Miss Redmer at the Book Festival

I slept in a lot more than I'd planned today. I had just enough time for breakfast and a few short cartoons before running off to Collingswood. Ran my first out-and-out Halloween episodes of the season. Max & Ruby did two Halloween episodes. I went with the first, "Max's Halloween." Ruby wants her little brother to be her handsome prince for trick or treat, but Max would rather be a scary vampire. "Ruby's Leaf Collection" will be the best in school, if her brother doesn't keep trying to add to their leaf pile and burying it.

Got to the farm market around quarter after 11-11:30. Even at that late hour, and despite the windy, cold, and cloudy morning, it was packed. Corn and cucumbers are done for the season, and with them went the farm with the truck bed filled with corn. There was enough left for me to pick up apples, pears, a zucchini, three sweet potatoes, and two small tomatoes. (The booth I got the last named from, the one that also sells Chinese beans when they're in season, said this is their last week.)

Followed the crowds down Collings Avenue around noon. As it did two years ago when it rained, the Collingswood Book Festival was been moved into the high school and middle school complex to avoid the weather. That didn't stop people from attending. Collings Avenue was so busy, I had to walk my bike when I got close to the school.

I did really well this year, especially from the "buy 5 books for a dollar" sellers that were the first things you saw coming from town. The entire complex was absolutely crazy. I had a hard time getting around in some places. I didn't even bother really checking out the Barnes and Noble sales tables in the high school gym or the kids' area. I didn't have enough money for full-price books. Didn't bother with food, either. Most of it was overpriced carnival stuff - funnel cake, root beer floats, cheeseburgers - and I wasn't that hungry.

I ended up with:

From the 5 for a $1 seller

Donna Parker In Hollywood, by Marcia Martin
A book of meditations for women
The Two Princesses of Banarre, by Gail Carson Levine
The Deeds of the Disturber, by Elizabeth Peters
Republic VHS copy of The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer

From the $1 "Buy two, get one free" seller

Christmas With Southern Living 1995
Broadway's Greatest Musicals, by Abe Laufe
CD - 20th Century Rocks - 60's Rock Bands Wild Thing

From a Used Sci-Fi/Fantasy Booth

Glory Lane, by Alan Dean Foster (this one was two dollars)

From a second Used Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Action Booth indoors (that also sold DVDs)

The TV show Jack of All Trades, featuring cult favorite Bruce Campbell as a spy for Thomas Jefferson in 1801. This was my big splurge of the day at five dollars, and I actually talked it down from ten.

Headed home around quarter after 1. Crossed at CVS - the corner of the White Horse Pike and Collings Avenue was too crazy. Thank goodness the weather held. It hadn't rained since the day before. It was humid and cloudy, but not too warm, probably in the lower 70's.

When I got in, I had leftovers for lunch while running some mildly spooky Backyardigans episodes, Uniqua and Pablo say "It's Great to Be a Ghost." A nervous Tyrone doesn't agree..until Tasha shows up and claims she can't be scared. It's the least-likely kid who finally does frighten her. Uniqua and Tyrone become "Monster Detectives" to find Uniqua's soccer ball. Turns out it was stolen by Pablo, the soccer monster. If you play soccer with him, he'll turn you into a soccer monster, too! But as they wander through his castle, Uniqua starts to wonder if that's such a bad thing...

Worked on writing for the next couple of hours, and later in the evening. Luke has his own encounter with the old man later. He helps free him from an eagle who's grabbing at his cloak. Once again, he has to cut it away, and once again, the old man is nasty and ungrateful.

Luke and Leia encounter him together on a routine fishing trip a few days later. This time, a catfish has his cape. Luke cuts it free. He just gets angry and stalks off with his bag of treasure. Leia insists they follow him.

They end up in a cave on the edge of a cliff. The old man has a whole pile of gold and jewels there. He's also holding their friend the brown bear prisoner. The bear had tried to defend his gold, but the man captured him and bound him. Leia attacks the old man, distracting him long enough for Luke to free the bear.

Lando appears at this point, demanding to know where his brother is. He's followed the old man, too. The man is Palpatine, the evil sorcerer who stole the kingdom's treasury. Just as the magician starts shooting lightning, the bear reaches out and gives him a solid smack with his paw, knocking him over the edge of the cliff.

Palpatine's death releases the bear from his spell. It is indeed Prince Han, Lando's missing adopted brother. Palpatine turned him into a bear when he tried to defend his family's treasures. He thanks Luke and Leia copiously for saving him. He and Lando take the two and Obi-Wan back to their castle, where they all live happily ever after.

It didn't come out too badly, for another quick idea. It's now up at Archive of Our Own, Fanfiction.Net, and my writing blog.

Luke White and Leia Red at My Writing Blog
Luke White and Leia Red at Archive of Our Own
Luke White and Leia Red at Fanfiction.Net

Made Chicken Noodle Soup with farm market vegetables and canned chicken for dinner. I had three pears that were getting really soft, so I did Pear Cobbler for dessert. Got the recipe from the Cooking Light cookbook I picked up about four years ago or so. Oh yumm. It came out really nice, very sweet and tasty.

Dubbed The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer while I baked and ate. The duo in question are playboy artist Richard (Cary Grant) and romantic teen Susan (Shirley Temple), Susan goes up to Richard's home when he makes vague comments about her possibly being a model. This gets him accused of luring her up there. Her sister Margaret, a local judge (Myrna Loy), agrees to let Susan "date" him instead of him ending up in jail to cure her of her infatuation. Trouble is, now Richard's falling for Margaret, which doesn't amuse her district attorney boyfriend (Rudy Vallee) one bit.

I'm not exactly sure how this won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, but it is a pretty cute look at how adults often react to teenage life. Grant and Temple in particular are having fun as the perky young adult and the guy who doesn't know what to make of her, other than she's making a mess of his life. Nothing really necessary, but if you ever run into it on TCM or DVD, it's a fairly fun romantic comedy.

And the rain is making a temporary return as I write this. I don't think it'll be sticking around for much longer. Sounds like it'll be gone by the middle of the week.

Better Shop Around

We began another killer hot and humid morning with some classic Scooby Doo, Where are You? "What a Night For a Night" has the kids running around a museum, trying to find the professor who brought a suit of black armor to the US, while finding out if the suit really can come to life. "Hassle In the Castle" puts the kids on an island that seems to be inhabited by a ghost who wants them to leave, and now.

We headed out around 11 to pick up the bus to Voorhees. We got off directly across from the Voorhees Library. Today was the first day of the Camden County Library's Book Sale. I couldn't believe how busy they were, especially around the CD/DVD/video shelves. I couldn't get near the CDs! Surprisingly, the kids' area wasn't as bad. Lauren found a pile of R.L Stine books (she's a big fan), a book on teddy bears, and a Jude Deveraux novel. I also found a (different) teddy bear book, three videos (the serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel, the Mary Martin version of Peter Pan, and the James Cagney/Joan Blondell movie Blonde Crazy), the Alice Faye musical Rose of Washington Square on DVD, and the book Can't Help Singing: The American Musical On Stage and Screen, by Gerald Mast.

My best find by far was a DVD. The last movie I expected to encounter at a library book sale was the 1930 musical Chasing Rainbows, still in its original plastic! This vehicle for Bessie Love, Jack Benny, and Marie Dressler is a Warner Archive title. They're expensive online and even moreso on the rare occasion they turn up in stores. While the color numbers in the finale of this tale of heartbreak in a traveling musical have been lost, enough remains to make the movie interesting for musical buffs.

Lauren and I headed across the street to the Voorhees Town Center next. We browsed around in Boscov's for about an hour. I didn't find anything I liked. She picked up two blouses. (No toys this time - their collection was rather picked over.)

We had lunch after leaving Boscov's. Lauren doesn't have a Chick Fil'A in her area, so we ended up there. I had a Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich. She had the regular Grilled Chicken. Expensive, but quite tasty, especially the huge, potato-y waffle fries.

We browsed around the Voorhees Town Center for the next hour or so. We bought cards for our dads at Hallmark; Lauren also got a bag of Swedish fish. Bath and Body Works was having a huge sale. I bought two bottles of hand soap (Watermelon Lemonade and Mimosas and Magnolias) for the regular price of one, $6.50. Lauren got five little bottles of soap for five dollars.

Spent a pleasant half-hour or so enjoying a treat at Victorian Savories, the bakery/cafe on Restaurant Row. Lauren had a raspberry cookie bar and a Snapple Raspberry Tea. I had a slice of white cake with tasty sweet buttercream icing in spring sherbet colors and a Snapple Apple (Juice). (Lauren was highly amused when the cap of my Snapple Apple revealed that "The Star Spangled Banner" isn't allowed to be used as dance music in her native Massachusetts.)

The two of us briefly wandered through Macy's after heading back inside. Lauren bought two more blouses for work. I finally found a decent pair of brown shorts. I look better in black than brown, but as the cashier pointed out, brown is a hard color to find, for some reason. They'd had the shorts at the Macy's in Philly, but not in my size.

We took the 3:55 home. I wish we hadn't. Not only did the driver keep hitting the brakes hard on every single stop (and there were a lot of them), but someone spilled something sticky on the floor under us. I had to wipe my feet off hard when we got back in Oaklyn.

Neither of us were really up to any more walking around. It's still hot and humid. The rest of the evening was passed playing Pac Man Party (Lauren won the Crystal Caves board) and Kirby's Epic Yarn. We ate out of the fridge for dinner and finished the spinach and strawberries.

The first movie we did as we ate was I Dood It. This 1942 vehicle for Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell was inspired by the Buster Keaton comedy Spite Marriage. Powell marries smitten pants presser Skelton to make her fiancee jealous, but it backfires spectacularly. Now Skelton is out a job and a bride, but his knowledge of her current show may help out when it turns out that one of the actors is a spy.

To be honest, a lot of this movie seems to have been rather hastily put together. At least two of Powell's numbers are cribbed from other films (Honolulu and Born to Dance). Powell and Skelton do have one good moment where he just cannot drag her into bed after she's taken sleeping pills, no matter how hard he tries. Otherwise, this is strictly for fans of the stars, big band music, or 40's musicals only. Like Chasing Rainbows, it's in the Warner Archives for those interested.

Moved onto more WENN next. "Mr. and Mrs. Singer" and "Eugenia Bremer, Master Spy" were the best out of this lot. (Lauren hasn't seen Casablanca, so I skipped "From the Pen of Gertrude Reece" despite my own fondness for it.)

We finished the night with more Police Academy. City Under Siege returns us to the unnamed city as the cadets try to solve a crime spree initiated by an unknown "Mastermind" and his goofy gang. The gang seems to know their every move...and they seem to have a leak among them. When Commandant Lassard is framed, the group springs into action to find out just who wants them off the case for good.

The series was down to a PG rating by this time, which means plenty of goofy gags, but the sexual humor is limited to a few cracks at Callahan's...assets. I used to love this one as a kid when it ran constantly on cable in the late 80's - early 90's. Time hasn't been as kind to it as some of the other movies in the series. References to hard rock and bad rap date this much more than earlier entries. Actually, if you want to start slightly younger kids on this series, I'd recommend coming here first and going backwards to the raunchier entries. Otherwise, same deal - if you loved the other titles in this series or have fond memories of catching it on cable, it's worth a peek.

Cast Your Fate to the Wind

Thank goodness after the rain we've had the last two weekends, I awoke to sunshine and blustery blue skies. Listened to the American Top 40 as I prepared for my Saturday errand run. I was 8 years old in mid-October 1987, when this episode debuted. It wasn't a happy time in my life. I was constantly tormented at school, my body was just starting to change in ways I didn't understand and wasn't ready for, and my parents were having major marital problems. The music I heard on the radio was one of the only constants in my life then. Hits from the fall of that year included "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake, "Commotion" by Madonna, "I Heard a Rumor" by Bananarama, "Little Lies" by Fleetwood Mac, "Who Will You Run To?" by Heart, "Paper On Fire" by John (Cougar) Melloncamp, "Bad" by Michael Jackson, "U Got the Look" by Prince and Sheena Easton, and two remakes of 60s numbers, "I Think I'm Alone Now" by Tiffany and a live version of "Mony Mony" by Billy Idol.

Pop stars Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam had their second #1 hit of the year that week, "Lost In Emotion."

I headed out as soon as the show ended. I made a few quick stops in Oaklyn to look at yard sales, but found nothing interesting. My trip to the Collingswood Farm Market was also short. I didn't really need much today. The Farm Market is on it's last month. Corn and tomatoes are gone, and with them went the booth in the very front of the Market that sells corn out of a truck bed. They were replaced by the yarn booth with live alpacas in a pen. All I needed were cranberries, apples, and broccoli.

I went straight home after that. I put my Farm Market finds away, grabbed the pumpkin bread I made last night, and rode to the Acme. I was off, but there was an Oktoberfest party in the back room. I promised I'd bring bread a month ago, long before I got this week's schedule. There was plenty of food there, but I mostly just nibbled on small things like deviled eggs. It was too early for lunch. I bought contact lens cases (which I forgot yesterday) and moved on.

I took the back way out of the mall, past America's Best and Golden Corral and onto the side road with the baseball park and into Audubon. Audubon and Haddon Heights were having their fall town-wide yard sales this week. I spent the next two and a half hours riding around both towns, dodging traffic and checking out sales.

My finds were small, but interesting. I picked up the book Sesame Street Unpaved (with lots of details on the various characters and the backstage doings) from a family with two little girls. (Gave them a dollar - they wanted 25 cents, but I was out of quarters and the book is a hardback in really nice condition.)

The nostalgia factor was high at another Audubon sale. I found the second-to-last Donna Parker story, Mystery At Arawack, along with three videos I loved during my childhood - the 1949 version of Little Women with June Allyson and Elizabeth Taylor, the Leslie Ann Warren Rogers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella, and Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer.

By 1:30, I was tired of hiking up and down the hilly streets of Haddon Heights, and many yard sales were starting to close down anyway. It was time to head to Simply Soups for lunch. It was very quiet, allowing me to read my new book and give me a chance to think as I ate my corn bread, Diet Coke, and creamy turkey-pumpkin-rice soup for lunch.

After I quick stop at WaWa, I headed home. Went right in the bathtub as soon as I got in and put everything away. That felt absolutely wonderful after all the running around the last few days. I listened to George Winston's Cast Your Fate to the Wind CD (recordings of Vince Guaraldi music, including music from Peanuts specials) and read The Woman's Comfort Book.

I spent the rest of the evening baking, cooking, and watching The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf friends have many adventures on their way to Smaug's treasure cabin, from hiding in the home of a man who can change into a bear to a none-too-pleasant encounter with giant spiders to a run-in with the elves, who aren't terribly happy to have them there. Even after they arrive at the town near the lake, trouble - in the form of orcs and nasty local bueracrats - follows. When Bilbo finally goes nose-to-scaly-nose with Smaug, he learns that the beast is more terrifying than anything he could imagine...and that he plans on destruction on a massive scale.

Just as beautifully done as the first one. Basically, if you enjoyed the original, you'll probably love this, too...but catch the original film first to have a better understanding of what's going on.

Toy Story of Terror was Pixar's Halloween special last year. When the toys stay at a creepy hotel, each of them seem to disappear mysteriously. Jessie is the last one left. When she's captured too, she and the others discover a plot to sell them off. Jessie will have to rescue Woody from being sent away...if she can get over being trapped in a box...

Basically a shorter rehash of Toy Story 2, but enjoyable enough for what it is. Combat Carl (and his mini version) is especially funny. It doesn't have much to do with Halloween, but it's still worth a peek if you or your kids love Toy Story or are looking for something new to watch at Halloween.

Library Adventures

It was still cloudy and a little humid outside when I got up this morning, but it looked like the rain was long gone. Since it still felt a little spooky, I ran the Winnie the Pooh Halloween special Boo To You, Too! as I ate breakfast. Everyone in the 100 Acre Woods is gearing up for a spooky Halloween filled with tricks and treats...except Piglet. Halloween almost literally scares him silly. Pooh suggests they have a "Hallo-wasn't" and go without costumes in deference to Piglet. No one is happy with that...but after Piglet disappears, they discover that the scariest part of Halloween is worrying about their little porcine pal.

Switched to two 30s Popeye shorts as I prepared a package to be sent in the mail. "Shiver Me Timbers" has the stranded Olive, Popeye, and Wimpy picked up by a boat that's filled with ghosts! The trio have to get rid of them in order to drive the boat home. Popeye notices that "You Gotta Be a Football Hero" to get Olive's attention when she'd rather be cheering Bluto's team. He becomes his own one-man team to prove spinach can fortify the kind of heroics Nick Foles can only dream of.

I had a lot to do today, starting with a stop at the Oaklyn Post Office. My best friend Lauren's birthday is on Monday. Instead of gifts, she requested that I send cookies for her birthday this year. I'm always talking about my baked treats when we chat! Thankfully, the post office was empty and the lady at the desk was really sweet. I paid for regular shipping and headed out.

The clouds were slowly starting to break up as I rode across Newton Lake Park to Westmont. It was getting warmer, too. The trees are finally starting to turn colors here. I dodged dog walkers and joggers out enjoying the nice day.

The Haddon Township Library was the quietest I'd seen it in months when I arrived. I got in at quarter of noon. Everyone must have gone to lunch. There weren't many DVDs to shelve, but I did still organize the children's titles. (Which are still overloaded with the 800 Scooby Doo and Sesame Street collections they won't get rid of.) I had far less to do with the adult titles and the CDs. I did take out four items to watch this week - the shorts collection Toy Story of Terror, the new collection for Care Bears Welcome to Care-a-Lot The Care-a-Thon Games, and the movies Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

I dodged the lunch hour traffic, stopping at WaWa on my way home to pick up money from an ATM machine and buy a chilled cappuccino. When I got home, I put the DVDs aside, grabbed my backpack and a vinyl tote bag along with my money, and went right back out again. I locked my bike at Oaklyn's City Hall, then waited for the bus to the Voorhees Town Center. It was a few minutes late, nothing horrible. The bus was a bit full, but there was no traffic whatsoever.

I got off at the Voorhees Town Center. Though I was there mainly for the Voorhees Library Book Sale, I wanted to eat lunch first. Despite it being past 2:30, I wasn't really all that hungry. I finally went with Juicinator, who sold juices, sandwiches, and salads made with healthy ingredients for a reasonable price. I had a Caprese Wrap - fresh mozzerella, basil literally pulled right off the plant, tomatoes, olive oil, and vinegar on a whole-wheat wrap with sliced vegetables and pickles and a strawberry-banana fruit shake. It was tasty and very filling.

The Voorhees Library is directly across from the entrance to the Voorhees Town Center's food court. The Voorhees Library hosts the Camden County Library System's big spring and fall book sale. I actually did quite well there, even better than when Lauren and I went in June. Picked up two fiction hardbacks (the historical epic Dreamland by Kevin Baker and one of Carol Higgins' Clark's more recent stories, Gypped), one non-fiction hardback (The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin), a Backyardigans DVD (Escape from the Tower), and five videos, The Music Man, Down Argentine Way, The Pajama Game, The Corsican Brothers, and Red Skelton's Christmas Jollies, likely a collection of Christmas episodes from his show.

I took another hour or so in Macy's and Boscov's. Boscov's was busy. Macy's wasn't. Boscov's was having some really big sales. I bought a WebKinz Rooster for $2.99 and a new winter purse - a bright red faux leather "mini" purse with a long strap and lots of pockets - for $19.99.

I missed the first bus home. Did catch the second one, which once again, was only slightly late. I also missed the traffic, which was mostly going in the other direction. It was getting dark by the time the bus pulled up in front of the dentist's office across from 7-11 in Oaklyn. I went across the street, got my bike, and headed home. At least by this point, the weather was gorgeous, sunny, windy, and far less humid and warm.

When I got home, I put everything away, then had leftover hamburger pie and roasted Brussels sprouts while watching the Care Bears. Funshine Bear and and one of their kid friends just want to have fun at his home in "Compassion-NOT." They learn a big lesson in work before play when Grumpy gets stuck, and it takes their help to get him out. Cheer Bear helps Funshine beat Grumpy in the Care-a-Thon Games. Funshine is so boastful about his win, he becomes "Shunshine" when the others get annoyed with his big head. One of the kids learns to be brave in the dark during a "Care Campout" when she and the Bears are all out camping near a local resort and the lights go out.

Oh, and meet Brian the Rooster! I spent most of tonight setting him up in his own farm-themed room. He comes with a cute barn-shaped clock that rings reveals a mini-rooster whenever your pet touches it.

Finding Hoppo

Began a beautiful, sunny morning with a bagel with raspberry preserves and two slices of fresh farm market cantaloupe for breakfast. Ran a couple of episodes of Max & Ruby while eating. "Max's Froggy Friend" may delight Max with his jumping, but Ruby insists that frogs have no place at tea parties! Max keeps trying to sneak the frog home anyway. "Ruby's Hiccups" may prevent her from rehearsing for the big Bunny Scout concert unless she and Louise can find a cure, and fast! Meanwhile, Max just wants to find his monster mask. Ruby wants to get Max in "The Big Picture" for Grandma, but Max keeps getting dirty. "Max Gets Wet" when Ruby insists on him watering her plants, but he keeps trying to fill his kiddie pool. And "Ruby's Stage Show" gets more complicated than the participants planned when Ruby wants Max to play a prince, but he'd rather be a dragon!

It was just gorgeous outside today. The sky was a brilliant blue. The breeze was nice and cool. It couldn't have been more than the mid-70s. It was the perfect day for a long bike ride. I started at the House of Fun up on the White Horse Pike, which hadn't been open when I was there yesterday. Not only were they open this morning, but they had a whole display of 80s girls' stuffed animals and dolls in the middle of the main room, most still in their original packaging. Among them was one I had as a child - Hoppopotamus, the blue rabbit-eared diva who was my favorite character in the 1985 Disney cartoon The Wuzzles. I had my original Hoppo for over a decade. The one I found was in mint condition, still fuzzy and with perfect eyes and ears. The picture book she came with was mint, too. Her box was a mess, but at least it was there. She cost me $34 with tax, but I was thrilled to find her again. She's one of the few childhood stuffed animals I ever really regret letting go of.

Hoppo's box was a little awkward to carry in my bike basket. I took her home, then headed back out again. Stopped at Simply Soups in Audubon for lunch. Despite the nice day and it being about 1 when I arrived, I was the only diner. I guess everyone was ordering out. I had my usual small cup of soup (turkey pumpkin wild rice), breadsticks, and can of soda (Diet A&W) while watching the traffic and a train chug by.

I spent the rest of the afternoon checking out thrift shops and Goodwills. Barrington Antiques was actually a bit busy. I saw three retired American Girl dolls that aren't easy to find, the 2008 Girl of the Year modern doll Mia, Felicity's best friend Elizabeth, and Samantha's best friend Nellie. I might have considered Nellie or Elizabeth (I don't have any blond AGs) if they hadn't been between 100 and 125 each! I could buy a doll new for that. Josefina's bed, which they were all sitting on, was overpriced, too. I ended up buying nothing there and moved on.

I rode up to Lawnside originally, but decided I didn't need anything at Shop Rite or Hallmark. Headed down Clements Bridge Road to the Black Horse Pike. The Bellmawr Goodwill was a block from where I came out. I did better there than I did the last time I went there in early June. I picked up the CD of the original cast of Legally Blonde: The Musical, plus five Christmas-related items:

Christmas With Anne, a collection of short stories (and at least one chapter from Anne of Green Gables) by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

A Christmas Carol, a 50s TV movie musical version with Frederick March as Scrooge and Basil Rathbone as Jacob Marley

A box set of three FHE videos of Christmas specials from the 80s, including one I've been trying to find for years, The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas.

It was past 4:30 by the time I left Goodwill. I took the back roads home to avoid the traffic on the Black Horse Pike and Clements Bridge Road. Just a few streets down from the Goodwill, I found a nice little playground. It was surrounded by some blue and black material that seemed foamy and almost kind of bouncy. It was faded, but seemed sturdy enough; I couldn't resist trying the wavy slide.

Since I passed through Haddon Heights going home, I decided I'd wet my whistle with a treat from Cabana Water Ice. I couldn't decide between water ice or ice cream, so I got a small pumpkin-vanilla gelati and had both. The pumpkin was nice and creamy, with large pieces of gingerbread...but the water ice wasn't very good. The ice chunks were big and rocky, and it didn't really taste like vanilla. I ate it outside to enjoy the dad and observe the older women chatting on a bench and the kids getting their own treats on their way back from school.

When I got in, I headed upstairs, then made Merlin's Magic (Baked) Chicken and sauteed Chinese beans for dinner while watching the East Side Kids. Kid Dynamite is the second of three movies in the series that has Danny (Bobby Jordan) and Mugs (Leo Gorcey) at odds. Mugs thinks Danny set him up when he's kidnapped before he can take part in a big boxing match and Danny takes his place. The rest of the movie has Mugs doing whatever he can to come out ahead of Danny, ignoring the fact that his friend is innocent and only wants to be nice.

And the darn Warner Archive movies still haven't shown up. If they aren't in by tomorrow, I'm calling the post office in Camden to see what the hold up is.

Late Summer Harvest

Started a cloudy, humid morning with this week's American Top 40 re-run. I would have been just a little over a year old in mid-September 1980 when this episode was new, and I grew up with many of these songs. Hits that week included "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, "Sailing" by Christopher Cross, "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John from Xanadu, the title song from Fame by Irene Cara, "You're the Only Woman" by Ambrosia, "I'm Alright" by Kenny Loggins from Caddyshack, "Into the Night" by Benny Mardones, "Drivin' My Life Away" by Eddie Rabbit, "Lookin' For Love" by Johnny Lee, and "Give Me the Night" by George Benson.

Diana Ross had her 17th #1 hit that week (a record at the time) with "Upside Down."

I did check out a few yard sales this morning, despite the dismal day and having to work at noon. The only one I got anything from was a big one on West Cuthbert near Kayla's Ice Cream. I ended up with three videos, still in their plastic - the Laurel & Hardy movie Sons of the Desert, Sean Connery's second James Bond film From Russia With Love, and the John Wayne comedy McLintock!

The farm market was busy when I arrived with people looking for food for birthday parties and end-of-the-summer barbecues. The change of seasons was indicated by the arrival of the year's first pears and large pumpkins. I settled for the last pint of tiny Gala apples, a small cantaloupe, two ears of corn, a tomato, Chinese beans, and a red pepper.

I headed home, had some quick granola bars for a snack, packed up my cupcakes, and headed out again for work. The Acme was having a football kick-off party this afternoon (though the Eagles don't play until Monday night). There was pork and beans, shredded barbecue chicken and pork, rolls for sandwiches, three different cakes (one marble, one yellow, one chocolate), deviled eggs, macaroni salad, potato salad, cole slaw, and bags of candy that were on sale for Halloween. I had a small shredded chicken sandwich, cole slaw, two deviled eggs, a few Reeses cups, and a slice of chocolate cake.

Work itself was busy all evening. Even when it actually started raining around 2:30-3PM, it stayed steady. Thankfully, despite the weather, most people seemed to be in decent moods. My relief, one of the college girls, was on time. It was showering lightly when I went home. I don't think it's even doing that now.

I was tired when I got home and not up to much more than a peanut butter and raspberry preserves sandwich, leftover Chinese beans, and a couple of Dr. Seuss specials. The Cat In the Hat causes commotion when he barges into a house with two kids and a finicky fish left alone for the afternoon. The Cat and his two Thing helpers are in search of a family heirloom...or so the Cat says. As they search the entire house and scare the living daylights out of the fish, the kids discover that even on a rainy day, it doesn't take much to make your own fun.

Dr. Seuss On the Loose is an anthology of three shorts, two of which come from a collection of short stories. The Sneeches are yellow creatures who live on the beaches. Sneeches with green stars on their stomachs snub the ones who don't have them. A monkey con man shows up one day with two machines that can put on and take off green stars...and ends up teaching both clans a lesson in equality. The Zax are extremely stubborn creatures who won't move for one another to pass the other way, even as the world around them changes. In Green Eggs and Ham, one poor guy is hounded by Sam I Am, a determined little fellow who wants his new friend to try his favorite dish...anywhere, at any time!

Happy Days at the Voorhees Town Center

Thankfully, it was sunny and a little humid but not too bad when we headed out this morning. We weren't doing as much walking, anyway. We headed to Oaklyn's City Hall and picked up the bus to the Voorhees Library across from the Voorhees Town Center. Thankfully, the traffic wasn't bad, and other than people getting off on every other corner on the White Horse Pike, we had no problems. We got off right across from the library.

The spring Camden County Library System Book Sale was bustling when we came in. It was far busier than when I went in the fall, probably because we went during the first day. This time, I did manage to find the children's books. They were in the Story Hour room just off the children's section. There wasn't a bad selection, for being stuffed in a small room, when I could get around all the parents, kids, and grandparents looking for inexpensive reads.

We both did pretty darn well. Lauren bought Fletch Too, MacBook for Dummies, and a couple of R.L Stein novels she didn't have. I bought The Trumpet of the Swan, the Disney Fairies novel Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand, the Carol Higgins Clark mystery Fleeced. Found the Mario Lanza vehicle The Great Caruso and two James Bond movies I didn't have, Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only, on video. Hers cost $5. Mine came up to $4 - the videos were three for a dollar.

We went across the street to the Voorhees Town Center for lunch. Bassett's BBQ had recently opened in their food court; I hadn't seen it the last time I was there a few weeks before Christmas. Lauren had their bacon cheeseburger. I had the pulled chicken sandwich. We both had dark, earthy-tasting fries, on sale for 99 cents. Mine was delicious, thick and rich and just spicy enough. Lauren said her burger was really good, too.

We browsed through the smaller stores on the first floor first. Hallmark was having a really big sale on WebKinz. Lauren got the stuffed version of Facebook's famous Grumpy Cat and I bought a "plumfadoodle" (a round, sparkly, dodo-like purple bird creature) for around $4.50 each. We didn't have as much luck in their small Game Stop; found nothing interesting. We debated spending some time in their huge arcade, but ultimately decided we didn't want to spend the money.

Our next stop was Boscov's. Lauren loved their toy section on the first floor. We found new version of craft sets like Shrinky Dinks we hadn't seen since we were kids. Lauren ended up with the smaller Spirograph set. I finally found a nice, sensible pair of waterproof sandals upstairs. The sandals were $19.99. The four pairs of thick cotton Goldtoe socks I bought were $2.49 for two pairs!

We went back downstairs and had cookies and drinks from the cookie-selling booth. Lauren had a big sugar cookie; I had a big white chocolate chunk-macadamia nut cookie. (I love white chocolate-macadamia cookies, but macadamia nuts are so expensive.) We browsed around a little in Macy's after we finished our snack. Voorhees has a really nice Macy's. And unlike the Macy's in Philly or the JCPenney's in Deptford, they had a very large, well-stocked women's plus size section that was one of the first things you saw on entering the store.

Our bus home was a bit late arriving, but thankfully, the traffic was going in the other direction. We both felt a few raindrops when we were waiting for the bus, but the rain held off until we were half-way down the White Horse Pike. It was deluging by the time we were passing the Dunkin' Donuts in Lawnside. Lauren looked up the weather on her smartphone and discovered that the storms were numerous but fast-moving. It wasn't raining when we got off. The storm started again when we were just a few inches from my place. We got in only a bit wet.

It's stormed on and off for the rest of the night. Needless to say, we went nowhere else. We played Kirby games for a couple of hours before having leftovers for dinner while watching Happy Days episodes. Though Fonzie's role was just starting to be built up in the early second season, the show still mostly concentrated on Richie and his pals and was far less strange than the shark-jumping and alien antics that turned up in later years. My favorite episodes were the one where Richie got his red car (which may or may not have been stolen) and the cute Halloween show that had Richie facing his fears when Ralph holds a costume party in an infamously haunted house.

We switched to the Bowery Boys movie Ghost Chasers in honor of Friday the 13th. Richie's not the only one who is afraid of ghosts. While the Boys help Louie track down a phony medium, Sach makes friends with a real ghost who turns out to be anything but nasty. When the boys get into major trouble, Sach and his ghost buddy may be the only ones who can save the day.

Tomorrow, we'll be hitting Oaklyn's town-wide yard sale and the Collingswood Farm Market.

Long Morning's Journey Into Haddon Heights

Started a sunny but windy and chilly morning with this week's American Top 40 re-run. I would have just been 7 years old in late April 1986, when these songs were rocketing up the charts. The tunes I heard on the radio included "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco, Janet Jackson's first Top 10 hit "What Have You Done For Me Lately?", "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer, "West End Girls" by the Pet Shop Boys, and "I Miss You" by Klymaxx.

While Prince's second movie vehicle Under the Cherry Moon was a huge flop, the music from the film was not. That week's number one song was one of the more popular numberss from that soundtrack, "Kiss."

Left for this week's yard-sale run as soon as I could. Swung by Dad's first. I left the birthday cards I got from Rose and Khai at his house last night. Dad was working in the new flower beds around the pool. I said "hi" to him and saw how progress was coming with the pool.

After that, I headed right to Haddon Heights for their spring Town-Wide Yard Sale. While I didn't do too badly, I did run into some disappointments. A beautiful hutch that would have been perfect for my apartment was sold right before I arrived. Another sale that advertised American Girl items sold out well before I finally found them. Never found any really great collectible toys, like Butterbear last week.

I did make some good finds. Many of the sales were donating their proceeds to good causes. A sale for cancer research yielded six Wilton Cake Decorating yearbooks I didn't have (1985 to 1988, plus 2004 and a mint-condition Christmas book from the 70s). Two multi-family sales for the local Rotary Clubs on Prospect Ridge Road yielded 7 videos for dubbing - three Laurel and Hardy vehicles (Blockheads, A Chump At Oxford, and Way Out West) and a collection of spooky-oriented Laurel and Hardy shorts, the Will Smith vehicle Wild Wild West, and two animated films, The Snow Queen and The Land Before Time.

Found two records at a sale just off Prospect Ridge Road, the soundtracks for Dirty Dancing (replacing an aging cassette copy) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

My best find of the day was back at the cancer research sale. A huge, heavy photo album had been stuffed into the crate with the Wilton Cake Decorating Yearbooks. I couldn't figure out why until I flipped through the book...and saw clippings of recipes from everything from old newspapers to 80s magazines to Betty Crocker.com arranged inside! I bought it for 75 cents. I'll go through it more thoroughly sometime next week.

It was even harder to explore Haddon Heights than it was to ride around in Audubon. Haddon Heights isn't called that because it sounds pretty. It's on steeper hills than most of the surrounding area, which makes it a hard slog on a bike normally. Coupled with high winds and heavy traffic in narrow old streets that weren't meant for it, and I was worn out when I finally made it home around 12:40. I quickly browsed through the photo album cookbook and ate the pizza leftover from last night and a spinach salad while watching Disney cartoons and the Dr. Seuss 70s special The Hoober Bloob Highway. The special was just winding down when I quickly packed my dinner, pulled on my uniform shirt, and hurried off to work.

Work was busy for most of the night. Rather frustratingly, this time, we didn't have enough help to deal with the crowds. They had to call managers to help, including one to come in for me for my break. Thank heavens it was just starting to slow down when I left at 8:30.

Into the Wilds of Audubon

After the monsoon yesterday, I was just happy to see the sun shining when I got up this morning. I wrote in my journal, ready Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and listened to this week's American Top 40. I would have been just barely 3 years old when this episode was first run, and many of these songs were very much a part of my childhood. Songs on the countdown in mid-April that year included "Freeze Frame" by the J. Gelis Band, "Key Largo" by Bertie Higgins, "We Got the Beat" by the Go-Gos, "'65 Love Affair" by Paul Davis, "Do You Believe In Love" by Huey Lewis & the News (their first Top 40 hit), "That Girl" by Stevie Wonder, "Make a Move On Me" by Olivia Newton-John, and "100 Ways" by Quincy Jones with James Ingram on vocals.

That weeks' top song - and the top song for the previous five weeks - is one of my favorite hits from this era. My sisters and I used to belt "I Love Rock and Roll" everywhere we could, and for once, Mom joined in. She loved tough Joan Jett as much as we did.

I headed out as soon as the Top 40 ended. Today was Audubon's spring Town-Wide Yard Sale, and I didn't want to miss it. Unlike last year, I hit on some pretty sweet finds between quarter after 9 and quarter after 12. I eventually came up with five DVDs. Found Bell, Book, and Candle, Romance on the High Seas (Doris Day's first movie), the Spencer Tracy/Elizabeth Taylor Father of the Bride, and One Crazy Summer with John Cusack at my very first stop, a large yard sale with several boxes of DVDs and videos. One Crazy Summer was still in its plastic! Dug An American Christmas Carol with Henry Winkler up at a small yard sale later in the morning. I also found a bag of holographic cardboard butterflies to put on my windows for spring.

Of the four books I bought, two, a small chilled desserts cookbook and a vintage Lady and the Tramp children's book (the one with Lady holding a frilly pink parasol in her mouth on the cover - we had that as kids) , ended up being freebies. I found the 2005 Christmas With Southern Living and the 1974 Wilton Cake Decorating Annual at a large multi-family sale; the owner said her aunt had been a fine baker. They had a lot of the big Wilton cake pans, but not only do I not have the room for them, but I seldom make cakes that size.

I also discovered a video copy of Yogi's First Christmas here. It's available at the Warner Archive, but this is infinitely cheaper.

The most expensive items ended up being two of the three records - the first two were three dollars each:

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - I Love Rock and Roll (Rather ironic, considering it was on the Top 40 this morning)

Journey - Escape

The Who - Live at Leeds 

The two CDs came from a yard sale on Merchant Street:

Bette Midler - Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook

Bernadette Peters - Sondheim, Etc. (live concert recording)

My favorite find of the day was at the first stop where I picked up those four DVDs. I saw a flash of bright yellow and a pair of familiar flower-shaped feelers in a plastic bag filled with ancient stuffed animals. I knew those feelers. I jumped over to the bag and tugged out Butterbear, one of the Wuzzles! The Wuzzles was a Disney animated show from the mid-80s about a group of creatures that were a mix of two different animals. Rose had Butterbear (bear/butterfly) when we were little. I had my favorite characters, Hoppo (hippo/rabbit with wings for some reason) and Bumblelion (lion/bee). Anny had sweet little Moosel (moose/seal).

I hadn't seen any of them in over 15 years. The Butterbear I found wasn't in great shape. She was faded, she was dirty, there was a small hole behind her left wing, and she was missing paint on her eye and on her feelers. I'll toss her in the wash, then see what I can do for the rest.

I ended up in the neighborhood behind the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center. Since I was there anyway, I thought I'd eat lunch there. I made a brief peek at America's Best to see if they had my contacts, but the line was so long, I just moved on.

Finally had lunch at Sonic's. I'm so glad they reopened a few months ago. I missed eating outdoors. I found a sunny spot in the back of the patio and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, cherry limeade, and those tasty onion rings. The chicken sandwich was on an odd rectangle-shaped patty and was only ok. The onion rings were even bigger than usual, and just as good. And I've always loved that cherry limeade. It may be my favorite thing on the menu.

Went home after lunch. I hung around on the computer for a little while as I listened to the Bernadette Peters CD, then headed off to work. Work was busy during rush hour, mildly steady during the rest of the night. Though there were some stray clouds this morning, by 3PM, it was 65 and sunny as could be, perfect weather for April in New Jersey. There were really no major problems and plenty of help. I picked up corn meal, whole-wheat wraps, and more of the Oatmeal Squares on sale during break, allowing me to head out quickly with no major problems.

Book Bonanza

Started off another incredibly gorgeous late summer morning with the American Top 40. Casey made his third return to 1979 in as many months as disco, ballads, jazz, and R&B ruled the airwaves. Hits in mid-September of that year included "Goodbye Stranger" by Supertramp, "Lonesome Loser" by the Little River Band, the title song from The Main Event by Barbara Streisand, "Let's Go" by the Cars, "Mama Can't Buy You Love" by Elton John, "After the Love Has Gone" by Earth, Wind, and Fire, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band, and "Rise" by Herb Alpert.

That week's #1 song would, in fact, eventually wind up as the biggest hit of the year - "My Sharona" by the Knack.

Unlike last week, there were plenty of things going on around the area. The big event in Oaklyn was the fall version of the Oaklyn Library's annual Flea Market and Book Sale. I was disappointed to see only a few flea market tables by the library...but one of them was my friend Cassandra selling her books. I got to say "hi" to her and touch base. She's been busy with her books and her sons, which is why I haven't gotten together with her again. I've been thinking of e-mailing her for a while now.

The book sale was much better. I ended up with four books and four videos. Three of the books were biographies on Joan Blondell (Center Stage Fancy), Louise Brooks (Lulu In Hollywood), and George M. Cohan (The Man Who Owns Broadway). The fourth book was a novel, Maiden Voyage, about a flapper in 1924 who inherits her father's shipping and cruise line and has to oversee the first trip across the Atlantic of it's newest vessel. The videos were Little Big Man, The Swan Princess, Memphis Belle, and another serial, Zorro's Black Whip.

Checked out a couple of other yard sales in the Oaklyn area as I headed to the Farm Market. There was nothing of interest at the sale on Newton Avenue near the library. I did better at the back of Oaklawn Avenue. They had a small pile of records. I came up with the soundtrack from the original That's Entertainment.

The Farm Market was the next stop. Needless to say, thanks to the weather, it was packed there today with people buying produce for birthday parties, football parties tomorrow, and impromptu barbecues. There were also more dogs there than I've seen in weeks, including a cute little terrier who reminded me of Linda Young's dog Willow and a handsome, fluffy old collie who patiently allowed young children to pet him. I finally ended up with nectarines (the peaches were rather sour last week), tiny Gala apples, carrots, and corn.

I rode around for an hour looking for a yard sale that was supposed to be on Breslin Avenue in Haddon Township, but I just could not find it. I did find one on Cuthbert Road across the street from the Shamrock Deli. They had paperbacks from the 70s and 80s, vintage kids' books, and some neat animated videos for sale, among other things. I ended up with two videos (Yogi's Great Escape and the 80s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Easter special) and three kids' books. The latter were the first three titles in the Connie Blair mystery series from 1948, The Clue In Blue, Riddle In Red, and Puzzle In Purple. It looks like a Nancy Drew imitation with a somewhat more mature heroine (she's an up-and-coming advertising exec, from what I've read on the back covers).

I was so thirsty, I stopped to grab a fountain iced tea at WaWa before heading home. I had a quick leftovers lunch and spent the rest of the day trying to figure out a budget. I got everything added together, but the same thing confused me as last month. When I tried to divide 24 by 1000,  (which I figure is about what I make in a month), I just get decimals...and moving those decimals around only reveals that I don't make much money.

I went to work depressed. Work didn't make me feel better. It was busy for most of the night, and there were quite a few annoying people, including one of those ladies who gives 600 orders on how to bag, then holds up the lines by rearranging everything. I know they don't mean to be rude, but why can't they either do it away from the register, or just leave it alone? I did what they wanted. And she put back a quarter of her order! It was so busy, I didn't get my break until quarter of 6...and I got off at 7.

Library Magic

It was about 11:30 when I headed out for this week's errand run. It was a bit warmer and hazier than yesterday, though it remained breezy and dry enough that the weather remained tolerable. Nevertheless, I spent a lot of the day inside. I started at the Oaklyn Library. They had a kid volunteering with the children's books, and there wasn't a whole lot to do with the DVDs, either. I was out by quarter after 12.

Since I was in the area anyway, I stopped at Capitol Pizza for lunch. I bought a plain slice, a slice with broccoli and mushrooms, and a bottle of Coke Zero. The weather was still too good to eat indoors and get stuck listening to depressing true crime documentaries, so I took my pizza to the two small, umbrella-covered metal tables on the sidewalk. The view of lunchtime traffic on the White Horse Pike and the printing company across the street wasn't exactly inspiring, but it was an improvement over inside.

I rode through Newton River Park on my way to the Haddon Township Library. Thanks to the improved weather, the park was the busiest I've seen it since the spring. Parents and their children had a picnic on the tables by the green and yellow playground. People walked their dogs. They jogged to the beat of the music on their machines or in their own minds. They strolled with children or friends, avoiding the huge, thick mud patches left by machinery cutting down old trees.

There was a bit more to do at the Haddon Township Library than there had been at Oaklyn. I had plenty of DVDs to put away, and even some kids' books to shelve. I pulled a stack of foreign and kids' titles from the regular movies. I organized the kids' titles. Found the Errol Flynn Adventures of Robin Hood, along with another recent adventure tale for families, The Adventures of Tin Tin. Continued the swashbuckler theme with a collection of cartoons from the recent Disney kids' series Jake Jake and the Pirates, based around Peter Pan. I also finally picked up the newest Maisie Dobbs book, which I've been trying to get for ages. Found three videos to dub in the sales area.

Ran a bunch of errands next. Stopped at Super Fresh first. They were having a good sale on cooking spray and an eco-friendly store-brand Liquid Plumber. (Given how slow the bathroom sink is, even with frequent applications of baking soda, I'm willing to try anything.) Also bought a four-pack of sponges, which weren't all that much more expensive that two of Dollar Tree's two-packs. I was surprised to see Halloween candy already out with the back-to-school items. Acme just has back-to-school going. The CVS on the Collingswood/Oaklyn border hasn't even cleared out their summer displays yet.

(Oh, here's a sign that you know fall's coming soon - the first bags of cinnamon-scented pinecones and funny full-sized scarecrows for yard decorations appear.)

Back to school was also prominent Dollar Tree. They also had some lingering summer items. I was mainly interested in their cleaning items. I just bought scrubbers (and forgot soap, which I really needed - I'll just have to get whatever's cheap at the Acme).

I actually did need to take a look at Rite Aid's back to school section, but not for the usual paper clips and pencils. My old dry erase board was getting kind of scratched and not writing as well. Time for a new one! I bought the same brand as the last one, with a blue-violet border instead of sage green. Also needed Tums and Pepto Bismal. My chest and stomach have been feeling weird. I'm wondering if I have heartburn.

Spent the rest of the afternoon at home. I needed to get that video dubbing pile down, so I worked on that for the rest of the evening. I put a set of two 80s Berenstein Bears episodes, "In the Dark" and "Ring the Bell," on the disc with the 1973 Charlotte's Web. "In the Dark" is an adaptation of the Bears story of the same name. Sister is upset when Brother reads her a spooky story, until Papa shows her there's nothing scary about the dark. I have fond memories of this one. Mom still has our copy of the book, which I've read since I was Sister's age. It is nice to see a story where Papa is the one who helps out, too. (Incidentally, the dark has never bothered me, and doesn't to this day. I find it comforting.)

"Ring the Bell" is an original tale. Brother Bear brags to local bully Too-Tall Grizzly that his papa can beat Too-Tall's at the bell-ringing game at the local fair. Papa's more interested in his recipe for six-flavor honey than in competing with anyone, including the biggest bear in the county. When Too-Tall starts promoting the game, it looks like Papa's going to have to try anyway...with a little surprising help from some angry bees!

(And I really wish the tape had been in better shape. I used to like the Berenstein Bears show in the 80s and have seldom seen it since then. While I was able to dub it, the tape was so scratchy and shaky, I threw it away afterwards.)

I continued my dubbing during dinner. Worked on the first half of Mandrake the Magician as I made Tomatoes and Zucchini with Turkey Meatballs, Chinese Beans with Red Pepper, and spiral noodles. Mandrake is a Columbia serial from 1939, apparently based after a popular newspaper comics character. He's a pilot, inventor, and stage magician who is aiding a professor and his daughter and son in creating a "radio waves ray," whose blasts can destroy in an instant and jam radio and communication signals. A villain named the Wasp wants it for his own ends, and will do anything to get it, from sabotaging Mandrake's plan to crushing him in a flood and leaving him and his manservant Lothar to die in a burning radio station, to obtain it!

I know nothing about this character, other than the name getting bandied around occasionally. I can't tell you much more than this is a pretty standard serial with some nifty magic-themed trappings. It's really fun to see dapper Warren Hall go through his paces with his magic act. Kenneth MacDonald, a "friend" of Mandrake's who may or may not be all that friendly, frequently played villains in the Three Stooges shorts of the 40s.

Out of the Heat, Into the Frying Pan

Started a steamy, sunny morning with the American Top 40. We skipped ahead to 1983 and the dominance of pop, New Wave, and soul. Among the hits during late July were "Our House" by the British group Madness, "She Works Hard for the Money" by Donna Summer, "1999" by Prince, "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant, "Come Dancing" by the Kinks, and "Maniac" by Michael Sambello and "What a Feeling!" by Irene Cara from the Flashdance soundtrack. A third British group had the #1 hit that week, the classic ballad "Every Step You Take" by Police.

After a quick stop at a quiet bank and a chat with a teller, I headed off for this week's yard sale/farm market run. Unlike last week, I actually had time to enjoy it. I stopped one house on Haddon Avenue near the bank and a few in Collingswood before I hit the farm market. I came up with two videos and three records from Haddon Avenue:

Nat King Cole - Stay As Sweet As You Are and Nature Boy

The Andrews Sisters -  In the Mood

The two videos to dub were the Laurel & Hardy vehicle Flying Deuces and the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby.

The farm market was packed today, despite the heat. It took me a while to get to some booths. No wonder. It's the height of the summer harvest, and there's beautiful produce wherever you look. The farms are bursting with tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, blueberries, peaches, corn, cucumbers, melons, and all kinds of summer squash. I ended up with blueberries, white peaches (cheaper than yellow ones), two more of those mini cantaloupes that were so sweet earlier this week, tiny Pristine apples, a green pepper, an onion, and a tomato.

I rode around a bit more after that. Took in another yard sale on the other side of Collingswood, but found nothing. Did much better after a long ride to Audubon. It had clouded over while I was riding around. I felt raindrops as I made my way down Carlisle Avenue. Thankfully, they didn't last long, and I was able to dig through at least twelve boxes of books. The pickings turned out to be slim. They were mostly college textbooks or books on spirituality, religion, or holistic medicine. I did find one interesting-looking volume, Don't Worry, Make Money, by the author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff.

The small shower disappeared as quickly as it arrived. It was long gone by the time I had arrived home. When I put away my finds and produce, I was dismayed to discover that the long ride had made a squished mess of my poor tomato. I ended up eating it with a bit of Red Wine Vinaigrette for lunch, along with a slice of raisin bread and chunky peanut butter.

Made a very quick run to the Oaklyn Library after lunch. I got there at 1 and they start shutting down at 1:45, but I did get a few things done. I organized both the adult and kids' DVD shelves and moved series books to the series shelves.

I spent an hour reading Don't Worry, Make Money in the living room after I got in. I wish I could take their advice. I can't help worrying about money. Of course I live from paycheck to paycheck. I've never lived any other way. I don't want to work at the Acme anymore, but it would mean losing my paycheck and health insurance and ultimately, my apartment and my independence. I'm proud of my independence. I don't rely on anyone, and no one relies on me. I want things to stay that way...but I have to make money to do it.

I went out to sweep the porch around 3ish. There were already clouds building on the horizon. The porch was a mess; thanks to the hot summer, there's dry leaves and branches everywhere. I was just finishing up when I heard noisy thunder. Thankfully, I'd just made it inside before the first sheets of rain splashed down.

I didn't really do much else today. I had considered going into Philadelphia, but my legs were killing me, my thumb has been sore (I hope I haven't sprained or strained it), my heel spur has been acting up, and I didn't sleep all that well last night. I was too dead tired to do anything major. I paid bills and updated some household inventories on my computer for a few hours.

When I got off, I made chicken stir-fry with summer vegetables and spiral pasta for dinner and watched Footlight Parade. My favorite Busby Berkley musical is the first of former hoofer James Cagney's infrequent forays into musical territory. Cagney is the creator and director of "prologues," traveling ten-minute stage spectacles that played between shows in major movie houses during the 30s. Joan Blondell is his devoted secretary. Ruby Keeler's the mousy assistant who would rather be in the chorus; Dick Powell is the slumming college boy who falls for her. Frank McHugh is the whiny director/choreographer who never seems to think anything will work. Can they all come together in the end to impress impresario Paul Porcasi with three of the most amazing musical numbers ever on film?

I know 42nd Street is usually the one people think of when Berkley comes to mind, but he really topped himself here. For one thing, despite this not really being about Broadway, you get more of a backstage feel here than in most of the other Berkley backstagers. There's a lot of pre-Code innuendo too, like Blondell's retort to gold-digger Claire Dodd - "As long as they've got sidewalks, you've got a job!" And Cagney's a blast to watch. He's a force of nature that blasts through the film and takes everyone else along with him - even Keeler and Powell seem to be having more fun than usual.

Of course, the big thing here are those three finale numbers "Honeymoon Hotel" is back in semi-cutesy "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" territory. The real classics are the last two. "By a Waterfall" puts Keeler and probably most of the chorines on the Warner lot through a gigantic water ballet that would leave Esther Williams dumbfounded. "Shanghi Lil" brings Cagney into the picture as a sailor looking for his Chinese woman. While Keeler's no Chinese beauty, Cagney gets to show off the moves he later used to such good effect in Yankee Doodle Dandy.

New Sci-Fi Tales of the Old West

Started off a lovely, warm, surprisingly dry morning with the American Top 40. We ram headlong into 1985 as pop, jazz, ballads, and dance music took us into summer. Hits from early June included "Smooth Operator" by Debarge, "Ssudieo" by Phil Collins, "Heaven" by Brian Adams, "Angel" by Madonna, "(Don't You) Forget About Me" by Simple Minds, the lovely "Suddenly" by Howard Jones, "Everything She Wants" by Wham!, and "Axel F," the theme from the first Beverly Hills Cop movie, by Harold Faltermeyer.

That week's #1 was one of my favorite songs from childhood. I still associate it with villains of any stripe to this day - Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World."

My first stop this morning was the Logan Presbyterian Church Thrift Shop. I had my first bag of donations to bring there since mid-March, including my old DVD player. They had lots of new things I hadn't seen before, including boxes of new videos. I ended up with five videos:

Two more movies in the Thin Man Series, The Thin Man Goes Home and Shadow of the Thin Man

The unusual western musical Red Garters with Rosemary Clooney.

Two classic English mysteries, the early Hitchcock tale The Lady Vanishes, and the second 70s all-star Agatha Christie adaptation Death On the Nile.

I found the video for the early 70s Muppet special Hey Cinderella! in the children's room. I saw the other Muppet fairy tale specials The Muppet Musicians of Bremen and The Frog Prince frequently on cable in the 80s and early 90s, but I don't remember catching this one.

It's just as well that I did so well at the Thrift Shop. I only saw one yard sale in Collingswood, and they had nothing interesting. I went right on to the Farm Market. The summer harvests are starting to make their debut. I saw cucumbers and blueberries for the first time today and got some of both, along with cherries, orange honey, zucchini, and organic romaine lettuce. It's a good thing more fruit is starting to appear. I heard one farmer say this is the last week for strawberries. The final pint was sold as I bought my honey; good thing I have plenty leftover from last week.

Went straight home afterwards. Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon baking Blueberry Muffins and watching Cowboys and Aliens. Oh boy, was this a weird one. A lone man (Daniel Craig) awakens in 1873 Montana to find that he has no memory of who he is or how he ended up a with a huge wound and a strange metal cuff on his hand. He tries to hit the nearest town, Absolution, for medical attention, but only gets in trouble with the local cattle baron Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). Dolarhyde discovers he's a bandit and is about to have him strung up when suddenly, a fleet of spaceships rocket out of nowhere, destroy much of the town, and rope people into their ships. Those who remain, including a lovely young woman (Olivia Wilde) with mysteries of her own, go out in search of these strange creatures who don't seem to be quite of this earth.

I did end up enjoying it. Craig and Ford played well off each other, and I like how everyone, Indians, cowboys, pacifists, war-mongers, outlaws, women, and kids, all ended up banding together to stop this strange menace from the stars. (Note that I don't use the word "alien." Neither do they. Science fiction wouldn't really become a popular genre for another couple of decades or so.)  The creatures are very well done and VERY scary-looking. There's a bit of blood, too, though not enough to make gag reflexes kick in. Just blending two very different genres may make this too odd for most people, and the aliens were a bit too gross for my taste, but if you like westerns, alien invasion tales, Craig, or Ford, you may find this to be your cup of sarsaparilla.

I ran some of the Garfield Travel Adventures specials before heading to work. Work was a pain. We had long lines all day, and plenty of cranky people. I was very happy to get out of there. Finished out the specials while having leftovers for dinner.

Some Like It Humid

We slept in this morning...and were surprised to awake to sunshine, humidity, and 80-degrees temperatures. It was supposed to thunderstorm today! Lauren was asleep until almost 11:30. It was past noon when we decided that since it was actually sunny out and Lauren will be sitting for a lot of tomorrow, we'd go for one last walk.

We headed up to the White Horse Pike to check out some of the small stores there. Our first stop was The House of Fun, a collectibles and toy store. The place was even more filled with toys from the 70s and 80s, Hello Kitty merchandise, broken arcade game machines, action figures in and out of their packages, shirts with pop culture sayings on them, and books about comics and cult films than ever. They'd also added a small shelf of videos and DVDs. You won't be surprised to hear that the DVDs and videos were all anime sets, science fiction and fantasy films, and sci-fi TV shows. They also had the usual assortment of ancient video game consoles and their attachments and games, both loose and in their boxes.

I ended up with the 1980 Flash Gordon on DVD, the 1948 Superman serial on video, and a notebook featuring Sanrio character Tuxedo Sam the penguin. (Sam is prominent in Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater, but I've never seen him on any of the multitudes of Sanrio items until today.) Lauren was intrigued by one of the Atari consoles. She bought it, all its attachments, and several games (including her favorite, Frostbite) when she discovered the store's owner was willing to ship it to Pittsfield for a very good price.

The comic book shop next door was busier, but otherwise not as interesting. The white cat sunning in the window and his black and white companion near the front entrance watched us as we browsed. On the rare occasions I read comic books, it's usually kid-oriented characters - Garfield, Looney Tunes, the Disney crew, Scooby Doo. They didn't have anything like that left. Lauren said she's so behind on her comic book reading, she has no idea what she needs or where the stories are going.

Far from the predicted thunderstorms, it was getting sunnier and hotter by the moment. We headed back to West Clinton Avenue. I dropped into Doria's Deli to introduce Lauren to Mrs. Doria and pick up lunch meat and sodas to eat when we got home. (Her husband seems to be working with their son; she says she did help her with a big catering order for Collingswood High School the day before.)

After we got in, I put my purchases away, and we had ham, provolone, and bibb lettuce on whole-wheat wraps. (I added spicy mustard and radishes.) In honor of Tuxedo Sam, I ran the action-oriented Hello Kitty Saves the Day DVD. Sam is prominent in most of these stories...and you've never lived until you've seen a laid-back blue penguin in a jaunty sailor's cap playing Tarzan or Crocodile Dundee.

Since it was still sunny outside, we went for a short walk in the park next-door. We'd seen a tree laden with blackberries (and dropping them all over the sidewalk) on the way home. There turned out to be a similar tree in the park. Alas, the branches were too high for us to fill bowls with them, but we did get enough to have a nice little snack.

(Those trees are very common in the South Jersey area. There's tons of them in Cape May County. My sisters and I used to pluck them from the trees in our neighborhoods on the way to school as kids. There was also a tree on the other side of the entrance to the mall where the North Cape May Acme is. I'd grab a few on my way to work when I was living with my folks during college.)

We took some pictures of us eating berries and among the flora, then went back to my place for the rest of the afternoon. We played our last round of games. Lauren won Memory and Pokemon Yahtzee. We each won one game of Bingo. In fact, we stopped only because we thought we'd fall asleep if we continued sitting.

Lauren put on Without a Paddle, which she bought at Rustic Music yesterday, while I made mashed turnips and sauteed turnip greens and onions to go with the leftover meat and the last of the carrot salad in the fridge. Paddle is actually less goofy than I thought it would be. A trio of long-time friends (Matthew Lillard, Seth Green, Dax Shepard) find a map that belonged to a fourth friend who just passed away. The map is a treasure map belonging to a man who once hijacked an airplane and vanished with the money. The four decide to use the map and find the loot...but they don't count on encountering a very protective bear, a pair of female hippies, a mountain man with a connection to the treasure, or a pair of drug farmers who shoot first and don't bother asking questions!

It's not nearly as bad as it sounds. It's actually rather sweet. I love how the three men, especially the very neurotic Green, finally learn that the most important thing isn't money, but their relationships with each other and the ones they love. There are a lot of goofy gags involving pot on fire, very dedicated female hippies, and angry bears, but if you enjoy the three main actors or comic treasure-hunting tales like The Goonies, you'll probably enjoy this one.

In fact, we have The Goonies on now; we've also watched Weekend at Bernie's and the Bowery Boys movie Feudin' Fools (which also involved a close encounter with hillbilly farmers on the wrong side of the law). Lauren's going  home around 12:30 tomorrow; I haven't decided what I'm doing afterwards. If my legs are up for it, I'll do yoga. Otherwise, I'll be here or return those pants to the Macy's at the Cherry Hill Mall.

Goin' Downtown

It was cloudy, humid, and cool when we made our way to Collingswood around 11AM. We had decided to eat in New Jersey and just grab a snack in Philadelphia. Lauren wanted to have lunch at Tortilla Press, a popular Mexican restaurant on Haddon Avenue, a block from Yogawood. We arrived well before the lunch hour; it was so quiet, we got a choice table next to the corner window where the Christmas lights and the (not working, but still kind of cool) fountain are. Lauren had cheese and chicken enchiladas with Mexican rice and refried beans (she didn't eat the latter - neither of us are fans of refried beans). I had a delicious chicken, cheese, and avocado quesedilla with fresh salsa and cilantro slaw.

We went straight to the PATCO station after lunch and took it into Philadelphia. I know what we both like; we got off at 12th Street and walked to the big FYE on Broad Street. I couldn't find the fourth DVD for the buy three used DVDs, get one free sale, but I did get some interesting items. I've read about SyFy's mini-series Tin Man and Alice online. I love seeing favorite old stories get fresh hearings and thought these sounded unique. You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown is one of two Peanuts DVDs I wanted for the summer. Chuck and the gang join a motorcross race. Maybe for once, Chuck won't end up with the short end of the lollypop, if he can get past Peppermint Patty and "The Masked Marvel!" Scooby Doo: Winter Wonderdog is a collection of episodes from the original and late 70s series with winter or Christmas themes. Scooby is one of the only characters I like that I didn't have something holiday-related for.

Lauren did even better. She bought three sets of Red Skeleton show episodes for her parents, a Three Stooges set, three Three Stooges movies she didn't have, and a new pair of headphones for her trip home (apparently, her old ones were flickering).

Our next stop was the Macy's on Market Street. I badly needed a new pair of jean shorts and a pair of khakis. We took the escalator to the second floor, and after a series of twists and turns, finally found the women's plus size department. I didn't see a pair of jean Bermuda shorts I liked; I ended up with a relatively short pair of capris. I did get a nice, light pair of khaki cargo Bermudas that worked. (And I discovered later, to my dismay, that the grumpy girl behind the counter forgot to take off the plastic bit from the jeans! I'll see if I can get Jodie to swing by the Cherry Hill Mall on our way back from taking Lauren to the trains station on Thursday.)

We were going to use the bathroom in Starbucks, since we intended to leave that way, but of course, it was closed. We both just bought iced teas (Lauren's was green tea) and went back up to the third floor to find the bathroom. This time, we took the elevator, which turned out to be much faster. Lauren finally found the entrance to the bathroom, which was hidden in the back of the girls' dresses racks. The hall between the entrance and the actual stalls and the entrance was so twisty, it must have taken us three minutes just to get there! At least after all of that, it was plain but very clean.

The Macy's Starbucks opens onto 13th and Chestnut. We hiked down 13th Street to the awesome used music shop I found on my birthday, Rustic Music. I knew the moment I went in there that Lauren would love it. We browsed around while listening to the older men working behind the counter talk about their bands and recording studios and local bands. Lauren ended up with five CDs, a video copy of Robin and the 7 Hoods, and a DVD copy of the comedy Without a Paddle. I bought a video copy of Maytime I hope I can dub (2 dollars is a lot cheaper than the Warner Archive's 25 with shipping), one CD, and three records. The CD was Rod Stewart's The Great American Songbook Vol. II, this time in the correct case. I love his duet with Cher on "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered."

The records were:

Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace (My mom had this when my sisters and I were little; we listened to it all the time)

The soundtrack for That's Entertainment, Part II

A Peter Pan Records version of Alice In Wonderland. Peter Pan was a children's record company that mostly specialized in versions of fairy tales or kid's stories, though they did a few licensed characters as well (I saw Star Trek and Bugs Bunny listed in the inside cover.) My sisters and I had a Peter Pan record with Hansel and Gretel and Thumbelina as kids; I can still sing some of the music. The cool thing about the Alice LP is the book that comes with it. It's done in the style of a typical 70s comic book; Alice sports Malibu Barbie blond locks and a red jumper over a puff-sleeved blouse and looks more like she should be cavorting among Wolverine and Storm than the Mad Hatter and March Hare.

We were pretty worn out after the long walk. Fortunately, they seem to like to put used media stores near PATCO stops in Philly. Rustic Music was only a few blocks from the 13th and Locust PATCO station. We took a semi-full train to Collingswood, then walked straight back to my apartment. The weather was nice enough to hold out. The sun was in and out all afternoon and it did get much warmer, but otherwise, it remained cloudy and humid.

We showed each other what we'd gotten in Philly, then had the chicken legs I threw into the crock pot before we left and various leftover salads and vegetables for dinner. We ran movies as we ate, and then when we went online.

Robin and the 7 Hoods was the last "Rat Pack" movie and their only out-and-out musical. I dubbed it for Lauren, who hadn't seen it, and will dub it for me probably sometime next week. Sinatra is the title character, Robbo, a big-time gangster in Chicago in the late 20s whose mentor (Edward G. Robinson) was just rubbed out by Guy Gisbourne, a hood looking to move up in the rackets (Peter Falk). Marian (Barbara Rush), the daughter of the dead man, tries to move in on Robbo, but he smells a female rat and shoves her off. With the help of his men Will (Sammy Davis Jr.) and Little John (Dean Martin) and the silver-tongued secretary Allan A. Dale (Bing Crosby, in one of his last films), he uses a series of charities as a front for his criminal activities. Gisborne is mad as heck when he sees the money rolling in...and Marian's not much happier when she can't reel in Little John. Rob's going to need all of his cunning and cleverness to make sure he doesn't end up in a cornerstone in the new police station!

This is required viewing if you're a fan of Sinatra or the Rat Pack; Crosby has quite a bit of fun as the well-spoken, fashion-challenged Allan A. Dale, too. Not the best musical in the world, but there's some decent numbers, by far the most famous of which is Ol' Blue Eyes telling his fellow Windy City dwellers why "Chicago" is his kind of town.

We switched to one of Lauren's Stooges movies after Robin ended. I have fond memories of seeing Snow White and the Three Stooges on cable and broadcast TV in the afternoons during my childhood. Tin Man and Alice are far from the first attempts to "re-imagine" popular stories. In this variation, the Stooges are traveling performers who are renting the seven dwarves' cottage, joined by their adopted son Quatro (Edson Stroll). The quartet are discovered by a young lady named Snow White with a fondness for ice skating (possibly because she's played by Olympic figure skating champion Carol Heiss) who takes their offer to stay with them. Can they save her from the wicked queen (Patricia Medina) and her henchman (Guy Rolfe), especially when it's discovered that Quatro isn't what he seemed?

I remember thinking this was a really cute movie in the vein of the Disney Babes In Toyland. It's surprisingly less cheesy than I remember. There's really not enough Stooges, the music is not great, and the lovers are stiff as boards, but if you're a fan of unusual fantasy tales, figure skating, or are looking for some slightly more kid-friendly Stooges than usual, this is really quite charming. (And get the recent Fox DVD with the white background - it's a restore widescreen copy with gorgeous color.)

A View to a Sell

The sun was still out when I awoke this morning. There were clouds on the horizon, but they weren't really anything threatening yet. They kept at bay as I put on today's American Top 40 re-run. Casey took us into 1980 as disco ended its run and New Wave, country, and British supergroups dominated a troubled year. Among that week's hits were "Another Brick In the Wall" by Pink Floyd, "You May Be Right" by Billy Joel, "Too Hot" by Kool & the Gang, and two classic duets, "Don't Fall In Love With a Dreamer" by Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes, and "With You I'm Born Again" by Billy Preston and Serena. (The latter was a favorite of mine during my early childhood. I thought it was one of the most romantic songs in the universe.)

Blondie continue their dominance of the charts in the late 70s and early 80s with the week's number one song, one of their biggest hits, "Call Me."

I headed out as soon as I pumped up my tires. Made a very quick stop at a very quiet bank, then headed down the White Horse Pike to Audubon. They're having their town-wide yard sale this week. I did a little better than last week, if not as well as at last year's spring sales.

Found six videos to dub onto DVD - the 1933 Little Women with Katherine Hepburn (which I've never seen before - I've seen the June Allyson one from 1949, and I have the recent one with Winona Ryder), The Little Drummer Boy Book II (one of the few major Rankin-Bass specials that still isn't on DVD), Forest Gump, the animated Charlotte's Web from the 70s, and two James Bond movies, Goldeneye and A View to a Kill. Also picked up the romantic comedy-drama Waitress on DVD.

I didn't find any records until I was on my way back home. A fellow on Maple had two boxes of really interesting titles. I ended up with:

Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All of These Years

The Temptations - Cloud Nine

The original Broadway casts for Evita (a rather appropriate find; it's being revived on Broadway as I type this) and The King and I

The soundtrack for Superman: The Movie

I stopped at another sale as I was leaving Audubon and heading for Nicholson Road. They had several intriguing wooden items for sale, including another heart cut-out shelf like the two I had at home. I thought I might be able to use it, and it was only three dollars, so I piled it onto the bike basket and rode back to my place.

I had enough time when I got home to load books onto the new bookshelf. I finally moved the Effanbee dolls to the top of the closets, where the other Effanbee dolls and collectible toys are. The new bookshelf now holds children's books - hardbacks, paperbacks, and anything related to the various American Girl historical series. The only children's books I weren't able to move were the oversized picture books. They'll stay on the bottom of the smaller Ikea shelf, mainly because I can't fit them anywhere else. The comic books and Care Bears stay on the tower of wooden crates next to my desk, between the bedroom windows that overlook the porch.

(Still haven't found something to do with the shelf I bought today, though. We'll figure that out tomorrow.)

I barely had enough time for a leftovers lunch and change and hurry off to work! By this point, the wind had really picked up, and the clouds were far more threatening than they had been while I was exploring Audubon. That, and the end of the Town-Wide Yard Sale, may have been why we were off and on busy all evening. Good thing we were in an "off" spell when I finished. My relief was the boy who is always late coming from his second job. I was able to buy milk and head home. Big, fat raindrops started coming down as I headed down Kendall, but I don't think they lasted very long.

Chilled Harvest

Brrr! I awoke to 40-degree temperatures as I turned on this week's American Top 40. They stayed in the 80s but jumped back a few years to 1983. Popular songs from early November '83 included "True," by Spandau Ballet, "Say, Say, Say" by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney (their second collaboration), "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel (which has been a favorite of mine ever since), "Delirious" by Prince, "Telephone" by Sheena Easton, and "Making Love Out of Nothing At All" by Air Supply.

That week's #1 hit was a reflection of the popularity of country music in the early 80s, as it was also that week's top country song - the duet "Islands In the Stream," by two of the 80s' favorite country music stars, Dolly Pardon and Kenny Rogers.

Other than the cold, it was sunny, windy, and a perfect day for a farm market/yard sale run. There weren't too many yard sales around this week, probably because of the chilly weather. My first stop was a sale on Merrick Avenue, near the Westmont Acme and CVS. The proprietor was annoying, with his nasal voice, dumb jokes, and attempts to make people walk away with items, whether they wanted to or not. Most of his records were singles from the 80s, but I did find a record that interested me:

Jim Croce - You Don't Mess Around With Jim

The Collingswood Farm Market was next. It was fairly busy despite the brisk weather and the distinct lack of food booths. All of the flower stands were gone, replaced by craft salespeople. The honey seller told me she's on her last week, too. I found everything on my long list that I needed, though, including mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, carrots, apple butter, spinach (for the first time since the spring), pears, little Fuji apples, the honey, cauliflower, and broccoli. I needed to do some major restocking after the weather was too messy to get to the Farm Market last week!

I made my best finds today at indoor sales. An antique store in Collingswood was having a big used book sale, with paperbacks for a dollar and hardbacks for two dollars. I bought a Rachel Ray cookbook for a Christmas present, and a Disney Wonderful World of Reading Christmas-themed hardback, a hardback copy of the Old West-set mystery Holmes on the Range, and a lovely 50s-era book of fairy tales for myself.

Rode around Collingswood for a while, looking for another yard sale. When I couldn't find it, I decided to try the thrift shop at the Logan Presbyterian Church on the corner of Market Street and the White Horse Pike in Audubon instead. They hold the thrift shop every other Saturday. I've often ridden by when they've been open, but I was usually on the way to or from a yard sale and had never tried them. With few options, I was willing to check them out today.

The thrift shop was in the basement of the pale-green house in the back of the main church. It was basically the same thing as the now-closed thrift shop in Collingswood - clothes, toys, records, videos, knick-knacks. Here, though, everything had it's own room. There was a room for clothes, a room for toys and kids' videos, and a room for everything else, including adult records, videos, and decorative items. (Like the Collingswood thrift shop, they don't have the room for furniture.)

I made my best finds here. Among their children's videos were a fourth Muppet Babies Video Storybook I'd never heard of and a copy of The Flinstone's Christmas Carol, both of which I could add onto the end of dubbed DVDs.

There were two boxes with records off to the right in the large knick-knacks room. I found some great cast albums and sountracks there:

The original cast of the 1965 Broadway musical Do I Hear a Waltz?

The soundtrack to something called 'S, Wonderful, 'S, Marvelous, 'S Gershwin - the back cover says it's a TV "Super Special" from 1971 with a great cast, including Larry Kert, Fred Astaire, Leslie Uggams, Robert Guillaume, Peter Nero, Linda Bennett, and Jack Lemmon.

The soundtrack to the original film version of Gigi

The massive 3-disc 1956 original cast album to Frank Loesser's The Most Happy Fella

The lady at the front table where I made my purchases said they'd be open again on November the 19th, which also happens to be the last day of the farm market. If I'm not too busy and the weather's good, I might have to try to get back there and see if they have any more great records.

Rode over to an estate sale on Wyoming Avenue in Audubon after leaving the church. When I found nothing good there, I went back up Market Street to the TreeHouse Cafe. It was almost 12:30 by then, and the coffee house/meeting place for mothers was very busy. I was lucky to find a seat! A cup of hot chocolate and very spicy turkey chili helped me warm up after riding around outside all day.

By the time I left there, it was past 1PM. Time to head home. I gave Miss Ellie my rent before I left, including a letter that stated my intention to do the raking today. Miss Ellie had a message for me on my answering machine. That wouldn't be necessary. Her grandson would be coming over in a few hours to do the raking.

Well, that left me at loose ends. Raking was my big plan for today. I opted for a walk to WaWa for a snack instead. Since it remained in the middle 40s, I threw a coat on over my thickest sweater and grabbed ear muffs and gloves. I wasn't the only one out and about, either. I saw lots of kids in strollers being pushed by bundled-up parents, joggers enjoying the fresh breeze, and teenagers in packs heading to WaWa for hot drinks. I grabbed a pretzel and a hot chai and headed home.

Spent the rest of the afternoon at my apartment, doing things online. I also finally made the first ad for my editing business. I'm going to put up ads in local libraries and coffee houses, and maybe businesses that kids might frequent, like the comic books shop. I'll work on online advertising and advertising in colleges next week, when I can drum up the courage. It took me long enough just to make a flyer!

Ran The Mikado while making shrimp, mashed acorn squash, and Curried Cauliflower for dinner. This is the 1939 British version of the 1885 Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. I figured that if I could enjoy the equally stagey 1983 Pirates of Penzance, I would get a kick out of this...and I did. American singer Kenny Baker is Nanki-Poo (ok, so the names are weird - work with me here), a minstrel who falls for pretty school maid Yum-Yum. Trouble is, she's to be married to Ko-Ko, the new Lord High Executioner, and he's under the thumb of the pretentious Pooh Bah. Nanki-Poo has his own secrets to dish out, too...and when it all comes out in the open, it may take all of Ko-Ko's skills in clowning and persuasion to keep everyone's heads on their shoulders, including his!

If you love theatrical-style musicals or Gilbert and Sullivan, this is really cute, despite all the talk about beheading and punishments. The production is gorgeous, too, with the usual bold palette of Technicolor replaced by more delicate pastel shades, and the soundstage sets looking exquisite. The D'Oyly Carte Players have a ball with the material, and Kenny Baker looks and sounds far more at ease here than he did playing ringmaster to the Marx Brothers in At the Circus.

A few caveats. First of all, this is apparently a severely truncated version of the show, slimmed down to 91 minutes. While it all moves fairly quickly (moreso than the Pirates of Penzance film), purists probably won't be thrilled with the missing scenes and songs, and the plot is hard to follow at times. There's also the matter of obvious Brits (and one American) playing Asians. Not to mention, this is not the place to come to for heavy opera. This is about as fluffy as you can get and still talk about executions.

More Yard Sales Than There are In the Heavens

It was cloudy and cool when I first turned on the American Top 40 this morning. As Casey Kasem made his way through early October 1977, the sun broke through, though not enough to make it as warm and humid as it was earlier in the week. Hits from this week include "You Light Up My Life" by Debbie Boone, "Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon, "I Got Love" by Donna Summer, "Swayin' to the Music" by Johnny Rivers, "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac, and "On & On" by Steven Bishop.

The week's #1 hit also corresponds to that summer's blockbuster movie. The original Star Wars (now generally known as Star Wars: A New Hope) energized the box office in a big way during the summer of 1977, becoming one of the major phenomenons of the late 70s and reviving the popularity of sci-fi and fantasy. What else could be more appropriate at the top of the charts that Meego's disco-tinged medley of the theme song and the music from the Mos Eisley Cantina sequence?

I'm glad I went to the bank yesterday. Perhaps because of the weather last week, there were yard sales all over the place. I hit six in Oaklyn alone before I even went to the farm market. There were more yard sales in Audubon today than there were when they were having their town-wide yard sales last week!

I eventually picked up four records in Oaklyn, around the corner from PNC Bank:

Blondie - Blondie

Helen Reddy - I am Woman

Sing the Hit Songs of Sesame Street

A Disney book and record for the Grimm's Fairy Tale Hansel and Gretel

Found two CDs in Audubon:

Anne Murray - Croonin'

Perry Como - All Time Greatest Hits

I picked up videos of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree at a yard sale on Harding Avenue in Oaklyn and a WebKinz Warm-Up Suit for 50 cents a few blocks down. Grabbed Dark Horse reprints of the original Star Wars and Return of the Jedi comic books and a copy of one of the early Backyardigans DVDs I haven't seen, The Snow Fort, for a dollar each on Landis Avenue.

A yard sale in Audubon on Merchant Avenue had 80s collectables for sale. I found a near-mint Lady Lovely Locks doll among the piles of toys. Her long blond hair was in such a huge, thick braid on the top of her head, it made her head loose! Other than that and a dirty face, she was fine. Her limbs and face paint was all there. Her pink ruffled dress wasn't frayed or ripped. There were none of the white spots on her legs that my Maiden Curly Crown has. She even came with her original three Pixietails, pearly pastel clips with long curly tails, and her little pink shoes.

My best find of the day came from my very first stop. A sale on Eden Avenue near the Oaklyn ramp had Star Wars items for very good prices. I bought a never-used, still-in-the-plastic two-disc DVD copy of The Phantom Menace for a quarter! Phantom Menace was the only Star Wars movie I didn't have on DVD until today. (And I got the remaining two movies I needed for $1.25. Come to think of it, I picked up Revenge of the Sith on DVD for about $10 from Target shortly after it was released. That means I spent a grand total of $11.25 for the prequel films. ;) )

The Farm Market was busy as well, despite some missing vendors. The weather has been wrecking havoc on crops, but there was still plenty to choose from. I didn't need a whole lot today myself. I ended up with deep purple Concord grapes, Bartlett pears, the last cucumbers of the season, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and a jar of pumpkin butter. Found a lovely, just-right pumpkin for my apartment. I don't carve my big pumpkin. It's used as a decoration in my living room until Thanksgiving or it goes bad, whichever comes first.

Collingswood held it's annual Book Festival today, too. I wish I had more time to stroll around. I peered at the tables of authors showing off their wares and browsed through the used tables, but I ultimately didn't buy anything. It was really busy there, too, with people looking for bargains and enjoying the lovely fall day. Clouds were moving in by then, but it still wasn't as bad as most of the week was.

After all that, I barely had enough time to put everything away, change into my uniform, have lunch, pack dinner, and head out to work! I did make it on time, thankfully. Good thing. We were on-and-off busy all day long. Other than some annoying beginning-of-the-month people, there were no problems. I needed cereal after work. (I would have gotten it yesterday, but I forgot the coupon.) Went straight home after I finished shopping.

Good news on my schedule - next Friday and Saturday off, some decent hours (including 2-6 on Tuesday). Bad news - late days on Wednesday and Thursday (including until 10 on Thursday again), and won't have a day off until Friday. I'll hit the Haddon Township Library on Wednesday morning and try to get the rest of the cleaning done Tuesday and Thursday morning.