Undercover Angels

My eyes flew open as my cell phone went off across the room. It was Rose, who was helping Jodie load boxes and bins into the garage. She reminded me I need to start calling apartment buildings as soon as Lauren leaves. There's no guarantee Jodie will be able to convince the new owner to keep me on. I never meant to stay here for longer than two to five years anyway, even if Dad lived. This was intended to be a stopgap measure to get me out of Manor. 

I also understand why Jodie can't keep the house. She's explained it a hundred times. I'm guessing some of the neighbors gave her a hard time about selling. I know it's too big and expensive for two people to keep up with. It wasn't meant for two people. It was meant for large families, like most of the others in this neighborhood.

Cheered myself up with reading and writing in my journal for an hour before joining Lauren for Body Language. This time, Jeff Cohen got the smart girl who got the last-minute tie-breaking puzzle. They just missed the bonus round by one word, though. 

We headed out shortly after that. Called for Uber again, since it worked out well going to Cherry Hill last week. This time, the lady drove a blue car and played this really neat gospel music with a tropical calypso beat. We enjoyed her songs all the way to the Market Place.

She let us off at Land's End. We both made good finds here. I finally picked up two long-sleeved t-shirts in turquoise and burgundy, with the turquoise one on sale. She got shirts for work.

Since we know how busy Chick Fil' A gets and there's apparently no branches near Lauren, we strolled down there next. They're still outdoor seating only. People line up at the counter, and they either take your order there, or a manager takes it with an iPad. Maybe it was just as well. The weather was too nice to eat inside, anyway. We both had frozen lemonades and waffle fries. She had a Spicy Chicken Cutlet; I settled for a simple Grilled Chicken. We enjoyed the sunny day and cool winds at the heavy black metal tables on their side patio.

We were in and out of stores for the next couple of hours. Saw nothing we needed in the Christmas Tree Shoppe or TJ Maxx. I picked up Voltron: The Complete Series from Best Buy and a card to say "hi" to Mom from Hallmark. She bought a few more work shirts and clothes for the pool that would dry fast from Nordstrom Rack. I might see if I can check out Barnes and Noble further later in the fall. Talbots and J.Jill were way too expensive for our budgets. 

Caught the bus in front of Hallmark on Route 70; it was only a few minutes late, not bad for the start of rush hour. No problems on the road here, either, no traffic anywhere. We pulled up at Mulligan's Bar on the White Horse Pike around 4; stopped at WaWa on the way home for a Pepsi Cherry Zero and a Double Mocha cappuccino drink. 

The moment we got home, we changed into bathing suits and outfits and hit the pool. It was chillier than yesterday, but not so much that we couldn't slide in and relax. I have to admit, the pool's been a godsend on this trip. Like I said to Lauren, it's infinitely better to relax in the pool than it was sitting in the Manor Avenue apartment listening to Charlie yell at the dogs. 

After the chilly wind finally blew us inside, we changed into dry clothes. I made my Italian Stove-Top Casserole while we watched Match Game '74. The first one had jokes about what Martians from a deli would invade in as little Jackie Joseph showed off her flowered outfit and headpiece. Ever-laughing Kaye Stevens, Bert Convy of Tattletales, and Cuban blonde Louisa Moritz joined in for the second.

Dinner was ready by the time of Match Game PM. Bernie Koppel, Betty White, and Lee Merriweather join in for the last nighttime episode with the original set. Despite his grumpy mood, Richard Dawson still helped the contestant with "__ Sitter" on the Head-to-Head.

Sale of the Century started off a bit closer than it had been, but a lady pool shark pulled ahead early-on. Her reluctance to purchase Instant Bargains paid off when she blew everyone away at the Speed Round. It netted her and her husband a gift certificate for a leather wardrobe on the Match the Prizes board.

Finished off the night online with hour dramas, beginning with The Love Boat. Gopher and a sci-fi-loving passenger (Tom Smothers) are convinced a seemingly quiet librarian (Helen Reddy) is an "Out of This World" alien, but Issac knows better. A model (Pamela Sue Anderson) who wants peace and quiet learns a lesson from a young man (Barry Van Dyke) when her claims that she's married "Boomerangs" back...and it turns out neither of them are what they claim. "The Captain's Triangle" has him trying to convince the bored wife (Sue Anne Langdon) of a retired captain friend of his (Monty Markham) to stay together, even when she throws herself at him. 

Charlie's Angels also encounter supposed extraterrestrials in the second season episode "Unidentified Flying Angels." A young woman turns up at their headquarters claiming her aunt went missing after attending a meeting where she saw a real UFO. Sabrina passes herself off as a reporter from New York, Bosley as a rich husband and Kris as his ditzy trophy wife, and Kelly as an alien to get to the bottom of this sci-fi mystery. 

Games People Play

After I barely slept at all on Friday night, I desperately needed to sleep in. Didn't get up until almost 11; it was closer to noon before I finally got to making us Banana Pancakes. We watched more Perfect Strangers as we ate. Balki and Larry are "Piano Movers" when Balki talks his cousin into pushing a piano up 10 flights of steps to their friend Lydia's (Belita Moreno) apartment. Not only is Larry concerned about his bad back, but it seems that the piano keeps following them...

We played two games of Othello after the show ended. I found this pristine 1977 edition of the checkers-style strategy game in the pile Jodie intended for Veterans of America back in the winter. I figured Lauren and my nephews would appreciate it more and traded it for a few piles of my own donations. You have black and white chips, and have to place your chip so it turns over the chip to the other color. To my surprise, since I don't usually do very well with checkers and chess, I won both games. Lauren did help me during the first one...but I won the second one, too. 

Went out for a stroll after we finished. We were originally going to check out a small block party at a church on West Collings, a block from the business district. Turns out they were really small. They had a bounce house, a few games for the kids, a couple of food tables, and not much else. We decided there's better food elsewhere and moved on.

Ended up at Phillies Phatties on West Clinton. Shared a medium half-pepperoni, half-mushroom pizza and Pepsis (mango for me, regular for her) for lunch while watching the second half of the Eagles-49ers game. The Eagles were down 7 to 3 when we came in. The 49ers hit two touchdowns, but the Eagles were just starting to catch up when we loaded the remaining pizza into a bag. (The Eagles eventually lost 17-11, but that's a lot better than many of their games last year, and against a really good team.)

Finally decided we were too full for fancy puddings from the Puddin' Palace and strolled back to my place. At least it was a nice day for walking around. Yesterday's slight humidity was replaced by blue skies, warm winds, and dry temperatures. There couldn't have been a more perfect day in mid-September. 

Since Rose and her tribe were in the pool and we wanted peace and quiet, we played Pokemon Yahtzee Jr. first. This is a basic version of Yahtzee with Pokemon characters instead of numbers. We played for over an hour; I just barely beat Lauren, though it was close. 

Got our swim around 5. The water was a tiny bit warmer than yesterday, and even more relaxing. Lauren enjoyed it so much, she slid in and reclined on the pool steps in her clothes. Jodie came around to say "hi" and that she's putting the house officially on the market Tuesday. We'll have to clean up the apartment then. (Considering I cleaned it last Tuesday, that will basically involve me making my bed and putting away dishes and Lauren picking up her things, which she'll have to do anyway because she goes home Wednesday.)

When it got too cold for us to be lounging in water, I went right into the shower. After I finished, we played a long game of Scrabble. She won this one, but she also kept coming up with longer words. I kept ending up with lots of vowels and no consonants (and a lot of Ys). 

Showed Lauren two Match Game episodes while we played. Since we saw an episode involving a riot over an answer in 1974, I showed Lauren an even more infamous incident involving the producer not matching close answers in 1977. In this case, "school" didn't match "finishing school" after it matched "college." Richard Dawson and Debralee Scott were furious, and even Gene Rayburn couldn't keep order. Richard was far happier during a 1975 PM episode where he and Gene made a bet as to whether his "Color TV" answer would be under "Admiral __" on the Audience Match.

Finished the night on YouTube honoring producer Bob Stewart. He originally created Password and The Price Is Right for Goodson-Todman, but got tired them taking all the credit. After they rejected his latest idea for a show involving celebrities giving clues to categories, he left the company to form his own. 

That idea eventually became the Pyramid franchise, by far his most enduring hit as a solo producer. It started as The $10,000 Pyramid on CBS in 1973. It moved to ABC in 1974 for another five years, becoming The $20,000 Pyramid in 1976. CBS revived it as The New $25,000 Pyramid in 1982. I fondly remember watching the CBS version and The $100,000 Pyramid in syndication in the mid-80's. Went with episodes of 10,000 from 1973 featuring Ed Asner and Sandy Duncan and 20,000 from 1978 with Nancy Lane and Michael McKean. Dick Clark is the host of both versions.

One of Stewart's earliest shows as a solo producer was Personality from 1969. It's basically "solo Tattletales." Three celebrities - Jack Cassidy, Joan Rivers, and Flip Wilson in the surviving episode currently on YouTube - try to guess the answers to what the others will say in a pre-recorded interview. They guess how the celebrity responded to a series of questions about the celebrity in the second segment. In the third, they all have to guess how a celebrity guest answered the questions. This one is especially funny because Shirley Jones was the guest...and she and Cassidy were married at the time.  Larry Blyden is the amiable host.

Bill Cullen hosted Three On a Match, the second of six shows he did for his good friend Stewart. All of the episodes currently on YouTube are of the second format, where the big Match Board has images on it and can allow the contestants to win prizes. We also get to see The Big Match, a mini-game giving contestants a chance to win extra money by matching two halves of a dollar bill. Geoff Edwards makes a cameo appearance towards the end of the show to plug his own program, Jackpot. 

Cullen also hosted Chain Reaction in 1980, which would be his last with Stewart. Here, four celebrities and two contestants call out letters to form words that connect to other words. The first to finish the connection wins. The bonus round would be altered several times during the course of the show's short run; I believe this episode has the second version, with the slightly increased earnings. 

Apparently, Stewart still had Chain Reaction and its "Instant Reaction" bonus round on the brain. Three years later, he debuted Go, a show based around that concept. Here, it's two celebrities (Lynn Redgrave and Richard Gilliland) with four contestants. It's kind of a cross between Pyramid and those "pass the gossip" line games. Four of the team members give clues to a word; the contestant guesses it, rings a bell, and moves on to the next word. It was actually kind of fun, and it's too bad it didn't last longer. Former weatherman Kevin O'Connell was out of his element as the host.

Stewart's last original solo show before his retirement was Double Talk from 1986. Supposedly a revival of another short-lived show of his Shoot for the Stars, it's more-or-less Pyramid crossed with the fill-in-the-blooper of Whew! Celebrities help their contestants help figure out what phrases some similar words represent. The final round is almost a total Pyramid imitation that had the contestant filling in blanks written on "Double Talk" boards.  A bad time slot coupled with ABC's desire to get away from game shows doomed this one; smarmy actor Harry Polic III was hardly the right host to drum up excitement for any of this.

Climb to the top of the Pyramid with the solo creations of one of the most beloved game show producers of all time! (Look for the original commercials on Chain Reaction and Three On a Match.)

Personality (1969)

The $10,000 Pyramid (1973)

Three On a Match (1974)

The $20,000 Pyramid (1978)

Chain Reaction (1980)

Go (1983)

Double Talk (1986)

All Summer Long

I didn't sleep well last night. The stomach and chest pains I had a few weeks ago returned. I did feel well enough for a quick breakfast and to throw on a Perfect Strangers episode while we got ready to head out. Larry says "Everybody In the Pool" when Balki keeps picking winners on the newspaper's football pool. Turns out Balki's too good. He picks losers when his co-workers get upset...but then has to save Larry's bacon after he puts Balki's guesses in with a bookie.

Headed out around 11. Thanks to my sleepless night, this was later than I'd planned, but we still did make it for the last half-hour of the farm market. Despite the late day, it was still very busy with people and their dogs picking produce for football parties and fall dinners. Saw pumpkins and winter squash for the first time this season. Opted for vegetables that were easier to carry in my cart - zucchini, corn, red lettuce, a yellow tomato, and an onion. 

We had brunch at Tortilla Press, the Mexican fusion restaurant on Haddon Avenue a block from where the farm market's held. They'd only been open for an hour at that point and weren't overwhelmingly busy. Lauren had a steak and avocado quesadilla; I went with "Pan Perdita," aka French toast with a mixed berry sauce. Yum! Perfectly sweet and just spiced enough, and the berries were amazing...and more to the point, not too harsh on my stomach. Our meals vanished pretty quickly, even Lauren's.

We were in and out of stores for the next hour. I showed Lauren Clutter, where I bought those little angel ornaments for her and Amanda last November. We looked at gift shop Occasionette, Ida's Book Shop, and toy store Extraordinary Ed, but found nothing of interest. 

I did much better at Innergroove Records, even with it being crowded in the tiny store. Managed to dig out:

Original casts of Raisin (1973 Broadway version of A Raisin In the Sun) and Mr. President

Soundtrack album for 1967 TV musical On the Flip Side

WFIL History of Rock Part III

Lauren and I came to the conclusion that what I felt last night and a couple of weeks ago was a rather nasty bout with acid reflux. We stopped at CVS on the way home to find a way to deal with it. I finally picked up a bottle of generic Maalox and a ginger ale; she got a Pepsi Zero. 

After we got home and I took my medicine, we threw on an episode of Hogan's Heroes while getting our laundry together. "Bombsight" has Hogan trying to figure out how he can sabotage the new German bombs when Klink caught Newkirk trying to get the plans out of the safe. It's up to him to keep Klink and London happy...and make sure his resident thief doesn't get into worse trouble.

Check my schedule for next week really fast, too. Ugh. Eight and a half hours the first two days, one of them late, next Saturday early. I'm  not looking forward to going back at all. 

Cheered up with that trip to the laundromat. Lauren had clothes to wash, and it wouldn't hurt me to get mine done, either. They were too busy to hang around, and we ended up with the longer washing machines anyway. This was the perfect time to finally check out Comicrypt. She looked for new Batman stories; I settled for petting the kitties who wandered among the stacks. 

The new pretzel shop two doors down from Comicrypt is finally open. (It was supposed to open back in late June-early July.) Lauren's not a pretzel fan, but I got to try their twist pretzels. Nothing special, but warm and tasty anyway. We enjoyed the pretzel and cans of Orange Crush and ginger ale outside on the concrete curb, enjoying the warm sunshine.

Put our clothes away when we got home, then hit the pool. I was surprised no one was there. Jodie was inside; all of the kids must have been at sports or cheerleading. The water was a bit colder than the other day. I swam for a bit, then Lauren and I kicked and splashed our legs around. 

When we got back in, I changed into dry clothes and made Eggplant Parmesan while introducing her to the current version of Muppet Babies. "Scooter MVP" gets upset when  he loses every sport he plays. His twin sister Skeeter doesn't want him to give up, so she has the Babies lose for him. Now he thinks he's a great athlete, just as big Sweetums comes in with his wild Marshmallow Kickball game. "Rizzo for Mayor" has the rat making all kinds of wild promises during his campaign against Summer. Like many politicians, he's not so good at making those promises come true when he's actually in office.

Returned to Hogan's as we enjoyed our meal. Klink needs a lot more than "The Big Picture" when he's blackmailed by Gestopo officer. Hogan and Newkirk have to get those pictures back, or Klink will keep taking the money to pay the blackmail out of the camp's budget.

Balki and Larry are "Disorderly Orderlies" in Perfect Strangers when Larry agrees to volunteer in a hospital with his eager cousin. He's really after an interview with a football star who was brought in after he damaged his knee. He's desperate to get a hold of the guy, but Balki knows the best way to make a friend...and get what you want...is to be a friend.

Finished the night online with the original version of the truly bizarre British animated spy caper Freddie as F.R.O.7. I go further into this odd action flop at my Musical Dreams Reviews Blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Freddie as F.R.O.7

Happy Together

I rolled out of bed at 8:30, but read for a while before going into the living room/kitchen at 10. Lauren was up by that point as well. Threw on Body Language while I had apple muffins for breakfast and she put on her shoes and socks. Jeff Cohen from The Goonies and Malcom Jamal-Warner from The Cosby Show lead their teen contestants through guessing puzzles. Warner's correctly guessed the last puzzle and made it to the bonus round.

We headed out shortly after the show ended. Our first stop was, briefly, the Oaklyn Library. I told the librarians I'd bring Lauren around to say "hi." We did that, and she chose a couple of comic books leftover from Free Comics Day.

Our next stop was supposed to be Comicrypt on the White Horse Pike, but they don't open until noon. We trooped over the train bridge hill and into Audubon to check out the used music store Abbie Road instead. Bob, the kindly older owner, was happy to see both of us. We've bought a ton of music from him over the years. Lauren found a Monkees CD set with a previously-rare song and something for her dad.

By that point, it was past noon, and while not as killer hot as for much of the summer, it was still fairly warm, sunny, and quite humid. We ended up at Tu Se Bella's for some of the best pizza in the area. Lauren had a slice of mushroom, a slice of broccoli and shrimp, and a bottle of Pepsi. I had the mushroom, a slice of spinach, tomato, and shrimp, and a bottle of Mountain Dew. They were surprisingly dead for lunch time and a day when many schools had off for Jewish holidays. We enjoyed our meal in peace.

Was in and out of a couple store across the parking lot next. I picked up a cute orange blouse with white stars at Ross; Lauren bought a blouse, a sweater vest, and ginger candy. Neither of us bought anything at Marshalls. She bought more blouses at Goodwill. I picked up CDs and a book of fairy tales. 

Between Goodwill and Abbie Road, I ended up with:

Soundtracks for Star! and Rocky Horror Picture Show on record (Star! was still in its original plastic!)

Original cast CDs for Smokey Joe's Cafe, the Patti LuPone 2008 revival of Gypsy, and the Broadway version of Victor/Victoria

Bob Hope & Friends, 2-disc collection of songs, likely from radio broadcasts, featuring Hope and stars of the era (including Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.) 

Nipper's Greatest Hits of the 60's, Vol. 1

Stopped at the Acme after Goodwill to pick up snacks. I bought two boxes of Kashi granola bars. She got Nature's Valley granola bars and Special K bars. Found a bag of Garden of Eatin' yellow tortilla chips on sale with an online coupon. We both picked up cans of Bubly for the way home. She had blackberry-raspberry, I had cherry. (And no wonder I easily got this week off. The store was quiet when we arrived, though the carts that the afternoon bagger - who had to work in the morning today because we have no one else - gathered indicated it was busier earlier.)

Walked home after that. Made our way down Nicholson Road to Atlantic, which is a little bit closer to Hillcrest than the Black Horse Pike ramp. Ran into Rose and the kids at the pool. Rose said she took those two bags of items I put in the garage to Goodwill...and was surprised it was only two small bags. Jodie apparently made it sound like a lot more. I got rid of most of my donations last year and when Jodie gave the bags of Dad's things to Veterans of America in the spring. 

Hitting the pool sounded like a great idea to me. We relaxed for an hour with Match Game '77 while I changed into my bathing suit. Lauren doesn't swim, but she did stick her legs in the shallow end. I did swim, and it felt wonderful. It's a little cool, but not freezing, and was wonderful once I got used to it. At one point, we both lay back on the water and the side of the pool, enjoying the cool water and warm sun.

Returned to Match Game '76 while I made black bean dip to go with those tortilla chips for dinner. The first episode had all of the panelists creating their own puppets when a contestant speaks her answers through her own sock puppet. The second introduced George, a sweet, smiling fellow with glasses who became one of their big all-time winners, and just a darn nice guy. 

The dip was ready by the time of Match Game PM. We crunched as Gary Crosby joined Mary Wickes, Fannie Flagg, Gene, and the regulars to figure out "Leave It to __" in the Audience Match. (Oh, and the dip came out great, despite my realizing my onion went bad and not having picante sauce. Tasted just as good with red peppers and vegetable stock with a lot of spices.)

Turned some of those farm-fresh apples into delicious applesauce while Sale of the Century was on. It was between the ladies today. The man won two Fame Games, but didn't get close on the questions. He did better on the Speed Round, but the champ just pushed through. She picked up a lovely pocket watch on the Match the Prizes board.

Finished the night online with Magnum PI at The Roku Channel. A kahuna - Hawaiian shaman - places "The Curse on the King Kamehameha Club" that his friend Orville (Larry Manetti) is involved with. When one young surfer drops dead in the water right before a big race, It doesn't help that Orville suddenly gets sick, too, or that a young female reporter is pushing the curse as a major story. Magnum begins to wonder if the curse is true, or if someone else wants the club to close. 

Dolls and Sisters

Started off a cloudy morning with scrambled eggs and tomatoes for breakfast and Blockbusters. A sweet teacher beat all comers, easily defeating a sister pair in the first half and holding her own against two sisters-in-law in the second. In between, she only missed one question on the Gold Run and won the money in record time. 

Dressed the dolls for September and back to school after I did the dishes. Molly wear's the original blue and white Kit's School Outfit and oxfords. I love Samantha in her current meet outfit, the pink Swiss-dotted dress with the big lace collar, burgundy velvet sash, and black strap shoes. Added the straw boater from her Hair-Styling Kit to complete the look. Ariel wears the pale blue Swiss lace mini-dress she came in with the crocheted vest and Springfield Collection espadrilles. Whitney is the picture of a nifty 50's girl in the purple and pink gingham Sweet Memories Our Generation Retro dress and magenta shrug. Felicity's in her lavender Traveling Gown (also known as her second meet outfit). Jessa's a lot simpler in a pair of jean shorts from a craft show, the magenta t-shirt from an early AG modern meet outfit, and striped socks and turquoise and white sneakers from a later "meet" outfit. Josefina wears her orange and red-striped Summer Dress with the ruffles on the bottom. 

Switched to Match Game '75 while having a quick Banana-Coffee Smoothie for lunch. Host Gene Rayburn jumped off the pedestal he enters in the opening, making it look like he would be making a far less smooth landing! Bond girl Lana Wood and goofy comic Avery Schreiber had a far less scary time helping a lovely contestant with "Mel ___" in the Audience Match. This is another one where everyone got really into celebrating a win, too, as Gene grabbed Lana for a smooch! Loved Joyce Bulifant's answer to who could fill a hot air balloon, too.

Headed out to run errands even before the show ended. First stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library; I had a book overdue. Went with the next Maisie Dobbs book after the one Linda Young gave me for Christmas, The American Agent. 

Strolled down the White Horse Pike, enjoying weather that was cloudy and humid, but also much cooler than it has been, barely in the 80's. Wanted cheaper chocolate chips at Dollar General. Grabbed lemon extract and trash bags, too. 

I put everything away when I got home, then made the bed while Hogan's Heroes went on in the background. Carter creates "The Purchasing Plan" when London demands that Hogan and his guys keep ammunition crucial to the German underground at the camp. Seems Stalag 13 is low on funds...and Carter's ideas may make Klink and Hogan happy.

Jessa arrived with her fluffy black dog Midnight in tow at 2:30. We had no idea where we wanted to go for lunch. After spending ten minutes driving around the area, trying to figure out what to do, we ended up at Sonic to eat in the car. And of course, it turns out they're only doing drive-in at the moment. We ordered a chili dog for her and a burger for me and ate them on the porch at home instead.

Turns out there's a reason I haven't seen much of Jessa recently. She apparently took a second job (though she wouldn't say what). Jodie apparently told her she'd already put the house on the market, which is why she called me. No, it isn't going up until the 14th.

There was a crowd in the pool when we finished eating. Jessa chatted with Rose, while I joined Reilly, Chloe, Finley, and Khai in the pool. Cider, Rose's big pup, chased Midnight for a while before he and Jessa headed out. I enjoyed floating on the warm water, while the kids pretended to be cats and dogs and splashed each other. 

When they got bored with swimming, they dashed down the block to see what our neighbors were up to. Sandy and her kids and some kids in the neighborhood were having mini-races on bikes and motorized scooters. One of the dads helped a little girl riding a tricycle attempt to keep up with the other two. We cheered them on briefly before I went back inside to dry off.

Worked on writing for a while after I changed into dry clothes. The Mock Turtle (Avery Schreiber) is a weepy creature who sobs about taking classes under the sea and being a real turtle. Brett's amused that he's so into it; her sons would rather play on the beach.

Did laundry between paragraphs. Rose and the next-door neighbors confirmed that Jodie is out of town again, likely until at least Friday. I took advantage of this to not only get my regular load done, but wash blankets as well. She didn't tell me she was leaving, let alone not to go on her side of the house.

Finished the night making a Rosemary-Lemon Cake while watching Three Little Girls In Blue. I go further into this tale of three sisters looking to catch wealthy husbands in turn of the 20th century Atlantic City at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Three Little Girls In Blue

Hot Day at Home

Started off a sunny, bright morning with breakfast and To Tell the Truth. Jean-Louis was one of the great costume designers of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He created the famous slinky dress and gloves worn by Rita Hayworth in Gilda, among others. Peggy Cass and Bert Convy dropped out of the voting; they'd both worked with him. Bill Cullen and I said #1; Kitty Carlisle went with #2. Turns out the well-dressed lady was right. They had more luck with an older woman who started the Gray Panthers organization to help with the rights of older people.

What's My Line didn't do as well with their first contestant. No one came close to guessing that a pretty young woman in a miniskirt was a union carpenter. They did better demonstrating their skills with a hammer and nails. Turns out Jim Backus is great at hammering. He and Arlene Francis weren't as fast as Soupy Sales and Melba Moore, but theirs were straighter. Moore proved to be a whiz at the guess-the-occupations mini-game, getting them all right on the first try. The didn't do much better with a guy who sold touchdown poles for football fields, but Soupy Sales hit that the Mystery Guest was football star and actor Jim Brown on his first try.

I was making the bed when I saw the photographer arrive with their equipment. I settled down to read for a while as I waited for them to take photos of my side of the house. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. I heard them inside, but they never came to the apartment. After an hour, I gave up on waiting and went for a walk, leaving them taking pictures of the pool.

My first stop was the library...but as it turns out, they're only open on Monday evenings and Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Needed to use the bathroom, so I went to Dunkin' Donuts next. Since I was there, I treated myself to my favorite toasted coconut donut. Strolled a few blocks down to Dollar General for sponges, a box of raspberry fig newtons, cheese and tortilla chips for dinner, and a "Lymonade" Sprite.

Put on Hogan's Heroes when I got in. Russian spy Marya (Nita Talbot) has told a German general quite a bit about Hogan's suspected activities, enough to make  him suspicious. He takes Hogan as "The Hostage" and keeps him in an oil refinery...one that the boys were ordered to blow to smithereens. 

Switched to Match Game '75 while having a smoothie for lunch. Goofy comic Avery Schriber and future TV villainess Joan Collins took part in one of the funniest episodes of that year. Charles gave the answer "bisexual" on the Audience Match "Bi __," and looked quite satisfied when it came in second. Later, Gene climbs over the audience to attack the camera when it won't do what he wants it to do.

Heard Jodie in her place and called her to find out where the photographer went. Turns out, first of all, she never intended to photograph my side of the house, only the main house and pool. Second, the house will absolutely be going on the market September 14th...so now I really need to find a place to live.

I was so worn out, I took a nap after finishing the dishes. I had no other plans for today, and it was still too hot to do anything else outside. Despite the noise from the kids playing next-door, I went down at quarter of 1 and slept until almost 3.

Went outside for a short but refreshing dip in the pool after my nap. To my surprise, no one else was around, not even Jodie. I had the pool all to myself. I swam lazily back and forth, occasionally floating on my back or stretching by the steps on the shallow end. Dried off on a patio chair, enjoying the warm but dry sunlight.

Went on the computer to look around for realtors and apartments after my swim. The realtor down the street on West Clinton didn't have the best reviews, but the ones in Collingswood and Haddonfield did. No luck with an apartment, though. Some sites said buildings were unavailable; others said "ask for availability." 

Worked on writing for a while after that. The Queen suggests that Duchess Marcia and Bill the White Rabbit take Brett and her boys to see the Mock Turtle, a wise (if anguish-prone) creature. Meanwhile, Richard's hoping to get his men out of the dungeon...but that means the tarts are unguarded...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Made nachos with cheese, green peppers, onions, and tomatoes while watching Match Game '76. Match Game PM got a bit wilder at David Doyle tried to help a young man win money with "__ Stadium" on the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night after a shower with The Love Parade on Watch TCM. I go further into this sexy operetta that was the film debut of Jeanette MacDonald the movie that made Maurice Chevalier an international star at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

The Love Parade

We are Family

Started off the morning with breakfast and the soundtrack from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. My family loved this movie so much in the 80's, it was the first feature-length movie we rented on video after Dad bought a VCR. My favorite song's always been "I've Got a Golden Ticket," Charlie and Grandpa Joe's number when they celebrate finding the all-important gold paper.

Hurried out to work after that. Work was very busy and very tiring. Cashiering takes a lot out of me. I never know what to say to people, even when they say I'm doing fine. My register suddenly stopped ringing items two hours before I finished, too. It wouldn't even weigh produce. I moved to another register after I finished one order. Thank heavens it died by 3:30, allowing me to hurry off with no relief.

Took the long way home down Nicholson Road. The weather was too beautiful not to. Sun warmed my back as I made my way around the traffic near the opening of the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center, but the air wasn't smothering, nor was it burning hot. It was the right kind of hot for mid-August. Recent storms really helped the plant life here. Gardens abound with late summer flowers; emerald green leaves waved in the breezes.

Arrived home to a full driveway and a fuller pool. Our cousin Amber - the daughter of Uncle Ken's son Mark - and her pre-teen daughters Ella and Lilly and toddler son Timmy joined Jodie and Rose and her tribe. My next-door neighbor brought around her new Great Dane puppy later, to the delight of the kids who ran out of the pool to pet him. I changed into my bathing suit, then played "mama and baby dolphin" with Finley for a while. By the time I got out, the older kids jumped in. I relaxed on lawn chairs and laughed at their antics.

Tried writing when I got in, but I was too tired. Opted for another cast album while I ate leftovers for dinner and made Cinnamon Roll Cake instead. Carnival! is the full musical stage version of the sweetly whimsical semi-musical film Lili. The story remains the same - a waif (Anna Maria Albergheti) is taken in by the circus when she interacts with the puppet show, thinking they're real. The bitter puppeteer Paul (Jerry Orbach) loves her but doesn't know how to say it, but Lili has a crush on the handsome magician Marco (James Mitchell). Charming and gentle, and a huge favorite of mine. I'm especially fond of Lili's "Beautiful Candy" and "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" with the puppets and Paul's ballads, "She's My Love" and "I've Got to Find a Reason."

Finished the night on YouTube, watching flop game shows in honor of Whew! debuting on Buzzr next month. I've featured Whew! a few times on this blog. It's about as peculiar of a game show as you can get, and probably one of the most complicated games out there. One player has to figure out what's the wrong word in a statement. If they get it right, they charge on to the next level. The other player can place blocks on a question to hold them back for a few seconds. If they win, they run "The Gauntlet," answering more questions listed on 10 "villain" figures designed by Hanna-Barbara. It's as strange as it sounds, but a heck of a lot of fun to watch.

I discussed the 1983 Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour when the owner of the Match Game Productions channel started posting the episodes two weeks ago. The show was a surprise hit for Buzzr despite its hour run time and notorious reputation. The celebrities are frequently from NBC shows of the early 80's no one heard of then, let alone now. Jon Bauman is a hilarious panelist, but he has neither the drive nor the authority to keep the celebrities in line during Hollywood Squares. And truth be told, the shows are two entirely different beasts and really don't work together. That said, the Match Game half is still funny, and we do get a showcase for comedians like Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall, and Howie Mandel who appeared on no other version of either show.

Hollywood Connection from 1977 has similar problems. It's a pretty obvious Match Game clone, right down to the orange set and drunk celebrities answering innuendo-laden questions. Amiable Jim Lange is a fine host, but he lacks Gene Rayburn's charisma and hammy acting ability. 

Most short-lived game shows from the 50's and 60's were erased...but we do have an episode of Missing Links. A distinguished person reads a story with a blank at the end. Three celebrities have to guess the blank. No wonder it didn't last. It's deadly dull. Dick Clark tries to jazz up the proceedings. 

Couch Potatoes is a syndicated variation on Remote Control from 1989. Same idea - people guess TV trivia in someone's basement - but this time, it's male vs female teams rather than three separate contestants. We also occasionally get a guest who explains a question. Marc Summers handles the far less messy proceedings.

The most recent show I covered is 1 Vs 100. Bob Saget hosted the original 2008 network version of this Who Wants to Be a Millionaire clone. In this case, the contestant isn't going up against just tough questions. They also have to deal with 100 experts answering the same question. If they can stump so many experts, they win money. Slow-moving but suspenseful, I can understand why Game Show Network attempted a short-lived revival a few years later. 

While you wait for the arrival of Whew!, check out more of the most unusual flop games to ever grace the small screen. (Missing Links comes with its original commercials; Hollywood Connection has the commercials from its Game Show Network run. And warning about Missing Links - the copy is in terrible shape, complete with numbers running on the bottom. Considering the show's age, we're lucky to have it at all.)

Missing Links (1964)

Hollywood Connection (1977)

Whew! (1979)

Whew! (1979)

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1983)

Couch Potatoes (1989)

1 Vs 100 (2008)

One Family Summer

I'm so tired, I didn't get up until past 10:30. Watched Hogan's Heroes when I did finally get going. While leading a group of German underground members through a tunnel, Kinch discovers one of the pipes burst. Unfortunately, Klink and the Germans find out when hey try to repair it. Hogan convinces them they have "Hogan Springs," the purest mineral spring in Germany. Klink starts a mineral spa while the others figure out how to get the underground members out.

Switched to Match Game '79 while making Blueberry Pancakes for breakfast. Paul Williams endures a couple of short jokes while Debralee Scott helps a contestant with "Very ___" in the Head-to-Head and the others try to figure out what a Texan puts in his drink instead of a cherry. Debralee gets to help out again, this time with "__ Talks," in the next episode.

Went out to the pool for a swim around 1. Picked up a new bathing suit in that Lands End order a few days ago, bright yellow with a very pretty green and pink hibiscus print, and wanted to test it. To my surprise, I wasn't the only one there. Rose, Finley, and Khai happily splashed each other as I strolled in. They helped me climb on their new rainbow-colored raft, and I curled up and relaxed while Finley and Rose played sea monster. 

I stayed in the pool and worked on a few laps even after Rose took the kids home for lunch. It was much too nice to go inside right away. While it was warm and breezy, it wasn't nearly as hot as last week. The humidity dropped considerably overnight, too. 

Changed when I got inside, then put on One Crazy Summer while making popcorn and a Banana-Peach Smoothie for lunch. Hoops McCann (John Cusack) hopes to learn about love on vacation at Nantucket Island in order to write an animated love story for his entry into art school. He gets a lesson in a hurry when he and his buddies George (Joel Murphy), unalike twins Egg (Bobcat Goldthwait) and Clay (Tom Villard), and Ack Ack (Curtis Armstrong) help Cassandra Eldridge (Demi Moore) earn enough money to buy her grandfather's home from nasty rich restaurateur Aguilla Beckersteade (Mark Metcalf). Vindictive Beckersteade buys it anyway, forcing the kids to join the Nantucket Regatta in the hope of winning the trophy from Beckersteade's spoiled son Teddy (Matt Mulhern). 

Wacky comedy shows off some very strange gags in its cliched story, from Hoops' increasingly depressing cartoons to Egg getting stuck in a Godzilla costume and what engine they use to upgrade their boat. Weird but fun if you love Cusack, "Savage" Steve Holland's other movie, or the slobs-vs-snobs comedies of the 1980's.

Switched to Tattletales while cleaning the bathroom. Songwriter Sammy Cahn and his wife Tita were the big winners today, just barely over Gary and Barbara Crosby and comedian Milt Kamen and his wife Margot. Vacuumed, Swiftered, and did the windows during Press Your Luck. It started out the same as Friday, with everyone winning something and no Whammies in the first round. They came out a lot more in the second; one of the guys just barely beat the lady with a pool table, among other things. 

Started writing as I heard voices outside. Rose and her family returned; this time, her husband Craig swam with the kids while she chatted with Jodie and Jessa. Jessa's dog Midnight and Rose and Craig's puppy Cider chased each other and played together. Jodie invited me out to dinner at Benihana, a popular Japanese restaurant in Cherry Hill, after work on Wednesday in honor of Dad's birthday. Apparently, Daddy loved Benihana. 

Chatted with Jessa after Rose and her tribe went home to have tacos for dinner. Jessa suggested turning my blog reviews and reviews on my other blog into actual books. It's a legitimately good idea, and something I may consider. 

Finally got some writing in after she and Midnight left. Brett grows increasingly frustrated as the game continues. Betty keeps sending everyone to the dungeon or to have their heads chopped off. It's finally down to Betty, Allen, Brett, her boys, Richard, and his boys, and Richard's more interested in trying to get the Queen and King to listen to him than in the game.

Broke for dinner at 7. Made chicken stir fry while watching Match Game PM. The show opens with Gene deciding to take a nap before he enters. Later, he scolds Brett for stopping him while trying to figure out what cows give at the North Pole. Marcia Wallace has to help a very pretty contestant figure out "Gas & __" in the end.

The champ started strong in Sale of the Century, picking up two out of three Instant Bargains. They proved to be her undoing. The one man jumped ahead of her in the Speed Round. He claimed to love traveling and was thrilled to get the cruise on the Mexican Riviera he really wanted on the Match the Prizes board.

Finished the night online with the second film version of one of my favorite books The Prisoner of Zenda at TCM's on demand website. Stewart Granger is Rudolf Rassendyl, the ordinary British man who takes over for the King of Ruritania (Granger) when he's kidnapped by his dastardly brother Michael (Robert Douglas). As pretty as the Technicolor is, this version is mostly overshadowed by the 1922 silent and 1937 sound versions...except for Deborah Kerr as a ravishing Princess Flavia and James Mason as a perfectly roguish Rupert of Hentzau. See the 1937 version first...or better yet, buy the book or read it online. 

A Breezy Day In the Neighborhood

Began another beautiful morning with breakfast and Hogan's Heroes. Season 2 kicks off with "Hogan Gives a Birthday Party." Hogan and the boys intend to use a stolen German plane to bomb an oil refinery. Things go sideways when not only are they visited by a particularly obnoxious German general, but he's the one who shot Hogan down. He claims to know every move he makes...but maybe the last thing he's expecting is for his men to be incredibly loyal to him.

Switched to Blockbusters while doing the dishes. They're back around to the episodes with the mother-daughter team who decimated all comers. They made short work of the handsome fellow in the first few rounds, then the mother breezed through the Gold Run without missing a single question. They were mid-way doing the same to a woman when the show ended.

Listened to one of my K-Tel albums while getting organized before heading out for the first errand of the day. Decided to do my grocery shopping today instead of after work tomorrow and avoid rush-hour traffic. Took advantage of many sales and online coupons to pick up cherries, eggs, bananas, ice cream, zucchini, and peaches. Bought cherry-flavored dried cranberries for a recipe later. Restocked whole wheat flour, yogurt, brown sugar, milk, blueberries, and ground turkey. And no wonder I had today off. They were dead the entire time I was there, with no line at the express lane. 

When I got home, I did another second season Hogan's episode while putting everything away, and then as I made a Summer Berry-Banana Smoothie for lunch. Klink is the one in trouble when Burkhalter catches him plotting to take over and threatens him with the firing squad. Hogan and the boys become "The Schultz Brigade" to keep Klink from getting into worse trouble.

Went right back out after the episode ended. The laundry needed to be done. It must have been busy earlier; I barely got the last small front washer with the short time. Went to Family Dollar for mandarin oranges, pads, and a Baja Blast while the washer was going, but it didn't take long. Spent the rest of the time inside and out, working on story notes. It was too nice to stay inside for long! For now, at least, it remains sunny, breezy, and dry, if a tad hotter than yesterday, into the lower 80's. 

Heard giggling from the pool when I got home. As soon as I put the laundry away, I changed into my bathing suit and joined them. Rose and two of the neighborhood moms watched over Khai, Finley, Khai's friend Chloe, and another girl as they swam on noodles and ducked to the bottom to retrieve mermaid and squirting turtle toys. I first relaxed on a huge black and blue inner tube, then joined Finley and the girls to play with the turtles. Jodie brought out enormous crullers from McMillan's Bakery in Westmont for a treat.

(Oh, and it sounds like Jodie's trying to get work on repaving the driveway started Monday. Oaklyn's apparently giving her the devil of a time about it, including needing surveys and permits.)

After I got in and changed into dry clothes, I worked on writing. Everyone is happily dancing and singing again when Brett hears the pounding of horse hooves. Richard, his boys, and the Card Guards pull out their swords to protect the others, but Charles and Orson continue drinking their tea, and Gary the Doormouse passes out all together. 

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Made turkey burgers, pasta, and baked zucchini fries while watching Match Game '76. Gene's glad to have his door repaired after he broke through it during the start of the previous episode, and he's even happier when a pretty contestant breaks a tie and turns to Richard for "__ Polo." Brett was even more nervous when she had to help a contestant win 20,000 with "__ Do You Do" on Match Game PM.

Pulled Lemon Cherry-Cranberry Cookies out of the oven while Sale of the Century ran. We had another close game, with everyone buying or winning something and no one really that ahead of anyone else. The champ didn't pull ahead until a stellar Speed Round. She once again decided she didn't want the camper and would come back tomorrow. 

Finished the night online after a shower with Charlie's Angels. Kelly and Kris are "Marathon Angels" in the third season when two runners in an all-woman marathon go missing hours before the big race. While they follow their replacements, Sabrina and Bosley follow the girls and call Charlie to ask about a sheikh's daughter who is also running in the race. 

Sophia on The Golden Girls is also competing in a race, in this case a local walk-a-thon. While she enters the 80 and over race, the others babysit for the children of the competitors. They're more than a little concerned when the father of the smallest baby girl doesn't come back for her. Blanche, who never got along well with her own children, is almost-hoping for another chance to prove she can be a good mother in "And Then There Was One."

Sports of another kind figure into the first season Designing Women episode "Grand Slam, Thank You Ma'am." Suzanne is furious when she finds out her baseball star ex-husband Jack claims to have made love with his fans behind her back in his latest book. She storms into the locker rooms to get revenge, only to learn he may have embellished the truth a tad for the publisher. 

Celebration

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and Body Language. Came in for the second half of the episode, just as Betty White's contestant won. White's normally a great game show player, but unfortunately, they ended up being disqualified from the bonus round due to using props. 

They had slightly more luck on Blockbusters. The young woman and uncle/nephew pair went back and forth the entire episode. One would get a round, then the pair did. It took so long and moved so slowly, they never did get to the Gold Run in this episode. 

Switched to DVD for Hogan's Heroes while doing the dishes, making the bed, and doing things around the apartment. Started with the first season episode "The Flight of the Valkyre," or tried to. The first appearance of annoying British officer Colonel Crittendon (Bernard Fox) must have gotten scratched when it popped out of the case. The episode kept breaking up on me. 

Moved on to "The Late Inspector General," which worked fine. Colonel Klink is thrilled when he gets a promotion to run all the prisoner of war camps in Germany. The guys most definitely are not. After all, they might not be able to con another general. The five do everything they can to make Klink look bad in the eyes of his superiors. (Or at least worst than he usually does.)

(Incidentally, I intend to buy more slim DVD cases during the Amazon Prime Day sales this weekend. The huge clear cases used for full-series sets like Heroes and the one I have coming next month, WKRP In Cincinatti, don't seem to hold the discs very well. They tend to fall out when you open them.) 

Went into Match Game '76 while getting organized. Loretta Swit of MASH made her first appearance on the show since 1974, prompting a welcome kiss from Gene. Meanwhile, Betty White was of course the only one who answered "dog" to a question about whom the farmer married, Richard Dawson helps out a funny older lady (whose orange outfit matched the set) with the Head-to-Head, and big George Kennedy had a rare miss on a question.

Headed out after the episode ended. Though the laundromat was busy, I still needed to get my small load done. Strolled down to Family Dollar while it tumbled in the washer. They had the cans of mandarin oranges I wanted, but not much suntan lotion. I'll have to get that at the Acme tomorrow. Worked on story notes while everything was in the dryer.

Ran more Hogan's Heroes while I put the laundry away. Hogan and the guys learn the hard way that there's "One In Every Crowd" when American prisoner Jack Williams offers to exchange information for his freedom. They pin their latest act of sabotage on him to get the Germans to arrest him for good.

It was too nice for me to stay inside for long. The sun shined brightly, the sky was a brilliant blue, and while it was a bit warmer, it remained breezy and dry. Besides, I felt like celebrating. I survived two crazy work weeks, and the local kids just had their last day of school for the summer. Bought a slice of cheese and a slice of broccoli-tomato-ricotta from Phillies Phatties and ate it on the patio, watching girls chatter about the end of the school year and their friends and getting together later.

The Puddin' Palace replaced The Square Meal in the business district on West Clinton Avenue a few weeks ago. I've been wanting to try them, but I haven't had the time, and they sold out last weekend. The Square Meal's semi-rustic mis-matched tables and chairs were replaced by a clean white-and-silver wood-and-metal look. 

As you can guess, pudding is on the menu, every kind of pudding possible, from Sweet Cream to Red Velvet and Strawberry. I treated myself to one of the "deluxe" cups of Strawberry Shortcake, which I ate at their new metal picnic benches. Vanilla pudding with real strawberry slices mixed with strawberry crumble over strawberry-white cake. Yum! Too decadent to have all the time, but as a special treat, it was amazing. Creamy, rich, smooth, sweet. 

Went home after that and into the pool. That's something else I've wanted to do, but haven't had the chance due to work. I was hoping to get it to myself, but a couple of neighbors and their daughters were there. I still swam for a half-hour, enjoying the relaxing warm waters.

Press Your Luck was on when I got in and dried off. The first half was surprisingly quiet, with everyone winning money and only one Whammy. Things picked up considerably in the second half. The two women both hit Whammies hard, leaving the one guy to pick up a trip to the Grand Canyon and a ton of money.

Worked on writing for a while after that. Brett's annoyed initially when Charles the Mad Hatter insults her hair. She starts to enjoy herself more after a few blackberry cordials and watching Charles and Orson the March Hare explain why it's not a good idea to put butter in a watch, even if you are friends with time.

Broke for a quick smoothie dinner at 6:30. Betty White, Mary Ann Mobley, and Dick Gautier joined Gene and the regulars for the evening Match Game '76. While they all make jokes about where egg landed on when Humpty Dumpty had an affair, Brett and Betty exchange witticisms, and everyone admires a contestant's massive Afro.

Gary Burghoff took Charles' place on Match Game PM tonight. He and Vega$ hunk Bart Braverman make jokes about what a geisha girl wears when she walks on your back and where George has a giant thumb. Meanwhile, Bill Daily is more nervous than usual when he has to help the contestant win $10,000 with "__ Rub." 

Sale of the Century finished their Varsity Week with an all-around swimmer and diver, another volleyball player, and a runner. This time, the swimmer bought both Instant Bargains and won the Speed Round hands-down. He had more trouble with the Bonus Round...but he did hit the right number to win the tournament and get the jeep and a trip to Seoul, South Korea for the 1988 Summer Olympics. 

Finished the night online with Pee Wee's Big Adventure at Tubi. Pee Wee (Paul Reubens) loves his amazing, tricked-out red bike more than anything else, including his girlfriend Dottie (EG Daily). When a spoiled neighbor (Mark Holton) steals his bike, then sells it, he tracks it down from the Alamo to the real Warner Bros Studio in Culver City. He meets a lot of crazy, kooky, and even kind folks on his journey, people who remind him to follow his dream no matter what, even if it's just getting back his most treasured possession.

God, this movie is weird. You can tell it was the first big-screen assignment for Tim Burton. My sisters and I loved it when it turned up frequently on cable in the mid-late 80's. Nowadays, it's a bit much for me to really love, but there's enough I liked that I'm glad I saw it again, including Rubens' and Daily's pitch-perfect performances. If you're down with Reubens' style of child-like lunacy and Burton's grotesque in-your-face madness, you might still find a lot to enjoy here.

Went to The Love Boat on Paramount Plus for a trip on calmer waters. Kleptomaniac Maggie (Joan Van Ark) falls for a handsome psychiatrist (Stephan Keep), but can't figure out why he avoids her after they have a wonderful night together in "She Stole His Heart." "The Return of the Captain's Ne'r Do Well Brother" brings back Steubing's charming brother Marshall (Gavin McLeod) who is set to marry a silver heiress (Arlene Dahl), if his old flame (Zsa Zsa Gabor) doesn't get in the way. It's "Swag and Mag" when a tough-guy TV star (Ron Ely) tries to impress his agent (Erin Gray) and Vicki by taking on a belligerent passenger (William Boyett). 

Jumped all the way back to the first season for a "Family Reunion." A wife (Dori Brenner) traveling with her camera-obsessed husband (Robert Hayes) is crushed to discover her adored father (Bob Crane), who was believed lost at sea, is really a perpetually drunk scoundrel of a ship steward. Honeymooners (John Rubenstein and Kathy Bates) find their trip "Too Hot to Handle" when everything that can go wrong, does. A supermarket assistant manager (Bruce Solomon) finds himself in a "Cinderella Story" with the help of the crew when they pass him and his wife (Judy Luciano) off as rich advertising executives. 

The Pool Is Open

Kicked off a blinding sunny morning with Lemon-Strawberry Pancakes and my Peter Pan record and book version of Alice In Wonderland. First of all, it's got some rather cute songs. There's a pretty and dreamy title song, "Curiouser and Curiouser" as she grows and shrinks, and "The  Queen Has Commanded," a chorus number at the Queen's croquet game with the queen ordering everyone executed while Alice throws in spoken commentary on the strangeness of the whole affair. The other unique aspect of this recording is the book, which more closely resembles a Marvel comic book of the 1970's in its design than anything Tenniel.

The Wonderful World of Make Believe is one of my favorite Johnny Mathis albums. Side 2 kicks off with a lovely version of another Alice In Wonderland title song, this one from the Disney animated film. I also like "Sky Full of Rainbows," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," and the title number from Camelot. 

Headed off to work before the record ended. We were a lot busier than yesterday, with long lines...but everything went much faster, too. Other than a few annoying customers, there were no major problems. It thankfully slowed down enough by 4:30 for me to dash out without a relief or a need for one.

The pool area was full of kids and parents when I arrived. I hurried inside, changed, and hurried back out. Apparently, not only did Jodie invite over TJ and his husband Eric and Rose and her tribe, but friends of hers and their kids, too. She, Craig, Rose, and TJ also made tons of food. There were Jodie's succulent, fall-off-the-bone ribs, chicken and beef on skewers, Rose's grilled vegetables, hot dogs for the kids, baked asparagus, green salad, and TJ's tomato and blue cheese salad. The tomato and cheese salad was incredible, sharp and tart, the chicken and ribs were wonderfully moist, and the asparagus was tasty. Rose and Jodie had fruit bowls outside; one bowl was a watermelon carved in the shape of a shark!

After I ate, I changed into my bathing suit and jumped in the water with the kids. It was cold when you got in, but warm for May when you were used to it. Jodie's friends had two girls and two boys. I chatted with them while listening to them chase each other and hit each other with foam noodles and splash each other. I did have to warn them a few times that pushing each other into the pool isn't funny, and neither is intentionally getting water in each other's eyes. Mostly, though, I had a great time laughing at their antics.

Worked on writing for a while after I got out. Brett's more than shocked that the tyrannical Red King is her boss, producer Mark Goodson, and the feared Red Knight is her almost-ex-husband Jack Klugman. Or, it looks like them. She tries to get a better look by climbing on the horse's legs, but almost gets trampled. Jimmie (Walker) the Dodo yanks her out of the way and drags her into the marshes before she's captured, too.

Finished the night online with more trivia shows. Jeopardy was the first hit quiz show to debut after the scandals subsided. Merv Griffith wanted to put the accent back on what people knew, and not what they could win. Three people answer questions on a topic in graduating numbers, from 20 to 100 in the original 1964 incarnation. When they choose a certain monitor that says "Daily Double," they can wager part or all of the money on their answer. The dollar amounts are doubled in the second round. The third round, Final Jeopardy, has everyone answering one question and wagering none, part, or all of their winnings. The one with the most winnings is the champion.

Alas, there's very little left of the NBC 60's daytime version of the show, but it doesn't seem to have changed much over the years other than adding color. As far as I can tell, the 1974 episode here is pretty emblematic of the original run in general. Art Fleming was the genial host.

Fleming stuck around for a 1978 syndicated revival. This one changed things up by eliminating the low-scoring contestant after the first round and completely redoing Final Jeopardy. Here, if the last contestant standing answers a series of questions in one topic. If they get all five questions correct, they win $5,000. 

The changes to the 1978 version were fairly controversial, especially with people who enjoyed the NBC show. The syndicated revival in 1984 returned to the original format, with Alex Trebek taking over as host. This is the one that's still running in syndication to this day, with rotating hosts subbing after Trebek's death in November. 

My family used to gather around the TV in the late 80's and early 90 as ABC World News Tonight wound down on Channel 6 after dinner. We'd try to guess The Pennsylvania Lottery numbers, then would anxiously wait for Johnny Gilbert to announce THIS...IS...JEOPARDY! and bring in today's contestants. We loved to see who could get the most answers or which categories we were best at. Wheel of Fortune came on after that; we'd see who could get the right letters or guess the puzzle first.

Jeopardy wasn't Trebek's first crack at a quiz show. Far from it, in fact. In the mid-70's, he did two shows that involved contestants answering questions in isolation booths. Unlike the 50's entries, Double Dare and The $128,000 Question were scrupulously watched to make sure they were both on the level. No chicanery here, just people answering tough quiz questions and, in the case of Double Dare, trying to stump a panel of experts with their knowledge. 

My personal favorite quiz show along with Jeopardy has always been Tic Tac Dough. I loved watching it on USA Network in the mid-80's, guessing trivia along with the contestants and hoping they'd avoid that screeching dragon! Like $128,000 Question, this one worked hard to make quizzes safe for big prize winnings again. One gentleman, Thomas McKee, walked off with over $200,000 in prizes (including 8 cars). It was a record in winnings that stood until the era of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Wink Martindale lends his southern charm to the proceedings. 

Trivia Trap is one of the more unique entries in the genre. In this rare Goodson-Todman crack at quizzes, a team of young adults is pit against a team of older folks to see who comes out on top with the knowledge. In this case, the kids won it on a question involving rock music. Bob Eubanks is the mediator in this generational trivia war.

Wish Buzzr would put the 1987 Monty Hall Split Second back on the schedule. As much as I enjoy Body Language, Split Second pairs better with Blockbusters...but I suspect this lightning-fast multiple-choice quizzer may have been a little too dry for morning viewers. Went with an episode from later in the series that didn't look like I caught it during its Buzzr run. 

At any rate, here's some later-day quizzes for your enjoyment...no scandal necessary. 

Jeopardy! (1974)

Double Dare (1977)

The $128,000 Question (1977)

Jeopardy! (1978)

Trivia Trap (1984)

Tic Tac Dough (1985)

Split Second (1987)

Jeopardy! (1989)

Summertime, and the Livin' Is Easy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Match Game '76

It's So Nice to Be With You

Began my day with the first of two very early work shifts this week. Despite the heat and humidity, I spent a lot of time outside with the carts and outside trash and recycling. We were busy, and they just kept vanishing. I did end up inside to take a cashier's break for 15 minutes, and I spent the last hour doing returns when another bagger came in and took over the carts.

Went straight home and into the air conditioning for lunch. Made some tasty Blackberry Pancakes while listening to Johnny Mathis. His The Wonderful World of Make Believe is a collection of songs with a fantasy theme - rainbows, fairy-tale worlds, places beyond the distant shore, like "Beyond the Sea," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," "The Sands of Time" from Kismet, and the title songs of Camelot and the Disney animated Alice In Wonderland.

Worked on writing for a while after lunch. Harris walks Leia back to her hotel room. He's trying to explain why he can't stay with the Rebel League when she says she hears something on the road. He doesn't...until the sound of a certain armored van whining down the street alerts them to take cover...

Wriggled into my bathing suit and headed out around quarter of 5. Everyone - including Rose and her kids - were already inside when I arrived, but I was still hot and really needed the swim. I'm glad I did it. It was so relaxing and refreshing on a very hot day!

Jodie had chili, bread and butter, cucumbers in sour cream, and tomatoes with basil and olive oil out for me when I came in. Ooh, it was all so yummy! I especially loved the tomatoes. I may have to grab some basil somewhere along the line and try it myself.

Finley, Rose's two-year-old daughter, is just getting cuter everyday. We all watched Zootopia together with her. (Evidently, she's a fan of Judy Hops - she loves bunnies.) Jodie and Rose showed me how Finley sits on Dad and Jodie's bed and sniffs all of Jodie's perfume bottles. Finley and I sat downstairs and played with her Little Tyke green mountain set and her Little People, making them roll down the mountain slide. I showed her some yoga moves. (She wasn't bad at them, either.) We lay together on the thick green carpet and just chatted woman to woman. (Or as much as I could understand Finley's babbling. She is two, after all.) Khai spent the entire time I was there playing games on Jodie's tablet.

Finley, Jodie, and I joined Jesse to walk his new brown lab Nala around the block. Finley was a very good little dog-walker. She hung on tight to the leash and made sure she stayed with the dog. She was fascinated by a bigger dog that another woman was walking. Maybe reminded her of Toby, their dog who just passed away.

(Oh, and Rose told me they added some new members to the family. They adopted two kittens, the all-black cutie Toothless and long and lean Lynx. Toothless was named for the dragon character in How to Train Your Dragon. They called him Lynx because his gray-and-black stripes make him resemble one.)

Finished the night at home with Lego Star Wars. I thought I'd make my first try on the Return of the Jedi Super Story. Got hung up in "Jabba's Palace" and "The Great Pit of Carkoon" and didn't even make it to the Endor round. I'll try again another time, after I've completed more of the blue minikit challenges.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gonna Climb a Mountain

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the Swim

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You're the Top

I was jolted awake this morning by the phone. It was Rose. She and her family had apparently gone down to Cape May County yesterday. Mom is clearing out most of her linens and furniture. They won't fit into her new, much smaller house. Did I want anything? Sure! I'll check out the furniture after they get it sorted out, but she'd be willing to bring the linens they didn't want to Dad and Jodie's to see if I needed any of it.

As soon as I got off with Rose, I went right back to sleep. I was online late with Lauren last night. Read Return of the Jedi for a while after I got up for good, then wrote in my journal and had breakfast. This is the first time in weeks I've actually been able to have my Sunday pancakes on Sunday morning, and I enjoyed every bit of my blueberry-chocolate chip concoctions. They were slightly burnt, but not to the point that they weren't edible.

Listened to the soundtrack from the TV show Smash while eating breakfast, and later while getting organized and going through old photos and journals in the back room. I had this on because Smash was a two-season series that revolved around the creation of a musical about Marilyn Monroe, and the final chapters of Moviola revolved around Monroe and her tragic life. I haven't seen the show yet, but if it's as good as the music on this CD, I'm going to have to look for it. There's some absolute gems here. "At Your Feet" is a nice number for young Norma Jeane and her mother (Bernadette Peters) as she encourages her daughter to fit her feet into the prints at Grauman's Chinese Theater and dream of stardom. "History Was Made at Night" is a lovely ballad for Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio during their courtship.

My favorite number from this is the touching "Second Hand White Baby Grand." Marilyn recalls how playing the piano was one of the few times she ever really connected with her mother. She cherished those memories so much, she tracked down the actual piano later and brought it with her wherever she lived. Her sad memories and the gentle, bluesy song always makes me cry.

Bored and tired of sitting around, I headed out after the CD ended. My first stop was The House of Fun. They were as overloaded with action figures, DVDs, and pop culture paraphernalia as usual. The arcade games were even on. Street Fighter vs X-Men and Xaxxon accompanied me as I browsed. I finally ended up with a loose Poe Dameron Funko Pop figure to finish out my Force Awakens Funko Pop group. The guy behind the counter tried to contact his boss for ten minutes to see how much he was (he wasn't labeled) before finally giving him to me for five dollars.

My next stop was originally going to be Dollar General for sugar and a drink...but they were dark and quiet. The sign on the door claimed they were closed due to "electrical problems." An old lady arrived at the same time I did, and she wasn't any happier about it. Oh well. I moved down the road to CVS. Their sugar was too expensive, but I did buy a Cherry Bubly sparkling water.

Rose called as I was setting Poe with the other Star Wars Funko Pops. She and her kids were at Dad and Jodie's. Did I want to join them in the pool? Sure! I just had to have a quick leftovers lunch and change into my bathing suit. Listened to my 1962 off-Broadway original cast LP of Anything Goes while I got organized. Like the TV version, this one includes several songs from other Porter shows, including "Friendship" and "It's DeLovely." Unlike the version I watched yesterday, it also uses the original plot, with Reno and ingenue Hope Harcourt as two separate characters, and keeps the 30's setting.

When I pulled in, Rose immediately took me to her car. Evidently, she couldn't use two towels, one a lighter sage green than mine, one coral red, a beautiful summer-weight quilt in white and soft blues, beiges, and pastels, a green floral comforter and pillowcases, and a huge neon and black pillowcase that can be filled with five pillows. I took everything but the green comforter and pillowcases. Not only is the green kind of ugly, but I don't need another comforter. I do need a new summer weight quilt, and had actually been thinking that when Rose called this morning. The one I bought at a yard sale years ago was really made for a child and is much too small. I've had my towels since college, probably for almost 20 years now. They're due for replacements. (I may not keep the pillowcase. The neon is a bit much.)

Finley and Khai were already in the pool when we were checking out the linens. Rose joined us shortly after I climbed in. Finley's such a good swimmer! She can swim quite well on her own now, with little help from her mother. (As long as she wears her inflatable arm floats!) Rose tossed her into the air, and we splashed each other and shot each other with water guns and squeezable Bubble Guppy toys. (For some reason, Finley kept putting her mouth on the brick patio around the pool. Either she was that bored, or brick tastes good.)

We headed inside to get the kids a snack. Finley had a (little bit) of pizza; Khai had pasta with butter. Finley and I watched an episode of Team Umizoomi while her mother and grandmother talked and her brother played with his mother's phone.  This cute toddler show has two tiny beings and their mini-robot and car helping out by using math and geometry to get around obstacles and solve puzzles. Today, they were helping their Umi Car, whose birthday present was stolen by a pair of mischievous troublemakers and their gray truck. They have to build a gorilla from shapes to eat giant bananas and dodge an increasing number of rolling garbage cans.

As soon as I got home, I changed and put my new quilt on the bed. It took a few minutes to get to lay right, but when I did, it looked nice. The colors were perfect for my room; in fact, they really brightened the dull whitewashed walls and thin gray carpet.

I wasn't up to cooking and just opted to go around the corner for dinner. Phillies Phatties wasn't busy at all, despite it being 6 PM and the dinner hour. I enjoyed a tomato-basil-mozzarella ("margarita") pizza and mushroom pizza with a can of Wild Cherry Pepsi while watching the Red Sox play the Dodgers on ESPN. (The Dodgers killed the Sox, by the way, 7-4.)

Went straight into the bathtub when I got home. Ahhh. I hadn't had one in ages. My side is really sore, along with my elbow and middle finger on my left hand. I must have pulled muscles. I soaked while reading books about Broadway musicals. I'll see if I can get an Icy Hot patch tomorrow.

Ended the night with Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. I had to look up how to get the last pieces  in "Retake Theed Palace" and "Jedi Destiny." The latter involves having a high-jumper leap onto the upper ledge over where the Jedi raise each other, then running along the ledge until you get to the piece. With "Destiny," I forgot you have to use a bounty hunter's bomb to blow up the walls before you can get the piece. "Bounty Hunter Pursuit" is more complicated. You have to shoot ten long rainbow-colored tubes to get one, then shoot certain areas in the second holding area to get the other.

Since I had plenty of time, I also completed the remaining bonus rounds. The original version of "Gunship Calvary" was a lot easier with all the extras, allowing me to finish the round in less than ten minutes. "Lego City" and "New Town" don't use extras. They involve knocking down buildings or building items or flowers in a regular Lego city set. I got them both in around a half-hour, pretty long but better than my last try at "Lego City." "Bounty Hunter Pursuit" gave me enough money to buy the x10 extra, the last one I didn't have. Tomorrow, I'll do the bonus rounds for the specific movie titles.

Yankee Doodle Girl

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yankee Doodle Dandy

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