Hot Day On the Swings

Started the morning with breakfast and more of the Monchhichis. Thumkii accidentally cracks one of the "Jingle Pods" used in the Happy Works after he gets caught in the pipes. Moncho and Kyla have been arguing over who is in charge after Wizzar goes on vacation, and it does them no favors when they use his magic to retrieve a pod, only to be captured by moving musical notes who are the land's guards. Moncho and Kyla finally figure out how to work together when they have to save Thumkii and the prince of Harmony.

Spent the rest of the morning listening to A Bing Crosby Collection, Volume 1. According to the back of the album, these are songs recorded from 1928 through 1932 that either hadn't been released at all or were wildly out of print by the time this record came out in 1978. It's interesting how often the liner notes complain about pretty songs like "With Summer Coming On" and "Rose of Mandalay" being old-fashioned and banal. Maybe they were in the disco era, but nowadays, they sound charming. Some of these songs, like "Lazy Day," "I Found You," and an otherwise-lovely "Love Me Tonight" have major sound problems that are acknowledged on the back of the album. "Waiting at the End of the Road" and "You're Still In My Heart" sound better. We even get what amounts to comedy recording, Bing laughing in the background of one of those "smile and go on" numbers of the early Depression, "We're a Couple of Soldiers."

Rushed out at noon. It was too late to eat lunch out, so I stopped at Speedy Mart and bought an enormous blueberry muffin and an apple. Got bagels for lunch this weekend there, too. I just made it there in time. I was grabbing my apple just as a big group of teenagers out of Collingswood High School down the street arrived looking for snacks. I bought my lunch and the bagels and rushed out, arriving at Thomas Sharp just in time.

We had the same amount of kids today, 12, but this time, we started with 7 older kids and five younger ones. I spent a lot of the afternoon reading books in the after-school program's book bins and the Muppet Babies fairy tale book I bought in Philadelphia during vacation to two enthralled little misses. One of the girls did request we skip "Little Red Riding Hood" because the wolf scared her, even though I showed her that Piggy and her granny were ok in the end. Otherwise, they both loved it.

We still had all 12 kids when we went outside this time. On one hand, I could understand why the wanted to take the kids out earlier. It was a gorgeous day. Sunny, hot, and humid, but not to the degree of yesterday. On the other hand, there were too many of them to go on the swings right away...and most of them weren't happy about that. They asked us "can we go on?" every five minutes until we let them on. And then, all they did was argue. There's only two swings, and they're very popular. At least they all got on at least once before we all went back in. I drew with one of the little girls on a sheet of paper taped to a table in the cafeteria. By the time they let me go at quarter after 3, there was one younger kid left and five older ones.

I rode across Newton Lake Park, down Lees Lane and across Cuthbert to Westmont Plaza. Started this week's grocery shopping at Sprouts. In all honesty, I didn't really need much there or at the Westmont Acme. Picked up oat milk, buy-one, get-one soda, and half-price bakery vegan chocolate chip caramel cookies at Sprouts. I didn't like the price on their shredded chicken, so I thought I'd try sliced turkey steaks instead. Restocked yogurt, tuna, granola bars, and granola at the Acme. I had online coupons for grapes and apples, and Olipop soda was on a really good sale. They still have slices of that "patriotic" red, white, and blue cake left from the big 4th of July celebrations on clearance, too. 

Cut through Newton Lake Park going home. Everything is so fresh and green! The path over the hill to the Haddon Township Environmental Center smells so wonderfully earthy. The woods were dark, with cool breezes rustling through the deep green leaves. The rain has really done the grass and trees some good. I was just glad it wasn't so dry anymore, even if the ground under me was a bit muddy.

Ran the second half of The Price Is Right on Buzzr while I put everything away. Started off with a college girl who claimed she didn't know anything about The Clock Game, but won her two prizes in excellent time anyway. Likewise, the lady after her kept getting the rules wrong in The Race Game, but she still won all four prizes on her second try. The third lady didn't have nearly as much luck with Plinko. She only managed 100 dollars. The generic Showcase had trips to England, India, and Japan and a fancy globe. The "story" Showcase let Professor Johnny Olsen go back in time to show flapper Janice how a stereo was an improvement on a Victrola, and a sports car could outrun any gangster! Janice must have really gotten into being a flapper. She kept doing the Charleston to the Dixieland music, even as the credits ran.

Got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, slightly more hours next week. Bad news, I work on Labor Day...and I work more hours than I should be. I'm supposed to only work 9 to 1 on weekdays. They have me at 9 to 2. I need to remind them that I can't always do that. 

Let it continue into Match Game '76. Bert Convy, Patty Duke Astin, and Fannie Flagg joined in for the entire two hours. Charles brought the pregnant contestant a suitcase after she won the Head-to-Head a third time, "just in case something happened." Bert kept trying to kiss and hug the contestants, even when he wasn't the one giving answers on the Audience Match.

Finished the night with more fourth season Remember WENN. "The Follies of WENN" is the burlesque show Scott puts on when a friend of his offers him $1,000 to stage a girlie show on a Sunday. The station intends to use the money to save Mr. Winthrop's (the nervous sponsor from the first season) school. Meanwhile, Betty and Maple want rooms in the new wing of the boarding house where Betty lives, but they're both afraid that the people who run it won't approve of their jobs...until the head chairman (Mickey Rooney) claims he wants to take the show to Broadway!

The station may be heading for a "Pratfall" when they're nominated for 16 Golden Lobe Awards, Pittsburgh's prestigious radio award. Eugenia tries for truth in radio and actually work out during her exercise program, while Scott looks for a letter from Victor and Hilary tries to butter up the others when she finds out someone at the station is in charge of the nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Trophy.

Sweet Cream Summer

Began the morning with breakfast and the third season opener of Little Bear. "Owl's Dilemma" is he can't find a quiet place to sleep. Birds chirp at his treehouse. Frogs croak at the pond. Mother Bear and Little Bear make too much noise moving dishes around. Owl finally settles things with two cupcakes. Emily and Little Bear open their own "School For Otters." The goofy otters don't seem to show much interest in learning, but they reveal just how much they were listening when they show them what they love to learn. Little Bear and Father Bear goof off a little too much while "Spring Cleaning," so they make Mother Bear a picnic.

Finished my grocery list, then headed out to run errands. Made a brief stop at the Oaklyn Post Office to send a bill before dodging noon traffic on Cuthbert and riding down to Haddon Ave. I wanted to find a record I saw listed at Phidelity, but...they were closed for the day. I was really disappointed, but then I looked across the street. Groups of people were gathered around the entrance to what had been McMillan's Bakery before they closed last year. I finally decided to cross Haddon Avenue and check it out.

I crossed even as official-looking men cut a wide scarlet red ribbon. Turns out DiBartolo's Bakery, another recently-closed family bakery, and Mt. Ephraim bakery Del Bueno's bought and heavily remodeled the building. Talk about the best of all possible worlds. I parked my bike and joined the crowds checking out the new digs. It was twice the size of the old McMillan's, taking over the entire first floor of the building. Everything was white and chrome and shiny and clean. Even the floor had a unique satiny silver-gray finish. One door led to bins and bins of rolls and shelves of Del Bueno's Italian butter cookies. I think the famous Del Bueno's machines spitting out fresh rolls may have been in the other I didn't explore. 

I couldn't decide, so I went with a plump cream donut. Oh yuuuuumm! Turns out one of the grandsons of the original McMillan's is working at the bakery. He must have shared his family's recipe for the best darn cream donuts in South Jersey. It was so full of thick, buttery cream, it came out the sides. Totally amazing, and it more than made up for Phidelity's day off. I stopped at WaWa for a Cherry Cream Float Coke Zero to wash it all down.

Doubled back to the Westmont Plaza for lunch. I hadn't eaten at the Westmont Bagel Shop in a while. Kept things simple with my favorite spinach and feta omelette, a toasted everything whole wheat bagel, and home fries. Oh, this was yum, too. I finished everything but half of the home fries. Bought two bagels for lunch this weekend on the way out.

Did my grocery shopping next. I didn't really need a whole lot at either store. Picked up oat milk and dried mango slices. Cookies and soda were buy one, get one 50 percent off. I'm so glad their ginger molasses cookies are out again! I had to get two. One of the Nixie diet sodas came with a coupon, so I got two of those. 

Dodged more traffic and road repair on Cuthbert going down to the Westmont Acme. They were only slightly less busy than Sprouts. Grapes and large containers of blueberries are on really good sales. Restocked yogurt, prebiotic soda, granola, and granola bars. Had good online coupons for the Acme's generic organic blue corn chips and an online rewards coupon. I also got my $60 for the week here, instead of waiting for Sunday.

The road work on Cuthbert was such a pain, I cut across Collingswood to the park instead of going straight there. Newton Lake Park is largely in better shape. I think they're just adding railings to the new fishing piers now. It was a hot, sunny, incredibly humid day. There were only a few people out walking dogs as I made my way past children playing at the playground on my way back to East Clinton.

When I got in, I put everything away while watching Paw Patrol. "Pups Save a MerPup" when Cap'n Turbot insists he saw one during the Mystical Merpup Moon. Chase the cop thinks they're just stories. The others, especially Skye and Zuma, believe the stories. Zuma and Skye stay awake to see a merpup...and get their wish when one not only comes to them for help, but turns them into merpups so they can go under the sea. The Merpup's baby is trapped in a shipwreck that may collapse any minute! They have to call the others to help out, then to help Zuma when he's trapped. 

Got my schedule at this point. It's thankfully back to weekends and early Wednesday. There's enough hours on the weekend that my paycheck shouldn't take too much of a hit, but not so many that I'll be overwhelmed. School starts next Thursday, too. I put in for my late September-early October vacation time with Healthy Kids, too. (I'll put in for the Acme vacation time next week.)

Went down for a nice, long nap at 3:30. I was so tired, I didn't get up until 5:30. Spent an hour finishing Reel Murder by Mary Kennedy, then watched Match Game '76 during dinner. Most of the night finished out the week with Bennye Gattleys and Bill Daily. Fannie Flagg stuck around for the next week, joined by two cute, funny, and diminutive actors, Sarah Kennedy and Gary Burghoff. 

Finished the night with Remember WENN. Hilary is "Courting Disaster" when Jeff's supercilious lawyer Drake Stanley (Andrew Seear) claims his client is suing her for $100,000 in damages. Maple and Betty know something isn't right and get Stanley to appear on their court show Tell It to the Judge. While Scott defends Hilary, Gertie helps the ladies get through to Jeff and find out what's really going on.

The cast says "And How" when they're chosen to broadcast the last episode of the network western The Strange Loner featuring it's original stars. Unfortunately, when the Loner himself turns up drunk and unable to perform, the others have to figure out how to replace him. Betty's more worried about helping Joseph Greyhawk, the kindly Native American man (real Native American activist Russell Means) who plays the Loner's Native sidekick, keep his role. Meanwhile, everyone's thrilled with Eugenia's new discovery, an Italian pie called pizza. 

Listened to the soundtrack from Casablanca after the episodes ended. I pretty much had to after "Pen of Gertrude Reece" yesterday. This Rhino CD includes all of the music and a lot of the dialogue, along with an alternate version of "Knock on Wood," a Dooley Wilson number that was cut from the film ("Dat's What Noah's Done") and the full, gorgeous rendition of "As Time Goes By." 

Trouble On a Summer's Day

Began the morning with breakfast and Monchhichis. "Thumkii's Pet" is a small, adorable yellow creature that hatches from an egg Thumkii found at the jelly bean fruit orchard. The Monchhichis think it's an orphan and take it home. Not only does it have parents that are searching for it, but it keeps growing rapidly until it becomes too big to fit in Monchia. The Monchhichis have to get it back to its angry parents and dodge Grumplins that are trying to capture them and impress their leader.

Headed off to work after the cartoon ended. Thankfully, no trouble whatsoever. I arrived at work on time. Spent most of the day sweeping and gathering carts. The head bagger was cleaning the store. She did take the last sweep, allowing me to focus completely on the few carts there were. We were honestly dead the entire morning. It got a little busy around 11, then just cleared out again. The weather was too beautiful for anyone to be shopping. It was sunny, breezy, and dry, probably in the lower 80's. Perfect as it gets around here in late August.

It was so nice, after I went home, I changed and went back out for another picnic. This time, I bought a tilapia sandwich and fries from Crown Chicken and Gyro and rode my bike down to the other playground at Newton Lake Park, the one across from Parkview Apartments. This one had an even more dramatic improvement. Most of the rickety, rusty picnic tables had been replaced by brand-new fiberglass and metal tables and benches. I enjoyed my lunch at one of the tables, then went down the twisty slide on the larger set for older kids, and one of the short straight slides on the one for younger kids. 

It was a beautiful day for a bike ride. The park looks gorgeous now, with all the rain we've had. I've never seen it so green in August! Usually by this point, everything is dusty and brown. The waving green waters in the lake sparkled. There was a new meditation garden surrounding a small maze that attracted fluttering orange butterflies and a brand-new fishing pier some boys took their bikes on. The breeze ruffled the glossy emerald leaves on the trees overhead.

When I got home, I called the Union to see what was going on with my insurance...and promptly wished I hadn't. They hadn't processed my paperwork because I have to pay them a bundle for July. Apparently, I didn't make enough hours in June, probably because I took all that time off due to the half-days at Thomas Sharp. I have to pay Cooper a bundle, too. I didn't really take it well. I told the lady I'd pay, but I was furious and in tears when I let her go. 

I just sat there and spent a while calming down before I put on Remember WENN. Scott's first day on the air in "Two for the Price of One" does not go well. He's late, and he turns the elderly gardener character Betty wrote for Hilary's starring show Bedside Manor into a sexy suitor for Hilary. He's more of a help when Pruitt's snooty secretary Miss Cosgrave (Audrie Neenan), in an attempt to bump up revenue, has them making shows for rival station WEEP along with their own. Though Gertie does enjoy her gardening show, it not only ends up wiping out the staff and engineer C.J McHugh (C.J Byrnes), but WEEP's owner James Crawley (Lee Wilkoff) wants all of the shows for himself. Scott comes up with a way to cross the shows and keep Crawley's hands off of them.

The staff learns "The Importance of Being Betty" when she's offered a job at The New Yorker. She's excited, until she realizes the others are trying to do everything she does, and aren't doing well at it. Not only that, but Pruitt is doing all the writing, and he's turning everything into financial spreadsheets. It's not until he messes with her favorite show This Girl's Kinfolk that Betty realizes how much she's truly needed at the station. 

Went right into Match Game '76 after that. The first hour finished out the Avery Schriberer and Joyce Bulifant week. Dick Gautier turned up the next week, along with Betty White and Mary Ann Mobley and her very, very long and involved explanations of where her answers came from.

Finished the night with some much-needed comedy-oriented game shows. Match Game and Hollywood Squares are probably the long-runner comic panel game champs. Match Game has been reappearing off and on since 1961, Hollywood Squares since 1968, including their current incarnations on ABC and CBS respectively. I have the first Match Game episode following Richard Dawson's acrimonious departure in 1978 and an utterly hysterical Hollywood Squares from 1998 that brings together alumni from the Comic Relief specials, including Billy Crystal, Bobcat Goldthwait, and a really wild and crazy Robin Williams, here.

Families and soap opera stars could be even crazier than the comedians. Family Feud is celebrating 50 years of letting wacky families answer goofy survey questions.  The episode I have here is one of the specials from the original Richard Dawson run featuring the casts of General Hospital and One Life to Live playing for charity. (General Hospital gets extra points for their whole team going classy in tuxes.) 

Match Game and Hollywood Squares were far from the only comedy panel shows on the air in the 70's. Break the Bank from 1976 had celebrities sitting on two sides of a rectangular board. Two contestants turned over squares that had money on them. They had to guess which of the two celebrities had the real answer to a question asked by host Tom Kennedy. If they got three money bags, they'd get the bank. If they got a blank square, that's the end of their turn. It's too bad this doesn't seem to have ever worked, either during a brief run on ABC or a slightly-longer syndicated run. The celebrities can be hilarious, and honestly, it's a lot of fun to watch.

Ernie Kovacs may not have appreciated the show, but he ended up pioneering the comic panel show format anyway with Take a Good Look in 1959. A celebrity panel tries to figure out the (often obtuse and non-existent) clues to mystery guest's identity from hilarious sketches featuring Kovacs. I'm not sure either Kovacs or audiences got what was going on here at the time, but that didn't stop the sketches from being funny. 

MTV cranked up the laughs with their first game show, the truly unique Remote Control. Supposedly set in TV super-fan Ken Ober's basement, he asks three college kids trivia about TV shows or music videos of the time. The kid who has the least points by the end of the second round is literally yanked back behind the set. The two remaining contestants try to "Think Real Fast" and answering as many questions as possible in 30 seconds. Winner moved on to an adjustable bed and the bonus round, guessing the music videos seen in nine TV monitors. My sisters and I loved this show in the late 80's, and while the questions have dated, the laughs sure haven't. 

Even kids got in on the laughs. The Noggin show Sponk! from 2001 is basically Junior Who's Line Is It Anyway. Kids act out skits on vaguely suggested subjects and have to guess what they're acting out. Too bad this only lasted a year. The kids and energetic host Johnathan F. McClain really have a ball with the wacky gags and pantomime they come up with.

If you need a laugh as much as I do now, check out these hilarious explorations into comic game shows past!

Take a Good Look Premiere (1959)

Break the Bank (1976)

Match Game (1978)

Family Feud (1982)

Remote Control (1988)

Hollywood Squares (1998)

Sponk! (2001)

Fairy Tale Harts

Started off a late morning with breakfast and more brand-new episodes of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Grandpere helps Daniel get ready for his swim lesson. Daniel wants to go right away, but "Daniel's Morning Routine with Grandpere" means he needs to get dressed, eat, brush his teeth, and put on his shoes first. Likewise, Miss Elania is excited about the zither her dad Music Man Stan brings back from his store, but "Miss Elania Gets Ready for Bed" and takes her bath before he can play her a good-night song.

Watched the tail end of Family Feud Canada while making my grocery list, then headed out. My first stop was Dollar Tree. I'm still trying to find charcoal moisture eliminators for my attic rooms. I didn't see them there either, or at Target. I did get a quick Iced Orange Matcha Latte and spinach, tomato, feta, and egg wrap at the Target Starbucks for lunch. They were surprisingly quiet for noon. The kids must have been at the pool or riding around on their bikes.

Did my grocery shopping next, starting at Sprouts. I mainly wanted oat milk and dried mango slices here. Nixie sodas were on sale, and the cream cans had coupons attached with rubber bands. I'd been wanting to try their new strawberry cream flavor anyway. Their bakery chocolate chip cookies had a half-price sticker on them. Italian plums weren't a bad price, and I love the ones the farm market sells. Found shredded rotisserie chicken in a container for meals this week. 

Dodged road repair on Cuthbert that blocked the entrance to the auto parts store next to the Westmont Acme. They were slightly busier than Sprouts, and I needed a lot more here. I restocked granola, peanut butter, yogurt, tuna, chick peas, and bagels. Had online coupons for Icelandic yogurt and Popwell soda. Raspberries and small containers of blueberries were on sale for a dollar each. PopCorners weren't on sale, so I grabbed the Acme's generic organic blue corn chips instead. They didn't have Fresca this time, so I grabbed another bottle of Sprite Zero & Tea.

I did cut through Newton Lake Park going home, but I went past the playground and the stone gazebo rather than down the back path (which is still partially being worked on). I could see some of the improvements that had made the park hard to navigate for the last few months. There was a sidewalk that now led from the street to the park path. The park itself is gorgeous, too. All that rain has made it largely emerald green and lush. The trees waved in the breeze on a hot, humid day as children and their parents ran around the new playground equipment.

Watched Remember WENN as I put everything away. Betty and Scott are eager to set up their own gossip show after a popular gossip columnist trumps their soap The Hands of Time in the ratings. Sponsor's wife Dusty Foxx (Rue McClanahan) claims she absolutely wants Hilary to star in her own gossip show...but what she really wants is Hilary off Hands of Time. Hilary is no Rona Barrett. Her gossip is all about her. When that show's canceled, Hilary becomes "The Diva Who Wouldn't Die" as she does everything she can possibly think of for her character Elizabeth to stay away from death's door.

"Behind Every Great Woman" also starts with a joint Scott-Betty idea that goes awry. This time, Betty wants to turn their arts magazine show into a music show featuring Hilary singing the latest hits of Monogram Records. Hilary, however, has stage fright at the last minute, prompting Betty to jump in and sing for her. She does so well, Hilary and Scott insist on her being Hilary's voice permanently. No one is happy about this, least of all Betty...especially when Broadway star Ruth Getty (Donna Murphy, the last of the three Broadway divas who guest-starred on WENN) turns up at the station and wants to sing with Hilary. 

Got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, more hours and two days off this time. In bad news, I'm working most of the week again, including another 8 1/2 hour day next Saturday. Either the head bagger is on vacation again, she's finally retiring, or she's doing a lot of cashiering this week. 

Spent the rest of the afternoon listening to quieter retellings of popular fairy tales on record. The Peter Pan Alice In Wonderland may be my favorite of their recordings that I have. Alice is hilarious, the characters are funny, and there's some nice songs. I especially like the dreamy title number and "The Queen Has Commanded" as Alice comments on the Queen of Hearts' crazy croquet game. (There's also the nifty book whose art style looks more like "Alice as interpreted by Marvel Comics in the 70's.") 

Douglas Fairbanks Jr provides the deep, resonating narration for Beauty and the Beast and Other Stories. Though "Beauty," based on the original Villenveuve French tale, is lovely, the stories on the other side are a bit more interesting. The Norwegian "The Princess On the Glass Hill" is a male Cinderella story that has a put-upon son gaining three different armor from three golden apples that allow him to ride up the title hill and save the royal lass. "The Boy Who Kept a Secret" from Hungary is the most unique of all. A young boy refuses to tell his secret for so long, he's shut up on a tower. The King's daughter takes pity on him and helps him out, but her father isn't as happy about it. 

Snow White and Rose Red and The Goose Girl starts with a charming musical retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales. Two sisters rescue a bear from a curse and try to help a fussy, mysterious gnome whose beard keeps getting caught everywhere. Celia Johnson of Brief Encounter narrates The Goose Girl. A servant forces a princess to trade roles with her and insists on her tending the geese. She keeps making the boy who works with her lose his hat, until he gets fed up, tells the prince she was supposed to have married, and convinces her to tell her confession to him behind locked doors.

Switched to Match Game '76 after dinner. Buzzr started with the last episode from the week featuring Bill Cullen and long-time Price Is Right model Janice Pennington. I swear, both the original and later sets of this show have minds of their own. At one point, the turntable with the contestants went the wrong way as it switched around to the Audience Match. Gene had to push it himself to fix it. The rest of the night was devoted to the week with Joey Bishop and soap star Janice Lynde, including Gene giving an eager Lynde her welcome to the show kiss.

Finished the night with Hart to Hart. Jennifer finds herself caught up in a "Highland Fling" when she interviews the elderly head of a Scottish clan, only for the man to supposedly die of a heart attack the next day. The ruthless head of an American corporation is awfully eager to become the head of the clan and get his hand on the crumbling family castle. The head of the Scottish Society nominates Jennifer to take over after it's discovered she might have a Scottish great-aunt. Jonathan smells a Scotch rat, especially after two more people attached to the Highland Games and the nomination for clan leader end up dead.

On the Boardwalk In Atlantic City

Began the morning with breakfast and He-Man. "The Curse of the Spellstone" allows it to control the weather. Evil Lynn passes herself off as a peasant woman who stirs up the population against Man-at-Arms and his new weather machine. She unleashes "The Creeping Horlac," a dark void creature that consumes the castle while He-Man, Battle Cat, Stratos, and Ram Man search for the Spellstone.

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. It was much later than I planned on leaving, near quarter after 9. They arrived in 10 minutes and seemed to hit every red light on the way to the Lindenwald train station, but I did get there in time to buy tickets for the train. There were far fewer problems going home. The driver arrived in 5 minutes, and there was no traffic by quarter after 7. 

Thank heavens there was no trouble with the trains, either. The one going to Atlantic City was right on time, less than 10 minutes after I bought my tickets. They were quiet for 10 AM in the morning and not even remotely full. I must have missed the morning commuters. I watched the suburbs and scrub pine go by and listened to music on my cell phone.

When I arrived in Atlantic City, I saved time and spared my heel with a ride on the Jitney. These small green shuttle busses take tourists and locals from the hotels and casinos to points all over Atlantic City. The shuttle that goes from the train station to the casinos is free. Hopped right on the one going to Bally's, Caesar's, and the Claridge...and I'm glad I got there early, because it filled up pretty fast. There weren't many seats left when the driver headed off down Michigan Avenue.

The Jitney let me off at Brighton Park in front of the Claridge. Not only is the Claridge Hotel one of the few historic hotels left on the boardwalk, but the small park and vintage fountain give the Claridge the look of something out of an old romantic comedy. The park was a little messy, with some trash and old picnic tables, but it still looked like Clark Gable and Carole Lombard should have been staying there.

It was a gorgeous day for a stroll on the boardwalk. Blue sky, soft clouds, a wonderful breeze carrying that tangy sea air. It wasn't too busy around Brighton Park at 11 in the morning. Most people were working, on the beach, or sleeping off last night's debauchery. I even stood on a ramp looking over the beach at one point, watching families set up their blankets and blue umbrellas and take their children out to the bottle-green waves, remembering how my family spent almost every day at the Cape May beaches in the 80's. Homeless people sang sad songs (badly) on the benches behind the beach.

I finally just decided to have an early lunch at Landshark Bar and Grill first. It was the perfect day for eating outside. It was 11:30, so neither the beach nor the restaurant were too busy yet. I enjoyed my simple burger, pickle, and home-made chips while enjoying watching the families on the beach and listening to the few people around me chatter and enjoy each other's company.

My next stop was originally going to be Steel Pier, but I looked it up on my phone and discovered that it doesn't open until 2 PM on weekdays. Backtracked to the Central Pier Arcade instead. I had absolutely no luck whatsoever with their long rows of cranes, no matter how much I tried to win a stuffed pink female seagull with a bow on its head and a wavy French fry in its mouth. I did better with the Monopoly spin-the-dice game, skee ball, filling Icee cups as fast as I could, collect-the-ball games, and Doodle Bug (make a little green guy hop up through a sketchy themed world). 

I earned 745 tickets all together, thanks to hitting Park Place on Monopoly. Coupled with the tickets I had leftover from when Lauren visited in July and my solo trip last August, I had enough for another paper fan (green this time, with a pretty rose and bluebird print) and a small ladybug Squishmallow named Ladee with heart-print wings. Considering how much the kids at Thomas Sharp love to look for ladybugs in the mulch, it's rather appropriate that her tag says she's a first grade teacher who appreciates the value of nap time. 

Since it was only about 1 PM at that point, I returned to Steel Pier, but ducked into the arcade next-door. This one is much tinier than either Central Pier or Dave and Buster's. It consisted of a Yahtzee game, four cranes, two skee ball machines, two fishing-themed wheels, a Crusin' Blast machine (one half wasn't working), an Alien game, a Pac-Man/Galaga console, and several toss-the-ball-into-the-cup games. I tossed a lot of balls and made third on the working half of Crusin' Blast in a cherry-red Lamborghini running through the Death Valley course. I made 500 points and got a peculiar rubber fuzzy worm-thing that had a cheerful little face and lights up when you squeeze him.

Several families were waiting outside the gates to Steel Pier when I walked over. There were so many, they opened the gates a few minutes early. I wanted to ride the Observation Wheel, but it wasn't ready yet. I played a balloon toss game instead. I popped one balloon, enough to win a tiny pale aqua shark. She was such a little darling, with her big eyes and wide sweet smile, I couldn't bring myself to trade her up for something bigger. I named her Taffy (as in salt-water taffy) and returned to the Wheel instead.

The Wheel had opened by the time I got back there. I love the Observation Wheel. It's my favorite ride in Atlantic City. It's wonderful to glide in a wide, air-conditioned gondola over the city and see it the way a bird does! Atlantic City looks like Little People buildings from way up there. By that point, the beach was much busier too, a sea of dark-blue umbrellas that almost matched the Atlantic. There were a lot of people surfing or ducking the waves, cooling off on a warm, humid day.

After I got back on the ground, I tried my luck at a crane with Pokemon in it near the entrance to Steel Pier. When I came away with nothing, I decided it was time to start heading back. By this point, it was past 2 PM. The boardwalk was now teeming with people just out of lunch or the casinos and looking for excitement. Not to mention, even the breeze couldn't hide how humid it was. I was sweating bullets when I ducked into the smaller Fralinger's. They did have my favorite fruit slices this time. I bought two bags and a bottle of water.

I got off at Brighton Park and walked back to Michigan Avenue...but this time, I turned down Atlantic Avenue, passing Express and Ruth Chris Steakhouse to Dave & Buster's. The Atlantic City branch is smaller than the one at Blackwood and the pirate wheel was down, but it still has plenty of Pac Man skee ball, ring toss games, carnival-themed wheels, and ball toss games. I played Mario Kart here and came in second with Princess Peach on a Japanese-themed round that went underwater. Made just enough to get a Champ Bear with a little leftover for when I visit Lauren in late September-early October.

There was one last thing I wanted to do in Atlantic City before I headed to the train station. I stepped into Famous Footwear to see if they had Easy Spirits or something similar to run errands in. Nope. Not only were they busy with parents and college students looking for back to school shoes, but all they had were Reebox, Converses, and Nikes. I'm not a fan of any of them. Hit Starbucks for a quick Iced Orange Matcha Latte instead. At least they weren't busy this time. I walked in, got my drink, and walked out. Sat down on a bench, sipped my drink and watched a mother enjoy her own drinks with her two sons.

Considering all the trouble Lauren and I had getting home last month, I had no problems with the 4:59, either. It arrived on time and left about two minutes late, nothing to panic over. It did stop to let a train pass around Atco, but the delay wasn't much of a problem. This time, the train was busy with noisy, drunk college students who mentioned they were on their way to a concert. (I looked it up later and discovered they were likely going to a Foo Fighters show at Lincoln Financial Field.) I was originally going to take the PATCO to Collingswood or Westmont and pick up Uber from there, but there were so many drunk and loud college kids around the ticket kiosks when the train arrived, I thought I'd be safer elsewhere.

Ended up having breakfast for dinner at the Stratford Diner instead. I wanted to go here when Lauren came last month, but we got in so late, we went to Tim Horton's instead. I was able to enjoy my waffle with strawberries and scrambled eggs in peace, other than a fussy baby with his parents at the booth across from me.

Finished the night after I finally got home and took a shower with Let's Go Native on YouTube. I go further into this wacky 1930 comedy featuring Jeanette MacDonald and Jack Oakie as a broke costume designer and a cab driver stranded on a remote tropical island at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Let's Go Native

Night of the Summertime Ride

Started off the late morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "T.J's Visit" wrecks havoc when Tyg's little nephew turns up and causes trouble. He does bond with Kip and convinces her to join him on a hot air balloon. The others go after them when they have no idea how to bring it back. "The Big Set-Up" is the Shirt Tales' attempt to sign Dinkel up for a pen pal dating service. Dinkel is nervous when the lady he's been writing sends a photo of a gorgeous blonde and wants to meet him. He sent her a picture of a handsome movie star. The Shirt Tales try to tone him up and show him how to be more romantic, but it turns out his girlfriend has been doing some fibbing of her own.

Let Tubi continue with the Shirt Tales as I got organized. "Kip's Toy Caper" gets her and Bogey into a heap of trouble after they discover toy shops have been robbed. She follows a remote control teddy bear and finds a robber intends to make them all robots who will steal money and priceless relics for him. The other Shirt Tales try to follow Bogey's broken signal and rescue them. "Dinkel's Gift" is a briefcase the Shirt Tales bought for his surprise birthday party. When the briefcase gets switched with one that holds a top-secret formula, the others have to switch it back while Digger keeps Dinkel busy.

Headed out after the second episode ended. Dropped a few books at the kiosks down the block, then made my way down to Collingswood. Grabbed a Bodyarmor drink at Haddon Culinary before heading across Collingswood to Cooper River Park, then over the bridge to Route 70, or Marlton Pike. It was too nice of a day to drop my bag of donations at the Audubon Goodwill and ride home again. The weather was stunning for mid-July, breezy, sunny, warm but not too hot, slightly humid but nothing overwhelming. There wasn't a cloud to be seen in the soft blue sky that beamed over the waving green Cooper River waters. Lots of people out on bikes or walking their dogs, too, including a lady in a wheelchair. Besides, I hadn't taken my bike over here since the last time I went to this Goodwill in April 2024. 

This time, I rode through the parking lot for the luxury apartments 202 Park before heading across the Marlton Pike to the Goodwill. After I dropped my bag in one of the boxes outside, I took a look around the main store. It's twice the size of the Goodwill in Audubon, but not even as slightly organized as that one. The books, CDs, and DVDs are all lined up or thrown every which way in a wooden bin as you enter. 

I didn't see any clothes I liked this time, but I did pick up a CD, the DVD for the Alfred Hitchcock comedy thriller Family Plot, and a Squishmallow. I've been wanting a stuffed shark since I started working at Thomas Sharp. Their mascot is a shark. Gordon the Shark is apparently one of the original Squishmallows released in 2019 (though the version I found has a 2021 tag). Ironically, Gordon's tag said he's a friendly fellow who loves to help others and wants to start his own nonprofit. So that's what he was doing at Goodwill. He was doing market research!

Oh, and the CD is:

Diana Krall - Quiet Nights

After that, I figured it was time for lunch. I originally rode a few blocks down to Kaighns Avenue. Not only was there not a whole lot there other than a florist and a liquor store, but I didn't feel like dodging traffic further down looking for the Cherry Hill Mall. Went back to the Marlton Pike and rode two blocks in the other direction, finally coming across a small, slightly dilapidated shopping center. Had enormous slices of cheese and Hawaiian (pineapple-ham) pizza at Gaetano's while watching The George Lopez Show. (George's teen daughter ran away with her boyfriend to San Francisco, and he was having nightmares about what she was doing there.) Gaetano's was a pretty typical hole-in-the-wall with Formica tables and counters, but the guy who worked there was really nice, and the pizza delicious, with giant slices and soft crusts.

Continued riding down to WaWa, until I realized that the highways crossed here and I could go no further on my bike. I just turned around, crossed at Goodwill, and headed past 202 Park and back over the bridge to Collingswood. I got turned around in the back roads of Collingswood, but I finally came out at the small park next to Grooveground. They still haven't finished remodeling (I would love to know what's the hold-up there - they started in April 2025), so I ended up at the Candy Jar after I used the library's bathroom. Bought a small bag of mini fruit slices (I usually get them at Peanut World in Atlantic City, which burned down last year) and a cup of Cherry amaretto gelato. Yum! Sweet, refreshing, and very cherry. Returned briefly to Haddon Culinary for a Diet Coke this time before I finally made my way back to Oaklyn.

Rested while watching Enchantment when I got in. This lovely 1948 romance starts with American ambulance driver Grizel Dane (Evelyn Keyes) coming to live with her great-uncle Rollo (David Niven). She falls in love with a handsome pilot (Farley Granger), but waffles on getting closer when he receives his orders and she worries about losing him. Rollo tells her not to give up on love so easily. Flashbacks reveal how he had fallen in love with his sweet cousin Lark (Teresa Wright) 50 years before, only to lose her when his manipulative and spoiled sister Selina (Jayne Meadows) lies about him taking a position overseas and she ends up marrying a Marchese (Sheppherd Strudwick) instead. Rollo never saw her again, and he wouldn't return home while Selina was there. He encourages Grizel to find her love, before she loses him the way he lost Lark. 

This is such a lovely, sweet movie. Though Niven, Keyes, and Wright are all good as the star-crossed lovers and the ambulance driver dealing with her own romance, Meadows steals the movie as the nasty sister who doesn't want to share her power over the household and her brothers with anyone. If you only know Meadows from her work on TV and cartoons, this will certainly be a revelation. Highly recommended for fans of doomed romances and the other fantasy-oriented romances from the mid-40's like The Enchanted Cottage and Portrait of Jennie. 

Switched to Match Game '75 during dinner. The entire two-hour stretch covered the week with Rona Barrett and Clifton Davies. Sweet single middle-aged aunt Dorothy was the big winner that week. Richard and Charles brought her tissues the first time she won. She also got to hear some of the hilarious answers to whom Richard Dawson wouldn't be happy to marry.

Finished the night with The Wild, Wild West. "The Night of the Watery Death" has James West investigating a "dragon" that somehow managed to blow up the ship he was on, and the mermaid at the bar (Jocelyn Lane) who led him there. Artie is pretty much the only person who believes him. Turns out it's a plot by a crazed sea-loving French nobleman (John van Dreelen) to destroy the US Navy and create his own country under the Pacific Ocean. 

Oh, and here's the review of the live-action Moana that I saw on Tuesday!

Moana

Ain't No Stopping Us Now

Had breakfast around 11, then Lauren and I strolled down to the Collingswood PATCO. It wasn't a bad day for a walk around Old City Philadelphia. It remains sunny, breezy, and bright blue, if warmer and slightly more humid than yesterday. The PATCO is a far more efficient beast than the NJ Transit. The train to Philly arrived within two minutes of us buying tickets and hurrying upstairs. (Oh, and the remodeling is now focused outside. They've long finished the escalator and elevator.)

We got off at the Franklin Square station and went straight around the corner to Franklin Square. I've been wanting to show Lauren this beautiful park since I visited here last August. The Chinese Lantern Festival was even more beautiful this year than it was last year! Flowers were the theme. We were greeted by towering daisies, sunflowers, lily pads, and gorgeous purple fabric blooms. I saw a soccer and baseball-themed "Philly" display near one of the entrances, and fabric horses who looked real enough to jump over the fence.

The fountain wasn't running and none of the food booths were open at quarter of 12, but everything else was ready to go. We played the mini-golf course. It was a lot of fun! The obstacles are all based on Philadelphia landmarks, like Elfreth's Alley, the Ben Franklin Bridge, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (they even have Rocky's footprints next to the course). Lauren got two holes in one, one of them right through the Chinatown Friendship Arch. There's even one with "records" representing hits from Philadelphia International Records, like "Me and Mrs. Jones" and "Ain't No Stopping Us Now." The last course has the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Lauren won, but only by a few points. We were flanked on one side by two middle-aged gentlemen who gallantly allowed us to go on ahead of them, and three college students who laughed a lot and seemed to really enjoy themselves.

After we finished, we headed down Race Street to the Race Street Cafe for lunch. Despite its name, this small brick-and-wood-paneling watering hole is really more of a local bar. Lauren had tilapia tacos she said were delicious. I tried them when I ate there last year and found them to be too spicy for me. I went with a nice, simple grilled chicken sandwich and slender, salty fries.

The Race Street Cafe is just steps away from 2nd Street. Our first stop here was A Four Foot Prune, which specializes in Muppet memorabilia, character toys and media from the 50's through the 90's, and anything Liza Minnelli ever did. Lauren found two cute bags - one with Snoopy, one with a scene from The Monster at the End of This Book that matches a shirt she has - and some pins and patches. I found a small Dakin Bear dressed as a pilgrim girl, with a turkey on a ribbon, for only $2. I think the kids will love Jim Henson's Muppet Babies Big Book of Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales, with its adorable illustrations depicting Rolf as Humpty Dumpty, Skeeter and Scooter as Jack and Jill, Kermit as Wee Willie Winkie, and Piggy as Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. I only dug up one record, but it was one of the Tale Spinners for Children series from England, Sinbad the Sailor.

We crossed 2nd Street to check out Brave New Worlds, a popular local comics book shop. This is a lot more organized than the book stores, a long, dark room with shelves and shelves of comic books, manga, and toys. I didn't get anything here. Lauren got a figure for a friend and Marvel Meow, with Marvel characters hilariously interacting with cats and other pets.

The Book Trader is two blocks down from Brave New Worlds. It's a wonderful used book store, with rickety shelves filled from floor to ceiling with books, records, CDs, DVDs, and videos. This time, Lauren didn't find anything. She spent the time relaxing by the fiction and foreign language sections on the second floor. I did dig out two cast album LPs:

The original Broadway cast of Little Me with Sid Caesar playing the seven loves of a Hollywood starlet

The original London cast of Salad Days...which I was kind of shocked to find. Though this charming small-scale musical was a huge hit on the West End in 1954, it played off-Broadway in 1958, didn't do well, and hasn't tried the US since. 

And four books:

Standing In the Rainbow and The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg

Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies by Ted Chapin

The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey (I did take this one out of the Haddon Township Library about 15 years ago, but that copy is long gone.) 

Last year, I wandered around in Old City until I found my way back to Franklin Square...but that wasn't going to fly this time. For one thing, we were both carrying heavy bags with books, records, toys, and other items. For another, Lauren wanted to hit up Fashion District Mall. Not to mention, while not killer humid like it's supposed to be later in the week, it was much hotter than yesterday. I called an Uber driver, who arrived within 7 minutes and got us to Primark in less than 5.

Lauren briefly explored Primark, an Irish department store, when we arrived. They don't really carry my size, so I just waited in the main mall until she came out and admitted she didn't find anything she wanted. We walked around a bit and got sodas before going upstairs to Round 1 on the third floor. Even newer spaces in Philly can be deceptively small on the outside. Though this doesn't have some of the games seen at other arcades in South Jersey - no skee ball, no ring toss - it does have pinball. I ran from Star Wars pinball to The Munsters pinball (did really well with that one) to Bust-a-Move to Space Invaders. Came in second with a sweet cherry-red Lamborghini on Crusin' Blast. I earned over 2,500, but just decided to save most of it for when we go to Deptford tomorrow. I went with a darling white Beanie Baby kitten named Amelia. 

By that point, we were tired, hungry, and sore. Time to take the PATCO home. I got us turned around a bit, but we did manage to make it to the 8th Street Station by 5:30. We took a jammed-full rush hour train back to South Jersey, getting off at Westmont.

I thought we'd try something different for dinner. The Haddon Diner is just two blocks from the Westmont PATCO Station. I figured it would be less busy and closer to the station than the Collingswood restaurants. (Not to mention, a lot of them aren't open on Mondays.) They were busy, but not so much that we didn't quickly get one of the sweet stenciled wooden booths. Lauren had a BLT and a Yankee Bean Soup she loved. I had banana and pecan pancakes that were so fluffy and tasty and fat turkey sausages. 

I also thought it would be easier to pick up Uber here than in Collingswood...and I was right. It took me a while, but I finally got a driver who came in 15 minutes and got us home in less than 5. No traffic here or, thank heavens, in Philadelphia.

I took the recycling out and we put our laundry in the washing machine, then put on Match Game '75. I came in time for the first day of Carol Bartos' run. Dr. Joyce Brothers and Bill Daily got to match one of her more peculiar answers, one that had Gene wanting to drag Dr. Brothers to her own couch! The next week was Game Show Host Week, with Bob Barker, Arlene Francis, and (ironically) Fannie Flagg. 

Moved to Tubi for Hard Boiled Mahoney. Slip and Sach are at a private eye's office, trying to get the money he owes Sach, when Salina Webster (Betty Compson) comes in and mistakes them for the detective. She offers them $50 to find her lost sister. Slip trails the sister, only to see a man shot. Turns out the two women in question aren't related. Phony medium Armand (Dan Seymour) has incriminating letters that are blackmailing them. Slip, Sach, and their buddies have to dodge the police (who think Slip did it) to bring Armand to justice...but first, they have to get off Professor Quizard's (Bryan Foulger) radio show by driving him crazy!

Finished the night with more of Daredevils of the Red Circle. By the time of chapter 5, "The Ray of Death," former prisoner Harry Crowel (Charles Middleton) has gotten the idea that there's someone tipping off the trio of Daredevils. He intends to kill off anyone in the household he talks to regularly, starting with Granville's granddaughter Blanche (Carole Landis). The boys have to restore the electricity on an old mine and get Blanche and several workers out of there before it's flooded...and before Crowel's goons electrocute the entire lot of them. 

Before the Storms

Began the morning with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel and Margaret Visit the Farm," and Daniel rides Peaches the horse for the first time. He's nervous, but his father holds his hand. Daniel does the same for Margaret when she's too scared to feed the ducks. Daniel's parents take him and Margaret on a 4th of July picnic to watch the "Fireworks and Fireflies." The fireflies make Margaret nervous, so Daniel holds her hand again until she's chasing them...and they both need their parents' hands when the loud fireworks frighten them.

Switched to Super Password briefly while I finished making my grocery list, then headed out. First stop of the day was the Westmont Plaza. My niece Finley will be turning 9 next Friday. I got her a card at Dollar Tree (along with soap) and a gift at Target. I also grabbed more of that tasty, fruity Iced Blue Coconut Matcha Latte from the Target Starbucks. 

Strolled further down the Westmont Plaza to Sprouts next. They were having a buy one, get one half-off sale on their bakery cookies. I loved the oatmeal-cranberry-walnut I got last week, so I went with those and snickerdoodle. The Annie's Homegrown chocolate chip granola bars are still on clearance, and those little bins of dried berries and pineapple are still 99 cents. I got one of the former and two of the latter. Grabbed oat milk and found strawberry fruit spread that was also on clearance. 

Rode down the hill next, past the library and high school and Burger King and McDonald's to the Westmont Acme. The weather isn't supposed to be appropriate for running to the farm market tomorrow, so I got my cherries and blueberries today. Restocked microwavable popcorn, yogurt, Swiss cheese, soda, granola bars (Nature's Valley were buy 2, get them for $1.99 each), low-salt tuna, and granola. Every store I hit up today was busy. It's close to the beginning of the month and a week from the biggest holiday of the summer season. 

Cut across Newton Lake Park going home. Considering it was hot (probably in the mid-upper 80's), thickly humid, and cloudy, the park was busy too when I was there. It's beautiful there now, with the emerald green trees waving in the breeze. I pushed my bike up the path over the hill, enjoying the earthy scents and ducking under a low-hanging branch.

Ran more cartoons when I got home as I put everything away, starting with Shirt Tales. "Kip's Dragon" was fired by a puppet show owner when he couldn't act like a dragon. Kip and the Shirt Tales try to teach Sparky to act like a dragon...but when his former boss captures his new friends and intends to make them the act, Sparky has find the dragon in himself. It's "Double Exposure" when a crooked photographer (who looks amusingly like a taller Gargamel) takes photos that can really capture a subject, including money and jewels. Pammy gets her camera mixed up with his and goes after it. He captures them, but it's Kip who figures out how to really get this guy exposed for good. 

Moved to Paw Patrol during lunch. Cheetah is an equally whiny cousin of Mayor Humdinger's who is still angry that Marshall won a driving trophy instead of her. She steals the PAW Patroller bus, hoping to ram down trees and the Monkey Temple and build her own jungle race track. "Pups Stop the Cheetah" from wrecking more havoc with the help of the new, improved PAW Patroller bus Ryder built.

Watched Meatballs online after I ate. Camp North Star in eastern Canada is shaping up for it's wildest summer on record. Tripper Harrison (Bill Murray), the head counselor who lives to break rules, befriends lonely camper Rudy Gerner (Chris Makepeace) the first day. He also has no trouble chasing the no-nonsense head female counselor Roxanne (Kate Lynch) or encouraging the randy CITs to play pranks on camp owner Morty Melneck (Harvey Atkin). There's also snobbish Camp Mohawk, the camp for wealthy kids across the lake, to contend with. Camp Mohawk has won (or cheated into winning) every Olympiad between the two camps. The kids think they're going to lose again, until Tripper reminds them that it just doesn't matter, and it's only games, after all. Rudy has a chance to redeem himself with the four-mile marathon, if he can get past Camp Mohawk's best runner.

Murray and Makepeace steal the movie wholesale as the wacky head counselor and the camper he ends up mentoring. They had so much chemistry and they worked so well together, more scenes were added of them playing carts to beef up the relationship. Not all of this movie has dated terribly well. Some of the treatment of the ladies, especially Tripper harassing and attacking Roxanne in several scenes, can be uncomfortable to watch nowadays. For the most part, though, this remains a lot of fun to watch if you're a fan of other "slobs vs snobs" comedies of the 70's and 80's.

Oh, and I got my schedule at this point. In good news, pretty much the same hours next week...except for the 4th of July, when I work 11 to 5. Maybe it's just as well. I can just make Oaklyn's parade and will have no trouble seeing the fireworks. I didn't really have a whole lot planned for in between them, and it's supposed to be crazy-hot anyway. 

Walked down to West Clinton Avenue after the movie ended. As I started off, I saw a gaggle of 13-year-old kids on bikes sitting in the middle of the road. One had just dropped his bike and was running in front of two dogs behind fences, trying to make them bark. A neighbor finally came out to tell them they were behaving like obnoxious twits and needed to leave the dog alone and get their bikes out of the street, before they were run over. 

Final Friday wasn't elbow-to-elbow crazy like it would be later in the night, but it was still pretty noisy when I got there. It was mostly families and old couples sitting at Oaklyn Manor Bar and Tonewood Brewery, or on benches and blankets and towels on the street next to the Brewery. There were tons of food trucks, and three different inflatable games for the kids - a ring toss, a basketball throw, and an "ax" toss. I did get to check out Inkwood Books' new Bookmobile and bought a yummy root beer float frozen bar from the Bubba Creamery cart, but there wasn't a whole lot more of interest there. I ultimately just headed home after a half-hour. 

Match Game '75 was just starting when I came up with dinner. This one was all about the week with Avery Schriberer, Gary Burghoff, Trish Stewart, and a radiant Patti Deusch. Patti was pregnant at that point, and it seemed to agree with her. I think she even got more answers right.

Moved to YouTube after a shower for The Swamp Fox. It's "A Case of Treason" when Colonel Tarleton (John Sutton) finally figures out what Mary Videaux and her parents are up to with all those parties. He catches her with Francis after one of those balls and arrests both of them. He escapes and follows her with his men in a hay wagon to Charleston. Not only do they free Mary there and send her to New Orleans, but they get more rebels out of prison, too.

Finished the night with three more Hungarian Folk Tales. "The King Who Did Not Want His Daughter to Marry" loves her so much, he turns her into three different animals so she won't wed the prince she loves. The prince finally figures out how to change her back...but even then, the princess still loves her father and is willing to forgive him. 

The "Dyer's Apprentice" is a variation on the story of a boy who won't tell his dream for anything, not to his master, not to the king, not to the princess he loves. It's not until he helps defeat an army that he finally tells the princess his secret. 

"The Jackdaw Girls" is basically a gender-reversed "The Wild Swans" without the prince and nettles subplot. The young boy must find his sisters, whom his mother accidentally turned into jackdaws when he got tired of their squabbling. He's helped by three ancient old women who call all the animals of the world to find out where his sisters went. 

Walking In History

Began the day with breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. Bloth becomes "The Soul Stealer" when a soothsayer claims Ren is the only one who is destined to find the treasures. Morpho creates a potion that'll trade Bloth's soul and that of his first mate for Ren and Niddler's. Bloth thinks he's pulled it off...until the man Ioz stole the Wraith from decides he wants it back, and Niddler wants to fly again...

Got to work right on time, and that was probably the most exciting thing that happened all morning. It got a little busy around 10:30-11 PM, but was otherwise dead quiet. I didn't even have that many carts to gather. For one thing, it was too nice to be shopping. I pushed carts in strong, cool wind, bright blue skies, and warm sunshine. It was probably in the lower 80's, hot, but not overly so for mid-June. I was in and out with no trouble whatsoever.

Soon as I got home, I changed and went downstairs to make lunch. This time, the buckwheat pancake mix just made plain pancakes. I topped them with peanut butter, orange marmalade, and honey. Oh yum! They came out perfectly, and the marmalade and peanut butter complimented them well. 

Watched Paw Patrol while I ate lunch. Mayor Humdinger is beside himself - many times over - when "Mighty Pups, Charged Up: Pups Stop a Humdinger Horde." Humdinger wants his Kitty Catastrophe Crew to have a professional bath, but Katie's animal salon is full. After he accidentally walks into Harold's cloning machine, the Humdingers steal Katie and her animal salon! For once, Harold is more than happy to help the pups stop his wayward uncle...er, uncles...from wrecking more havoc. Harold is still determined to be mayor of somewhere. After he finds another piece of meteor, he insists on being mayor of the moon, and turns the lighthouse into a rocket ship to get him there. He doesn't realize Cap'n Turbot is inside, or that the Patrol is on his tail in "Mighty Pups, Charged Up: Pups Stop a Mighty Lighthouse." 

Called Uber after the cartoon ended and I cleaned up lunch. Not only will I not have the time to explore Cherry Hill on Saturday this week, but the weather is supposed to be lousy that day. I decided to check out the Cherry Parke Condos and Waterford Apartments today and take advantage of that gorgeous weather. The driver going to Cherry Parke and home were both there in 10 minutes. There was a little traffic in Haddonfield, but otherwise no trouble.

Cherry Parke and Waterford, despite one being condos and one being apartments, look pretty much the same. They're two-story brick Colonial-style buildings from the early 50's, with yellow shutters and quaint details like the curving trim and red doors. Both complexes surround green areas connected by sidewalks with common trash areas. Honestly, the place was showing its age. Shutters were missing from some buildings, and the paint was faded on others. There was a lot of old furniture piled up in the back parking lot area, including a vintage organ. I saw dog excrescence on the green, even though people weren't supposed to walk their dogs there. Tons of kids' bikes locked on racks indicated a lot of families living here. I suspect most of the residents are families and health care workers priced out of expensive Haddonfield and east Cherry Hill who needed inexpensive homes to buy or rent. 

On the other hand, the buildings are quite charming, certainly more than the very 60's Playa Del Sol and Sussex House or the high rise across from the Dollar Tree on the Marlton Pike, and they're surrounded by wide green lawns. There's also the lovely Wallworth Park across the street. As I headed down King's Highway, I walked down steep stone steps and stepped into a smooth emerald field. I followed the sound of gurgling and rushing to the stream, where I saw a man fishing next to a small spillway. Apparently, this powered mills, hundreds of years ago. 

I continued down King's Highway to see how long it would take me to make it into Haddonfield. It took about 10 minutes. I passed by many historic buildings, from a gorgeous, sprawling yellow Victorian (which apparently is in danger of being demolished - they'd better not, that building was beautiful), to a red brick Colonial that was in the midst of exterior remodeling. I stopped and read about an older building that's now used as offices but had been a prison house during the American Revolution. 

By the time I made it to the corner of Haddon Avenue and King's Highway, I was hot as heck. I stopped at Starbucks for a treat. The strawberry matcha loaf was amazing, deliciously moist with swirls of green tea and strawberry. I would have liked the Butterfly Drink better if it didn't have those weird gel bubbles at the bottom. They were fruity and very sweet, but I prefer nothing in my drink but my drink and a little ice. 

Continued down Haddon Avenue to Haddonfield's Acme. Haddonfield has the most unique Acme building in the entire chain. Unlike the Acme at Cape May, which was built in the 70's and remodeled to fit in with the rest of the town in the 2000's, the Haddonfield Acme is genuinely old. It was built as a Quaker meetinghouse in the 1851, and rather than knock down history, Acme just built around it. The Haddonfield Acme is tiny, as you can guess from being in a small meetinghouse. I think it was pretty recently remodeled, but that doesn't make it any bigger. I did manage to get pocked-sized suntan lotion (I couldn't find the tube I keep in my backpack purse), a drink, and more Persil before that sale ends. I thought it would be easier to pick up Uber here than on busy King's Highway, too.

Put on The Price Is Right when I got home. I arrived in time for the Showcases. One was a pretty normal no-frills display that ended with a trip to Austria. The other was a lot goofier, and ended with a cherry-red sports car. Though both of the ladies got relatively close, the one who bid on the sports car was, to her delight, closer. 

Watched Match Game '75 while eating dinner. The first hour finished out the week with Bert Convy, Joyce Bulifant, and Betty White. I don't know what got into everyone in those last two episodes. Everyone was jumping on everyone else, from Gene grabbing Mary Ann for kisses to Bert chasing the contestant to the winning contestant ending up in Richard Dawson's lap. The next week, with Dwayne Hickman of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Broadway star Carol Lawrence, was more subdued by comparison. 

Took a much-needed shower, then finished the night with the rest of Spy Smasher. I like that this serial took chances. At least one hero doesn't make it out alive, which is rare for serials. Other than Spy Smasher picking up a twin brother, it also seems to be relatively accurate to the comic books as well, especially for this era. There were some incredible action set pieces, especially the flaming harbor in the final episode. You might call this the less-florid Batman to Republic's earlier Captain Marvel serial, a hero who relies on his wits and human strength rather than any magical powers. If you're a Batman fan, love the original Spy Smasher comics, or are a serial enthusiast, this is roundly considered to be one of the best. 

When Things Go Wrong

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Little Bear Meets No Feet" the snake while helping Mother Bear in her garden. He tries to find a bed for him inside, then comes to the conclusion that some animals just belong outdoors. Grandfather Bear sets up a sheet tent in the yard, so he and Little Bear can go on "The Camp Out" and learn a goofy camping song. Little Bear can't send "Emily's Balloon" from Hen's birthday party in the mail, but it finds its way to her just the same.

Rushed out to the Acme to do this week's grocery shopping, cutting across the Newton Lake Park...and of course, when I arrived there, I realized I had forgotten my wallet. At least I figured it out before I went in the store and did actual shopping, but it was still embarrassing. I wouldn't have time to go back out. I'd have to do it after I finished at Thomas Sharp.

So I just rode back home, had lunch, and cheered myself up with an episode of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. This was the first episode of the sixth and final season, and it opens with cheerleaders introducing the newcomers on the show, among them eventual Match Game semi-regulars Sarah Kennedy and Patti Deusch. We kick off with a pretty darn decent Frank Sinatra imitator carrying off the lamppost he leans on, Patti's infamous Howard Cosell's mother imitation, Kent McCord and Martin Milner parodying their characters on the cop show Adam-12, and Willie Tyler and Lester spoofing All In the Family's theme song. John Wayne's a lot less happy when he's stuck in a goofy blue furry suit and has to give evidence to Dan Rowan.

I left a little bit early so I could get a free donut at Dunkin' Donuts for Free Donut Day. I think I should have left a lot earlier. I got the Pepsi Zero, but there was such a long line at the drive-in, I ran out of time to wait for my jelly donut and never did get it. All that made me late for work on a really hot day.

Which was absolutely not a good thing. Though we only had 21 kids, 8 at my table, they were all absolutely insane today. First of all, the head teacher called out. Second, though the older kids did go out on the blacktop for a while, it was too hot to take the pre-schoolers outside. (Especially since a lot of them were wearing long-sleeved flannel pajamas for Pajama Day.) We stayed in the cafeteria the entire afternoon. None of them would sit down. They ran around, shrieked, climbed under tables, ran into the music teacher's office that's blocked by heavy velvet curtains for a reason, argued loudly over the magnetic tiles (and broke them), and ripped the paper we taped down for them to draw on so badly, we cut word search papers in half for them to draw on instead. 

They were really a pain in the rear in the bathrooms. Two of the girls took 10 minutes to stop giggling, whispering, and climbing under each other's stalls. I felt sorry for the poor girl who went like a normal person and had to wait for them to finish. I spent ten minutes yelling at them before they finally got out. I did figure out how to keep one of the older boys from wandering in the halls during bathroom breaks. I told him to be the line leader, which seemed to focus him, at least enough for him to help me get the others together.

I hadn't originally planned on eating dinner out, but I wasn't up to digging out something at home after all that. I just had a slice of vegetable and a slice of pepperoni at Crust N' Cravings on Collings Avenue. The pizza was good, as it always is, but I felt a little nervous there. They're across from the notoriously troubled Parkview Apartments on the White Horse Pike, and their clientele in the evenings and at night tend to be sketchy. I ate, watched Action News on Channel 6, and hurried out.

At least it was a nice day by then for the long ride back to the Westmont Acme. There's a lot of repairs and remodeling going on in Newton Lake Park right now. I think they're redoing the pavement on the back path, so I stuck to the front path, going past the playgrounds and pavilion, over the footbridge, and around a group of Canadian geese and their growing goslings looking for dinner. The weather was still pretty warm when I arrived in Westmont, sunny, hot, dry, and in the lower 90's.

Thank heavens the Acme wasn't busy when I arrived. I needed a lot. Restocked sliced chicken, yogurt, soda, granola, strawberries, granola bars, coconut milk, and cookies. I had an online coupon for a free Acme brand peanut butter, and another for the large container of blueberries. Found slices of lemon cake roll for really cheap in the bakery. 

Had the cake rolls for dessert while watching the last episode this week of Match Game '74 when I got home. By the time I got in, they were starting the week with Broadway star Robert Morse and TV favorite Adrienne Barbeau. This was also the week where a diminutive red-headed contestant kept chasing Fannie and Brett every time he won, to the point where Richard and Charles had to stand up and defend their ladies' honor.

(Got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, next Saturday off. I'll be able to hit the farm market and explore another neighborhood in Cherry Hill. Bad news, not nearly enough hours. The head bagger must be back to her normal working hours, and given they're cutting hours, they probably don't want people working multiple jobs.) 

Finished the night at YouTube for the Universal action movie Gypsy Wildcat. Gypsy dancer Carla (Maria Montez) intercepts a message from Michael, one of the King's men (Jon Hall) and a wicked Baron (Douglas Dumbrille) who is persecuting the gypsies. He knows a secret about Carla, one that he hopes will allow him to marry Carla and steal her fortune. Michael helps young Tonio (Peter Coe) rescue the gypsies from the dungeon and save Carla from a fate worse than death. I love all of the Montez-Hall action films I've seen, and while this isn't the greatest of them, it's still a lot of fun. If you love historical action with an Eastern European flair, you'll really get a kick out of this one. 

Farmstead Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. The Shirt Tales must "Save the Park" from a miserly old man who wants to build a skyscraper there. It turns into a non-holiday Christmas Carol when they show him his past, the present at the park, and his future if he doesn't leave the park alone. Pammy opens "Pam-Dora's Box" when she visits a fellow panda at the zoo who turns out to be a cyborg sent by a foreign government to send secret information. The other Shirt Tales save her when he locks her up at the zoo, then each other after he captures them as well.

Hurried out to the Collingswood Farm Market after the cartoon ended, but I lingered too long. By the time I got there, they had apples, but I couldn't find any strawberries. All of the food booths were starting to close, too. I had hoped to buy a sandwich or empanada, but there weren't any to be found. By 11:30, they'd all stopped cooking. The damage to the spring crops shows in a few of them being missing. They have radishes, asparagus, onions, and hearty greens, but the apples were the only fruit. 

I thought I'd get a sandwich and strawberries in Collingswood, but no luck. Every sandwich shop in town, from Haddon Culinary to Kismet Bagels, had a long line. It took me long enough to find Sara's Produce. They moved to the small building in the back of the new pocket park that used to be a garage. Their only strawberries were moldy and mealy. The lady at the counter said they'd get more around 1 PM, but I wasn't waiting that long. I stopped at A&A Pretzels on the White Horse Pike and got two regular pretzels and a cheesesteak-stuffed pretzel instead.

Had lunch at home while watching Paw Patrol. The pups have found a meteor that gives them super powers...but Mayor Humdinger's bratty nephew Harold Humdinger dug up a fragment of it. Not only does he get the power to create anything, but the Kitty Catastrophe Crew receive their own superpowers. They wreck havoc in Adventure Bay in "Mighty Pups, Super Paws: When Super Kitties Attack." It's a distraction from Harold's real plan - to cut Adventure Bay into his own island for him to rule! The Pups have to use their own powers to stop Harold and distract the kitties, before he cuts Adventure Bay into bits.

Called Uber after lunch. The driver going to Barclay Farmstead took 15 minutes to arrive and cost a bundle. The one going home took 13 minutes and cost slightly less. There was a little traffic going there, but nothing horrible going home.

I read about the Barclay Farmstead Museum online this winter, but I couldn't get to the park area around it until now. The the old brick 1810's-era house is only open for tours on Wednesdays and the first Sunday of every month, but it's surrounded by woodland trails, a large playground, and gardens farmed by local residents. I read about the history of the farm on signs around the perimeter of the house, then strolled through the woods. I first went closer to the main road, past a murky pond and river. I felt like Alice In Wonderland in the dark green woods. I half-expected to see a white rabbit wailing about being late and a mad tea party, or the Queen of Hearts playing croquet on the Barclay Farmstead lawn. It was lovely and peaceful. 

Since I had to go to the bathroom, I strolled out of the park and down less historic suburban streets to Aqua Road. I saw cheery red and white umbrellas and a bit of a bright blue pool peeking out behind the woods when I was walking the trails. Yes, it was the Barclay Farms area's swim club. Thankfully, they didn't mind me using their restrooms. 

I wanted to either see if I could find condos or the Barclay Farms Shopping Center next, but...I couldn't find much of anything. I kept getting lost and turned around. I did stroll over a charming little covered bridge, but that was about the only interesting thing I saw for the next hour and a half. Everything else was typical 60's tract houses with smooth emerald lawns, kids riding bikes, and old folks pushing grandchildren in strollers. I had to look up where I was online, and I still got turned around. I left the Swim Club around 3, and it was past 4:30 when I finally made it to the Barclay Farms Shopping Center.

To be honest, I probably could have picked up Uber somewhere in Barclay Farms, but...not only would I be easier to find on the Marlton Pike, I needed a drink badly. It had been cloudy this morning in Collingswood, but by 4:30, it was sunny, warm, and very windy. Manhattan Bagel was closed by then, but there was a Dollar Tree on the other side of the shopping center. I got more of the puffcorn I had at the movies last month, a bottle of Diet Pepsi, a fan printed with the US flag on it, and 4th of July cardboard cut-outs.

(Ironically, I finally saw condo buildings rising up across the Pike from the shopping center when I made it there, but...wherever I end up in Cherry Hill, it won't be Barclay Farms. The Farmstead is lovely, but the surrounding area is too twisty, confusing, and not really oriented towards singles looking for a condo.) 

Watched Snow White and Rose Red when I got home. This 1955 version of one of my favorite fairy tales comes from West Germany, which seems to have been a great place to make fairy tale films in the mid-20th century. It's honestly a pretty accurate adaptation of the story, only Snow White and Rose Red are older, probably in their 20's, the dwarf is a bit wilder-looking than he usually is in this story, and the princes are accompanied by their loyal knight Knitwit who claims to be a great bear hunter but is really terrified of them. Other than the rather bad bear costume, this one was really sweet and adorable.

Stayed at YouTube to finish the night with today's Match Game marathon. Character actress Mary Wickes was in movies and on TV from the 40's through the early 90's, and is probably best known today for playing the tart-tongued housekeeper in White Christmas and the nun who led the choir before Whoopi Goldberg took over in Sister Act. She was playing a nurse on the short-lived drama Doc when she first turned up on Match Game in 1976. 

Mary appeared sporadically on the show through 1978, always in the 4th or 6th seats. She was always ready with a funny line or quip, as with her assessment of one of Gene's infamous plaid coats - "Somewhere a horse is mighty chilly." There was also the day the Star Wheel debuted. It stopped on Richard Dawson the first time it was spun...when it had been designed to give other celebrities besides Richard a chance to play the Head-to-Head. The entire panel but Scoey Mitchelll walked off (including Richard himself). "Do you know how much that thing cost us?" Mary grumped when the panelists came back. "And it's right back to Richard!" There was also the time she and Joyce Bulifant welcomed new kid on the block Gary Crosby with some very big kisses, or when she gave Gene a strong "new kid on the block" kiss on her first day. 

She had one last blaze of glory on a week in 1990, by which time she was a regular on The Father Dowling Mysteries. Mary was just as dry and funny dealing with Ross Schafer as she was with Tom Bosley or Gene Rayburn. She especially had a field day making jokes about Jimmie Walker's crush on a very pretty young female contestant.

Match wits with one of the coolest old ladies around in this hilarious marathon that you won't want to walk away from.

Match Game Saturday Classics - Mary Wickes (Showcase of Match Game episodes - 70's and 90's)

Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

Got a late start today with breakfast and It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown. Linus and Lucy's little brother Rerun makes his debut in the last Peanuts special with music by Vince Guaraldi (who died just hours after he completed the soundtrack). Sally turns the baseball field into a garden and orchard as part of an Arbor Day project. Her older brother is understandably furious, until it looks like the foliage might help them actually win a game.

Headed out after I made the grocery list. I didn't really need that much this week and I left late, so I limited the grocery shopping to just the Westmont Acme this week. I had online coupons for coconut milk, cookies, strawberries, and yogurt. Nature's Valley granola bars were two for $6. Restocked sliced chicken, soda, and apples. Thankfully, the store wasn't busy at all. I was able to get in and out with no trouble. 

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. It's really spring in the park now. The grass is mostly green with a few dry patches. The leaves are a bright yellow green. Sunny yellow buttercups and dandelions line the banks of the lake. Canadian geese cropped grass with their adorable brand-new goslings. It was much busier in the park at quarter after 1. I dodged dog walkers, older folks and college kids out for a stroll, and parents pushing strollers before turning on the path over the hill to the Haddon Township Environmental Center. 

Put everything away and had a quick lunch while watching Shirt Tales. The animals think they're "The Game Masters" when they sneak out to play consoles at a local arcade. They think they're getting a bargain when a game claims they can play for free, only to find them trapped in a bumper-car game. Tired of having to clean up the park for Mr. Dinkel, they don't object to being "Shirt Napped" by aliens, until it turns out the aliens just want them to clean up their planet. They finally swipe a flying saucer to get them back to the aliens' ship and get them home.

Called Alyssa at Camden County right before I left. I didn't get her, so I left a message. I hope I can get her on Monday. If she can't help me, I'm going to start looking for loan programs that might be more willing to help. 

Hurried out after the cartoon ended. Got there on time...to find the kids and their Thomas Sharp teachers, but no one from Healthy Kids. One of the heads of the program showed up shortly after I did. Turned out the head teacher had called out, and another couldn't come in. We were severely short-handed. Not a good thing, since we had 26 kids today, 11 at my table. They were crazy in the bathroom, especially the girls. I spent most of the twenty minutes or so after snack time cleaning up a little boy who had had an accident. By the time we got back, they were lining up the kids to go outside.

It was much too nice for them to stay inside. It was sunny and in the lower 70's when we first went out. Even after it clouded over and got windy later, it was still a lovely day. I did have to argue them off the swings, especially after they were all allowed on yesterday. There were too many of them and not enough teachers to keep an eye on them. Most of them were happy to draw with chalk, hug a tree, or dance along with "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "Pink Pony Club," "I Like to Move It," the theme from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and songs from Moana, Moana 2, Trolls, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

I stayed a little later after the head teacher had to go home at 5. We were down to six kids when we moved them with the older kids on the blacktop. The weather remained cloudy and a little chillier but still too decent to take them back inside. Most of the kids kicked balls around, but I did have to argue with two boys to stop throwing around bottles of glitter-filled water they made in class (the bottles were really kind of flimsy), then stop playing around a car that did not belong to them. 

Went straight home after all that and into Match Game '90. This was the wild week where Fred Travalena dressed as Elvis Presley, complete with sequined jump suit. The Star Wheel kept landing on him, too. To give him credit, he got it right two out of three times. Pam Stone was really hilarious this week too, tossing out several British and southern gothic jokes.

Got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, slightly more hours and no long shifts. Unfortunately, I have two double-shift days this time, Thursday and Friday. No idea when I'll get to the grocery store. The head bagger must have taken those days off again. 

Finished the night with three of my newly-acquired records and CDs. The Superman book and record from Peter Pan runs with the continuity in the comic books when it debuted in 1978, which means Clark and Lois works for Galaxy Broadcasting and Jimmy is a full-fledged reporter. "The Mxyzptlk Menace" makes everyone speak without vowels, which means they can't really communicate at all, until Superman finds a way for him to say his name backwards. "Alien Creatures" is a much darker and stranger story. After aliens appear, it suddenly starts raining silver bullets that dissolve anything in their path. Superman has to convince them telepathically that Earth is not a good place for them to make their home.

The Cars were one of the most popular rock groups of the late 70's and early 80's. Their Greatest Hits include "Just What I Needed," "Good Times Roll," "Drive," and "My Best Friend's Girl." Other favorites on this 1985 album include "Since You're Gone," "Touch and Go," "Let's Go," "Shake It Up," and "Magic."

James Taylor's music was an all together quieter version of rock. His Greatest Hits include mellow ballads like "Fire and Rain," "Sweet Baby James," and "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight." "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," "Mexico," and "Walking Man" show Taylor in a slightly more uptempo mode.

Very Good Friday

Began the morning with breakfast and Peter and the Magic Egg on YouTube. I went further into this charming and unique 1983 special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2024.

Spring Short Subject Special - Peter and the Magic Egg

Did a few things online, then headed out to run errands in Westmont. My first stop was the Great Clips at the Westmont Plaza...but the wait there was over 75 minutes! I wasn't hanging around there. I left my name with the young lady and headed back out.

By default, I ended up getting brunch at the Westmont first instead. This time, I had a waffle, a small cup of cantaloupe and fresh pineapple chunks, Pepsi Zero, and bacon. Oh, yum! The waffle was a huge brick, the approximate size of a life raft, crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside. It was topped with spicy honey butter and real syrup. The bacon was melt in your mouth crispy. It was even tastier than last time, even if that enormous waffle was too big to finish.

I got the 15-minute warning text for Great Clips just as I was heading back up the hill to the Westmont Plaza. This time, it only took 10 minutes to get a stylist. I just needed it cut a bit shorter. My hair gets so frizzy when it's too long! Considering the young woman who helped me had her own considerable curls, she knew how to handle them. I now have blunt-cut, very cute chin-length curls framing my face. They're still a little frizzy and dry, but nothing to the degree that they were.

The other reason I was in Westmont was to go grocery shopping. I didn't really need a ton of food at any rate. I got coconut milk, white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies, dried raspberry lemon mango slices from the bulk bins, and two cans of sparkling water at Sprouts. The cookies and Hint sparkling water were on clearance. The coconut milk is just cheaper at Sprouts. 

Rode past the Haddon Township Library, the Burger King and McDonald's, and the high school to the Westmont Acme next. They were surprisingly not that busy. Sprouts was actually a bit busier. Everyone must have come earlier - the carts were empty. I restocked blood oranges, apples, soda, yogurt, granola, and granola bars. Picked up lemon cake mix and white chocolate chips to make cookies later.

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. It was cloudy at this point, but not too chilly, probably in the mid-60's. It certainly looks like spring in the park now. Buds and new bright green leaves swell on the trees. Thick green grass and sunny buttercups carpet the shore of the lake. I pushed my bike on the path that goes over the hill to the Haddon Township Environmental Center, and it was thickly padded with green undergrowth and dusky pink and white flowers on the trees.

Made the Lemon White Chocolate Yum Yums when I got home. This is based on that Chocolate Yum Yums recipe from Christmas Is Coming 1987, with lemon cake mix replacing the devil's food mix, white chocolate chips replacing the nuts, and no sprinkles or chocolate bar topping. Yum! I tried one that fell apart, and they came out perfectly, light, sweet, and zesty. I'm going to give them to Jessa, Rose and her kids, and friends for Easter.

Checked my schedule when I got upstairs. In good news, I have Easter off, along with Monday and Tuesday. I took Tuesday off for a dental appointment. I work straight through the rest of the week from Wednesday onwards, including an 8 1/2 hour day on Saturday. I have no idea why the 8 1/2 hour day. I know the head bagger probably went on vacation this week, but couldn't they have gotten one of the college students or high schoolers who are on vacation this week to take at least part of the time? 

Watched Match Game '90 after I finished the cookies. Most of the episodes finished the run with Fred Travelena and Brett Somers. It's always good to see Brett again. She was technically retired by this point, but Charles had talked her into being on the show, and his instincts were solid. They were just as funny as they were in the 70's. Edie McClurg makes her debut on the show in the next week, joined by game show host Jonathan Prince, Ronn Lucas and Scorch, and Khrystyne Haje from Head of the Class. 

Finished the night with The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town. I went further into my favorite Rankin-Bass Easter special at the first Easter review for my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2019. 

The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town

Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year

Began the morning with breakfast and Donnybrook! This 1961 musical version of The Quiet Man has Art Lund as the former prizefighter title character, Joan Fagan as the spirited Irish woman he falls in love with, Eddie Foy Jr. as a matchmaker, and Susan Watson as the village widow. Watson and Foy have the lion's share of the good material here, including their comic numbers "I Wouldn't Bet One Penny" and "Dee-lightful Is the Word." Most of Lund's songs are pretty dull, but Fagan does have a rather nice ballad, "He Makes Me Feel I'm Lovely."

Called Uber after the record ended. I hadn't been to Sprouts in ages, and I needed something at Target, too. Ironically, considering the cloudy and chilly weather and all the trouble I've had getting rides from them lately, they arrived in 4 minutes.

In fact, I started at Target. I was walking past the coolers in the grocery area when I noticed they had a lot of new Slice flavors I'd never seen at the Acme. I wanted all of them, but since I'd also have to carry them, I just got Apple and "Pacific Pop" (likely their version of Mountain Dew) to try. I was really there for a gift card for Mom. I didn't see what I wanted, but I still got her something. Stopped at Starbucks for a tasty Iced Double Berry Matcha (lavender berry foam, berry syrup on the bottom, very sweet). 

I saw a young woman holding a box of Thin Mints when I was at Starbucks. Sure enough, there were two Girl Scouts dancing around outside of Target, attracting customers by singing their idea of "Girl Scouts" horror sales songs with rather macabre themes. They were too funny. I had to get Peanut Butter Sandwiches and their new "Explorermores" (chocolate sandwich cookies with almond cream middles) with that kind of a sales pitch!

Sprouts was the busiest I'd ever seen it! Good thing I didn't need a whole lot. Their coconut milk is a lot cheaper than the Acme's, and they have smaller bottles of buttermilk, too. Raided the bulk bins for lemon-raspberry dried mangoes, dried cranberries, and raisins. Found one of those kids' lunch bags with a sandwich, applesauce, cookie, chips, and small bottle of water on clearance; grabbed the almond butter-jelly. 

I walked home. I won't be doing any walking tomorrow! It's supposed to pour all day. The weather today wasn't much better. It was cloudy, breezy, and chilly, into the lower 40's. Even so, I still sat at a black metal picnic table near a clearing for my first picnic of 2026. You'd never know we're so close to the first day of spring. Though green grass is sprouting through the yellow, the trees remain bare gray husks, and the flowers haven't bloomed. There weren't even many Canadian geese around. It was such a depressing scene, I hurried over the stone steps and down East Clinton to home soon as I finished lunch.

Spent the rest of the afternoon trying to focus on writing and listening to spring or Irish-themed music and Broadway cast albums. Finian's Rainbow debuted in 1947, when the story of a leprechaun who follows the title Irishman and his daughter to the deep south after his pot of gold and end up helping sharecroppers was a breath of fresh shamrock-scented air. Scotswoman Ella Logan headed the original cast, introducing "If This Isn't Love," "Look to the Rainbow," and "How are Things In Glocca Morra." Impish David Wayne joined Logan for "Something Sort of Grandish" and got the hilarious "When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love." 

The Music of Spring and Tune Up for Spring are two collections Columbia made to sell at tire dealerships in the early 60's. Ray Conniff's bouncy "Younger Than Springtime" is my favorite from both albums. Rosemary Clooney's "I Could Have Danced All Night" and Jerry Vale's "Camelot"  are a bit more out of place in Music of Spring. Leslie Uggams doing a lovely "April In Paris" and the New Christy Minstrels' "Green Green" are more fitting. Al Jolson's "April Showers," Polly Bergen singing "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year," and the Hi-Lo's "Everything's Coming Up Roses" are the standouts in Tune Up. 

The Broadway version of Once was a surprise hit in 2012 that ended up winning the Tony for Best Musical that year. The 2007 film was already lovely, but it ended up making a rather nice intimate stage show, too, if bittersweet numbers like "Leave," "Sleeping," "When Your Mind's Made Up," "The Moon," and "Falling Slowly" are any indication.

The other famous modern Irish musical is probably The Commitments. I loved my cassette version of the soundtrack as a kid, and I was just as happy to find it on CD a while back. The cast's passionate renditions of "Mustang Sally," "Destination Anywhere," "Try a Little Tenderness," "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," and "In the Midnight Hour" wound up being an even bigger hit than the film and introduced teens of the early 90's like me to classic R&B and blues.

Jessa dubbed Snoopy's Classiks - Beatles on Toys for me last Easter. This is exactly what it sounds like, Beatles songs played on toy pianos, with Sally and Chuck introducing the first number "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" "She Loves You" is just the kids singing that over and over. They do much better by a charming "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds" and "Yellow Submarine." "Here, There, Everywhere" and "When I'm Sixty-Four" are the best of the instrumental numbers. 

I couldn't focus on the writing, but I did get a little done. C.J, Sir Scott Sherwood's squire, is guarding the oddly silent and closed gates. Hilary demands to know what's going on. King Rollie the Snake King has taken over, he tells them in a whisper. Lord Comstock opened the gates and let the snake men invade. Sir Sherwood and King Jeffery were supposedly killed in the invasion. Betty and her Heart-Quill are horrified. How could that happen? Scott had his men. He was overwhelmed, C.J softly explains. His men were out searching for Pavla, and he had little protection left at the castle. Betty doesn't believe him, even as he takes the ladies and their mounts through the silent gates and into a quiet, motionless town...

Finished the night with a late Match Game marathon. Handsome Robert Walden was playing a cocky young reporter on the drama Lou Grant when he first turned up on Match Game late in 1978. He had once been a pupil of Charles Nelson Reilly, and Brett Somers certainly had no problems ogling him either. Neither did Patty Duke when she ended up wrapped in his sweater after he stripped it off once. He was there for the infamous syndicated episode where the contestant Ginger gave an extremely strange answer for what a jock caterpillar buys, and he was the one who had to answer her when she gave an even weirder answer for "Cuckoo __" in the Head to Head. His most memorable nighttime appearance pit a handsome Naval officer against a pretty young Israeli woman who didn't seem to grasp the language very well. Marcia Wallace was much happier to match an unusual answer for "He's So __" in another memorable Head-to-Head. 

Go "cuckoo" for this disco-era hunk turned dedicated reporter in these hilarious episodes!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Robert Walden On the Panel