Discovering History

Began a sunny morning with breakfast and Blockbusters. The solo man quickly defeated a sister team...but this time, he didn't do nearly as well on the Gold Run round. In fact, I think he got two answers right. He was doing better with another sister team when the episode ended.

Let Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour run briefly while I did the dishes, then switched to My Little Pony as I made the bed. "Somnubula" is one of the stranger episodes from later in the original series. The  Big Brother Ponies return to Paradise Estate to find all of the female ponies missing. The babies and Spike reveal they were lured by a voice heard from a carnival. Turns out this is a circus of horrors, as the owner is draining the ponies of their youth...and may do the same to the Big Brothers.

(We only had one of the Big Brother Ponies...ironically, one of the ones who came out the year after this episode debuted in the second and last release and didn't appear in this episode. His name was Barnacles, Between his pirate hat and Cutie Mark and his bright red ringlet mane and tail, I had to have him.)

Moved to Match Game '75 briefly, but I ended up in my bedroom. Wanted to text Rose about getting a bike with Jessa, but I accidentally ended up calling her. She wasn't happy. She said she's too busy right now in quarantine for dealing with anything...and that I need to take all of this up with Jessa. Which I did. I texted her, then spent the next hour or so doing research on bikes online.

Broke for lunch at quarter of 2. Made a chocolate-banana-coffee smoothie while watching Hart to Hart on The Roku Channel. They once again only have season 1 and 2 available. Went with "The Latest Fashion In Murder" from season 2. Jennifer is flattered when she and Johnathan are asked to pose for a fashion shoot. Her delight turns to fear when she finds a major model murdered at a fashion party, and then the owner of the magazine dead at the shoot...and she and Johnathan suspect she may have been the intended victim of the latter.

Took a nap for a while after the episode ended. Between chatting late with Lauren while she's off work (she's back working for another two weeks) and the increased hours pushing carts, I'm really bushed. In fact, I only got up because I heard dinging on my phone.

It was Jessa, but she wasn't texting me. She needed to ask Jodie about how her driver's license. I texted her and told her I needed to talk to her, too. She said she'd be around at 5:30.

That gave me time to work on some writing. Robert Walden and Dolly Martin make sure renegade former pirate Richard Dawson actually helps them free the other women. Lorrie McCaffery is upset that she can't see her husband. Marcia Wallace just wants to kick someone's rear. Richard tells them he knows where the crews are hidden in the hold. Gene agrees to let him lead them down there, as long as they all dress as sailors and look like they're just out for a stroll with him...

Broke at 5:30, but I didn't hear voices on Jodie's side of the house until quarter of 6. Not only was Jessa there, but Jodie's Aunt Colleen was visiting too. Jodie revealed that she finally got an actual job - she's working for her uncle in his tax office. Second, Jodie's been going through a LOT of stuff. Boxes are piled here, there, and everywhere. Among the boxes and bins were one filled with old family photos of Dad and Uncle Ken. Jodie initially gave it to Jessa, but I told her I'd go through it. I'm good at organizing things. 

(She also gave me a hoagie, but it was Italian with salami and bologna. I ate half, then tossed it. Too salty for me now, and I'm not a big fan of salami or bologna to begin with.)

After dinner, I went through the bin. I couldn't believe my luck. It was filled with photos and memorabilia going back a century. The oldest photos were of Uncle Ken and Dad's father Albert when he was young, likely in the early 1900's. The most recent were of Uncle Ken's daughter Samantha and her husband Dave, I'm guessing from between 2005 and 2007. There were even Polaroids of a teeny me with young Samantha and her brother Guy during what was likely my first Christmas in 1979, and two more of Rose and me in the early 90's. 

The vast majority of the photos came from between the 1930's and the 1970's, from the cars, clothes, and hair styles. Dad showed me a few pictures of my grandmother, Pop Pop Al's wife, before, but nothing like this. There were photos of Dad's graduation and what was likely his prom, with him handsome and beaming behind girls in pastel dresses. Uncle Ken was in World War II and Dad was in Vietnam; I got to see them in their sailor and army uniforms before they left. There were photos of Uncle Ken and Aunt Jayne's wedding in the 1960's, and them with baby Samantha and Guy. Lots of photos of what I suspect were family trips to Wildwood in the 50's and 60's, including Wildwood torn to shreds in what were likely photos of the major storm that rained devastation on the South Jersey Shore in 1962. 

And that's just the photos. Boxes and a full scrap book held articles on Uncle Ken's career in high school athletics, both as a player in football, baseball, and swimming and as a coach. I found the announcement for his and Aunt Jayne's wedding, a wedding card from his family, and piles of programs from Uncle Ken's football games in the 40's and 50's. There was even a copy of local newspaper The Retrospect from 1995 with a lengthy article discussing Uncle Ken and his many athletic achievements. 

I'll go through it, but I really need to get a hold of Jessa, Rose, and especially Samantha. Sam will probably want Uncle Ken's things, and I know the other two will really want to see this, too.

Watched Match Game '74 as I worked. Morey Amsterdam and George Kirby replaced Charles in this episode, and they both did very well, too. Richard had more fun tossing Brett's shoe away, while everyone else tried to figure out what's huge, covered with feathers, and called Moby ___ and Richard tries to figure out who stole his seat. Match Game PM had its own fun as Ron Pallilo joined for jokes about what a guy's wife says whenever she walks into a department store and Richard's reminder that the lady should have listened to him in the Audience Match. 

The champ dominated on Sale of the Century. The one guy couldn't get anything going. The other lady did better, but the champ killed at the Speed round. She still couldn't get the Bonus Round money, though. 

Finished the night online with No Maps On My Taps at Watch TCM. I go further into this documentary on three great black tap dancers at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musical Documentaries - No Maps On My Taps

He Went at Home

Started off the day with breakfast and the tail end of Supermarket Sweep, then Split Second. This time, the champ was clearly ahead the whole time and had no problems getting through the Coundown Round. The solo woman champ had an even easier time with an older pair, and then breezed through the Gold Rush round on Blockbusters.

Went online to check my finances and do a few other things. After that, I sorted through all those holiday bins. I was able to move most of the larger bins from the hall closet into the bathroom closet, and most of the Christmas bins from my room into the hall closet. Grabbed one of the empty bins to use for extra blankets and moved some of the smaller stuffed animals onto those empty shelves in the hall. The only bins left in my room hold my winter clothes or the dolls' clothing and accessories.

And that's pretty much it. All I have left to do here are photos and other items that need to be hung on the walls. Rose and Craig suggested a Velcro that can help hang photos and other items easily without nails. I hope I can find that. Jodie just painted these walls, and I don't want to mark them up, like I did the walls in the old house.

Had lunch around 12:30 while watching Match Game. George Kennedy and Lee Merriweather joined in as Betty White rolled up Gene's pants legs again and Richard admired a pretty Japanese-American college student.

Headed out to run errands after the episode ended. First stop was WaWa. I needed laundry money. Picked up a Summer Berry Freeze and a pretzel to make change. Dropped my debit card and took five embarrassing minutes searching for it. The cashier finally dug it out of the shelves in front of the register.

The laundromat was so busy when I arrived, I threw my laundry into the nearest washer and dashed off to Family Dollar. They weren't nearly as full. I just needed sugar, anyway. The girls up front were very sweet, helping me right away with cheerful voices and admiring my gold teddy bear pendant.

Though it wasn't nearly as busy when I got back, I still opted to sit outside for the rest of the time. it was a hot one today, too. Hot, breezy, and killer humid, probably in the mid-90's. There were a few clouds on the horizon, but the sky mostly remained blindingly blue at that point. Good thing I had a really small load that took less than an hour in the dryer and washer.

Went straight home after that. It was too hot to go anywhere else! Put everything away, then worked on crocheting that pillow case while watching Tattletales. It's amazing that anyone can fit into the studio with Max Julien, Dick Gautier, and their massively goofy egos. The winners today were the somewhat more modest Glenn Ford and his then-fiancee Cynthia.

Rose came in during Press Your Luck. I'd heard a flurry of noise in the den ever since I got home. She told me Dad wasn't breathing and hadn't woken up since 4 AM. She wasn't sure he was going to last hours, let alone the weeks Jodie originally claimed. I went through the door as Press Your Luck was winding down and a new winner avoided Whammies.

Dad looked wrong. He was shrunken and small in the huge hospital bed placed so he could watch the river out the window. He didn't look at all like my dad. It was...scary, and not right.

He didn't last hours. He died less than 20 minutes after I came in the door, to the sounds of the sobbing of his heartbroken wife and two eldest daughters. I put my arms around Rose, and she stroked my hair, and we let each other cry. At least he died at home, the way he wanted to, surrounded by people who loved him and a place he knew.

Rose called Craig and said she'd explain it to Khai later. Jodie called her Aunt Colleen, who lives in Mt. Ephram and came over right away. I texted Lauren (who was likely just getting out of work at quarter of 5) and called Mom, who offered her condolences.

Jessa arrived with Midnight shortly after I texted Lauren. She was especially upset. Dad was her only parent after her adopted mother died in 1997. I put my arms around her in the living room and held her as Midnight tore apart tissues, then showed her and Midnight how the apartment looks now.

I finally left at a little after 6. Joe was there for Jessa, and Aunt Colleen, Jodie's sons Jesse and TJ, and Jesse's wife Dana were there. I needed to eat dinner and be alone for a while. Well, not entirely alone. I had Match Game on while I added potatoes, green pepper, and onion to the leftover taco meat for southwestern turkey hash. Richard did his best Humphrey Bogart impression early-on while helping a Moroccan woman with the Head-to-Head. Later, there were lots of jokes about how a strange lady thought blank was Never-Never Land.

The woman champ on Sale of the Century just keeps right on winning. Once again, she bought an Instant Bargain and breezed through the main rounds. Everyone had trouble with the speed round, but she built up such a huge lead, it didn't matter. She still couldn't get the bonus round, though.

Rose asked me during dinner if I wanted to say good-bye to Dad before the hospice people took him away. I should have. Jessa did. I just...I couldn't. I couldn't think of that shrunken figure as my father. That's not the way I want to remember him. Jodie said they'll have him creamated and do a big "celebration of his life" next year, when things are a little better and we can have more people in the house.

Finished the night with Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights on Hulu. I go further into this 2004 prequel to the original at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

Oh, and around 11:30, there were some massive storms. One peal of thunder produced such a loud blast, I just about jumped out of my seat!

Before the Rain Arrived

Kicked off a sunny, hazy morning with breakfast and Buzzr. The morning Sale of the Century run is now up to the episodes with their first version of a bonus round. You have to match two panels to win the prize of the day. The new champ hit on a trip his first time out.

The Supermarket Sweep episode was one of the early 2000's ones with the Password-esque "30 second shoot-outs." One half of the pair gives clues to a certain word that their partner has to guess. If they get all the words, it spells something you can find in a supermarket or a familiar brand name. Only one pair got the 30 seconds this time. The Big Sweep was a good one, but the winning couple didn't get close to the 5,000 dollars.

The contestants did better on Split Second. One woman dominated the entire day, including the Countdown Round. She missed the car by one board and opted to come back tomorrow to try again.

Spent the next two hours after that organizing the American Girls and their things. Moved their bench to where the chair was in front of my bed. The rack I used for their clothes was also too big for the room and didn't fit in my closet. I ended up loading their clothes into a bin and the two boxes Samantha and Whitney came in. I also moved the sweaters and wraps in my seasonal clothes bin onto a shelf in the closet and the remaining clothes into a smaller bin. That still left room for two Christmas bins.

As I worked, I happened to look up and notice a van stop in front of the main house through the small bedroom window. Big men unloaded an inflatable mattress, and I thought I heard Jodie's voice. Dad was home! I didn't go say 'hi,' though. I wanted to let him get settled before he had visitors.

Had a quick lunch while watching the tail end of Match Game and most of Classic Concentration. The young man from yesterday continued cleaning up in the main rounds, but just could not get close with the car. He finally met his match in a college girl in the beginning of the second episode.

It took longer for Uber to show up than I'd hoped. It probably has to do with people avoiding the heat. It got back up to 96 again today. Thankfully, I didn't wait there for very long. There was no traffic in Cherry Hill, and I scooted into the elevator and upstairs as fast as I could.

It was pretty much the exact same deal as last time. A few minutes after I arrived, they brought me into the x-ray room. I waited about five or so minutes for them to be ready, then another five for the doctor. He says the elbow is healing nicely. Told him I put in for the first week of August as my first vacation week and would come back for my last appointment then.

The prices for Uber were so expensive after I got out, I decided to wait a while. There's a brand-new, very modern Dunkin' Donuts next-door to Cooper Orthopedics. Picked up a green iced tea with lemon from their otherwise quiet counter. Waited about 15 minutes after that before prices went down to a reasonable level and I was able to get home.

I was shelving the Star Wars toys when Rose called. Thursday is trash day on Manor Avenue. She and Craig wanted to get the furniture I no longer need out to the curb. Could I watch the kids? Sure, why not? I'd just finished with the Star Wars toys when they arrived.

Finley was a ball of energy! She raced ahead of Khai and me to Veteran's Park next-door to my apartment. We goofed around in the gazebo there, then walked along the path, admiring the giant sunflowers in the community garden. The kids climbed on the World War II gun in front of the VFW (which was recently repainted a more realistic gunmetal green and white) and tossed a ball in the parking lot.

(And yes, all furniture is now out of the apartment. Rose and I will probably go through things for Goodwill tomorrow or this weekend.)

Dark clouds gathered, even as I chased Finley across the street to her parents. I'd been home for less than 20 minutes when they finally burst. It was pouring when I stepped out to drop the Pepsi bottle in the recycling and saw Jodie watering plants on her porch. Yes, Dad is home, and she says he's doing as well as he can in his present circumstances. He must be. I heard his usual 12-hour Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit marathon through the door to their side of the house. She also mentioned that their tomatoes are finally coming in and offered me a few when they're ready. Sure! I can always use tomatoes.

Shelved the remaining Star Wars toys, then did some re-arranging. Dropped a crate of folders onto one of the American Girls bins. Moved the Christmas bins that were in the kitchen into my room and covered them with a blanket. I may try moving the Christmas tree bin into the bathroom closet, but I don't think it'll fit. It will likely stay in the kitchen until further notice.

Had leftovers for dinner while watching Match Game. Alas, the last episode of the week with Ron Pallilo, Patty Duke, and Patti Deustch seems to be lost. I wasn't too upset that Buzzr went straight into the next week, though. It's a classic, with Dick Gautier, Jo Ann Pflug, and Fannie Flagg joining Gene and the regulars in matching an attractive, soft-spoken contestant from Casablanca.

The woman champ just kept rolling on Sale of the Century. She bought a brass baker's rack and a trip to Palm Springs and the other two contestants still didn't get close to her. Didn't have much luck with the bonus round, though.

Finished the night with The Sign of Zorro on Disney Plus. The Zorro TV show used to run on The Disney Channel in the evenings in the 80's. Rose was more into it than I was then, but she always loved anything that involved Spanish or Mexican culture. Me, I enjoyed the swashbuckling and watching Don Diego de la Vega (Guy Williams) stay one step ahead of the evil Captain Monstario (Britt Lomond) and foolish Sargent Garcia (Henry Calvin). Diego invented his Zorro persona as a way to get back at Monstario and help save the people of California without undue bloodshed. Monstario is so determined to capture Zorro, he arrests his hot-blooded father and holds him without a trial and hires an impostor to discredit him with the people. Diego, however, knows every trick to get around his traps, with the help of his mute manservant Bernardo (Gene Shelton).

I hope Disney puts the full Zorro show on Disney Plus sometime in the near future; until they get to it, this is a good sample. Williams always did have fun in the role, with Calvin also having a grand old time as one of the great buffoons in Old California. It's kind of episodic, having been edited together from the TV show, but the swordplay and jokes alone make it enjoyable for action fans like me.

Having a Heat Wave

Began the morning with breakfast and Buzzr. I'd seen the To Tell the Truth episode with the three women who claimed to write a book on cleaning the oceans before, but What's My Line? was new to me. Meredith MacRae finally guessed that the first man sold camping backpacks, but no one realized the lady was one of the first State Troopers in Pennsylvania. The Mystery Guest was Darren McGavin, best known to most people nowadays as Ralphie's "old man" in A Christmas Story.

Made my grocery list while Sale of the Century was on. This was my first grocery trip in my new home. I have a much larger refrigerator to fill! Tried calling Rose to see what she was doing after Supermarket Sweep started, but she was at work. (She called later. In addition to being at work, it's just too hot to move anything today.)

Called Uber as the Big Sweep wound down, but they took 20 minutes to show and stopped at the wrong house. I didn't see them until almost 5 minutes after they arrived! At least there were no other problems and no traffic in Oaklyn or on the Black Horse Pike.

Grocery shopping was a lot easier. Everyone must have been hiding from the 98 degree heat in air conditioning, their pools, or down at the Shore. Had a free online coupon for eggs and a much smaller one for Acme's generic ice cream. Chicken parts are still cheap; grabbed a pack of legs. Since ground turkey was on sale, I decided to have tacos for dinner and bought soft taco shells. (The hard ones are too messy for me.) Restocked cereal (went with shredded wheat), peaches, bananas, yogurt, peanut butter, apricot preserves, milk, and low-salt canned diced tomato, black beans, and chick peas.

 Of course, just as I finished and was calling to go home, my phone died. What was I going to do? I couldn't get through to Uber, and everyone I knew was at the hospital or work. I ended up getting a ride home from a manager on lunch who used to live in Oaklyn and knows the area pretty well.

Had a quick banana-berry-basil smoothie and peanut butter-jelly bar lunch while watching Match Game. Lots of girdle jokes early-on here, including from the contestant. Later, Charles and Brett fussed at each other's answers on a Jeckyl-and-Hyde question.

Let Buzzr run in the background as I did the dishes and resumed unpacking. Switched the wider black shelf at the door to Dad and Jodie's house with the narrower brown one. The art supplies went on two of the shelves in the entertainment center, where the kids could get at them. Put the boxes of photos and the board games on the top shelf in the living room (and found three of Dana's old college papers). The two Frisbees were all I had left of my outdoor toys; they went in my full hall closet. The self-help books went back on top of my desk, where they were before.

Rose came in as Super Password started. The prognosis for Dad isn't looking good. He'll come home on Wednesday, but he's not expected to last the week. She kept saying not to be shocked, but...I knew when he ended up in the hospital, it was likely all over. Rose also reminded me to bring the mountain of boxes accumulating on the patio outside to the curb. Oh, I wouldn't forget. I didn't want to see them stacked there, either.

Finished shelving the photo books and board games as Press Your Luck wound down. One lady got close, but in the end, Friday's champion came through. She did even better today, winning a pool table and an Orlando vacation to go with her money.

Tried to do some writing after the show ended, despite being incredibly tired. The others join Charles, dancing with the crowd and distracting them while he dodges Ira. The angry sheriff eventually gets spun into the dessert table, sending cakes and pies flying everywhere. He screams for the trolls...but Charles has his own army, of sorts...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Made my tacos with sliced tomato and Asian green beans while watching the last Match Game showing of the day. Ron Pallilo of Welcome Back, Kotter and a pair of Pattys, Duke and Deustch, joined Gene and the regulars for jokes about cow manure and an Audience Match involving "Dr. ___."

It was finally cool enough for me to take out the boxes and the plastic recycling during Sale of the Century. Jodie called during dinner to remind me, too. She was there when I dragged out four huge stacks of boxes in all shapes and sizes. Took out some trash, too, and consolidated that.

Finished the night after a shower with the Match Game syndicated premiere and the 1921 silent version of The Three Musketeers on YouTube. The first of Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s big costume adventures has him as D'Artangan fighting the schemes of the Cardinal Richeleu (Nigel De Bruller) with the help of Athos (Leon Bary), Porthos (George Siegmann), and Aramis (Eugene Pallatte). It moves a bit faster than his later costume tales, and other than condensing some characters, actually sticks to the book pretty well. Recommended for fans of swashbucklers, Fairbanks, or early cinema.

Wild Night In Miami

Began a gray morning with whole-wheat buttermilk pancakes for breakfast and the Broadway original cast of Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoy some of the additional songs by Alan Menken and Tim Rice. "No Matter What" for Belle and Maurice, "Home" for Belle after she's been forced to stay at the Beast's castle, and "If I Can't Love Her" for the Beast are especially nice.

Work wasn't too bad when I got in, but it turned into an absolutely madhouse around noon. I kept ending up in a register for the first half of my shift. As it turns out, it may have been just as well. When I did finally make it outside, the street was wet, and it was humid. It would shower lightly on and off until shortly before I left. I went outside at the right time. At one point around 3:30, an ambulance and a paramedics van pulled up at the main entrance of the store. I have no idea what happened or whom they took away, and given how crazy it was inside, I'm not sure I want to know. It slowed down enough by then for me to round up the overflowing trash outside and sweep inside.

Rushed off as soon as I finished. Dad and Jodie held a small pre-Super Bowl family party at their house. They were just about finishing off the cheese fondue when I arrived. There was enough for me to enjoy chunks of beef, chicken, and bread, baby carrots, slices of peppers, small sliced potatoes, and broccoli and cauliflower florets. Jodie even let me take most of the leftovers home - I'll turn them into soup and stir-fry this week.

Joined Khai, Craig, and Finley in the den after I ate. Rose pulled out a huge plastic bin of tons of Beanie Babies that have belonged to Jessa since the 1990's. There's so many, Khai even buried his sister in them at one point. The kids seemed to be happier hiding under the plastic box. Finley just liked throwing them around. I watched a stirring "salute to America" on the Super Bowl pre-show and the NFL's listing of the 100 greatest players ever in honor of this being their 100th season.

Shortly before the game began, Jodie cleared the cheese fondue and brought out some of the most delicious melted milk chocolate I'd ever tasted. Evidently, a friend of hers who owns a winery has a daughter who runs a chocolate shop and gave it to her. Oh, yum! So perfectly sweet and rich. It tasted even better swirled around strawberries, pretzel sticks, sliced bananas and apples, and chunks of pineapple.

The chocolate finally brought Dana, Jessa, and Jessa's puppy Midnight in. Finley loves Midnight and chased the little black fluffball all over the kitchen. Finley grabbed Jessa's old stuffed snake and used it to play tug with Midnight, to both their amusement.

Unlike last year, the game was as good as the company. One team would score, then another would run back and score again. It was 10-10 at halftime, when I followed almost everyone else out the door. Thankfully, Fox does stream live online, and I was able to finish watching the game at home. And I'm glad I did! The 49ers pulled ahead after halftime 13-10, then got a touchdown shortly after, making it 20-10. That finally woke up the Chiefs. They really kicked it in the 4th quarter, including two close-call touchdowns. In the end, the Chiefs got one last touchdown that won them the game, 31-20.

And in the other major event of the day, Phil the Groundhog didn't see his shadow, and considering how warm we've been this winter, I'll believe that early spring prediction.

A Walk On the Windy Side

I was up so late with Lauren last night, I didn't wake up this morning until almost 11! By the time I finished Cotton In My Sack by Lois Lenski and wrote in my journal, it was nearly 12:30. Kept things simple with Banana Pancakes for brunch. They came out pretty well, too. Burned a side of the first one slightly, but they otherwise came out very well, sweet and fluffy. Listened to the K-Tel Pure Gold LP from 1975 while I ate, enjoying songs like "Fooled Around and Fell In Love," "Right Back Where We Started From," "Let Your Love Flow," and the theme from Welcome Back Kotter.

Started something new after I cleaned up from breakfast. The essay on my long-time love of game shows took a while to write, but I did finish it. I decided to take my psychologist Mrs. Stahl up on an idea and write one on my fondness for malls.

Maybe it's because, for the first decade of my life, malls were sort of a mythological place to me. I wouldn't see the inside of a large, two-story mall until the early 90's. The only mall I knew of in the 80's was the Rio Mall in Rio Grande. Alas, it's long-gone now. Other, larger shopping centers opened down Route 9 and across the street, causing pretty much everything to move out or close. Super Wal-Mart eventually took over one of those brand-new shopping centers and probably would have killed the smaller K-Mart even if the chain wasn't having problems.

(In fact, according to a couple of local newspapers, Cape May County is apparently in the midst of remodeling the former K-Mart and Rio Mall into county offices, a bowling alley, an "entertainment center," and an expanded movie theater. Mom mentioned the movie theater being remodeled the last time I talked to her; she's upset that she won't be able to see Rise of Skywalker in the theater.)

Broke at quarter after 3 for a walk to Dad and Jodie's. At least it was a nice day for a walk. While it was still windy (I probably wouldn't have used the bike, even if it was in good shape), it was also sunny and a little warmer than yesterday, in the lower 40's. There were a lot of kids out for a walk or folks chatting with their neighbor before heading in to watch the football games.

I wanted to go over to their house because the Kansas City Chiefs played the Tennessee Titans for the AFC Championship at 3:05....and more importantly, I needed to finally return two of Jodie's larger Tupperware containers from the Christmas morning brunch leftovers. I watched part of the first, the second, and the first half of the third quarter with them, switching to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit when commercials rolled around.

It was a really exciting game, too. The Titans were up 10-0 when I arrived, but the Chiefs quickly got a touchdown. The Titans came back by halftime, making it 17-14. By the time the sun went down and I headed out, they were up 17-21. I later discovered online that the Chiefs did end up winning 35-24.

(The Packers played the 49ers later this evening. I didn't watch that one, but considering the Niners were up 27-0 at halftime when I checked the score online and later won 37-20, I suspect it wasn't quite as thrilling. Incidentally, for those of you following along at home, this means that it'll be the 49ers and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. I'm glad. They're both good teams to deserve to be going.)

Rose called almost as soon as I walked in the door. I intended to call her anyway and find out when we're going down to North Cape May tomorrow. It sounds like between 10:30 and 11, after Finley has her tumbling class. That's usually when she picks me up for trips to visit the family down there, so I wasn't surprised. Sounds like Mom's invited too, which makes me hope she and Anny have at least tried to mend their fences.

Finished out the Pure Gold set while wrapping Lilah's birthday presents. I'm giving her two cute picture books, both from the bargain bin at the Acme. One is about a little Scandinavian girl who suddenly becomes tiny and has an amazing adventure in the flowers and grass around her. The other allows the reader to place reusable stickers - or come up with an idea of their own - on a blank "spot" in a story and finish the story their own way. (I also have money for my 10-year-old nephew Collyn's birthday that I didn't get around to giving him last month.)

Made Cincinatti Chili on tri-color pasta for dinner while listening to the soundtrack for the Barbra Streisand vehicle Funny Lady. I saw the movie on Crackle when I was browsing around and may review it this Tuesday. I hadn't had the LP on in quite some time. Kander & Ebb wrote a couple of new numbers to go with a batch of older songs from Fannie Brice's second husband Billy Rose, including the standard "How Lucky Can You Get?" that opens the album. Other good numbers include "Great Day" and the comic "Blind Date" for Streisand, "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charley" for Ben Vereen, and a charming version of "It's Only a Paper Moon" mixed with the new "I Like Him/Her" for Streisand and James Caan as Rose.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Merry Christmas! I began a beautiful holiday morning with the Colliers Harvest of Holidays. They have at least five Christmas stories, more than for any other holidays. My favorites are "Flora McFlimsey's Christmas," about a little doll who manages to walk down to the tree on Christmas Eve, where the angel on top cleans her up for a little girl, and "A Star For Hansi," as a grandmother teaches her granddaughter about saving with a story on how she bought her little brother a star with her last saved coin.

Sun was streaming through the window overlooking the park as I crept to the tree. I always open the presents Linda Young gives me on Christmas morning. This year, my big gift was a beautiful warm woven wrap in red and blue plaid. The other larger gift was a cozy mystery novel set in an ice cream shop. The "stocking stuffer" was a new pair of gloves. I especially appreciated those! My cheap black gloves are stretched out and badly pulled.

Watched Match Game on Buzzr as I opened gifts. Betty White appeared with her husband Allen Ludden of the Password franchise on a week of episodes in 1976. In the first one, Allen got a look at this crew's usual shenanigans when his wife again rolled up Gene's pant legs while he talked to the upper desks. "Is this what goes on when I'm not here?" asked her amused husband. In the second, a question about their social life sent them both blushing and giving strange answers.

Strolled to Dad and Jodie's around quarter after 10 on foot. Everyone was already there when I arrived, including Jodie's son TJ and his fiance Eric and her other son Jesse and his wife Dana, along with Vanessa, Jessa, Joe, and Midnight, and Rose and her tribe. Along with leftover candy, ham, and macaroni salad from last night, Jodie and Dana set out Jodie's amazing French bread casserole, Dana's sausage bake, egg muffins, blueberry and plain English muffins, a plate of pineapple chunks and berries, real syrup, and orange juice. Dad had the Christmas Story marathon going in the background all morning, and someone found the Gatlingburg Festival of Lights Christmas Parade on WPHL 17. (Why a Philly station played a parade from Tennessee is way beyond me, but it was fun.)

We unwrapped the gifts around 11. I gave everyone their cookie boxes. Khai got a book on codes and Super Mario Maker 2. Finley got the most adorable play barn and her own stuffed "puppy" on a leash, so she could have a dog to lead around like Midnight and Nala. I got warm alpaca wool socks from Dad and a brand-new laptop and 50 dollars from Dad and Jodie. I'm typing on my new laptop now. It's a HP and is a lot smaller - and ten times faster - than my old Toshiba.

Everyone but Dad, Jodie, and the kids took part in the gift exchange. This time, everything but my cocoa mug was wrapped. We grabbed them based on size and shape alone. I was first; I took the only bag under the tree. Jessa wanted a box that included a pair of light-up chopsticks, but Dana snitched it. (She eventually kept what was in the box but gave Jessa the chopsticks.) The others kept switching around a package wrapped with brown paper and a thick rope. Jessa ended up with it; she got a cool slide music maker. I think Joe got the cocoa mug.

Everyone says I got the best present. Someone wants me to move into the 21st century. My present was a Google Nest thing that acts as an alarm and controls everything in the room. I'll figure it out tomorrow or later in the week.

Rose and her crew drove me home. Mom called while I worked on setting up my laptop. She absolutely loved the cookies I sent her. She's still trying to figure out her new, smaller stove. Her best gift, though, was getting to see Lilah when she had to deliver a package to Collyn and his dad Mike in Wildwood. Mom and Anny are still having problems, and Mom hasn't seen her grandchildren in ages...so a hug from her granddaughter was the best possible present she could have gotten.

Jessa didn't pick me up until nearly 1:15. We were about 20 minutes late to the mid-afternoon showing of Rise of Skywalker. We missed the commercials and probably about the first ten minutes or so, but we did see most of it. Or at least, I saw most of it. Poor Jessa is still wiped out from working early all week and slept through the majority of the film.

I'm not going to do the plot here because of spoilers, but...I loved it. Maybe not quite as much as The Last Jedi, but I did still enjoy it a lot. On one hand, I wish we'd seen more of Rose, that it had wrapped up some plots better (and I frankly liked the idea of Rey being a nobody more than her having a fancy linage)...but I also approved of many of the changes, and I like that in the end, Rey,  Finn, Poe, and Rose all opt to just stay friends instead of going for the obvious romance. Also, I mostly approve of how they ended Leia's story. It seems right.

In the end, I think all five of the Star Wars films released by Disney have gotten a bum rap. Fans and critics tend to just expect waaaaaayyyy too much from these movies. If' you're a Star Wars fan who enjoys the sequels or the franchise in general, I'd totally disregard the reviews and go check out the end of Rey's story.

Jessa and I drove over to her and Joe's condo in Deptford after the movie ended. Joe and his 14-year-old daughter Dannica and 11-year-old son Connor were playing the newest Just Dance when I arrived. I laughed and watched them and Jessa shake their booties to "Prince Ali" from the live-action Aladdin remake and a few other songs.

After the kids finished their game, they opened their presents from their father. Dannica seemed happiest with a new sketchbook from Jessa and a sequined pillow with Danny DiVito's face on it from her father. (I didn't ask about the latter.) Connor loved his box of practical jokes and goofy little toys and Mad Libs book.

While the kids opened their gifts, Joe showed me the tons and tons of offerings on Disney's new streaming service, Disney Plus. We watched two funny shorts featuring Sporky, the new "hand made" toy character from Toy Story 4, and the classic Mickey Mouse short "Lonesome Ghosts." Joe started Return of the Jedi while the kids were looking over their presents, but they lost interest around the time Yoda died, and everyone was hungry.

Truth be told, no one had any idea what we were going to do for dinner. The only place we could find open was WaWa...but the kids loved it. I got a double mocha chilled cappuccino and a cheeseburger quesadilla (ground steak with pickles, cheese, and onions on a crispy tortilla). Everyone else had soda, chips, popcorn, and hoagies.

We took them home and had Christmas dinner while watching Dannica's favorite movie The Greatest Showman and playing Mad Libs with Connor. It was a lovely and cozy couple of hours. The kids were happy, we all laughed, Midnight sniffed around our legs, and I was glad to be around people who were having fun and wanted nothing more than for me to write a goofy answer to a silly story and sing along to "This Is Me" and "Rewrite the Stars."

We headed out around 7:30-quarter of 8. The kids had to be home between 7:30 and 8. They live in a gated community; the opening gates glowed like blue and red lightsabers, and you had to type a code on a pad to get in. Joe took the kids up to their mother while Midnight, Jess and I waited. Jessa and Joe dropped me off ten minutes later.

This was one of the best Christmases I ever had...and the present I loved most of all was just spending time with everyone in the family, people who enjoyed my company and enjoyed being around me and each other. I had more fun today and yesterday than I've had in a long time. Here's hoping your holiday, no matter what you celebrate, was equally wonderful!

Summertime, and the Livin' Is Easy

Began an absolutely stunning day with Blueberry Almond Pancakes for breakfast. They came out absolutely perfect, sweet and tasty. Made Zucchini Bread from a revised version of the recipe in Julie's Cooking Studio and the yellow zucchini from the farm market after I ate. I cut the oil down slightly, cut the two cups of brown sugar to one, and used a cup of whole wheat flour with the regular flower. Oh, yum! It came out sooo tasty, just sweet and moist enough, and it smelled amazing coming out of the oven.

Worked on writing while the bread was in the oven. Maz is angry as heck when Bob and his boys shoot ice beams that freeze her staff. She hurries off to sober up Charlie in a hurry while Leia confronts Fettman in the air.

As soon as the bread was out of the oven, I decided it was too nice to sit inside all day. I've been sitting inside all summer. I headed out for a walk. It couldn't have been nicer for late August. The breeze was cool and fresh, and it was warm but not humid. It was lovely in the neighborhood, with kids riding around on their bikes and their parents working in yards that had gone crazy from all the rain we've gotten.

Stopped briefly at Dollar General. I needed sponges, but they were out of the cheap pack. I grabbed one, some colored ink pens that looked cool, a Bai coconut drink, and my favorite pecan nut roll, and moved on.

I couldn't remember the last time I had a nice, long walk in Newton Lake Park. I wasn't the only one out and about today. The park was teeming with people. Kids chased each other on the playground while their mothers looked on and I happily hopped on the swings. Children rode their bikes; adults walked their dogs or went fishing or for strolls. The park was also glowing with colors that would make the rainbow pale. I sniffed beautiful flowers in shades of yellow and magenta and pale pink and admired a butterfly with a dot on its cream-colored wings flit from blossom to blossom. It was wonderful to finally be able to get out and communicate with nature again.

As soon as I got home, I changed into my bathing suit, sliced the bread, packed up some cookies, and went over to Dad and Jodie's house for a swim and a chat. Jessa and Rose and her kids were already there when I arrived. Had a sloppy joe with potato salad and corn on the cob before jumping into a cool-but-not-freezing pool.

Had a long chat with Jodie and Jessa after Rose took her kids home. We talked about Dad's many appointments for cancer treatments, about Jessa and Joe's jobs as mail people, and about the family. I have to admit, I'm going to miss this after the summer is over. It's been nice to go over and have a quiet chat with them over dinner and a swim. In fact, it's really been one of the highlights of my mostly frustrating summer.

Moved on to Lego Star Wars when I got home. No luck anywhere. Just couldn't get all the pieces in time on "Into the Death Star." Got a little bit further on the Super Story, to the end of the "Battle of Endor" round, but just couldn't do it. I'll try again tomorrow.

Finished up the night with a Match Game marathon. I couldn't begin to list all of the funny episodes I watched tonight, so I'm just going to choose one. We discover that even top-rated game shows have glitches when Gene has such a hard time getting the machine that holds the questions to stay put, he has to ask Charles and a contestant to help out.

Match Game '76

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

Kicked off a gorgeous morning with early work. It started pretty well. I spent the first half-hour outside, gathering carts and enjoying the stunning weather. It was once again sunny, breezy, and dry, probably no warmer than the lower 80's. After the carts were done, I shelved loose items until break. Things picked up considerably by 10, to the point where I kept getting stuck in the register, even when the head manager told me to mop up the leaking freezer they're still having trouble with. (Although to be fair, they're in the midst of fixing it, and even before that, it wasn't nearly as bad as it has been.) Thankfully, I was able to spend the last hour shelving candy and back out with the carts.

Stopped to grab a few things after I finished. They had a ton of discontinued honey. I figured I'd get at least one more jar. What I really needed was money. I'm hoping to go to the movies tomorrow and do my laundry later in the week.

Headed straight home after work. Charlie said last night that I could take whatever I wanted from his garden. It doesn't look like the big tomatoes are quite ready yet, but I grabbed five cherry tomatoes to go with the ones I bought yesterday and a very fuzzy cucumber.

When I got in, I thought I'd try something different with that tomato windfall. I've made some delicious Tomato Spice Cakes, so I thought I'd try Tomato Spice Pancakes, with brown sugar and sliced cherry tomatoes. Other than I burned one side, they actually came out nicely. I may use less sugar if I make these again later in the summer, though. They might have been slightly too sweet.

Listened to Steel Pier while I enjoyed my brunch. This odd Kander & Ebb musical from 1997 has dancer Rita (Karen Ziemba) taking part in a marathon in Atlantic City in the early 30's. She's partnered with handsome young pilot Bill (Daniel McDonald) who suddenly appears on the boardwalk. He's not what he seems, though, especially when he manages to keep them in the show despite her falling. Meanwhile, her husband Mick (Gregory Harrison), who counts on Rita and her marathon dancing as his meal ticket, is more than a little jealous. The story is confusing and more than a little odd, but there's some real gems in the score, including "Willing to Ride" for Rita, "First You Dream" and "Leave the World Behind" for Bill, and the ribald "Everybody's Girl" for fellow marathoner Shelby Stevens (Debra Monk).

I was so tired from a late night and an early morning, I took a nap for two hours after lunch. I got up just in time to change into a bathing suit and ride over to Dad and Jodie's house for a swim. It was just the two of them and me tonight. Everyone else was at work, recovering from work, or on vacation. I floated around the slightly murky waters, then blew a curved yellow leaf across the ripples. Dinner was meatloaf with scalloped potatoes, creamed corn, and slices of a delicious banana bread that Jodie made herself with added orange juice. Dana did join us to eat, having come in from her own nap.

Finished the night at home with Lego Star Wars. I tried "Jabba's Palace" twice and "Hoth Battle" once with no luck. I might just go back to the Super Story tomorrow.

Gonna Climb a Mountain

Started off a sunny, hazy morning with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, a peach, and finally getting around to listening to Stop the World, I Want To Get Off! Littlechap (Anthony Newley) has great hopes to become filthy rich in the future. The last thing he expects is to start by getting Evie, the daughter of his boss (Anna Quayle), pregnant. She has two girls, which annoys him, as he wanted a boy. He keeps pushing further and further up the ladder, eventually going into politics, but his marriage with Evie is less than perfect. While on business trips, he dallies with a Russian officer, a German maid, and an American nightclub singer (all Quayle), but it's not until he loses his Evie and gives up his life does he understand how much he really loved her all along.

On one hand, this is one of Newley and Leslie Bricusse's best scores, including the standards "Gonna Climb a Mountain," "Comes Once In a Lifetime," and "What Kind of Fool am I?," and Newley and especially the multi-accented Quayle put them over with conviction. Trouble is, the dated and misogynistic story can occasionally make this rough going today, as in "I Want to be Rich" and "Nag! Nag! Nag!" The great music makes it worth checking out once for fans of Newley or musicals with unusual concepts.

Switched to the original Broadway cast of Kiss Me, Kate while reading and puttering around after breakfast. Alfred Drake and Patricia Morrison headline the first version of this musical tale of battling lovers. Her "I Hate Men" is especially ribald; he does best with the more robust "I've Come to Wive It Wealthily In Padua." And yes, this includes the classic opening number, "Another Openin', Another Show."

Did some writing around 1:30, but I had a hard time focusing and kept wandering to other things. After Vader lets Palpatine go, Ahsoka turns up at his office. He's disappointed that her road blocks haven't caught The Jedi Knight (Luke) yet via their roadblocks. She sarcastically points out that he hasn't, either. She needs to figure out exactly what he's doing about the Jedi Knight and report it to Patricia, so she asks a few more quesitons...

Jodie called around 4 and asked me if I was going to come over for a swim. I was already changing, even as I talked to her. It was still hot, humid, and sunny, but not anything out of the ordinary for early August. Jodie and Dad were outside on the pool patio, chatting with Jodie's dad and Dana's sister. Dana had been taking a nap. She joined us later after a nice dip for a barbecue dinner. I had grilled burgers with sliced tomatoes; there were also hot dogs and a massive steak. Took home tomatoes, a burger, and buns after we ate.

Did some Lego Star Wars next. To my frustration, I couldn't get far. Couldn't find the last few blue pieces on "Dagobah" or "Escape From Echo Base," no matter how hard I tried. I'll give it another shot tomorrow.

Finished the night by pulling out the boxes with my photos. Several books and sites suggest having photos of  you at different stages of your life out where you can see them, so you can remember who you were then. I thought I'd try it. I only have two frames avalible, and of those, I could only dig out a cute shot of me as a toddler, holding up a rose-print tin of crayons to Mom (who is likely taking the photo). I'll go through the Christmas pictures tomorrow and see what I can find.

In the Swim

I slept in again and awoke to a sunny, hot morning. For once, I got to have my Sunday pancakes for brunch in the morning. I wish my blueberry pancakes had turned out better, but I think I used too many blueberries and couldn't turn them over. They just broke apart and made a mess, though they still tasted pretty good.

Listened to my Kismet original cast album as I ate and cleaned up afterwards. This is the 1953 musical adaptation of the early 1900's Arabian Nights-set play. In the course of a single day, a story teller in old Bagdad (Alfred Drake) falls in love with the lusty wife of the Wazir (Joan Diener), kills off the Wazir (Henry Calvin), and sees his lovely daughter Marsinah (Doretta Morrow) married to the Caliph (Richard Kiley). Some of the biggest Broadway hits of the early 50's could be found in this show, including "Baubles, Bangles, and Beads" for Marsinah, "The Sands of Time" for Drake, and the lush duet "Stranger In Paradise" for Marsinah and the Caliph when she thinks the latter is a gardener.

Went to run a few errands after I finished the dishes. I forgot that today was Dad's birthday, and my nephew Skylar's birthday is Wednesday. My first stop was Dollar General. I did grab cards for both of them here, along with my favorite pecan log. I was hoping to find Cool Whip to make a pudding cake for Dad, but no luck. The closest thing they had was Reddi-Whip, and they were out of it.

As I was leaving the store and going in the back to get my bike, my mind was so focused on getting presents for Sky and Dad, I wasn't looking where I was going. Took a bad step and ended up scraping my left arm against the stucco walls. Thankfully, my arm had rubbed red, but it wasn't really hurt. My left knuckle caught the worst of it got a little scraped. I always bring a small pack of Band-Aids in my purse, so that was an easy fix.

I didn't have much luck elsewhere. No Cool Whip at CVS or Family Dollar, or even heavy cream. None at WaWa, either, but I did get one of those dollar 32 ounce sodas there. The Minute Maid Peach Lemonade I got out of the Coca Cola Freestyle machine was amazing; it really tasted of sweet peach and tangy lemon.

Called Jodie when I got home and said I'd come over later, then relaxed a bit and did some writing. Maz tells Leia she thinks Harris is very much in love with her, and she'll prove it. She plans a romantic dinner for them, but the Empire may have other plans...

Watched a few episodes of Sale of the Century on Buzzr while I worked on my story. Today was their special "Christmas In July" theme, when they run Christmas episodes of some of their shows. Sale of the Century was kind of a mid-80's cross between Jeopardy and an upscale Price Is Right. They were decorated for the holidays with elaborate silver and green wreaths and a huge tree. Most of the little skits for the prizes were holiday-themed too, from Santa and people in gingerbread men costumes selling a karaoke machine to people in wide-shouldered 80's suits and dresses celebrating with crystal glasses. The woman who won was amazing, especially on the first episode. Not only did she get the final round in under a minute, but she got the last two in under five seconds!

Grabbed my bathing suit and went back out around quarter of 5. I was a little disappointed that Rose and her kids were leaving just as I came in. I was hoping to talk to her about the furniture. I did have a nice chat with Dad and Jodie in and out of the pool, though. The pool was so warm! It was bathwater-warm. I told them when my vacation in September is and about Rose giving me the coffee table. Jodie and I enjoyed mushroom pizza together and Jodie had hot wings while Dad switched between Law & Order re-runs and the Braves-Phillies game. (Phillies killed the Braves this evening, by the way, 9 - 4.)

Finished the night after I got in with Lego Star Wars. Finally completed "Rebel Attack" tonight. I don't know why I kept missing that one piece. Like I said, the blue pieces were hard to see against the gray and blue Death Star. Tried "Rescue the Princess" and "Mos Eisley Spaceport," but had no luck. I'll return to them tomorrow.

Yankee Doodle Girl

Kicked off the morning with short stories from Colliers Harvest of Holidays. Among the material are a chapter from Little Town on the Prairie that has Laura and Carrie joining their pa for an outing in town. They watch their friend Alfonso win at the local horse races and enjoy lemonade from a barrel, while Laura hears the reading of the Declaration of Independence and thinks of the meaning of liberty. Other material in Colliers included The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and several patriotic poems.

Also did a more straightforward prose story about Paul Revere in Disney's vintage Storybookland anthology, along with Ben and Me. The "me" is Amos, a mouse who moves in with Ben Franklin and helps him invent most of his famous creations, including bifocals and the Franklin stove. He parts after Ben uses him in his electricity experiment, but Ben claims he's the only one who can help him and Thomas Jefferson with the Declaration of Independence.

Watched Yankee Doodle Cricket during breakfast. Amos isn't the only mouse who claims to have shaped significant events in American history. Tucker the mouse insisted that an ancestor of his wrote the Declaration of Independence as a treaty between cats and mice and created the colony's original "Don't Tread On Me" flag, and that Chester's ancestor wrote "Yankee Doodle."

Did a quick short while getting ready to go to work. "Patriotic Popeye" is ready to celebrate the fourth, but not for his nephews to be setting off fireworks. Their uncle shows them safer ways to enjoy the holiday.

Today was my one early work day this week. It wasn't bad when I got in, but it picked up when people started getting ready for the parades around 9:30-10, to the point where I kept getting called in from the carts to do registers. I also kept getting six orders at once when I'd be trying to get back outside. Thankfully, I got more help later, giving me a chance to bag and sweep later.

Went straight home after work. Watched cartoons while relaxing and getting organized. Donald tries to get a night picnic together for him and Daisy in "Donald's Failed Fourth," but the blanket and chairs won't cooperate. "The Yankee Doodle Mouse" has Tom and Jerry take their usual cat-and-mouse antics to a fireworks factory. The Pink Panther is "Pinky Doodle," who has to tell Philadelphia that the British are coming, if the redcoat horse he's riding will let him! The Walter Lanz Studio's "Hysterical Highspots in American History" spoofs US history up to that point, from Columbus' first landing to the 1940 peacetime draft. "Yankee Doodle Bugs" claims he knows everything about American Revolutionary history to his nephew Clyde, but the little rabbit discovers the hard way that his uncle doesn't know as much as he thinks.

Started Yankee Doodle Dandy while reading Summer In America. I've had this coffee table book for so long, I forget where I found it. I think I got it from a thrift shop over a decade ago. It discusses how summer in the US went from being just another time of year to a time for play, rest, and travel, thanks to the Industrial Revolution pushing working people out of the cities and the rise of trains, and later cars. Among the many wonderful photos are several of Cape May, including one of the Hotel Cape May, which later became the Christian Admiral that was torn down in the 90's.

Headed out around 4:30 to Dad and Jodie's. Craig, Finley, and Craig's parents were in the pool when I arrived. Rose and Dana had just gotten out. I managed to squeeze into my new suit and join them briefly. Ooh, it was like bathwater! Much warmer than it was when I stuck my legs in last week. I wasn't in there for long, though. Jodie announced that dinner was ready at 5.

While Jodie's spread wasn't as big as previous 4th of Julys, there was still plenty of food. Rose and Craig donated steak, hot dogs, big juicy burgers, and bowls of watermelon chunks, super-sweet pineapple, grapes, and blueberries. Jodie made pasta salad, potato salad, broiled asparagus, and a strange bacon-celery concoction that still tasted really good. Craig found Finley's beach-themed birthday cake at the Acme. Khai added Teddy Grahams and gummy sharks and turtles to make it look more festive. There was my strawberry-lemonade icebox cake, too.

Finley opened her presents after we ate. I'm glad I bought her the sparkly purple boa. It goes well with all the play jewelry and accessories her grandparents bought her, including tiaras, necklaces, a Moana necklace (at the moment, that's her favorite movie), a pretty play dress from her grandmother in Cape May County, and a lovely ballerina jewelry box and her own little cat-shaped purse and wallet from Craig's parents. She also got two plush-and-satin blankets that looks so comfy, I'm tempted to see if they make adult sizes. Her favorite presents were the play eggs that open and have to be aligned with the right colors and number of pegs. She played with those eggs the whole rest of the time she was there.

After Finley finished, Khai insisted on setting off some fireworks. His friend Chloe came around to see what the noise was all about. Most of them were tiny little pink or purple or green flames, but there were larger ones in red, green, and gold that crackled and popped like cereal. Khai told his dad and Dana that he wanted to save at least a few for later that night, so he and Chloe switched to waving around sparklers, pretending they were casting Harry Potter spells.

The party finally broke up around 7:30. I went home, changed, and listened to the second disc of America the Beautiful before heading back out. Though it was still humid, it was also cloudy, cool, and windy by this point. Along with a towel and a bottle of water, I brought an umbrella, just in case.

The umbrella was unnecessary. We never got anything worse than a nice, cool breeze and continuing clouds. I settled down at Newton Lake Park and was just listening to the families and kids around me when the first fireworks went off. They were gorgeous, as the Collingswood fireworks always are. I especially loved the interlocking rings of red, white, and blue. That just looked cool.

Considering what a mess the White Horse Pike always is after the fireworks, I took the first opening I could and crossed over with a couple of families near CVS. Strolled down the back roads to avoid the continuing traffic. Walking home from the fireworks is actually my favorite part of the holiday. It's peaceful, with just the crickets, the hum of air conditioners, and the occasional firework going off in the background. Though one family was dragging damaged furniture to the curb for trash tomorrow, most people were probably either still getting home from the fireworks, already at home and in bed, or on vacation.

Finished the night after a much-needed shower with the rest of Yankee Doodle Dandy. I go further into this biography of ultra-patriotic songwriter George M. Cohan (who also has a birthday the day before the 4th) at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Yankee Doodle Dandy

And whether you're celebrating your birthday today or America's, I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July (and that our neighbors the north enjoyed their Canada Day on the 1st).

Of Dads and Chipmunks

It was still sunny when I rolled out of bed this morning. Started off my day with reading in honor of Father's Day and Flag Day on Friday from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays book. While I enjoyed the two stories about Betsy Ross and the women who made the flag that flew over Baltimore in 1814 and inspired "The Star Spangled Banner," my favorites were the Father's Day pieces. The first story was a very sweet and simple short about a dad who takes his little girl outside on a hot summer night to get her to go to sleep. The second is an excerpt from the biography Cheaper By the Dozen that has Mr. Gilbreath forming his 12 children into a committee to do chores and buy supplies.

Made Blueberry Pancakes while watching more Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers. "A Creep In the Deep" is stealing fish from restaurants and cargo boats. The Rangers discover that the raids are lead by Captain Fin and his crew, who restored a submarine and filled it with water so they can steal on land. The Captain thinks he's setting the fish free, including a star whale...but not all of them are so eager to leave their homes or show business.

Moved to "Normie's Science Project" while cleaning up from breakfast. Normie is Professor Nimnul's equally obnoxious nephew, who has swiped his uncle's "sound amplifier" for a school science fair. Turns out it does a lot more than impress teachers. It can level whole cities. The Rangers have to get the record it uses back to it's original owner, Normie's rival at the fair.

"Seer No Evil" has a gypsy moth fortune teller at a fair claiming that Chip will die within the next 24 hours. Chip thinks it's a load of hogwash, but when her predictions seem to come true, the others try to keep him from getting hurt and still solve the case of a monkey and a game barker who use the game prizes to rob the homes of wealthy fair goers.

Headed out to run a few errands around noon. The day had become a bit cloudy while I was finishing breakfast. I even felt a few sprinkles of rain as I headed down Manheim to Dad and Jodie's house to wish Dad a happy Father's Day. Jessa was also there when I arrived. I was able to give Dad his card and a hug, and the four of us talked for a while. They'd had Rose and her brood over the day before. Evidently, Finley has now decided she doesn't need anyone's help to swim and will stubbornly jump in without her mother's help. They said she's all over everything at once, grabbing at things.

Jessa drove me to Dollar General, which was my next stop. I was out of dishwashing liquid, and I badly needed underwear. Treated myself to one of the tasty pecan logs that only they sell.

The rain was long gone and the sun was out by the time I strolled back to Oaklyn. I had lunch at Phillies Phatties. It was past 2 by then; not surprisingly, the only people there were me, the cooks, and Freeform on TV. Enjoyed a slice of white broccoli, a slice of tomato basil mozzarella, and a can of Vanilla Pepsi. (I had no idea Pepsi revived their vanilla flavor. Considering I'm a big fan of Vanilla Coke, I'll more than happily take Pepsi's version too.)

The clouds were starting to gather as I hurried home, and though it was still a bit cool, it was also windy and very humid. Spent the next few hours writing. Luke separates from the others to check out something he saw at a cave in one of the snow-covered mountains. He no sooner lands to check it out than he's knocked out...and it's not by a huge yeti-like creature, but something far more human...

Broke for dinner at 6. I wasn't really that hungry and stuck to having a chocolate banana smoothie for dinner. Continued Rescue Rangers while I ate. The Rangers are "Chipwrecked Shipmunks" when they're stranded on a deserted island. Dale and Monty find a treasure while looking for supplies and plan to keep it for themselves...until their old friends the Pirats show up, looking for treasure, and a hurricane starts to roll in...

Monty is hailed as a hero by a little Spanish mouse town in "When Mice Were Men." They believed he saved them from a nasty bull. The truth isn't quite as heroic as they think. Monty has to find his inner courage when the bull returns, seeking revenge.

Dale has a sweet tooth on a camping trip in "Chocolate Chips." Though Chip scolds him for eating all their snacks, it comes in handy when he's the only one who isn't bitten by drugged mosquitoes that forces locals to cut down cacao trees and turn the chocolate into candy for an insane chocolatier.

It started to rain just as I began dinner. Once again, when it rained, it monsooned. No pyrotechnics this time, but the precipitation was really coming down for a while. (To my knowledge, it's been gone for a while.)

Instead of video games, I switched to Buzzr after dinner. They were preempting their usual weekend re-runs of re-runs with Game Changers, a documentary on game shows. The show was more valuable than its makers could have known at the time. At least three of the men interviewed are no longer with us, including long-time Let's Make a Deal host Monty Hall and TV songwriter and actor Alan Thicke. By the time I got online, they were discussing more recent shows and how they were made. Seeing Pat Sajak and Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune for the first time or Regis Philbin discuss the phenomenal success in the late 90's of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire brought back so many memories. I watched the latter in college (and still occasionally catch it in syndication), and my whole family would gather to watch the former and Jeopardy in the 80's and early 90's.

Finished the night after a shower with more Mary Pickford. Her movies are so short, I managed to squeeze in three. I think my favorite of the bunch was The Poor Little Rich Girl from 1917. The story of a girl who has everything in the world but her parents' attention is a wonderful showcase for Pickford's brand of comedy. My favorite sequence is when she happily turns a broken sink into her own water park, prancing around in the spray, and even letting it hit the resentful maid who wanted her out at one point.

A Little Princess wasn't the most faithful adaption of that particular book (the whole Ali Baba sequence early on just drags things down), but it's saved by an expressive and surprisingly rather pretty ZaSu Pitts. Cinderella was a dreamy adaptation from 1914, with Pickford paired with her then-husband Owen Moore as the prince.

Here's all three if you'd like to give Pickford and her child-like world a try:

The Poor Little Rich Girl
A Little Princess
Cinderella

Sunny Spring Days

Slept in a little bit this morning before awakening to an absolutely gorgeous morning. Began the next Rick Steves disc while I ate breakfast, and then while making Coconut Crisps from that Duncan Hines baking book I found a few weeks ago. His side trips from Paris and into the Loire Valley mostly concentrated on the stunning palaces and chateaus built by French nobility before the Revolution, including the wonders of Versailles.

His trip into Turkey was even more interesting. Turkey is a fascinating land, with a diverse culture of Arabs, Muslims, Christians, and many others living in one small country. I enjoyed seeing Rick visit several holy sites and talk with an actual family of Muslims.

(By the way, the cookies tasted pretty good, but I really made them too big. Plus, the first batch got a little burnt, though they're not inedible.)

Spent the next two hours online, writing, messing around, and waiting for Camden County to call. I didn't hear from them until 2:30. Same deal as the last two times they did this - they asked me how much money I make and said they'll send me a packet with the rest of the paperwork.

It was such a nice day, I went out for a walk after a very quick lunch. Left the bike at home and struck out on foot. My first stop was the House of Fun. They were pretty busy with kids and young adults off school and college. I browsed around, but eventually decided I'd wait for Lauren to visit.

The next stop was more important. I really needed to talk to Dad and Jodie. Dad was napping when I arrived, but Jodie was there. Yes, she'll drop Lauren off at the train station in Cherry Hill, and she'll tell Rose to pick her up. She and Dad are mostly fine. She went out to a family member's house for Easter. Dad stayed home. She wasn't happy when I told her that Rose is trying to find another doctor. She said she'll either get on Rose's rear and tell her to call the first doctor again, or get the paperwork and do it herself. (I hope either them do it. Jodie says she thinks the doctor will be perfect for me. Whatever. I just want a second opinion and someone to help me with my anxiety problems.)

It was too nice to go straight home after I left Dad and Jodie's. I treated myself to a Frozen Chocolate from Dunkin' Donuts on the White Horse Pike. It obviously came from a hot chocolate mix - it was kind of grainy - but it tasted pretty good. They were a lot busier on the drive-through than inside. The girl took my order while helping another customer at the window!

When I did go home, I briefly resumed writing, partially to drown out Charlie working on the siding. Luke does manage to rescue Leia...only to be nearly knocked out by a wall of water. Vader flooded the room and tried to drown her. Once Luke frees her, she manages to use her fire powers to (accidentally) knock out the computer consoles. Harris hands them his homemade weapons that shoot sticky gunk at people or freezes them.

Made flounder cooked in vegetable stock with steamed asparagus for dinner. Had it while watching the remaining Rick Steves episodes. Turkey, Isreal, and Palestine are all fascinating countries...but Rick doesn't shy away from a short discussion of all the trouble the latter two are having with their border disputes. The Dead Sea and the Jordan River are both gorgeous areas - no wonder people insist on being baptized in the latter.

Returned to Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga after dinner. Thought I'd give this one a third shot. Got through the first three Phantom Menace rounds in a little over an hour. Got True Jedi on all three, but the only one where I found a lot of pieces was the second that introduces Jar Jar. Didn't find much on the other two.

Finished the night with something totally different. I was looking up some game shows I used to love as a kid when I noticed that a lot of them were now run on a channel called Buzzr...and that they stream for free online. Got to see one episode each of Press Your Luck, Match Game, Password Plus, and Card Sharks, and two of Supermarket Sweep. Password is the only one that's totally new to me. I watched Press, Supermarket Sweep, and the later CBS version of Card Sharks when they first ran, and I'm pretty sure I saw at least a little of Match Game in re-runs.

This brought back so many memories. I used to watch game shows all morning when I was home, and then catch them in re-runs on the USA Network later. It annoyed the heck out of Mom, who would have rather I been outside, but I loved learning all kinds of crazy trivia and getting to make fun of bad fashion. If you want to relive some fond memories too, here's the link:

Buzzr

So Close to Spring

I slept in this morning and finished off The Sleeping Beauty. Since I was having leftover pizza for breakfast, I put on an episode of the original 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series that revolved around the Turtles' obsession with that particular food. "The Case of the Killer Pizzas" has the Turtles chasing down a trio of aliens that hatch out of meatballs that were planted by Shredder and Baxter Stockman on free pies at a bake-off.

Headed out to run a few errands around quarter of noon. Since I was just staying in the area, I decided to do it on foot. It was an absolutely glorious day for a walk anyway. The sun was out, the sky was pale blue, and this time, there was no cold wind to diminish its warmth. The grass is getting greener in most people's yards. A few folks have St. Patrick's Day banners, but most seem to have settled for their just-awakening gardens.

First stop was the Oaklyn Library. It was just me and the librarian as I organized DVDs. Took a few out from there for the first time in a while. They carry several action shows from the 60's and 70's. I opted for one I vaguely remember seeing in re-runs, The Man From Atlantis. The Golden Child with Eddie Murphy is another action film from the mid-80's that Dad-Bill watched constantly when I was a child; thought it might be fun to see it again. Having enjoyed the female-based caper film Ocean's 8 last June, I thought I'd take a look at a darker take on a similar idea, Widows. Grabbed Challenge of the Super Friends from the kids' area for ideas for my current story.

Since it's only a few blocks from the library on the White Horse Pike, I headed to Dunkin' Donuts next for a treat in honor of my having finally finished the Han/Robin Hood story. They were only slightly busier than the library had been. I had no problems ordering a sweet and delicious frozen chocolate. (I like it much better than their Coolattas, which tend to be too sweet.)

Went a few more blocks in the opposite direction down to Dollar General. I was pretty much just there for pads. Also bought replacements for the hanging air fresheners in my closet. They were a little bit busy, but certainly nothing overwhelming, and I was in and out.

Strolled to Dad and Jodie's, which isn't that far from there. They were watching movies. Thankfully, Dad was up and about and seemed a lot better. On one hand, they don't mind Lauren coming down here to visit in May...but we're likely going to need to find our own transportation. Dad's no longer driving, and I can't always find people to drive me places. Lauren and I have already been discussing alternate ideas. We generally don't do as much down here as we do when I visit her, anyway. We take the bus to two malls and the train to the big Macy's in Philly, but we spend most of our time walking around in the local small towns. We also spend less on food. I don't mind making dinner and feeding Lauren. I wish I could do it more often.

Charlie was working on putting shingles on the overhanging roof as I arrived. I ignored his cursing and took down the winter decorations (which I'm just tired of seeing) and made the bed. When he finally left, I put out the two rugs to air, vacuumed, and washed the windows.

Did Challenge of the Super Friends as I worked. To my surprise, the opening credits seemed very familiar. Considering this show originally ran in 1978, I may have seen re-runs in my early childhood, or possibly on the USA Cartoon Express later in the 80's. Basically, it's the Justice League - Wonder Woman, The Flash, Superman, Batman, Robin, Hawkman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and new character Black Vulcan - pit against the Legion of Doom, aka a group of their regular villains lead by Lex Luthor. The episodes were apparently taken from the Wonder Twins-free second half of the show.

"Trial of the Super Friends" has Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern guarding a "liquid light" that can eat through anything, including a solid concrete dam. They're captured by members of the Legion of Doom, who put them on trial at their Hall of Doom and make them fight android versions of themselves. Meanwhile, the others fight off the liquid light, trying to keep it from destroying New York.

The "Monolith of Evil" is a jagged rock that supposedly gave zombie Solomon Grundy his powers and can enhance dark powers. The Legion of Doom trick Superman, Hawkman, and Black Vulcan into retrieving it for them by shrinking the United Nations and putting it with the Monolith. While Black Vulcan and Hawkman try to help get Superman away from a kryptonite chain, the others try to get the Monolith away from the Legion.

Bizarro, the "evil" version of Superman, creates a ray that can turn the Legion into the "Giants of Doom." They shrink the Super Friends and send them to Saturn...but they manage to escape and manipulate Bizarro's ray, letting Batman, Superman, The Flash, and Green Lantern grow to beat the Legion at their own game.

Time travel is the theme of "Secret Origins of the Super Friends." Actually, we really only get to see the origins of Wonder Woman, Superman, and Green Lantern. The Legion travels back in time to interfere with the past and make everyone forget about three of the Justice League's most famous members. The others find a tape of Luthor's  plans and eventually do some time-hopping of their own to keep the Legion from interfering with history.

I actually ended up quite enjoying these. While the dialogue is stiff and the animation only so-so, it's colorful and fun, with some interesting stories that seem like they could have been lifted directly from the comics of the day. I especially like how they handled Black Vulcan. Unlike his fellow "minority" Justice League members Samurai and Apache Chief who come off as stereotypes, he's dressed and is treated no differently than any of the other Super Friends. He actually has pretty nifty powers - he can throw and handle lightning, which comes particularly handy when he stops Sinestro from messing with Hal Jordan in "Secret Origins."

I enjoyed this enough that I may have to dig around for the full season set. If you have fond memories of seeing it as a kid like I do or are a fan of the Justice League in animation, it's worth looking around for. (I'd also like to dig up The Legendary Super Powers Show, which I remember watching on TV when it was new. Rose and I were huge fans of that show and split most of the toys from that line between the two of us. I think I had Superman, Aquaman, Lex Luthor, and Hawkman, while Rose had Green Lantern, Batman, Robin, The Penguin, The Flash, and Darkseid.)

Worked on writing for the next few hours. Three little girls look up and see a streak of light in the sky over Scarif. It's not a bird nor a plane, but is Force Girl, aka Lelita Ortega, a fire-based superheroine. She's flying as fast as she can away from nasty supervillain Darth Vader and his own minions, who all dress in while and fly via jet packs. Vader doesn't need jet propulsion to fly - he has his own fire powers.

Broke for dinner at 7. I was originally going to make baked ziti, but since I had that second pie crust, I thought I'd try hamburger pie. I made the filling much too soupy. It did taste good in the end, but the inner crust never really cooked all the way. At the very least, it came out better than my lemon meringue pie.

Put on Hot Shots! while I ate. In this parody of Top Gun and other gung-ho military action films of the 1980's, Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is persuaded to return to fighting after he left the navy due to his independent nature. The base psychologist, Ramada Thompson (Valerie Golino) notes that he has problems with the death of his father "Buzz" Harley (Bill Irwin) years before and suggests that he doesn't fly. There's a reason Corporal James Block (Kevin Dunn) wants Topper in the air, and it isn't because of his fighting skills. Meanwhile, Topper's falling for Ramada, to the consternation of her boyfriend Lieutenant Kent Gregory (Cary Elwes), and the slightly senile Admiral Benson (Lloyd Bridges) is probably just wonder why all those people are flying around in the air.

Dad-Bruce actually took Rose and me to see this one when it came out in 1991. It was instantly a favorite of ours, and while I now prefer the sequel, this one also has much to enjoy. (I can never hear "Only You" without thinking of the spoof movie montage with Topper and Ramada.) If you love other genre satires from the 80's and 90's like The Naked Gun, you'll probably have just as much fun with this one.

Finished the night with Chicago, the most recent musical to win an Oscar. I go more into this cynical tale of murder and fame in the Windy City of the 1920's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Chicago (2002)

Intergalactic Adventures

Began a sunny, windy morning with the last of the three hour-long Backyardigans specials done during the show's run. Austin and his robot Roscoe are robot repair men in futuristic Mega City. Robots never break...until Tasha, Tyrone, and Uniqua report that their robots have gone crazy! The kids and Roscoe have to stop the evil Professor Bug (Pablo) from igniting a "Robot Rampage" and taking over all the robots in the city!

First thing on the agenda for the day was the laundry. I picked just the right time. It was empty when I arrived. Less than twenty minutes later, the place was full. Thanks to the lighter clothes I've worn for most of the week due to the warm temperatures, I didn't really have a huge or heavy load to wash anyway. I worked on story notes and ignored whatever was on the TV.

Went home to put everything away, then went right back out to run a few more errands in Oaklyn. It was so windy, I left the bike at home and went on foot. The recent warm snap has given most folks a chance to change their outside decor. Almost everyone's finally gotten their Christmas decorations down. A few homes have Valentine's decorations or winter-themed wreaths or banners outside, but most settle for bare, sodden lawns. (At least the grass is a little greener and not quite as crunchy as it usually is at this time of the year.)

My first stop was the Common Grounds Coffee House around the corner for lunch. Despite it being about 1:30, it was pretty quiet. The only other person besides me, the barista, and a girl having a chat with him was an older man sitting at a table. I enjoyed my hot chocolate and slightly greasy piece of spinach and sun-dried tomato quiche at a table near the window, watching leaves blow by.

After lunch, I strolled up the road to the House of Fun. I considered buying an older Obi-Wan doll...but to tell the truth, I'm trying to get rid of junk right now, not add more. I'd rather save what little money I have to spare for movies to review on my blog. I've promised myself that I wouldn't get too caught up in toy collecting again, especially after my last two collections (Ever After High and Webkinz) came and went within the space of two to three years and cost me a bundle.

My next trips were quicker. Dollar General was pretty busy when I arrived. Picked up powdered sugar and condensed milk to make candy for Valentine's Day next week, along with plastic sandwich bags. CVS was much quieter. I realized that I forgot toilet paper at Dollar General; got it there, along with their generic dish washing liquid (no sale this time, I'm afraid).

Since Dad and Jodie only live a few streets down from there, I went to their house next. They were once again sitting in front of the TV, watching shows and working on their laptops. Not much to report here. Dad still isn't feeling well (and I'm getting worried about him). Rose hasn't called me because her son Khai had a really bad bout of the flu; he was out of school for almost the whole week. And they still can't help me. They don't know anyone who has an apartment or a job, and Jodie said she turned her paperwork for that darn doctor over to Rose.

Went right into dressing the 18-inch dolls for Valentine's Day when I got home. I put Ariel back into the white and gold knitted Sweet Spring Dress. I liked her in it, just not for Christmas. Samantha wears her dusky pink Talent Show Dress (which is so authentic, it was based after a real Edwardian girl's outfit in a museum). Although it's a bit late, I still have Jessa in Ivy's Chinese New Year's Dress. It's red and formal. Josefina wears a pretty pink and red flowered Regency dress with a lace wrap I bought from eBay a while back. Whitney's also in an eBay find, a poodle skirt made from a thick pink felt and white blouse, with a pink knitted sweater with pearl trim from a yard sale. Molly's in her plaid School Outfit jumper and blouse. Felicity also wears her school outfit, her Laced Jacket and Petticoat, with a cream-colored wrap Mom knitted around her shoulders.

I tried to look up jobs after I finished with the dolls. A little research finally revealed part of my problem. Upwork wasn't a bad idea, but their scope is too broad. I'm not interested in writing for medical or legal journals. I want to write for blogs on film history or movies or that review films or home media. I need to look up blogs for that niche I could write for and try to figure out how to overcome my nerves to advertise my own blogs.

Worked on writing for a while after I finished. Sir Boba of Gisbourne comes in, claiming that he's been sent by his master Baron Du Hutt to bring Han to him. Han shoots him; he dodges, but the Sheriff's man Ozzel isn't as lucky. He gets hit in the shoulder, just as the group escapes.

Broke for dinner at 7. Watched the first regular episode of Buck Rogers while making pan-fried Parmesan-crusted tilapia and steamed broccoli with cheese for dinner. There were a lot of big names in "Planet of the Slave Girls." Buck and Wilma are concerned when their pilots start coming down with food poisoning. The contaminated food turns out to have come from the planet Vistula, where Governor Toban (Roddy McDowell) holds court. The real leader on planet is Kaeel (Jack Palance), who has powers that can turn people into his willing slaves. Rima, one of the slaves, goes to Buck and Wilma for help, but she's captured before she can reveal Kaeel's true plans. The duo and Wilma's ex-boyfriend (David Groh) have to figure out where the poison is coming from and what Kaeel intends to do to the Earth.

(And I will add that the theme song sounds much better and more majestic without the lyrics.)

Finished the night with the 1982 version of Annie in honor of the late Albert Finney, who died yesterday. I go into more detail at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Annie (1982)

Maybe This Time

I awoke to a sort-of-cloudy and very windy day. It was so late, I just made quick buttermilk whole wheat pancakes while listening to two somewhat similar - and very cynical - Kander and Ebb shows. The soundtrack of Cabaret came first. I haven't seen the film version since I was a kid; I don't remember much about it, other than it being very dark and very weird. Great music, though, including Joel Gray's iconic performance of "Wilkomen" and Liza Minnelli's of the title song and "Maybe This Time." I kind of wish they'd kept the music from the subplot about the German woman w ho married a Jewish man. Some of the songs there were fun, including "It Couldn't Please Me More."

Moved on to Chicago while cleaning up after breakfast. While the tale of two murderesses who parlay their notoriety into show business careers is slightly less bleak than Cabaret, it's still pretty dark material for a musical. It's told as if it were a vaudeville show - Mama Norton's "When You're Good to Mama" is the hot Sophie Tucker number, Roxie's soliloquy about mid-way through is the headliner spot, "The Cell Block Tango" is the big chorus dance, "All I Care About" is a stripping routine, "Mr. Cellaphane" is the comic. There's a great cast here that includes Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon as the ladies craving the spotlight and Jerry Orbach as the lawyer who takes both their cases.

I'd spent a lot of the week inside. Figured I might as well go for a walk while the weather still held out. It was cloudy and chilly, but not abnormally cold for this time of year, probably in the mid-40's. It was also surprisingly quiet, despite the relative warmth. I saw two boys riding their scooters, a couple of teens out on their own walks, and not much else. There's not much to see in the neighborhood right now, anyway. A few houses either haven't gotten around to taking down their Christmas lights (including Charlie and the McHughs), or already have pink wreaths up for Valentine's Day. Most settled for winter-themed banners or just their bare brown gardens.

Strolled to Dad and Jodie's house first. I've been wanting to talk to them without the rest of the family around for a while now. They were messing around on their laptops and watching Men In Black II. Dad has been sick, which explained why he was almost passed out in his chair and why they didn't really have a whole lot to tell me. No, Jodie hasn't heard from Rose about the doctor. I need to call her and tell her to get moving. No, they don't know anyone who has an apartment for rent, and they don't know how to help me find one. And no, they're not having a Super Bowl party this year. Neither of them are up to it.

Since it's a few blocks from Dad and Jodie's house anyway, I went to Dollar General next. Needed sugar and a few things to make stove top tuna casserole tonight. They were fairly busy for a Sunday, but that gave me time to grab my favorite pecan rolls while in line.

Went straight home after that...and then went right back out as soon as I put the food away. I desperately needed to get the laundry done. So did everyone else in Oaklyn. They were busy as heck when I got in. Got the last washer. The dryers were a bit more open by the time my big load was ready. Worked on story notes and ignored the crowd.

When I got home, I chatted with Lauren (who was online early while she watched wrestling) while doing a little bit of writing. Han takes off into the woods with Chewbacca, claiming he's only interested in paying off Baron Du Hutt...but then he sees the Sheriff's men going into the woods, and hears screams from the Rebel camp...

Broke for dinner at 7. I was going to make Tuna Casserole...but I didn't realize I was out of frozen peas. Oh well. I sliced up and sauteed carrots and celery for my stove top casserole instead. Came out equally well, and very cheesy with the shredded Colby/Monterrey Jack mix I bought.

Switched from cynicism to romance with the 1925 operetta Desert Song. Listened to the Nelson Eddy/Doretta Morrow studio cast from the 1950's. The Red Shadow (Eddy) fights for the Riffs in Morocco, but he's really Pierre, the shy son of the French general. Sassy Margot Bonvalet (Morrow) has her own ideas of love, and they're a lot hotter than quiet Pierre's more courtly notions. She gets the "Romance" she wanted in spades when she's captured by The Red Shadow and the Riffs and falls in love with him and their lifestyle.

Yeah, if you're a fan of swashbucklers or ultra-romantic musicals, you'll definitely want to look for some version of this. The sprightly "Romance" is my favorite song, but I also love the gorgeous ballads "One Alone" and "One Flower (Grows In Your Garden)."

Finished the night with another swashbuckler from the same year, this time on film. Don Q, Son of Zorro is Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s 1925 follow-up to his original 1920 Mark of Zorro. Don Diego's (Fairbanks) son Cesar (also Fairbanks) is in Spain to further his education. He falls in love with the beautiful Dolores (Mary Astor), but is then accused of killing her father by the jealous military officer Don Sebastian (Donald Crisp). Cesar has to figure out how to clear his name before he winds up on the hangman's noose. Don Diego, hearing his son's plight, rushes to his aid in the guise of Zorro one last time.

Like Robin Hood, this one takes a while to get started. There's too much courtly love in Spain and not enough swashbuckling. The plot doesn't really kick in until almost an hour into the two-hour film. When it does, it's a lot of fun, with some nice duels and really nifty special effects when the two Vegas are seen side-by-side in the finale. If you love Fairbanks Sr. or old-fashioned swashbucklers as much as I do, the tales of Zorro and his son are both highly recommended.

Don Q, Son of Zorro Part 1
Don Q, Son of Zorro, Part 2

(And sorry this is late. The internet went down as I was trying to post it last night, and I got tired of waiting for it to come back on.)

Last Harvest of the Season

Started off a glorious, sunny late fall morning with breakfast and The Care Bears' Nutcracker. Funshine and Grumpy are recruited to help Anna, a little girl who is lonely after her best friend moves away. Anna gets a far different friend than she expects when a Nutcracker walks into her room via a giant mouse hole, followed by three huge rats. She and the Care Bears have to help the Nutcracker save the Land of Sweets from the evil Vizier. Meanwhile, Baby Hugs and Tugs want to find their own ornament, while Anna's little brother Peter just wants adventure.

Headed out around 10, shortly after the cartoon ended. My first stop was Collingswood for the final Farm Market of the season. Needless to say, especially given the cold weather we've been having, there were far more craft booths than produce booths left. The place was still packed with people buying their fruit and vegetables for Thanksgiving when I arrived. I finally just ended up with cranberries, apples (larger ones than usual from another booth - the orchard booth didn't have the small ones), small tomatoes from the organic booth, and bananas from the tropical fruit wholesaler.

Rode across Oaklyn to Haddon Township after leaving the Farm Market for another church fair. This one was pretty much the same deal as the last one I went to across town, only upstairs and with a more extensive food menu that included hot dogs and coffee. They also sold sports jerseys and collectibles and yard sale items along with the crafts. I saw some wooden tops that I thought were neat, but I only had enough money for a pretzel.

Went in the opposite direction to Dollar General next. I needed eggs, and theirs are cheap at $1.35. (And they're a lot cheaper than the Acme's, which are $2.99!) Also picked up sponges, scrubbers, and treat bags for the cookies I'll give out next month.

Since it's in the area, I stopped at Dad and Jodie's to tell them I can watch the Eagles-Saints game with them tomorrow. Turns out the game had been bumped to 4:25. Oh well. I'll still go over there, but for dinner instead of lunch, and I probably won't stay as long.

Dad helped me tighten the bike seat, but we made it too high. I didn't realize how high it was until I tried to ride it. I just ended up walking it home. I thought I lost the bike tool set, but it was in my junk drawer. I did manage to get the seat to a more manageable level, but it's still a bit loose. I'll fiddle with it more tomorrow.

Had a really quick Orange Pumpkin Smoothie lunch while watching the first of two holiday Backyardigans episodes. Uniqua wants to learn "The Secret of Snow" from ice lady Tasha. Busy Tasha has no time for her questions and keeps sending her to warm places. Uniqua not only comes back, but she has Cowboy Pablo and Tyrone of the Jungle in tow. Tasha's assistant Austin does his best to help out the others.

I desperately needed to get the laundry done. I put it off for way too long. I shouldn't have put it off. The laundromat was insanely busy. I was glad I was able to get a washer and dryer for my huge load. Worked on story notes, read the September Family Circle, and half-listened to Notre Damn play William & Mary while waiting for the clothes to come out. (Notre Dame won, by the way, 73 to 64.)

Put everything away when I got home, then worked on writing. A glowing woman in a white cloak appears before Anakin. She is the Ghost of Christmas Past, come to take him to see his memories. They first arrive at his former school, which he remembers quite well. He sees his younger version, the only child who isn't going home for the holidays...until his dear friends Padme and Obi-Wan come to him and tell him that his mother has sent for him, and that he'll be home for good. Quenton Jenson, Obi-Wan's guardian and their school teacher, treats them to snacks and wine and helps Anakin into Padme's cart.

Finished the night with leftovers for dinner while watching Pocahontas and Pocahontas II: Journey to the New World, both of which I cover at my Musical Dreams Reviews blog.

Pocahontas & Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World