiving dinner, ignoring Chuck's bleating that they'll be at his grandmother's house for the holiday. Linus suggests he has two dinners, one with his grandmother, and a smaller one of popcorn, pretzels, toast, and jelly beans for the kids. Peppermint Patty's outraged,  until Marcie and Linus remind everyone of the real reason for the holiday. 

Moved on to "The Mayflower Voyagers," an episode of the miniseries This Is America, Charlie Brown, as I did the dishes and got ready for work. The Peanuts, Snoopy, and Woodstock are Pilgrim children and pets heading for the New World. There's much peril at sea, including terrible storms and crowded conditions onboard that tests the Pilgrims' faith. Things get worse when they land at Plymouth. They're not ready for the brutal New England winter and lose many settlers, though, thankfully, none of the children. Their prayers are answered when kindly Natives teach them how to plant corn and harvest crops. The pilgrims are so delighted with their help, they invite them for a feast of Thanksgiving.

I didn't expect to find an Uber driver who would arrive in two minutes! The cartoon hadn't even ended when I grabbed my coat and bag and rushed out. Made it just as the driver pulled up at the curb. No trouble after that, either. I got to work with plenty of time to spare.

And that was one of the most exciting things that happened all day. We were actually pretty quiet, especially for a Friday less than two weeks before Thanksgiving. The other bit of excitement was our turkey coupons don't seem to be working. At least two couples weren't very happy that their free turkey wouldn't come off. Otherwise, I spent the day shelving candy and working on story notes. The sun coming out around 1 and it becoming a gorgeous fall day probably kept people away, too. 

It was dark by the time I finished work. That could be why I had a harder time finding a ride home. It took them 20 minutes to arrive this time, but at least he got home quick after that. 

Went straight into leftovers for dinner and Match Game '77 when I got home. Proud dad Richard Dawson wishes his son Gary a happy late birthday early in the episode. Later, the others joke about a contestant's butterfly-shaped glasses and try to figure out "Key to __" in the Audience Match.

Finally got to dusting during the second round. Interestingly, we had a second reference to Anita Bryant and orange juice in this episode. Charles did answer it, but his response was understandably snippy. Meanwhile, Richard helps the contestant with "__ Grove" on the Head-to-Head.

Gene started off Match Game PM helping an especially nervous contestant to relax. Poor lady was so scared, she didn't even remember her husband's name. Meanwhile, Joyce Bulifant does unusually well, including helping the winner with "__ Inn" on the Head-to-Head.

Finished off the night online with holiday programming. Garfield's Thanksgiving isn't terribly pleasant when Liz the veterinarian puts Garfield on a diet the day before the holiday. Worse yet, Jon convinces her to come to dinner, when he doesn't even know how to cook a turkey. Good thing Grandma from the Christmas special knows what to do.

There's a few ballets on the library streaming site Kanopy. I found a unique version of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King put on by a Danish company. I love it when companies adapt the story to their area. In this case. the tale is now set in Amsterdam on St. Nicholas Day, 1810. St. Nicholas and his blackface counterpart Black Peter give out gifts, including the Nutcracker. The Nutcracker Prince is the handsome young man Clara met at the party who treated her like an adult. Instead of going to the Land of Sweets, they end up in Uncle Drosselmeyer's newfangled steampunk camera, where all of the candy comes to life...but the Mouse King still pursues them. Very unique production, especially how the Mouse King is taken down in the end. 

Girls and Trolls Want to Have Fun

Began an early morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures. "Mickey's Thanksgiving Fun Race" has all the Disney characters and their friends or family members driving in cars representing common Thanksgiving foods. Mickey and Donald have a gravy boat-shaped car, but Mickey wants to go slow, and Donald wants to speed. All they end up doing is making a mess, until they finally realize that they can use both their approaches at different times. 

Daisy, Minnie, and Cukoo-Loca are "Happy Thanksgiving Helpers!" who are charged with making the big dinner. Daisy wants everything to be perfect, including her grandmother's Double-Berry Cranberry Sauce. When disaster strikes and their guests bring very different dishes, like Rabbit, she finally realizes that friends are a lot more important than "tradition."

Work was, surprisingly for the Saturday before Thanksgiving, not a problem. We were steady for most of the day, not dead, but not overwhelmingly busy. Had a bobble early-on with an order, but it was a small one the managers were able to refund. Other than that, no trouble whatsoever. My relief was even perfectly on time.

Did my grocery shopping after I finished. Took advantage of a lot of sales and several online coupons to pick up free eggs, pasta, and chocolate chips.  Found two small containers of dishwashing liquid on the clearance shelves. There were big coupons for sugar and yogurt, too. Wanted a turkey breast, but they're all out until Monday. Grabbed a pack of Christmas cards with a pretty stylized Christmas tree. Restocked cereal, low-salt black beans, almond extract, milk, Farina, mayonnaise, tea, and mushrooms. 

Threw on the current version of Muppet Babies while putting everything away. "Run, Fozzie, Run" has Fozzie fleeing into a story book when he breaks a flower pot and thinks Nanny will be angry. The others follow him, dodging all the things he's broken on the way. "My Brother Vinny" is Rizzo's big brother, a singing super star. He wants to be as cool as he is, but while he can dance, he's no singer. The kids try to convince him that he's better off being himself.

Worked on writing for a while after I changed. Gene tries to take on two of the sailors, but he's moving slow after being drugged and is easily taken down. Brett tossed over the shoulder of one beefy sailor...and tries to ask him out on a date. Gene is not amused as they're both dragged on deck.

Broke for dinner early at 6. Had leftover burgers and potatoes with a green salad (using my last farm market tomato) for dinner and cookies and herbal tea for dessert while watching The Nutcracker. Other than eliminating the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier, the Mikhail Baryshnikov version from 1977 is about as straightforward of a Nutcracker as you can get. He's the Nutcracker doll under a spell; dainty Gerry Kirkland is Clara, the girl who saves him. As you can imagine, there's some wonderful dancing here, especially in the second half, when we see the candy from around the world. 

Watched Trolls World Tour when I got online. I go further into this year's sequel to Trolls at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Animation Celebration Saturday - Trolls World Tour

Finished up on YouTube with the Match Game '73 premiere and another version of the Nutcracker story, The Nutcracker Prince. This 1990 animated film has more basis in the original E.A Hoffman story, The Hard Nut. Clara (Meghan Follows) still has to save the Nutcracker (Kiefer Sutherland) from the Mouse King (Mike MacDonald), but we get more of his back story. He was cursed by the wicked Mouse Queen (Phyllis Diller) after he freed pretty Princess Pirlipat (Mona Waserman) from an ugliness spell into the form of a doll. Her son swore revenge on him. Clara has to stop the Mouse King from harming her toy friends...and perhaps realize that she's growing up more than she'll admit.

Odd but charming Canadian entry into the Disney imitation race of the 1990's. Sutherland's stiffer than the Nutcracker, but Follows is a lovely Clara and MacDonald has some funny moments as the king of the mice who just can't keep his tail straight. The animation's fairly cheap, but it has an interesting look, especially when it switches from semi-realistic Disney to a cartoonier style for the "Hard Nut" sequence. Worth a look at least once around the holidays if you grew up with it in the 90's or have Nutcracker fans at home. 

Not Just a Girl

Began a gloomy morning with breakfast and The Nutcracker. I've watched the 1977 Mikhail Baryshnikov version almost every holiday season in one form or another since college. Stockton University (then College)'s media center had a copy of the video, and I used to traditionally watch it right before leaving for Christmas break. I found the video again about a decade ago, then picked up the DVD a few years back at the Collingswood Book Festival. Needless to say, this one throws far more focus on Clara (Gelsey Kirkland) and her Nutcracker Prince, including giving the Sugar Plum Fairy and her cavalier's dances in the end to them.

Tried a new recipe while watching the ballet. Got "Skullduggery Squares" out of a Halloween check stand cookbook I got from a freebie basket at the Oaklyn Library. You mix up what amounts to pumpkin pie filling, sprinkle yellow cake mix over it, and slice butter over that. Not bad, when I finally had the time to bake it all. Kind of a pumpkin cake pudding square. In fact, when I make this at times other than Halloween, I'll call them Pumpkin Cake Squares.

Threw on a quick Disney short while getting ready for work. Mickey and the gang enjoy a day "On Ice." Mickey shows off for Minnie on skates, while Goofy has an unusual method for ice fishing. Donald teases Pluto by putting skates on him, but the dog gets the last laugh when the wind blows Donald dangerously close to a waterfall and Mickey has to rescue him.

Work was mostly pretty quiet. It rained lightly all morning and was just ending when I arrived. Alternated between gathering carts, shelving candy, and sweeping the entire day. By the time it was starting to get busier, I was on my way out.

Went straight into writing when I got in. Donald waits by the railing the whole week to see his mermaid "goddess" again, but she never appears. They finally arrive on-shore a week later with no idea of how to find the merfolk and the princess. Donald wanders onto shore with Bill the wolf and his sandy paws...and he's delighted with what he finds there...

Ended the night with leftover chicken and sweet Hawaiian biscuits and roasted Brussels Sprouts for dinner. Finally got around to watching Captain Marvel while I ate. Vers (Brie Larson) is the member of an elite squadron of aliens who defend the Kree Empire. Her mentor Yon-Vogg (Jude Law) is always telling her to hold back her emotions, which proves to be useful when she's captured by the Krees' mortal enemy, the Scrulls.

She escapes and ends up in Los Angeles, where she seeks the crystal that contains her memories. She also attracts the attention of agents Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), who try to arrest her, only to be attacked by a Scrull disguised as Coulson. With the help of Fury and his boss Keller (Ben Mendalsson), she manages to get into a military installation and find the office of her old teacher Dr. Wendy Dawson (Annette Benning). Dawson created a device that could end the war between the Kree and the Skrulls. But all is not what it seems, and that includes Vers herself. With the help of her friend Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) and her daughter Monica (Akira Akbar), Vers remembers that her real name is Carol Danvers...and that she really doesn't need to prove what kind of a hero she is to anybody.

I really loved this one. Critics tended to compare it unfavorably to earlier Marvel films when it was released this spring, but I think it's a lot of fun. Larson is an awesome Carol Danvers, and Rambeau may be even more enjoyable as her sensible buddy. It was nice to see a younger Coulson and Fury (the latter with both eyes), too. I also liked Benning and Law as two very different mentors who want different things from Carol and her powers.

Is it derivative of other comic book heroes? Yeah, probably. Do I care? Not really. Supposedly, there's a sequel in the works - I hope they develop it fast. If you're a Marvel fan and are looking for sci-fi movie with a strong heroine, I'd fly a plane on over to check this one out.

Out With the Old, In With the New

Kicked off a gorgeous, clear morning with breakfast, then went right into taking down the Halloween decorations and putting up what I have for Thanksgiving. I'm glad my October largely went much better than it did last year (nothing was stolen and no one died), but I'm still ready to move on to the quieter fall holidays.

I don't have a ton of Thanksgiving decorations, but I do have a few things. Hung a trio of Indian corn cobs on the wall between my windows in the bedroom. Two cloth-and-wood pilgrims guard my TV. My Webkinz turkeys Plymouth and Mayflower sit together on the DVD shelf. A tiny, cute stuffed pilgrim mouse is doing similar duty in front of my CD player. I have a beautifully carved turkey candle on my dining area table and a scarecrow and my annual pumpkin sitting on the music area table.

Most of the decorations I have for Thanksgiving are cardboard cut-outs. The large turkey and cute wide-eyed pilgrim girl are vintage yard sale finds; also found the Snoopy and Woodstock and pilgrim and Indian kids ones used. Mom made the hand-shaped turkey with the colorful feathers and "Happy Thanksgiving" sign when she worked for one of the elementary schools in Lower Township, which is why it's laminated. The plastic turkey hanging was a dollar store find years ago.

Watched The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters while I worked. Slip and Sach visit the Gravesends in order to convince them to sign over a lot for the local kids to play in. The Gravesends turn out to be a wacky, scary Addams-esque family who are more interested in duo themselves. The male heads of the family want both their brains for their gorilla and robot, the daughter is a vampire who is literally out for their blood, and the aunt just wants to feed them to her man-eating plant. They have to dodge all the Gravesends, and then help Louie and their buddies escape when they go looking for them, if they want to be able to get that lot with their heads intact!

Switched to a spooky episode of The Monkees while finishing up the decorations. The Bowery Boys are hardly the first group of young men who end up dealing with a frightening family. In "Monstrous Monkee Mash," a vampire and his daughter lure Davy, and then the others, to their castle, intending to turn them to monsters and use Peter's brain for their monster! It's  up to Mike Nesmith to figure out how release the guys and get them out of that creepy crib.

After the episode ended, I ran out for my first errand of the day. I didn't really need much in the way of groceries. I ate out of the fridge all week. I wanted soup, but they were having a buy two, get four sale on Progresso. I don't need that much soup! I settled for a can of organic Chicken and Wild Rice soup that was on clearance. Restocked while flour, chocolate chips (Nestle's was on a good sale), and peanut butter.

I was really there to get my schedule. Thank goodness after that weird eight-and-a-half-hour day on Wednesday that I have a perfectly normal schedule. Sunday early, Tuesday and Friday off. Only complaint is I'll miss the Farm Market next Saturday. Slightly less hours, but nothing really worth worrying about.

Went straight home and put on Remember WENN while putting everything away and having a quick lunch. "The Ghost of WENN" is haunting the halls of the Pittsburgh radio station during a stormy evening in 1940. He's left a can of cranberry jelly and a stuffed albatross with rope around it laying around, and he seems inordinately interested in diva actress Hilary Booth. After the storm shuts down the power, the rest of the station's staff joins her to help solve the mystery.

I still had a few other things I wanted to do. Took the long way to Westmont across Newton Lake Park. It was a glorious day for it. While much cooler, barely in the 50's, it was also sunny and breezy, with a sky so blue, it hurt my eyes to look at it. I'm surprised the park wasn't busier. I guess everyone's still recovering from yesterday. Too bad. The leaves are finally starting to turn colors here now; the park is awash in gold, lime green, brick red, sienna, and fiery orange.

There wasn't anything going on at the Haddon Township Library, either. I put away the few DVDs that actually fit on the shelves. It was just too nice of a day for libraries. I was in and out in a little over a half-hour.

Made a fast stop at Dollar Tree on the way home. I needed a new notebook to write story ideas in. Picked that up, along with a ginger ale to satisfy my dry throat.

Worked on writing when I got home. Brett is trying to get the chains off Gene's limbs. Not only is the dark magic from the trees making her sick, but they're doing everything they can to shake her off. Charles' lovely ballad calms the trees long enough to get them to release Richard and his men. Brett, however, still isn't moving that fast...

Broke for dinner at quarter after 6. Turned ground turkey meat and leftover Italian shredded cheeses and tomato sauce into Italian Pasta Bake with the addition of tri-colored pasta (all I have at the moment), onion, green pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Not bad, actually. Nice and hearty for a cold day. After I ate, I made "Apples Rolled In Autumn" Cookies (apple-oatmeal cookies) from that cookie cookbook Lauren sent me a few years ago for dessert.

Watched Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost while I ate and baked. Scooby and Mystery Inc are in a small New England town at the invitation of popular horror writer Ben Ravenscroft (Tim Curry). Ravenscroft is trying to find a journal to prove that his ancestor was a Wiccan healer, not an evil witch. When a witch does show up, Velma thinks she's solved this mystery. There's more to this witch than meets the eye, though...and a lot more to Ben's story about his ancestor than what he claims. And what does goth girl band the Hex Girls have to do with it all?

I've watched this around early November for the past few years. It mentions Halloween and Thanksgiving, making it a nice way to transition between the two holidays. The Hex Girls were by far the most popular thing to come out of this one. They had so many fans, they would turn up again in episodes of What's New, Scooby Doo? and Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated, as well as two more direct-to-home-media movies.

Finished the night after a shower with something a little different on YouTube to celebrate the start of the next holiday season. They're currently showing Nutcracker: The Motion Picture free of charge. The real selling point on this one are the whimsical and often creepy pastel set and costume designs by children's book author Maurice Sendak. The Mouse King is downright terrifying here, and even some of the more benign figures, like a strange troll that performs during the China dance, can come off as weird. It's not the most accurate version of this story, but the elaborate designs and costumes alone make it worth a look for ballet and children's books aficionados.

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture