Heating Up Independence Day

Began the morning with the 4th of July selections from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. The big pieces here are a chapter from Little Town on the Prairie that has Carrie, Laura, and their pa enjoying lemonade and a pony cart race at their growing little town and The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. There was also the first part of the Constitution and several smaller poems on independence and fireworks.

Started Ben & Me during a quick breakfast. The "me" in this case is Amos Mouse, who helped Benjamin Franklin create some of his greatest inventions, from the Franklin Stove to the Pennsylvania Gazette. Amos thinks Ben's gone too far after he has him ride in that famous electrifying kite and leaves. He begs Amos to come back during the American Revolution and help him out again. Their agreement to no more tricks becomes the basis of the Declaration of Independence. 

Thank heavens Oaklyn pushed their parade back to 9 AM today. I wouldn't have seen it if it stayed at 10. Even at 8:50, it was already steamy and in the 90's. I dropped Finley's birthday gift off at Rose's house, then got a free cotton candy water ice from Yummies Palace's cart and free red, white, and blue beads from the Oaklyn Civic Association. A little boy who was already dripping sweat handed me a 250th anniversary America flag. 

Thankfully, the parade was more-or-less on time. The cardboard boat with a Jaws theme won first place. I liked the group dressed as butterflies the best. There was only one other kid next to me, jumping out to gather the tons of candy all of the baseball teams and various groups threw. I gave some of my candy to the little kids in wagons behind me, some of it to him, and still had tons of Mamba, Tootsie Roll Fruit Chews, and Dum Dums lollipops leftover to share with Lauren when she visits. 

Oh, and I ran into Rose and Finley towards the end of the parade. No, they weren't doing anything today. Rose was sending the kids to have a barbecue with their father at his mother's house, and she just wanted to rest. I pointed them towards the Civic Association's booth with Hot dogs, mini bags of chips and Cheetos, and baby pools filled with ice, soda, and water. 

Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House to get a cool treat. The line for drinks was long, but it moved fast. I got a Peaches and Cream Lemonade. Peach syrup with very tart lemonade topped with foam. Not bad, though that lemonade was very, very puckering!

Finished Ben & Me after I got in, then switched to classic shorts while I got dressed for work. "Patriotic Popeye" tries to keep his nephews from setting off balloons, until they end up being carried into the sky by one, and he needs spinach to intervene. "Donald's Failed Fourth" has Donald trying to set up for a picnic with Daisy in front of the fireworks, but the blanket and chairs won't cooperate.

Called Uber after the cartoons ended. It was just too hot to ride my bike. To my surprise, it only took me 7 minutes to get a ride. I figured it would be much longer on a very hot major holiday. It took me 9 minutes to get a ride home. No problems or traffic either way.

Work could have been a lot worse. It got crazy around noon and was picking up again when I left at 5, but the in between wasn't really that bad. I did spend most of the time outside pushing carts, but I had help from one of the college boys (who did most of the sweeping), and I went in for water when I got too hot. I was in and out with no trouble. 

Listened to A Musical Souvenir of America On Parade when I got home. Yes, this was the music from Disney's big Bicentennial parade at the parks in 1975 and 1976. The songs are mostly instrumental versions of traditional American tunes like "Turkey In the Straw," "O Susannah," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and "I've Been Working On the Railroad," but somehow "Animal Crackers In My Soup" slips in there towards the end...and Disney being Disney couldn't resist including "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." 

Finished the night on YouTube after a shower. The owner of the Match Game Productions channel did something different and showed us how other game shows celebrated the 4th of July. One show actually started on the 4th, the 1988 Family Feud with Ray Combs. Press Your Luck had Whammies setting off fireworks and snatching cash in 1985. Markie Post and Richard Shannon (with hair!) played each other on Super Password in 1986 just prior to Post joining Night Court (and even obliquely mentioned it on the episode). A patriotic episode of Price Is Right from 1975, just a few months before they expanded to an hour, had a Bicentennial salute to George M. Cohen as one of the Showcases. 

Classic Concentration was the only show to decorate for the occasion, offering flags everywhere, a trip to Washington DC, a paper mache George Washington, red, white, and blue cars to choose from, and Canadian Alex Trebek in an American flag tie. Things were more normal on 4th of July episodes of the Richard Dawson Family Feud, other than a few picnic-related questions. Susan Richardson and Wesley Eure did battle on Password Plus. The first 4th of July on Body Language had Betty White simply being outplayed by lanky Ed Begley Jr. Lisa Benet had more luck against Jason Bateman during their teen month the next year, while Kennedy set off sparklers. The Bob Eubanks Card Sharks introduced a new bonus round, while Jim Perry dealt with some pretty unique contestants, including a very funny old man named Ed, in his earlier version from 1979 and 1980. 

Celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary game show style in these hilariously patriotic tributes!

Saturday Game Show Classics - 4th of July Game Show Marathon

Called Mom during the marathon to wish her a happy 4th. She was enjoying hers in pretty much the same way, watching Ken Burns documentaries on PBS with Keefe. Keefe's wife Julia took their children to visit her family, so they were relishing the peace and quiet. They hadn't done much today, but Keefe did take Mom to his favorite restaurant earlier in the week. 

Oh, and there were no fireworks this year. Not only was it too hot, but there were some pretty bad storms later in the evening. That didn't stop people from setting off their own fireworks, including a beautiful display of sparkling green and pink just a few houses down from here on East Clinton.

Here's hoping your 4th of July was just as much fun...and a lot cooler. 

Heartbreak All Over the World

I heard the phone before I could even have breakfast. It was Tony Sanson, the loan officer from PNC Bank. Yes, he was the same man who told me last year my debt-to-ratio income wasn't enough and I should wait two years for the market to cool off...and yes, he said pretty much the same thing today. Even though I work hard, have an almost 800 credit score and no debt, I just don't make enough for their ratios. They would not give me a loan. I've been with PNC for 20 years, since 2006, never had a single problem with them, and they wouldn't give me a loan.

I was furious and heartbroken after that. Put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus during breakfast to make myself feel better. Everyone is looking forward to the "Clubhouse Carnival," especially the new ride The Mouseke-slide. They're about to get on when Donald realizes he's missing his toy lion Sparky. They end up searching all over the Carnival to find him.

After that, I worked online a little, then called Alyssa at Camden County again. I still hadn't heard from her. I finally got her today...and she said she couldn't help me. Gave me the same jabber about ratios that Tony Sanson did. At least he got back to me within 24 hours and told me that. I've called her three times in three weeks, and this is the first time I actually heard from her. I hung up on her when she gave me "have a nice day." 

Tried to calm down with some Bowery Boys on Tubi. Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) are dealing with Blonde Dynomite when they convince ice cream shop owner Louie Dumbrowski (Bernard Gorcey) to take a vacation in Coney Island with his wife (Jody Gilbert). They open up an escort service with the help of the other Boys, but most of the ladies they end up escorting are demanding older dowagers. They're ready to quit when four gorgeous ladies turn up, asking for dates. They think they're really interested, but they're actually gun molls who are distracting them while their real boyfriends dig from Louie's into the next-door bank. Their friend Gabe (Gabriel Dell) was threatened with revealing he lost $5,000 to one of the molls if he didn't give them the combination. Sach thinks they're digging for uranium...and it turns out they're more likely to find ore than a bank...

I was so frustrated and angry and fed up and bored, I left for the Thomas Sharp School early. My first stop was the Oaklyn post office. I needed to drop off the Mother's Day card and buy stamps. The very sweet lady behind the counter helped me pick some very pretty stamps with sunflowers on them.

Had lunch at Crust N' Cravings on Collings Avenue in West Collingswood. Most people were eating outside on a gorgeous day, but I needed to think. Enjoyed a slice of cheese, a slice of broccoli-tomato, and a Fresca while listening to the NBC News Now channel.

Went straight to the school after lunch. I forgot today was Tuesday. Not only were the kids in the library because the music class was in the cafeteria, but they had been in the library earlier, and all of the tables and chairs were pushed in the back. The 23 kids were sitting on the floor. They were all pretty antsy, including in the bathrooms. One of the 10 kids at my table just walked off without waiting for the rest of us. She's not supposed to do that. Another boy threw a fit during lunch because his best friend was sick and hadn't come today. He walked out, probably to look for him, but I nudged him back. At least I got hugs from two of the girls, and one girl gave me her donut artwork. 

I'm glad we got out early to the playground again. The kids were crazy - in the cafeteria, in the bathrooms. One of the boys walked off from the bathrooms without permission. Several kids kept calling each other names or fighting over the one multi-colored pencil (that I had to throw away anyway because I couldn't sharpen it anymore). When we got out, the kids first gathered around the fence, hoping to get ice cream from the Mr. Softee truck. When it became apparent that Mr. Softee wasn't stopping, they crowded around an older boy eating his snack under the big old tree. Some of them tried to grab their snacks, but they're not really supposed to be eating outside.

They finally got on the swings around 4:30. I had a rather interesting conversation with one of the boys on the swings. He was swinging slowly and lightly, while the girl on the other swing was going high and fast. He wondered why the girl was going so fast. I told him some people go fast, and some people go slow. Some people go high, and some go low, and it's ok. Everyone moves at their own speed. We listened to "Bad," "Uptown Funk," "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride," the theme from PJ Masks, and songs from Trolls, Moana, The Lion King, Aladdin, and KPop Demon Hunters. There were four younger kids left when we took them around to the blacktop to play with the eight older kids. I finished shortly after.

Hurried straight home and had just enough time to take the trash out before Jessa picked me up at a little after 6. We had a small argument over my having lost housing and what I should do next. She suggested getting on the Section 8 waiting list or getting on a waiting list for a retirement community I'll be able to move into when I'm of retirement age. I'm not doing either. I want to get out of the attic as soon as possible, not when some waiting list says I'm ready, and not when I retire, either.

She took us into Merchantville to celebrate Cinco Del Mayo with dinner at Avocado Fiesta Grill, the restaurant next to the little convenience store on Park Avenue. They're a relatively small hole-in-the-wall place with bright striped vinyl tablecloths and a huge, pretty painting of Mexico City on the walls. She had the Al Pastor pork sandwich. I had the Pollo chicken and cheese quesadilla. They were amazing. Her sandwich was huge. My quesadilla was filled with tons of cheese and big chicken pieces, and there was shredded lettuce with crumbled soft, sweet cheese on the side.

They did have desserts, but they got really busy while we were eating. We thought we'd be better off going elsewhere. I suggested Scoop DeVille in Westmont. She had a small blueberry cheesecake frozen yogurt. I had a small pancake shake. They were really busy too, so we sat outside and enjoyed our treats in the gorgeous, warm, sunny, windy weather. She said her frozen yogurt was really tasty, with lots of big graham cracker and cheesecake pieces mixed into the yogurt. The pancake shake did taste like pancake syrup with crunchy bits, which meant it was good, but really sweet.

Finished the night with Murder She Wrote after a shower. Two critics, one known for being sarcastic and bitter, the other for being respectful but honest, get into an argument right before the opening of a Broadway play that is an adaption of one of Jessica's books, written by an old student of hers. Their reviews become a "Deadpan" when one gives the rather bad show an uncharacteristic rave review, only for the other to be found over him, holding the murder weapon. Jessica at first sets out to prove he didn't do it...but when the show's author is accused of being the killer, Jessica begins to wonder if maybe they were right about the killer from the first after all. 

Rock In the Rain

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Little Bear and the Wind" is nervous about the sounds the wind makes. Mother Bear tells him a story about his fisher-bear father confronting a wild wind in a storm until he feels better. Grandfather Bear tells Little Bear "The Goblin Story" about a goblin who was frightened of something behind him when Little Bear fibs about eating blueberries and says a goblin did it. Little Bear is working on a marble rolling contraption with his grandparents. He claims he's "Not Tired," in order to finish it, but it sure looks like he's passed out to the adults...

Called Uber after the cartoon ended and I finished eating. I got an AMC Theaters gift card for my birthday. I wanted to use it to see Michael, but the only morning showings on a Wednesday were at the AMC Deptford 8. The driver going to Deptford arrived in 10 minutes. The one going home came in 8. No traffic, a bit surprised given there's supposed to be road work going on near the entrance to Deptford.

Got there just in time for the commercials. Most of the ones I saw today weren't nearly as interesting as the ones in front of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I did see the previous Spider Man Marvel films in the theater, but in all honesty, I'm not that big of a fan. I might check out Spider Man: Brand New Day if I'm bored in late July. My sisters and I used to play the Mortal Kombat games when we could sneak them past Mom, but I'm not all that interested in seeing a movie version. Is God Is looks more like something I'd catch on streaming some afternoon or in the evening after Match Game. I'm not a horror fan, and I certainly see no reason to reboot the Scary Movie series. No interest in more Hunger Games, either. I never did get around to watching The Mandelorian, and I have no desire to jump back into the Star Wars fray, no matter how impossibly cute Grogu is. 

As for Michael, I'll go further into the just-released biography of Michael Jackson tomorrow night on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Had a quick tuna salad wrap when I got home and watched Bluey. The girls are disappointed when they can't get toys from "The Claw," so their parents pretend to be claw machines. Chili gives them toys right away, but Bandit is harder to "work." He's hoping to teach the kids that life isn't fair...but they just end up tickling him until he gives them the unlimited bowls of ice cream block he put in his lap.

Went straight to the Thomas Sharp School after Bluey ended and got there right on time. We had 24 younger kids to start, 10 of them at my table. I'm kind of glad we went last going to the bathroom this time. There were still kids there when I brought them. I just had to wait for stragglers. 

The head of the program circumvented the noise and insanity in the cafeteria by having the kids go out to the playground a half-hour early. It showered slightly when we came out and about a half-hour later, but nothing heavy or that would make anyone melt. The kids were pretty crazy when there were still a lot of them around. One boy got upset when his toy car went missing, then threw said car over the fence. I chatted with one of the older girls while the others called out to kids playing ball on the sidewalk. They were much happier when enough kids went home that they could swing safely without hitting anyone. The head teacher had just taken the remaining 4 kids to the blacktop to play ball games with the remaining 8 older kids when I went home.

Waited for Jessa outside for a half-hour before she finally picked me up. Perfect timing, too. We were on our way to Runnemede when it finally started showering harder. It was coming down at a pretty good clip when Jessa pulled up at the Philly Diner, a lavish chrome diner and sports bar. Jessa said she mainly wanted to go there for their frothy chicken lemon orzo soup, made with whipped eggs instead of cream. She got the soup and a bowl of Caesar salad big enough for the smallest kids in the after-school program to swim in. I had a tasty farmer's omelet - sausage, ham, mushrooms, tomatoes, and peppers - whole wheat toast, and home fries. I only ate half the home fries. I wanted to save room for a big slice of a decadent Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Cake with too-rich cream cheese peanut butter frosting. Jessa had a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

The last time we were in Runnemede, Jessa had wanted to check out Raintree Shopping in the shopping center next to the Acme, but they closed at 7. They still close at 7...but for some reason, they were open when we came. They're basically a smaller version of Ollie's or Ocean State Job Lots, overstocks and slightly used stuff for prices that, frankly, could have been cheaper. I did find two Care Bears I'd never heard of. I went with Friends Forever Bear, with her joined heart and swirly psychedelic colors. I'll dial her name down to the much simpler Groovy Bear. (I also saw an equally psychedelic Care Bear, Good Vibes Bear, who had a tummy symbol that resembled the logo of the Grateful Dead.) I don't think Jess got anything at Raintree, but she did get beaded flamingo fringe (she loves all things flamingo from growing up in Florida) at Dollar Tree. I got a 4th of July tinsel garland and a frame for the card one of the kids gave me on my birthday.

(Oh, and it continued to rain all through that trip, and during the ride home. It's showered hard, sometimes with thunder, off and on for the rest of the night.)

I finished the night with the second disc from The Essential Michael Jackson. Michael ends in 1988, conveniently before he started to be known more for his eccentric behavior than his music. It may have made his family feel better to stop there, but...those were the years I remember best. In fact, my favorite Jackson songs, "Smooth Criminal," "Black and White," "The Way You Make Me Feel," and "You are Not Alone" are all from later in his career, when he was somewhere between being a near-saint and a freak show. 

I almost literally grew up with Jackson's music. Off the Wall debuted four months after I was born. Thriller was one of the first albums I remember listening to constantly, and it was one of the first records I bought after Dad gave me the record player/CD combo for my birthday in April 2006. I'm pretty sure we also had Off the Wall on record. I know my family owned Bad on cassette, because I listened to that a lot, too. Dangerous was one of the first CDs anyone in my family ever owned. 

In the Spring Sunshine

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Duck, Babysitter" finds herself taking care of three little ducklings while joining Little Bear, Emily, and the others on a picnic. When one duckling goes missing, Duck's friends help her find him. Grandmother and Grandfather Bear are looking forward to dancing at their 50th anniversary. "Little Bear's Band" provides the music after the record player breaks down. Emily is disappointed that she has to go home for the school year, so the others invite her along for one last adventure at "Hop Frog Pond." They ride down mud slides with otters and go swimming with frogs.

Switched to Aerosmith after the cartoon ended as I went through the drawer in the big side table in the main room I use for small things, like string and various forms of tape. I'm mostly clearing out all of the junk I picked up from those job fairs in 2023 and 2024 that I don't really need. Cleared out a few records I didn't want or were badly scratched. 

As for Aerosmith, Rock In a Hard Place went through a troubled production that saw at least two members of the band depart and Steven Tyler getting into hard drugs. Not to mention, their form of hard rock was considered passe in the early 80's. They still managed to put out some quality songs, including "Lightning Strikes" and a decent version of "Cry Me a River."

Called Uber after the record ended. The two bags of donations were too huge to carry on my bike. The driver, to my shock, arrived in 2 minutes! I got him to take me around the back of the Goodwill building. There was a gentleman going through the donations in the back who helped me get the bags into the boxes. 

I didn't really need anything at Goodwill, but I did need underwear. There was a small problem. I had no idea that sometime between January and late March, Lane Bryant closed. To tell the truth, I didn't often see people in there anyway, but I was hoping they'd hold out. Darn it, and I really needed new underwear. I ended up getting Laura Ashley underwear at Marshalls. I hope they hold up all right. Found a very pretty new offline journal on clearance there too when the Winnie the Pooh-themed one I'm currently using ends.

Walked back to the Acme to get water and call Uber. Of course, this time, it took 12 minutes for them to show up. Of course, I wound up being five minutes late to the Thomas Sharp School.

Definitely not a good thing. The head teacher was reading a book to the younger kids in the library when I arrived. The Tuesday music class had run overtime in the cafeteria. At least the 9 kids who usually are at my table weren't too bad. They were noisy in the bathrooms, and two of the girls took forever, but I did get them lined up afterwards. Which is more than I could say for snack time. There were 22 kids all together today, and they were all noisy and wild. One boy spilled his water bottle. One of the girls spit up her oranges. (I took her to the bathroom later, and she was fine. She ran around with the other kids later on. She must have eaten her snack too fast.) The kids were all screaming, yelling, and tattling.

It didn't help that we're still short-handed. Two teachers called out. One couldn't come until 3:30. One teacher is still out with broken ribs. The head teacher had to go back and forth between the older and the younger kids. At least more than half the kids were picked up in the cafeteria. We didn't take a huge group outside.

The kids were much happier once we got them out. They chased each other and yelled to the Mr. Softee truck down the street, trying to get him to come close to the school. (He didn't.) By 4:30, we were down to about 8 kids, enough that they could go on the swings. They love it when I push them! Hauling all those carts around is good for something. The others happily danced to "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, songs from Moana 2, and "The Big Pink Tiger Hunt." 

At 5, we moved the remaining 4 kids to the blacktop to play ball games with the 7 remaining older children. I gently tossed a yellow Nerf football with one of the youngest girls until it was time for me to go. (In fact, she left as I did. I think there might have been one younger kid left when Uber finally picked me up 12 minutes later.)

At least it was a gorgeous day for all of this! It was really too nice to have them inside. It was sunny and in the lower 50's-upper 60's, still a little on the breezy side but nothing like yesterday. Couldn't have been a nicer day in mid-April, especially after the crazy heat last week.

Jessa picked me up at 6 to eat out. The Westmont finally opened for dinner shortly after Easter, so we ate there. I'm glad Jessa suggested staying close to home this time. She had a tuna melt that was huge, drowning in Swiss cheese. I had a Greek chicken wrap. We both had slender, crispy fries and pepper pot cheese steak egg rolls - enormous fried wraps with spicy cheesesteak filling. My slice of chocolate cake was bigger than some of the younger kids in the after-school program, while her slab of pecan shortbread bar could pass for a life raft if the building sank. Needless to say, we took most of both home. She took home part of the tuna melt and the last cheese steak egg roll, too. 

Finished the night at home with The Love Boat. "Zeke and Zelda" (Milton Berle and Martha Raye) are old vaudevillians who sneak aboard the Pacific Princess rather than face eviction. They pass themselves off as a fussy millionaire (Herb Edleman) and his whiny wife (Elinor Donahue), but Zelda has second thoughts about the deception. Sex Ed teacher Emily Parker (Susan Richardson) says "Teach Me Tonight" when the author of the trashy novel she's reading Michael Scott (Daryl Anderson) asks her to edit his next romantic epic. "He's My Brother" says Doc when he finally manages to connect with his resentful brother (Jack Bannon) and his lovely wife (Elaine Joyce)...but his brother has alternate reasons for wanting to finally talk to him after resenting his going to college. 

Birthday Lady's Blues

Began my birthday with breakfast and The Yogi Bear Show. Kellogg's wants "Yogi's Birthday Party" to be a huge TV special with all his friends. Ranger Smith tells Yogi it's going to be one of the variety specials that were popular in the 60's and 70's. Yogi takes lessons (from thinly veiled spoofs of then-popular entertainers), but takes off when he discovers he's not more talented than the average bear. It takes a picnic basket to lure him back and reveal it's a show with all the Hanna-Barbara funny animals who had been created up to the early 60's.

Switched to Paw Patrol while making the bed (and removing several blankets it's now too hot for). "The Pups' Great Race" will be all around Adventure Bay. They're sure one of them will win...but when they're called to rescue Mayor Goodway after her hot air balloon flies away, it's Alex on his trike who proves slow and steady does win the race. "The Pups Take the Cake" when they help Mr. Porter replace the cake he burned and make the perfect edible recreation of their Lookout Tower that will beat Mayor Humdinger's entry in the Tall Cake Contest.

Headed out after the cartoon ended. Originally, my first stop was Peak Secondhand, a new thrift shop in Audubon, but I forgot they don't open until noon on Tuesdays. I was there a little after 11. I didn't want to hang around, so I dodged traffic going across Audubon and down Nicholson and Cuthbert to Westmont. At least it was a nice day for a ride. It was sunny, breezy, and humid even at 11:30, already in the upper 70's-lower 80's. 

When I got into Westmont, I first went across the street to Samaritan Thrift, but they didn't have anything that interested me. Stopped at Koupa Espresso Bar for an iced drink when I went back across Haddon Avenue. Had a Chai Cherry Latte. Oooh, spicy and very sweet...and very cherry! I downed that pretty fast. They were pretty busy for almost noon, mainly with people getting drinks and reading their phones.

Phidelity Records down the block had a lot more of interest. In fact, I found two out of four of what I picked up right away in the New Arrivals bins. The others came out of the $2 bins or were in CDs and DVDs: 

Bette Midler - Broken Blossoms (Which it turns out I already have - I'll donate it to Goodwill.)

The 1977 K-Tel collection Stars

A Peter Pan Superman book and record set from 1978 with the stories "The Myzptlk-Up Menace" and "Alien Creatures"

The Who - Hooligans (2-disc greatest hits collection)

The one CD was Carole King's Greatest Hits. (Which I also already have and will also be donated.)

The DVD was the 1959 Lil' Abner, which means yes, I'll be reviewing that on the Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog sometime in the next few months. I've had the original cast album since college, but I haven't seen the movie.

Rode down to Collingwood for lunch. Made up for the line at Sabrina's Cafe on Easter by having them for my birthday...and boy, am I glad I did! The lemon-raspberry poppyseed pancakes off their seasonal menu were incredible, soft and swirled with raspberry lemon cream. The turkey bacon was a little more limp than the Westmont's thick bacon...but probably a lot better for me. I washed it down with a tart (and much-needed) lemonade. They were busy, but not so much that I couldn't get a table in the back.

Walked around in Collingswood for a little while after I ate. I didn't linger too long here. Not only was it past 1 PM, but a lot of Collingswood stores are closed on Tuesday. Collingswood is holding their big Green Festival on Saturday, too, and it's also Record Store Day. I'll hold off on Innergroove until Saturday, but I did pick up a few things from Collingswood Music:

Two vintage children's albums, Strawberry Shortcake's Exercise and Fun Album and Sesame Street Happy Birthday! (Not only did the Sesame Street album have the wrong record in it, but it was badly scratched. It goes in the donation bags.)

Beach Boys - Smile (I think it's a bootleg, but it has two of the Beach Boys' best songs, "Heroes and Villains" and "Good Vibrations.")

I heard my phone go off when I was in Collingswood Music. I called it back when I got outside. It was Allyssa from Camden County, telling me she was having trouble getting me through that loan. They don't count the Healthy Kids job because I've been there slightly less than a year, and I don't make enough at the Acme job to pay for a loan. That really hurt. I assumed that getting a second job, and one that I loved, would be enough. I feel like nothing I do will ever be enough for these people. She said she'd keep trying, but I was bitterly disappointed when I headed across the street and back to my bike. It was late, and I had to dodge kids coming out of Collingswood High School. I ended up being five minutes late to Thomas Sharp.

I felt much better when I arrived and got settled in with the kids. I had many happy birthday greetings, from kids and adults. One cherubic little miss gave me a bag with candy, a fruit bar (which I appreciated - I forgot a snack), rubber bracelets, and a card she drew herself of her and me together. (I think her parents wrote "Happy Birthday." They have very nice printing.) Later on, one of the boys gave me his own artwork. 

We started off in the library due to the music class taking place in the cafeteria. I'm glad I took my 10 kids to the bathroom first. They were all antsy, though they generally weren't that rowdy. They were better once they had their snacks and a lot of water. We waited a little while until the big kids were outside before we took the little ones out. It was beautiful, but so hot! Most of them either looked for ants or people walking dogs under the big shady trees or hung out in the shade of the slide equipment. Those who ventured into the sun danced to "Sharks In the Water," "The Big Pink Tiger," the theme from Bluey, "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "Pink Pony Club," and songs from Moana 2 and KPop Demon Hunters.

Jessa's car has a bike rack, so she said she would pick me and my bike up at the school. What she didn't add was Mike was with her again. I was once again very disappointed. I was hoping we could spend time together on my birthday. Don't get me wrong, Mike is a nice guy. He's funny and he tells good stories...but I was hoping it could be just the two of us. He did pay for dinner at Carraba's Italian Grill in Maple Shade, which was pretty pricey. I had ravioli stuffed with chicken, spinach, and cheese. Jessa had grilled chicken in a wine sauce with broccoli and mashed potatoes. Mike had chicken Parmesan with mashed potatoes. We all had salads. They had Caesar. I had the "house," lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage in a creamy dressing (with olives and banana peppers that I picked out). I had a tasty peach-blackberry fold over tart for dessert.

Finished the night listening to old favorites from my childhood and teen years. I've had The Wild, the Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle on CD for so long, I forget when I got it now. I think Mom may have had the LP when I was a kid. This and Greetings from Asbury Park always hit the hardest of Bruce Springsteen's albums because...what he's describing was my world, from the time I was born through my college years. "The E-Street Shuffle," "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," "Incident on 57th Street," "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"...that's the Jersey Shore I remember. There's a reason Springsteen is called "the Boss" in his native New Jersey. Even though he's from further north (and I believe still lives up there) and Cape May and Wildwood were in largely better shape than Asbury Park in the 70's and 80's, it still sounds and practically smells like my childhood and adolescent memories.

Elton John's Greatest Hits Vol. III features the John songs I grew up with. "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" and "Little Jeannie" used to play constantly on the jukebox at the Ugly Mug in Cape May during the 80's. "Mama Can't Buy You Love," "Sad Song (Say So Much)," "Empty Garden," and "Blue Eyes" were heard constantly on the radio. I think it's hilarious that the kids seem to have fallen in love with Taran Egerton's recording of "I'm Still Standing," given that came out around the time I was their age and I loved it just as much. 

Night of the Mario Galaxy

I overslept and had just enough time this morning before my dental appointment to eat a quick breakfast, dress, and take a call from Alyssa at Camden County. I wasn't able to get the First Time Buyers loan. You need two lines of credit, and though my credit is about as good as you can get, I only have one credit card. I've also only had the second Healthy Kids job for almost a year. Even though I've been at the Acme for 27 years, they don't count Healthy Kids. She said she'll apply me to a less-stringent loan and see if I can get that. 

By the time I finally called Uber, it was too late. They arrived in 10 minutes, which made me slightly late to my dental appointment. I did better later in the day. It took 9 minutes for the driver going to the Cinemark to arrive, and 8 for the one going home.

My dental appointment did not go well. My back lower left tooth, the one behind where the other one was pulled, has been sore and a little wobbly for weeks. My gums have been a little sore, too. I thought I took care of that problem five years ago! I haven't had so much as a cavity since that last tooth was pulled in June 2023. It was fine the last time I went for a dental appointment in early January. At least they won't be pulling it for another two weeks, and I was able to get the usual cleaning, but it's still scary and frustrating.

I tried to cheer myself up with a spinach and feta omelet and multi grain bagel at the Westmont Bagel Shop. I spent most of the time listening to a group of older women behind me chattering. Bought water and "puffcorn" (popcorn with no hulls) for the movies at Dollar Tree and tried to get money at Target.

After I gave up on the money and decided to just take Uber, I headed to the Cinemark in Somerdale to see The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I missed the showing I originally planned on seeing...but there was another one just 20 minutes after that. I got into that one with five minutes to spare.

For once, almost every commercial before the movie was for something I really wanted to see, or at least thought looked interesting. I'm so glad they're finally putting out the Michael Jackson biography after pushing back the release date at least three times. I will absolutely be catching that at the end of the month to review it for my Musical Dreams blog. Supergirl is a definite yes after I loved Superman last summer. (And it'll give me something to look forward to between the end of the school year and Lauren visiting.) Masters of the Universe looks like they're at least trying to get closer to the original cartoon than the first time MGM attempted to go live-action with that franchise in 1987. We'll see about the unique animated buddy action fantasy Forbidden Island in late September. I may wait for that and the Paw Patrol dinosaur movie to debut online. The only one I likely won't bother with is Minions & Monsters. The commercial was cute, but I never really got into the Minions/Despicable Me franchise. 

I won't go heavily into The Super Mario Galaxy Movie because of spoilers, but...I loved it. I don't have a clue as to what the critics are complaining about. They whined about the last one, too. Maybe they don't like movies being based on video games. Chris Pratt was much better as Mario, Donald Glover was a surprisingly perfect Yoshi, and Benny Safdie was hilarious and even touching as Bowser's devoted son Junior. In fact, I love how they handled the relationship between Bowser and Junior. Bowser may be a lousy emperor, but he is a great single dad. If anything, Princess Peach (Anya Joy-Taylor) was even more awesome here than in the first movie, reminding me of why she's been my first-choice character whenever she was playable for 40 years. 

It's still no masterpiece. Some sequences, like the short bit with the Bee Queen and the one with Yoshi and the babies on the dinosaur planet, don't really move the plot along and seem shoehorned in to add more references to other Nintendo games. They crowd out characters like Fox McCloud of Star Fox and Rosalina whom you wish got more screen time. Some of the action set pieces go on for way too long, and a lot of the references may only land if you've been a hard-core Nintendo nut for the past 40 years. 

All in all, I say completely disregard whatever you've heard about this and go check it out, especially if you or your kids are Mario fans. It may not be a perfect galaxy, but it's still a lot of fun to explore.

Headed up the hill to Wal Mart after the movie ended, if only to enjoy the gorgeous day. It was windy, but sunny and relatively warm when you could get out of that cold wind, probably in the mid-upper 50's. I was hoping to find The Super Mario Galaxy Movie soundtrack there, but though they have restocked their record collection since last year, the soundtrack won't be out on physical media until later this year. I just picked up a few bits and pieces I needed instead, including a new dry erase board, granola bars, the Shirley Temple flavor of Olipop that I've seen nowhere else, and their soft and tasty breakfast cookies. 

I got home with just enough time to take out the trash and check something online before Jessa arrived. We ended up back at a surprisingly busy Ponzio's. Their back dining area was closed. I wonder if they were having a party later that evening? Some seats at the counter were closed, too. At any rate, we still had a wonderful dinner. Jessa's Double Decker Turkey Club was so huge, it was more like an 18-Decker. My chicken wrap was delicious, with lettuce, roasted bell peppers, fresh mozzarella, and lots of pesto mayonnaise. She took a slice of chocolate fudge cake home to Mike, but I did eat the vanilla buttercream cake slice right there. Oh yummy. Perfectly sweet, moist, and buttery. The waitress said they were out of a lot of desserts. I'm guessing the cheesecakes and pies and tarts were the first to go, because they seemed to have plenty of cakes and cookies.

Took a shower, then finished the night with The Wild Wild West. James West and Artemis Gordon investigate "The Night of the Beast" (aka "The Night of the Simian Terror") when they hear about a giant ape wrecking havoc on Senator Seth Buckley's (Dabbs Greer) plantation. His terrified ward Naomi (Grace Gaynor) and son Benjamin (Felice Orlandi) are more concerned about being the last of the Buckleys...and that someone has been picking off the Buckleys one by one. The ape had once been controlled by a scientist, but someone else, someone connected to Buckley, seems to be in charge of "the beast" now...and is using him to extract his revenge on the entire Buckley clan. 

Oh, and American Girl just re-released the first 8 historical dolls - Molly, Samantha, Kirsten, Felicity, Addy, Josefina, Kaya, and Kit - in limited edition versions, with their original meet outfits, accessories, and books. The only one of those dolls I don't have who interests me is Addy, and I could probably adopt one cheaper on eBay, but they're still available if you want them and don't have any of them. (Now if only they'd re-release more of their outfits...or even make new ones...) 

Wet Easter Matches

Actually, I'd only just gotten up when Mom called to wish me a happy Easter. She'd just gotten Play Doh "food" from my brother Keefe's daughter Aurora, who is now three and a half. Apparently, Aurora got a Donut Factory Play Doh set from the Easter Bunny. Mom says Aurora loves donuts! Her father's not doing nearly as well. In addition to his arthritis problems, he's having major trouble with his eyes. He had to have eye surgery that was so new, he was actually a documented case (with his enthusiastic permission) by doctors. He seems to be doing better, even if he can't drive at night anymore. At any rate, he was going to make Easter dinner.

Read Easter selections from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology after I got off with Mom. My favorite material here is "Nino's Easter," about the Easter day of a typical Italian peasant boy and his family and community. Just reading about all the food they eat at the feast after church makes me hungry! No wonder the one boy gorged himself.  "The Country Bunny and the Gold Shoes" trains her little ones so well, they can take care of each other. The senior Easter Bunny is so impressed, he makes her an Easter bunny, too. She's worried she won't be able to bring eggs to a sick boy on an icy mountain, but the Easter Bunny gives her gold shoes to create her own holiday magic. I also read an utterly hilarious short for April Fool's Day that has two boys being run up a tree by a giraffe. They're hoping to give it back to the zoo and get a reward, but the giraffe doesn't make that easy!

Went online briefly after that before Jessa came. Mike was with her. It was still just cloudy and warm when we drove into Collingswood, parking on Haddon Avenue. We got incredibly lucky. We hadn't been at Paloma Restaurant for more than 10 minutes before it started showering heavily. I had the Churro French Toast, two huge raft-sized French toast slices with cinnamon cream, blackberries, strawberries, and bananas. Mike had a chicken quesadilla. He even gave me the last wedge. Jessa had Eggs Benedict. Oh, yum! My French toast was just crispy enough, with huge berries and banana pieces. Mike's Chicken Quesadilla was nice and cheesy and crispy.

We walked up and down Haddon Avenue for an hour, dodging showers and checking out what was open. None of us bought anything at Clutter. I found a lovely folk art-style felt heart ornament at Occasionette, sewn with a flower basket and beads. It was $16, but it reminded me so much of the similar felt Christmas decorations Mom made us in the 90's, I had to buy it. Innergroove was open again after being closed on Easter last year. I don't think Mike and Jess got anything, but I found:

John Denver - Windsong

George Benson - The George Benson Collection

The soundtrack from Sing 2

(I also found Nat King Cole's Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer, but I already have that one. I'll donate it to Goodwill.)

On our way down Haddon, we stopped to admire the shadow boxes in the window of the local newspaper the Retrospect. Each box represented a Collingswood business or landmark. In addition to obvious places like the police and fire station, there were boxes representing the Scottish Rite Auditorium, the Retrospect itself, Kismet Bagels, Flair Dance Studio, and even the water tower. To my surprise, Jessa pointed out that the pre-school children of Thomas Sharp made the shadow boxes this year! I thought some of the photographs of the children in the window looked familiar. I'll have to ask the kids about that when school starts again on the 13th.

Jessa drove me home after we left Innergroove. That rain wasn't stopping, and indeed, it would be off and on for the next few hours. Soon as we got home, I changed and relaxed while watching Easter Parade. I went further into this classic MGM musical with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog back in 2019. 

Happy Easter! - Easter Parade

Switched to Easter records after the movie ended. The soundtrack for It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, like the special itself, is highly underrated. There's some nice, bouncy tracks here, from "Woodstock's Dream" to Marcie inadvertently making "Easter Egg Soup." The bonus David Benoit track "Woodstock's Medley" is well-done, too. (And hey, if we're doing Peanuts special soundtracks, could we get David Benoit's work for the Peanuts in the 90's, too?)

Peter Cottontail - The First Easter Record for Children is just that, Easter and rabbit-themed songs for kids from presumably the mid-late 50's. Gene Autry kicks things off with the title song. He also sings "Sonny the Bunny," "The Funny Little Bunny (With the Powder Puff Tail)," and "Bunny Round-Up Time." Rosemary Clooney handles the ballads and bouncy songs, including "Bunny On the Rainbow" and a lovely version of "Easter Parade." Art Carney gets the comic stories "Flop, Mop, Cotton, and Pete" (Peter Rabbit, that is) and "A Thump, a Twinkle, and a Twitch, or How to Make a Rabbit." 

I started the Walt Disney 1987 Easter parade on YouTube, but moved to the Match Game marathon when that began at 6 during a big ham dinner. There were even more references to rabbits, eggs, or Easter on the show than what turned up yesterday. The first episode to have a rabbit question was the second week with Bob Barker, Della Reece, and the only cast members of The Waltons to appear on any version of the show, Michael Lerned and Richard Thomas. There was one on the 1978 episode where Richard Dawson argued that "Toasted Buns" matched "Warm Buns" (it did not), and the 1973 episode that introduced a hilarious Morey Amsterdam to the panel. By far the most notable episode with a rabbit reference was Charles Nelson Reilly's infamous return to the show in 1975 after being gone for nearly a year. Only Charles would make a grand entrance via wire and a stuffed bird! 

Join the Easter parade of weirdos and enjoy a whole lot of ham with these hilarious episodes!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Easter Sunday Marathon (Easter Part II)

Finished the night with the Walt Disney Easter Parades on YouTube. Ben Vereen joined Joan Lunden in 1987, appearing in the opening "Trolley Song" number himself. One of the things I like about the Easter specials is that they're just lavish enough. They don't get nearly as over the top as the Disney Christmas and Fourth of July parades do. The 50th anniversary of Snow White was the big push that year, along with Disney's Cruise Lines. Alan Thicke chased Mr. Smee and Captain Hook around the cruise ship and to a beach party in the Bahamas, where they danced to a Beach Boys cover group. Regis Phillbin worked the crowd here.

By 1995, the Disney Renaissance was in full swing. There were floats devoted to Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. Philbin joined Lunden in the host's chair this time. Comedians Dave Chappelle and Dave Bruer were the goofballs interviewing viewers on Main Street. The main focus here was on Pocahontas, which would debut that June. Max and Goofy promote A Goofy Movie while grown-ups battle kids at the newly-opened Blizzard Beach, and we get to see bits of the ultra-colorful, ultra-blocky, ultra-90's "Mickey Mania" parade and the new vintage space-themed revamp of Tomorrowland.

Celebrate Easter at Walt Disney World and relive some fond memories of your own with these delightful trips into Disney's past!

1987 Walt Disney World Easter Parade

1995 Walt Disney World Easter Parade

Warm Spring Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Daffy Duck's Easter Special. Daffy is the host and lead character for these three all-original shorts with springtime themes. He dodges an animator's paint brush with a strange sense of humor in the "Duck Amuck"-esque wrap around segments. The first short has him and Sylvester chasing a gold egg. The second pits Daffy against Speedy Gonzalez as Daffy tries to stop Speedy from taking Chocolate Easter bunnies from a factory for the children of his village. Daffy's solo in the third short as he tries to find ways to go north for the spring other than flying.

It was so late when I finally finished eating and dressing, I called Uber. Plus I had a few things I needed to get later in the day. This may not have been the best day for Uber. The one in the morning took 9 minutes to arrive, and I ended up being late for work. The one going home took 15 minutes.

Between it being the beginning of the month and the day before Easter, we were mobbed all day. We're also short-staffed this week. Seven Acme employees, including the head manager and the head bagger, went on vacation this weekend and next week. There were long lines for most of the afternoon. I did have to clean up a broken Mexican soda bottle that put me behind gathering carts, which is probably why they pulled a couple of college boys from cashiering and the self-checkout lane to help me later. Other than the clean-up (which no one told me about - I found it while sweeping), there were no problems whatsoever.

At least the weather was nice for all of this. It was in the 80's, hot, breezy, and sunny for most of the day. It clouded up a little later in the evening before the sun returned, but it was mostly gorgeous. 

I needed a few things after work that I didn't get yesterday. I didn't think I'd have room for the small bottles of Persil laundry detergent that are on a really good sale. (That brand is expensive, but I've heard such good things about it, I want to try it.) Grabbed tulips as an Easter gift for a friend who isn't a fan of sweets. Got Rose her birthday card and Dunkin Donuts gift card...and was able to give them to her right away when she spotted me waiting for the Uber while she was trying to get Pokemon cards for Finley from the Pokemon vending machine. There was a crowd of young men around it at that point, and they weren't leaving. She said she'd try later. 

(Oh, and Rose said she's going to send Finley and Khai to their grandmother's house in Westmont for Easter and will just spend the day resting and cleaning. I'm going out to brunch with Jessa tomorrow instead.)

Listened to my new It's Arbor Day/Charlie Brown's All Stars album when I got home. It's Arbor Day was Vince Guaraldi's last Peanuts special. In fact, he literally died just hours after completing it. It didn't affect the quality of his work. There's some really nice music here with hilarious titles - "Ships Sail Into Arbor," "Young Man's Fancy," "Seeds for Thought," "Sprinkle Your Bird," "Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown." Alas, Charlie Brown's All Stars seems to be the only special whose master audio tapes Craft Recordings hasn't turned up at press time. The music here was taken directly from the special itself, which is why "Charlie Brown's All-Stars!", "Oh Good Grief!", "Surfin' Snoopy," and "Pebble Beach" sound slightly lower in quality than the other Peanuts soundtrack albums. 

Oh, and at this point, I got Easter goodies from a friend and her teen daughter. They gave me chocolate truffle eggs, two Reeces Eggs, and a pretty card with a butterfly on a flower on it. That was so sweet of them!

Watched The Easter Promise next. Addie Mills (Lisa Lucas) is looking forward to coloring Easter eggs with her best friend Cora Sue (Franny Michel) and to the big school dress design show. Addie and her friends are thrilled when Constance Payne (Jean Simmons), a genuine Broadway actress who grew up in Clear River, returns to town. She goes to her home to ask for her autograph, then invites her to judge the style show and have dinner with her family. Neither works out especially well. Constance drinks too much wine when Addie's father James (Jason Robards) constantly criticizes her life choices and turns up at the style show drunk. Addie still manages to talk her into giving acting lessons to her and her friends. That seems to go well, until Constance gets drunk again before the second lesson. Addie's ready to give up, but Grandma (Mildred Natwick) reminds her that you never know what kind of lives people have lived, and everyone deserves a second chance, especially at Easter.

This lovely tale is my favorite of the four Addie Mills movies that ran on CBS between 1972 and 1976. It brings back so many memories of my own childhood Easters, from Addie and her friends reminding me of my sisters and me coloring eggs and giggling together in our bedrooms to the hilarious style show. (I like Cora Sue's peach "Hollywood" dress the best, but Addie's blue and magenta rickrack trimmed dress is cute too...and very Addie!) Jean Simmons is an especially warm and lovely eccentric actress...which makes those drunken binges all the more heartbreaking. My only complaint is I wish they'd filmed on location in Canada like they did for the Christmas and Thanksgiving films; this one looks a tad less authentic. At any rate, this is charming springtime viewing, especially for families with girls Addie's age.

Switched to It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown after the movie ended. Addie and her friends aren't the only ones excited for the holiday tomorrow. The Peanuts are also preparing for Easter in their own ways. Lucy colors and hides her own eggs and pesters Schroeder for gifts. Chuck takes Sally shoe shopping, while Snoopy buys Woodstock a bird house to get him out of the rain. Peppermint Patty and Marcie attempt to color eggs, but Marcie does everything but hard-boil them! Don't bother with all the fuss, says Linus. The Easter Beagle does all that. Sally is quick to remind him of the Great Pumpkin incident at Halloween, but Easter morning brings more than one surprise for the kids!

Moved to YouTube for The Smurfs' Springtime. The Smurfs are also looking forward to Easter. Smurfette is more interested in the cute duckling who thinks she's its mother. Gargamel wants to turn six Smurfs into gold after he steals a magic book from his godfather Balthazar. He puts Mother Nature to sleep, then kidnaps the Smurfs in order to boil them for gold. Papa Smurf knows that if Mother Nature doesn't herald the start of spring soon, it won't start at all...and then Balthazar figures out what's going on and wants in on it. 

Went straight into tonight's Match Game marathon. The show only did one full-on Easter episode in 1975. Fannie and Brett turned up wearing ugly Easter bonnets that somehow migrated onto the heads of Tom Bosley and Gene Rayburn. Other episodes had questions with eggs or rabbits, or were filmed around Easter weekend. Match Game '91 had "Easter __" on the Audience Match in the episode that introduced Ronn Lucas' obnoxious punk puppet Chuck Roast. (Deborah sitting next to him got so fed up with that puppet, she shoved his felt arm into his mouth!)

Other Easter moments were more welcome, like the episodes in 1975 and 1976 where Fannie wore her fried eggs t-shirt. Chuck wasn't the only puppet to turn up around Easter on the show. Kukla and Ollie of Kukla, Fran, and Ollie fame appeared with Eva Gabor and Arte Johnson during a memorable week in 1979. In 1975, Betty White once again managed to roll up Gene's pants legs and socks without him knowing. (You'd think he would have caught on that ages before.) There was also the time in 1978 when we met Earl, the little guy behind the Audience Match board, when he was late with one of the answers.

Celebrate Easter and spring the Match Game way with this adorable marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Easter Marathon 2026 (Part 1)

And here's even more classic Easter specials to watch while the bunny hides the eggs tomorrow!

Buttons and Rusty and the Easter Bunny (A Chucklewood Easter)

A Family Circus Easter

A Claymation Easter

The Fat Albert Easter Special 

Easter Egg Mornin'

Veggie Tales: An Easter Carol

The Pink Panther: The Easter Panther

Thumpkin and the Easter Bunny

The Jack Rabbit Story: Easter Fever

Follow That Bunny!

The Easter Egg

It's Really Truly Spring, Charlie Brown

Began the morning with breakfast and The Bernstein Bears' Easter Surprise. I went further into this 1981 special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog for Easter 2023.

Easter Short Subject Special - The Bernstein Bears' Easter Surprise

Headed out to run errands after the Bears ended. For one thing, it was too gorgeous of a day not to. It was sunny, breezy, and warm as could be, in the upper 70's by noon. I strolled down Johnson and up to the big WaWa on the White Horse Pike to get money for the rent. Tried a Raspberry Chip Smoothie, too. It was delightfully tart and cooling, with real raspberry and chocolate chips mixed in. Stopped at Family Dollar on the way home to get Easter cards (and forgot two - I'll pick them up after work tomorrow). 

Put on Yogi the Easter Bear while I got the cards ready. Ranger Smith is incredibly nervous about this year's Easter Jamboree. The super-tough park commissioner is bringing his grandchildren, and he expects them to have the time of their lives. He's really furious with Yogi when he doesn't act "smarter than the average bear" and eats all the Easter candy. Yogi and Boo Boo go off to find the Easter Bunny so he can replace the lost eggs and candy and end up having to save him from a pair of truly bizarre plastic-obsessed villains who want to replace the Bunny's real eggs with their fake ones.

Watched It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown during lunch and as I got ready for school. Each of the Peanuts crew prepare for spring in their own way, from Peppermint Patty and Marcie's hilarious attempts to color eggs to Sally going shoe shopping and Snoopy getting Woodstock a new birdhouse. Don't bother with all the fuss, says Linus. The Easter Beagle does that. Sally's more than a little skeptical after the Great Pumpkin incident at Halloween, but Easter Sunday brings more than one surprise for the kids!

Despite the nice day, I called Uber for a ride to Thomas Sharp. Jessa was picking me up later. Considering how late I called, I surprisingly got a ride in 6 minutes. I even had a little time to rest in a little garden before I went inside.

Good thing, because it was crazy today. We had 24 kids, 10 at my table. My kids behaved just fine. They all cleaned up this time, and they weren't that bad in the bathrooms. It was after snack time when the trouble started. They were absolutely wild in the cafeteria, running around, screaming, calling each other names and then tattling on each other. Even worse, one of the teachers called out so late, they didn't have time to replace her. It was just the head teacher and me today. The head teacher had to gather a rather large group of them to tell them that name calling isn't nice, tattling is for emergencies, running around and climbing under things is for outside, and they need to remember that we're all in a small space without a lot of room for all of that.

Things went much better once we got outside and the kids were able to enjoy that hot weather. To be honest, it was too hot. It was almost in the 80's by 4 PM on the last day of March. I had to take several kids inside to use the bathroom, and then to fill their water bottles, but they behaved much better when there was only a few of them. When they were on the playground, they happily ran around, looked for tiny pinecones on the ground, and danced to "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, the theme from Bluey, "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" from Lilo and Stitch, "Ghostbusters," and songs from The Little Mermaid, Moana, Tangled, Encanto, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

By 5 PM, we moved the remaining 6 kids to the blacktop to play with the 9 remaining older kids. I stayed slightly longer to help with them, since Jessa didn't arrive until 5:30. They were down to 3 older kids and 2 younger ones when Jessa arrived with a newly cleaned-out car.

We had no idea where we wanted to eat, so we drove around a little. Jessa originally suggested Freddy's, a burger-and-hot-dog fast food chain in Cinnaminson, but we spied something far better behind it. Hibachi Grill and Buffet's enormous size belies its location in a generic shopping center. It was huge and gorgeous in there. The bright center area with the food counters are between rows of warm dining areas hung with Japanese paper umbrellas and separated by graceful wooden trellises. I had sushi, a spring roll, salad, two pan-fried pot stickers (I gave one to Jessa), a meat skewer, coconut shrimp, two steamed mussels, a spring roll, fried rice, a little bit of baked white fish, chicken and broccoli, and for dessert, a slice of white cake with tasty vanilla ice cream.

After we got home, I watched the last episode of Match Game '90, then finished the night with Spring for Strawberry Shortcake. Strawberry is worried that winter is taking much too long to recede. If spring doesn't come soon, she won't be able to plant her berries, Orange Blossom's trees won't bloom, and Ginger Snap won't have grain and eggs to make her delicious cookies. Huckleberry Pie and Custard the Cat are more interested in goofing off than helping. Strawberry, Orange, and Ginger go in search of spring...and learn a lesson about putting duty before pleasure, the importance of spring's place in the calendar year, and that working together not only gets the job done faster, but is a lot more fun. 

It's a Sunshiny Day

Began a late morning with breakfast and Pac Man. Mezmeron gives "The Pac Mummy" a medallion that allows him to control it. Pac Man has to save Pepper and Pac Baby from the Pac Pyramid when the Mummy makes off with them. It's "Nighty Nightmares" for the Ghosts when they accidentally turn their nightmare machine on them and have wacky bad dreams about Pac Man and the other Pac-landers chomping them.

Switched to Murder She Wrote while looking up the website for the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. Private eye Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach) may think "Tough Guys Don't Die," but someone killed his partner when he was out on assignment. He believes it had to do with one of the three cases the guy was working on, but Jessica thinks he's got the wrong one. While he pursues a man who may be two-timing his wife, Jessica looks at a murder who may have had the wrong man arrested and the female editor of a magazine who suddenly retracts her intention of running for public office.

Switched to The First Easter Rabbit while having a really quick lunch and getting ready for work. I went further into this Rankin-Bass special at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in 2023. 

Easter Short Subject Special - The First Easter Rabbit

Thankfully, no trouble getting a ride to the Thomas Sharp School, other than I made the call late and had to pay a bundle for it. At least the guy arrived in 5 minutes, and I got there in plenty of time.

We started with reading two books in the library, since the music class was still using the cafeteria. I had 10 kids today, and they were a little antsy in the bathrooms and waiting in line. I had to remind them not to block the door to the halls. The boiler room is right across from the boys' bathroom, and the custodians have their offices between the two bathrooms. They need to get in. Snack time and playing afterwards was even crazier. One of the girls spilled applesauce on herself, and I did my best to clean up her shirt front. Another one threw colored pencils at me until I got mad and put her in time-out. (Her mother did get her to apologize to me before she left later, and I had a talk with her.)

It was too beautiful outside for anyone to be angry for very long. I'm so glad we spent the rest of the afternoon outside. In fact, after it was down to four younger kids, the remaining older kids joined us on the playground. It couldn't have been a more perfect day in mid-March, mid-upper 50's, sunny, and breezy. I pointed out buds on the trees to the kids, another sign that spring is truly here. They happily chased each other and danced to "The Floor Is Lava" and songs from Frozen, Trolls, Moana 2, and KPop Demon Hunters. They even got on the swings, once their numbers had dwindled enough that fewer people were likely to get hurt around them and there were less of them to argue about who would go first.

Jessa picked me up around 5:30. We had a light dinner at Honeygrow at the Ellisburg Shopping Center in Cherry Hill. I'd been wanting to try that place for ages, but there's so many other restaurants in the area, I'd just never gotten around to it. It's basically the same idea as Cava or Chipolte, only with stir-fry and salad in bowls instead of Mexican or Mediterranean food. Jessa had the Chicken Shawmara and strawberry-guava drink. I had sparkling water and a make-your-own bowl with whole wheat noodles, shrimp, vegetables, and garlic butter sauce. Oh yum! It was a wonderful melding of flavors, perfect after all that running around with the kids.

We had dessert at the Rita's Water Ice on the other side of the shopping center. It was getting a little chilly by the time we finally got down there, which is probably why we were the only ones there. Jessa got a butter pecan cone. I couldn't decide and had a gelati with mint chocolate chip water ice and chocolate ice cream. Since it was getting chilly, we ate our treats in Jessa's car.

Finished the night at home with The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town. I went further into my favorite of the three Rankin-Bass Easter specials at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog way back in April 2019.

The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Tow (plus Here Comes Peter Cottontail)

The Children Wore Green

Top O' the Evenin' to ye! I got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Doc McStuffins. It's a "St. Patrick's Day Dilemma" when Doc's brother accidentally scribbles on her new paper doll Fiona's Irish dance dress. She won't wear anything else to the St. Patrick's Day parade. Doc and the others have to convince her that it's better to change clothes when they've gotten dirty. Doc's new doll Gillian thinks she's too tall to play with the other toys, but she's the one who makes "A Giant Save" when Professor Hootenberg is stuck in a tree and she's the only one who can catch her.

Called Uber shortly after that. Once again, I had a surprisingly easy time getting rides. The driver to West Collingswood came in 4 minutes! The one going home arrived in 7. No trouble or traffic either way.

Since I was a little early, I went for a short walk down Magill Street. Despite the sun, it was cold and blustery, barely in the 40's. It wasn't even that in the shade. I saw a container of water in the deep shadows that was frozen solid! On the other hand, I also saw the first blooming flowers of the season. Beautiful purple and white crocus and tiny white snowdrops were nestled among the green and dry yellow grasses in several sunlit gardens.

Thanks to the cold, the younger kids never went outside today. Almost every kid wore green of some kind - green dresses with shamrock prints, adorable green and black pants outfits trimmed with ruffles, green sweaters, Eagles t-shirts and jerseys. Two of the boys announced that their kindergarten class had captured a leprechaun. They didn't indicate if it was a "real" leprechaun, but they did say he'd left behind a mess of toilet paper and extra treats for them. All of the kids got bags with chocolate coins (most of those were eaten before lunch was over), tiny bubble wands, slap bracelets, and shamrock beaded necklaces. 

Though we started with 26 kids, things were a bit disorganized at first. The kids played wherever they could fit in the cafeteria while the music class finished their rehearsal. The library is being used for parent-teacher conferences this week, so we can't go there. After they left and the kids ate lunch, they colored Healthy Kids paper bags they could use for all that loot. While some continued to draw, I showed two best friends the Storyland Disney anthology book and its gorgeous vintage artwork. (The artwork depicting Donald's less-than-sterling driving skills from "Donald Duck, Prize Driver" was especially popular. Even the older girls thought it was hilarious when I showed them later.) By 4 PM, we were down to three younger kids and six older ones, and another teacher had come to help. I was let go early.

After I got home, I took out the trash, then made Irish Soda Bread. This is extremely easy to make, especially if you do what I did and cut the recipe down to make one loaf, instead of two. All it requires is flour, baking soda, baking powder, a little sugar, buttermilk, an egg, raisins or currants, and butter or shortening to cut into it. Oh yuuuum! I think that good organic buttermilk I got from Sprouts helped, but this was the best Irish Soda Bread I ever made. Dense, chewy, soft, just sweet enough, and it smelled incredible in the oven. 

I got the bread out just before Jessa arrived. We were originally going to celebrate the Westmont (formerly the Westmont Diner) having reopened, but they're only serving breakfast right now. We drove a little further down to the Club Diner in Bellmawr instead. I think we made the right call. They had a big and very Irish St. Patrick's Day menu. She had corned beef, potatoes, and cabbage (and shared some of it with me) with soup. I had Irish Lamb Stew with a rather watery iceberg lettuce salad. The stew came with shredded lamb and big pieces of potato and carrot. She had a slice of carrot cake for dessert. I had Oreo Cake (chocolate cake with vanilla frosting topped with an Oreo cookie). 

Put on Match Game Syndicated when I got home. Fannie Flagg and Lee Merriweather wore their green St. Patrick's Day blouses in the episode I saw. Fred Grandy had to spend the night listening to Charles and Brett complain about the contestants ending up in a tie.

Finished the night with The Quiet Man at Pluto TV. Sean Thornton (John Wayne) has come home to the tiny village of Innisfree in Ireland to buy the cottage that once belonged to his mother and settle down. He falls for spirited Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O'Hara), but her big stubborn brother Will (Victor McLaghlen) is angry Sean got the cottage instead of him and refuses. Father Lonergran (Ward Bond) and matchmaker Michaeleen Flynn (Barry Fitgerald) convince Will that the Widow Tilane (Mildred Natwick) wants to marry him. When she refuses, he gives the bride away, but not her dowry. Mary Kate is furious, even after the townspeople manage to get all of her things but her money. Sean doesn't get it. Money isn't important to him. For Mary Kate, it means her freedom. 

Sean refuses to fight her brother, which leads everyone to think he's a coward. Reverend Playfair (Arthur Shields) is more understanding...but he does encourage Sean to put aside his bad memories and fight for his bride. When Sean finally does confront Will about the money, it leads to a gigantic knock-down, drag out donnybrook that gets so big, half of Ireland come to Innisfree to start taking bets!

This was John Ford's love letter to his own homeland, made in gorgeous Technicolor and shot so glowingly on location, it won a Best Color Cinematography Oscar. Almost every Irish character actor in Hollywood has a delightful time with the hilarious script, especially Bond as the fishing-obsessed Catholic priest and Fitzgerald as the impish and very traditional matchmaker. Highly recommended around St. Patrick's Day, or whenever you're in the mood for O'Hara and Wayne sparring or want a taste of a slightly stereotypical but still lovely Ireland. 

In the Heat of Spring

Began the morning with breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. The crew finds themselves in a "Break Up" when they arrive at Niddler's home island and discover his people are sold as slaves. Ren helps free them, but when they discover the pirate who stole the first treasure and the compass and the slaver are in cahoots, Ren stays behind to help Niddler and his people. Tula and Teron leave on the ship, convinced Ren and Niddler are lost. They were rescued and set out after them, only to be caught by Bloth on the open seas.

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon doing the child care refresher course and the CPR course, both of which were required by Healthy Kids. Thankfully, the refresher course took about an hour. It was the CPR course, which was for adults and kids and was more thorough than the one I did in May, that took forever. I was still working on it when it was time to leave for the Thomas Sharp School. 

Listened to Anderson's Fairy Tales while I worked. This double-CD is a collection of some of Anderson's more fanciful stories. Thankfully, only "The Little Match Girl" is all that depressing, considering what some of his fairy tales can be like. Most of them are adventures like "The Traveling Companion" and "Little Claus and Big Claus," gentle moral tales like "The Ugly Duckling," or slightly more pointed ones like "The Swineherd." Brit Erica Johns provides the soothing narrations.

I hurried downstairs and called Uber soon as I ate a quick lunch. Thank heavens I was able to get a driver in 4 minutes! I arrived only slightly late, nothing like yesterday.

Good thing, too. We had 29 kids today, 9 of them at my table. At least my kids were really good. They weren't too bad in the bathrooms, and most of them came and got their backpacks from the library without being asked. (We started in the library, since the school band was rehearsing in the cafeteria.) Once again, they all wanted to go outside after snack time! 

And who wanted to miss a glorious 80-degree day? It was sunny, breezy, and ridiculously hot for March. Too hot. I kept having to take kids inside to get drinks, when they weren't chasing bubbles or each other or having "no shoes" parties. (We quickly put the kibosh on that one. Mulch was not meant for bare feet.) It was so nice, they were only just going back inside when I went to the other side of the school to wait for Jessa.

Jess finally arrived at 6. We had no idea what to do for dinner and just followed the traffic across Cherry Hill and Pennsauken until she suggested The Melting Pot in Maple Shade. It was a brilliant idea. This dark, modern wood-paneled restaurant specializes in all kinds of fondue. We decided the oil and meat variety would be too much and take too long to cook and settled for Classic Alpine cheese fondue and a dark chocolate fondue for dessert. Oh yuuumm! They made the cheese fondue right at the electric burners on the marble table top. We dipped cubed French bread, chunks of soft pretzels, and sliced vegetables into it. I ordered cubed sausage for some more protein. The dark chocolate fondue came with sliced bananas and strawberries, cubed pound cake, Rice Krispies Treats, and brownies, and bits of chocolate chip cookie bar. Jessa tossed in mini-churros, too. We chatted for so long, we where there almost a half-hour after we finished eating.

When I got home, I finally completed the CPR course, then finished the night listening to the last disc of the Broadway: The American Musical soundtrack. This one kicks off with songs from the huge European rock operas of the 80's and early 90's, including "Memory" from Cats, "Do You Hear the People Sing" from Les Miserables, "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera, and "The American Dream" from Miss Saigon. By the time Glenn Close was singing "With One Look" in the massive Sunset Boulevard, most audiences had started to look for a more homegrown and less bombastic sound. 

La Cage Aux Follies was the first musical with a happy gay couple at its center, and it's anthem "I Am What I Am" spoke for a significant portion of the musical's fan base...even as the AIDS crisis killed off many promising young talents. Smokey Joe's Cafe, Jelly's Last Jam, Movin' Out, and Mamma Mia! were jukebox musicals with infectious, nostalgic numbers like "On Broadway" and "Dancing Queen" getting audiences up and dancing. Hairspray and The Producers proved that smash hit musicals could come from films, with their big chorus numbers like "Good Morning Baltimore" and "I Wanna Be a Producer," while the rock shows Rent and The Boy from Oz introduced promising new talents. At the time the miniseries came out in 2004, the big thing on Broadway was Wicked...and unlike the other shows on this disc, it's still going strong, in New York and London, at press time. Elphaba's big first-act closer "Defying Gravity" is included here. 

Women Run the Games

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel Gets a Shot," and he's nervous about it. His mother encourages him to think of something happy while it's happening. Likewise, when he and O are nervous about the thunder on "A Stormy Day," Mrs. Tiger suggests they think of something happy to distract them from the noise.

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon making the bed and doing the paperwork Healthy Kids gave to me yesterday. I swear I did most of this back in late April-early May, but I guess they never got it. Getting references is going to be the hardest thing to do. I can get one from the Acme, but I have no idea who else could recommend me. The Stockton University Library is in the midst of being remodeled, and I don't think they even have a media center anymore, let alone anyone there who still remembers me. Trying to find anything on that would be a dead end. I haven't had any jobs besides those and Healthy Kids.

Listened to Aerosmith Gold while I worked and as I had lunch. There's a reason I bought this massive two-disc CD set. Pretty much almost every major hit Aerosmith ever had can be found here, from "Let the Music Do the Talking" to a live version of "Dream On." Other familiar hits and favorites include "Permanent Vacation," "Rag Doll," "Dude Looks Like a Lady," "Janie's Got a Gun," "Cryin'," "Crazy," and a live version of "Sweet Emotion."

It had been raining all day, and was still raining when I called Uber. Had no trouble getting a ride there. Got one in 9 minutes and arrived at school ten minutes early. Going home was another matter all together. It wasn't raining by then, but it was still cold, cloudy, and dreary. I wasn't going to spend all day waiting this time and just spent the money. They arrived in 10 minutes, not bad for rush hour.

Between the weather and the cold, the kids are still pretty antsy. There were a lot of them, too, 25 today. Having to start in the library because the school band was rehearsing in the cafeteria didn't help calm them down. They were noisy waiting for the bathrooms in the halls, and the girls in particular took forever there. They were even louder drawing in the cafeteria after snack time, too. When we finally got back to the library, one of the older boys grabbed a bin that should have been holding bristle blocks and insisted on playing "high school" with books and blocks and his own toys. Some of the kids danced to "Ghostbusters" and songs from KPop Demon Hunters and Moana. I colored with the boys drawing rocket ships and trains. They remain fascinated with my artwork for Legendary Tales of WENN, especially when I explained the story to them. 

Once I got home, I took out the trash, then waited for Jessa. We ended up having a much simpler dinner at Ponzio's Restaurant in Cherry Hill. Jessa had the chicken Parmesan sandwich. I had the yummy chicken honey barbecue sandwich with French fried onions, cheddar cheese, fries, and cole slaw. She had the cutest mini strawberry cheesecake topped with a giant glazed strawberry for dessert. I had a deliciously decadent slice of German chocolate cake. Jessa drove us home down a misty-dark King's Highway, through Haddonfield to the White Horse Pike.

Finished the night at YouTube with game shows hosted or produced by women in honor of International Women's Day on Sunday. One of the earliest game shows hosted by a women was Blind Date from 1951. Arlene Francis, who also hosted this proto-Dating Game on radio, introduces a young lady to two eager bachelors and their fathers. She does skits with the fathers to see which of their sons she'd like to date. Cute show, if a little dated, with the way the father's eyes roved over those girls!

Betty White cut her teeth hosting a game show on a week of Password in 1975 where she took over the host's podium and her hubby Allen Ludden played the game. An episode of her hosting week finally turned up a few years ago, allowing us to see how personable and fun she was as a host (and how well Allen could play - he beat the pants off the other celebrity that week, Paul Williams). 

Though Bert Convy hosted the syndicated version of Win, Lose, or Draw, Vicki Lawrence was in charge of the network show. It's too bad I only remember Bert's show and the teen version on The Disney Channel. Lawrence had a lot of fun, here joined by Debbie Reynolds, Loretta Swit, a young Jason Bateman, and one of the show's producers Bert Reynolds.

Lawrence frequently did celebrity game show tournaments, as with her big win on Card Sharks in 1980 and her appearance on an all-star charity episode of The Weakest Link in 2002. No wonder she lasted until the very end, going up against brilliant Ed Begley Jr. Considering how fiercely she challenged stone-cold hostess Anne Robinson, most people were probably afraid to vote her off! Other celebrities in this hilarious battle of the network stars included Davy Jones of The Monkees, Dennis Weaver of McCloud, Nicholle Nicholas of the original Star Trek, Erin Grey from Buck Rogers and Silver Spoons, and Raven-Symone of The Cosby Show (and later of That's So Raven!, which was about to debut on The Disney Channel at that point and is mentioned several times). 

Women became more common as producers around the same time Lawrence was going up against Robinson. Whoopi Goldberg was the driving force behind the 1998 revival of Hollywood Squares. It was her idea, and she took over the center square until 2000. I loved this show in college. I would switch back and forth between Goldberg and Bruce Vilanch cracking jokes and the more cerebral Jeopardy, then stay with Wheel of Fortune. Vilanch and Goldberg are joined in this early episode by Sandra Bernhard, Luke Perry, Robert Klein, and George Wallace, among others. 

Women are far more common as hosts in modern game shows. Elizabeth Banks has been the enthusiastic hostess of the Press Your Luck revival since it began in 2019. She makes up for the lack of Peter Tomarken's goofiness with sheer energy and moxie, especially in the expanded second half with a very long bonus round where one contestant plays against the board.

Who runs the game show world? The ladies do in these hilariously pioneering episodes!

Blind Date (1951)

Password (1975)

Win, Lose, Or Draw (1987)

Hollywood Squares (1998)

The Weakest Link (2002)

The New Press Your Luck (2019)

The Sunny Side of Valentines

Began the morning with breakfast and The Valentine's Day That Almost Wasn't. I go further into this unique 1982 puppet special from later ALF creator Paul Fusco at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Valentine's Short Subject Special - The Valentine's Day That Almost Wasn't

Ran downstairs to catch an Uber before the special ended. I forgot today is a holiday and it's a holiday weekend. It took me two tries to get a driver, and the second one came in 11 minutes. I ended up being late to work. Thankfully, the one I took to Oaklyn only took 7 minutes.

The Acme was insanely busy for most of the day. First of all, it's Valentine's Day. A lot of people were buying flowers, candy, and stuffed toys for their sweethearts and children or big dinners for those they loved. Second, it's not only a holiday weekend, for many workers, this is the last major holiday weekend until May. Third, the weather was gorgeous. It was the nicest day we've had since early January. Sunny and warm, with not a breeze or a cloud to be seen, probably in the upper 40's-lower 50's. I had no help. The head bagger was in a register. They had to get two different male cashiers to do the carts with me at one point. No matter how many I gathered, the carts kept vanishing.

Took Uber into Oaklyn after work instead of going home. I brought the cupcakes for Rose and her family with me and kept them in the refrigerator in the employees' lounge. I got off near her house, and since it looked like she and the kids were probably out at sports or Finley's dance recitals, dropped the bag on her front stoop.

Had a late lunch at a very busy Common Grounds Coffee House. I hadn't eaten there in a while. There were lots of people studying on laptops, or groups of ladies chatting over coffee and muffins. I treated myself to a Vanilla Rose London Fog Tea, a slice of their delicious crumb cake, and a slice of broccoli bacon cheese quiche. Oh yum! They make great crumb cake, with a nice, thick crumb topping, and the tea was just sweet enough.

I strolled home to enjoy the weather, despite my knee still being sore. The snow is finally starting to melt here. I can see ground and grass and sidewalks that haven't shown in weeks, and it's no longer slippery to walk in some places. Other places are still a tiny bit icy and I had to walk around them. We're supposed to get rain and slushy snow later in the weekend. Hopefully, that'll start getting rid of the old snow.

Went straight into Valentine's Day specials when I got in and changed, starting with the Valentine's Day episode of Happy Days. Joanie's thinking "Be My Valentine" when she gets her first real boyfriend and dreams her family and friends into romantic musical situations. Potsie sings "Save the Last Kiss for Me" to his girlfriend while dressed as a Naval officer. Ralph, of course, wants "My Funny Valentine." Chachi says "Thank Heavens for Little Girls" in his idea of a tux-and-cane number. Fonzie recites love poetry to besotted co-eds. Laurie and Richard do a surprisingly good apache dance. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham steal the show with their hilarious recollection "I Remember It Well."

Called my mother while Happy Days was on. She started calling me earlier, then realized I was likely either at work or asleep and ended the call. She was right - she originally called me when I was heading out the door to pick up the Uber to work. She's doing fine. My 3 1/2-year old niece Aurora is in pre-school in her area now. In fact, one of the reasons my brother chose the town where they live is it's in a really good school system. Aurora loves school and loves learning. Mom says she loves the books I sent for Christmas, too, especially the one about being a big sister. 

Bugs Bunny's having an even more complicated Valentine's Day in Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers. An Elmer Fudd-like Cupid spreads love among the Toons, but Bugs insists he's meddling. He's just as good at finding the Tasmanian Devil a mate or keeping Yosemite Sam from pursuing Granny (and her money). Cupid sends a semi-innocent dame after hard-boiled private eye Daffy, French Legionnaire Pepe Le Pew after desert kitty beauty Penelope, and a plump, love-crazed, European-accented bunny after Bugs.

Moved to DTV Valentine next. From 1984 to 1989, Disney rode the wave of the music video craze by creating videos of their own to run between cartoons on their channel, or be strung together in a themed episode. I enjoyed the wide variety of music they used, from jazz standards to the most recent rock hits to their own songs. I first heard Lena Horne's rendition of "Stormy Weather" in a DTV video. Rock hits figure into this hour-long syndicated special. Most of them are more recent, like "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder and "You Give Good Love to Me" by Whitney Houston, but we do get Elvis Presley's "Teddy Bear" accompanied by bits featuring Disney bears like Baloo, Bongo, and Humphery.

Stayed at YouTube to finish the night with tonight's Match Game marathon. Romance abounded on a show where many of the panelists and more than a few contestants were single. Many audience members frequently gived the panelists flowers, too. There was the time Gene held flowers on his microphone to keep it from crackling, or when a woman gave everyone small wrapped roses. Charles went into macho mode, while Richard's was in a pocket and almost hid his face. Fannie once gave Brett a huge arrangement of dead yellow roses as a joke, and she and Lee Merriweather wore rose-print t-shirts. Someone gave Jamie Lee Curtis a rose on a PM episode.

Sometimes, contestants could get a little too amorous. In 1974, a red-haired guy who looked something like a leprechaun in a suit got so excited, he kept trying to kiss Fannie and Brett! Charles and Richard defended their honor (such as it was). On that PM episode, the contestant ended up in Jamie's lap while Brett, Charles, and Richard Paul sang about the Eyes of Texas and Gene showed off his snazzy bright red shoes. 

Give flowers to those you love and celebrate Valentine's Day in all its forms in this adorably loving marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Valentine's Day Marathon (Featuring Hearts, Flowers, and Love)

And here's even more classic Valentine's Day specials for this holiday weekend!

The Popeye Valentine's Day Special: Sweethearts at Sea

The Smurfs: My Smurfy Valentine

The Woody Woodpecker Valentine's Day Special: I'm With Cupid, Stupid

Buttons and Rusty In the Honey Bunch (A Chucklewood Valentine)

For Better or for Worse: A Valentine from the Heart

Cathy's Valentine

A Special Valentine With the Family Circus

From Disney With Love