Tap Your Troubles Away

It was utterly gorgeous when I awoke this morning. I hadn't seen a day this nice since November. The sky was bright blue and cloudless. It was in the upper 30s-lower 40s, normal (maybe even a tad warm) for mid-February in southern New Jersey. The air was still and more humid, with no wind at all.

A walk was practically required today. However, I did hit the Oaklyn Library first to do this week's volunteering there. I arranged the DVDs, then did the children's books. The Oaklyn Library is now trying to separate the letters to make the shelves look less messy. It's only partially working...because the kids' section is still fairly messy. A through M wasn't too bad, but the other shelves took forever. Someone must have done the first couple of shelves earlier.

Headed out for a stroll after I left the library. I went to WaWa and picked up a pretzel and a fountain Coke Zero with two small squirts of raspberry and chocolate syrup. After I left there, I made my way across the railroad tracks and down to the area on the left side of the school, nearer to Audubon. The snow is almost gone here. There's still some piles left on the curb and a little ice left in shady places, but it's not anywhere near as bad as it was even this time last week.

There was a package waiting for me when I came downstairs. I put it upstairs before my walk and pulled out the contents when I came back. I've been searching eBay for Molly's Miss Victory Tap Outfit for months, but I could never find the more recent version that came with the tap shoes. I decided to just go to the source and buy it from American Girl's online shop. I'm glad I did. It's utterly adorable! It's a one-piece leotard with a silver star and red and silver stripes sewed onto it. The pleated red and sliver skirt flares so nicely! The fabric is good quality and not stiff at all. The shoes have real taps on them and do make a slight tapping sound when they hit hard surfaces.

Two mild complaints. While the cardboard and elastic silver crown is historically accurate (I doubt they would have used expensive metal or plastic for a kid's crown from some local dance show in recycling-happy 1945), it's also flimsy. That's not much of a problem for me, but it likely wouldn't last with much younger kids.

As much as I adore the shoes, I had a hard time getting them on over the socks that came with the outfit. Part of that might be my Molly doll is a pre-Mattel version and has large feet. I'm hoping the vinyl will stretch with time. For now, I may switch Molly to dancing in tights.

I watched the Bowery Boys while having leftover country-fried steak and spinach for lunch. The Boys end up in the Deep South in Feudin' Fools when Sach inherits a farm from a deceased uncle. Turns out the farm is an abandoned wreck. The Jones clan was run off their land by their mortal enemies, the hillbilly Smiths...and the Smiths don't take kindly to strangers! The Boys find themselves having to dodge the trigger-happy Smiths, a group of bank robbers, and try to figure out what to do with the farm.

Headed for work after I finished my meal. The lovely day made for a very nice ride to and from work. It was so warm, I didn't even need my big scarf and was hot in my heavy black coat!

Work was on-and-off during rush hour, but mostly dead. Fine by me. This time last year, we would have been digging out of two and a half feet of snow...and piles of frantic customers worried about said frozen precipitation.

Went grocery shopping after I finally finished. Big trip this week. I needed to refill the fruits and vegetables, including a bag of veggies for stir fries. Needed granola bars, too, and both cake and unbleached white flour, and chocolate chips. The Acme's having a 40% off all Acme or Perdue chicken sale - I found a good price on chicken cutlets. I've needed to restock white cooking wine for ages.

Mixed feelings on next week's schedule. On one hand, I have fewer hours. Not a good thing, given I haven't had that many of them lately. On the other hand, the latest I work is 7 next Saturday, and I have three days off in a row - Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Waiting for Balance

Started a sunny, chilly day with a very nice yoga class. For one thing, I saw my friend Pattie for the first time in ages. Pattie had apparently hurt herself badly in a class a few months ago and had only just returned to regular yoga practice in the past few weeks. The class wasn't too hard, either. The focus today was on "heart warmers," ie back bends and stretches and balance poses. I'm still bobbling on some of the balancing, but other than that, I did pretty well.

I wanted to get my hair cut next...but of the five hair salons in Collingswood, two were busy at 10:30, two weren't open, and one cost $50 for a simple haircut! I ended up spending the next two hours in the Collingswood Library instead, reading books and shelving and organizing DVDs.

I went a block down to the Pop Shop for lunch. The Pop Shop is one of Collingswood's most popular restaurants, and certainly the post popular with families. A noisy lunch crowd was enjoying the Pop Shop's signature burgers, milkshakes, and sandwiches named for 50s icons, staff, and local landmarks. I ordered a "Farmer's Market" omelet - fresh vegetables and Swiss cheese - rye toast, and hash browns.

My meal was tasty, but it was also HUGE. The omelet was two times the size of the ones I usually make myself, and there were enough hash browns to feed three people. Needless to say, I didn't finish them. That's one of the big reasons I don't eat at the Pop Shop more often. They're really a family place, the kind of diner where everyone shares plates and takes things home. Not only that, but the prices are kind of high for what's essentially a fancy diner.

I tried Haddon Hair Designs across the street after I was finished lunch. Despite having been told that they would be ready by 1:30, they told me they were behind and I'd have to wait another 20 minutes. Sure I would. That's what they told me the first time. I went a block down to Total Image instead. They were more expensive ($30 as opposed to Haddon Hair's $22), but the older woman who did my hair did a very nice job on it. It's all bouncy and cute again, a little under shoulder length, just the way I like it.

I finally went into Philly after I finished at Total Image. I wanted to go to a couple of places, but I ended up only having time for the FYE and Borders on the Avenue of the Arts, and I didn't get anything at Borders. I did take advantage of a buy 1 used, get the second 50% off sale at FYE to pick up A Night at the Opera and The Rescuers. The latter is my favorite Disney movie, but I didn't think the fairly bare DVD was worth the $17.99 I usually see it go for. $4.50 with the sale and my Membership Card is far more reasonable. I also grabbed the rare, wonderful Pearl Bailey cast album for Hello Dolly - I like it even better than Carol Channing's version.

Put on The Rescuers when I got in. This was made during what's considered to be Disney's "Dark Age" in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Actually, that's one of the reasons I like it. It's unique. No sugary princesses or wisecracking sidekicks here. Two daring mice who are part of "The Rescue Aid Society" (a mouse United Nations) help a little girl escape from a pair of bumbling thieves in the Louisiana bayous.

While the animation isn't up to par with recent efforts, the characters are some of Disney's best. In addition to our intrepid rodents Bernard and Bianca, we have Orville the Albatross, who flies the mice to Louisiana, the kooky bayou residents (check out Luke and his ale!), and Evinrude, the fly who pushes the mice around the swamps in a leaf.

Actually, the best character may be one of Disney's most underrated villains, Madam Medusa. Written as a carbon copy of Cruella DiVil (in fact, she was supposed to originally be Cruella), she's even nastier and a lot scarier...especially without her eyelashes. Geraldine Page gives her just the right over-the-top menace.

Like Peanut Butter With Chocolate

I actually got up at 8:30, but I didn't get out until nearly 12:30. I finished the Samantha American Girl mystery The Cry of the Loon and wrote in my journal before breakfast. After I ate my grits and grapefruit, I called my stepdad Bill to wish him a Happy Birthday.

As it turns out, I'd just missed Dad. He'd just gone fishing. He works as a commercial fisherman and is out on the ocean for two to three weeks every few weeks or so. He's been doing this for as long as I can remember. I did catch Mom, though.

Mom and I spent two hours doing a lot of talking. We talked about my brother Keefe joining the Navy and how much we're going to miss him. We talked about my sister Anny's son Skylar's father suddenly reappearing after joining the Army years ago. We talked about Rose raising a 10-month-old baby boy, two dogs, and a cat while also practicing for the Bar. We talked about Dad being ordered by our long-time family physician Dr. Drake to lose weight. I told Mom about wanting to learn to sew in addition to crochet, and about hoping to look for a job again.

The trouble with looking for a job is it makes me nervous, and not just because of the economy, either. I have good skills. I'm good with computers. I know how to work Microsoft Office. I know I'm a good writer. I'm good at organizing things and editing things. I'm just not sure what else I can do, or what I can do with those skills, or if they'll even get me somewhere. Majoring in Communications in college was a big mistake. I thought I wanted to work in radio or television...but now I don't think I could. It sounds like it would be too stressful. Radio might not be too bad, but I really don't think I want anything to do with television anymore besides watching old TV shows online or on DVD.

I'm not sure what options that leaves me with. Mom suggested starting my own at-home company. She said I should do medical billing, or edit papers for the students from the many local colleges. I don't know anything about medicine, but the editing might be worth looking into. I have a hard enough time with the Acme, and I really can't afford any major schooling. Picking up a class here and there...but not years' worth of college. To be honest, I wasn't crazy about school when I was in school. It was a little boring, and I now don't think I really learned a whole lot.

Mom and I talked for so long, I didn't get out to Haddon Township Library until lunchtime! Maybe it was just as well. The wind that was still a problem this morning had died by then. It was sunny and cold, a very nice day in early February. I noted a package on Miss Ellie's side of the house for me; I'd pick it up when I returned.

As it turned out, there wasn't much for me to do at the Library. They had several high schoolers volunteering on their lunch breaks who were able to put away most of the DVDs, and there weren't even many books to shelve. I organized the kids' DVDs and took out three books on basic sewing techniques and another one on staying young.

After I left the Library, I made a couple of quick stops. I needed bunched carrots at Super Fresh and a card for Dad and a bottle of Spic and Span at Dollar Tree. I debated going out to eat, since it was past 3:30 after I got out of Dollar Tree, but I had a ton of leftovers in my refrigerator. I just rode home and had a late lunch of leftover homemade pizza instead.

Spent what little was left of the afternoon at home. I ran Airplane while making a Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Icing and having leftovers for dinner. The cake recipe comes from the Prevention cookbook Mom gave me about six years ago. The cake is made with applesauce and egg whites; the icing is made with skim milk and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. They both came out exceptionally well. I cut the recipe in half to make a smaller cake; I certainly don't need a huge full-sized one, even with all the peanut butter and chocolate cravings I've been having lately.

Airplane was the first big hit for the Zucker Brothers, and one of the first of the 80s movie spoofs. In this take on Airport-style disaster movies, an Air Force pilot who hasn't flown a plane in years has to take over the cockpit of a crippled jet plane and land it safely in Chicago. There's a lot riding on this flight - the crew stricken with food poisoning, his ex-girlfriend who is a stewardess, nuns, a little girl who needs a heart transplant, the doctor who diagnosis the food poisoning, and yes, the lady who speaks jive.

This is the first spoof...and still one of the best. This opened a whole new door for dramatic heroes who spent their lives being taken seriously to have a little fun every now and then. Lloyd Bridges and Leslie Nielson quite happily switched from action to comedy for the rest of their careers.

And of course, there's Johnny. I don't know what he's doing there, or why he's there, or why he's crazy...but he has some of the best lines. "And Leon is getting laaarrger!" "And it really looks like a big Tylenol." "Auntie Em! Auntie Em!"

Wind In the Oaks

The wind started howling not long after I got home last night, and it hadn't abated a bit by the time I awoke this morning. I still had morning and early afternoon work, however. So I got dressed, put together a tomato-beef stew using the last of the sauce from the pizza in the Crock Pot for dinner, packed my lunch, and headed out.

Work wasn't too bad today. It was on-and-off steady all day, with no major problems. It was beginning to pick up around the time I was finished at 4. That was a problem. Not only was my relief late, but so were the reliefs for two of the managers! A manager who was staying finally came in for me.

It was harder to ride home than it was to ride to work. The wind was at my back on the way to the Acme. The Black Horse Pike is almost completely treeless, which meant my ride home was very blustery indeed! On the other hand, the snow on the sidewalks near the Acme is almost completely gone. I was able to get of the street, thank goodness.

When I got home, I went inside, grabbed my purse, changed my shirt, and went back out again. I went for a walk to CVS to pick up contact solution. I took the path over the train tracks to get there, but the path is an icy mess. It takes ages for snow to vanish completely there, with all those trees lining the tracks. I took the long way home down the White Horse Pike and West Clinton Avenue and got a good walk in.

Watched more Bowery Boys as I ate my stew for dinner. Angels In Disguise is my favorite of the Bowery Boys movies. Like Fighting Fools, it's a comedy-drama. Slip and Sach are devestated when their friend Officer Gabe Moreno is shot and another cop is killed by a mysterious local gang. They decide to get the goods on the criminals themselves...and inadvertently bring their friends Whitey, Chuck, and Butch and soda shop owner Louie along for the ride!

If you think of the Bowery Boys movies only in terms of the goofy 50s entries, Angels will be a major revelation. The tight plot, excellent script, and unusual villains put it on par with many film noir movies of the era. This is one of the very few times the Boys took on villains close to their own age or younger, and unlike most of their movies, the villains are genuinely menacing. I especially liked the ice-cold intellectual ringleader Mr. Carver.

Hold That Laundry!

Monday is laundry day at the Riverside Rest. For once, I timed it right, too. When I arrived at the laundromat, the only person there was the older woman who owns it. By the time I left around 11:30, the place was packed, with at least four couples and three elderly people doing huge loads. The ice was gone as well, other than a few piles shoved against the curb.

When I got home, I ran Bowery Boys movies and folded and put away my clothes. Fighting Fools is one of the most melodramatic of the late 40s comedy-dramas. The Boys train a boxer who dropped out of the ring when he wouldn't take a dive. Slip talks him into returning to the sport to avenge his younger brother, who was killed during a fixed match. Sach is far more intelligent here than he is in later films. He gets surprisingly tough with the boxer's trampy girlfriend and is the one who saves the boxer's other brother when he's kidnapped and discovers how the gangsters are winning in the ring.

Hold That Baby! goes more into sitcom territory. The Boys find a baby left at their laundromat. The baby turns out to be the heir to a fortune. A pair of elderly aunts have no desire for the child to ever inherit that money, so they send gangsters to keep the Boys and the baby from escaping. Slip and Sach manage to escape and search for the baby's mother, who is being kept in a sanitarium.

It was a really nice day this morning, sunny and much warmer than it has been, probably in the mid-to-upper 40s. By the time I headed for work, however, the sun had vanished behind grayish clouds. It still managed to do its work. Everything was melting; the sidewalks on the Black Horse Pike were far more clear than they have been in weeks. It didn't start raining until I rode home, and even then, it was just barely spitting.

Work was steady all night, though not quite as busy as yesterday. We're still getting a lot of beginning-of-the-month people. I saw one family as I left with four carts filled to the brim with groceries!

Science Fiction Super Bowl Feature

The first thing I heard this morning was banging and cursing, both of which were coming from Miss Ellie's end of the house. Then, I heard the phone. My first thought was that the Acme was attempting to call me in...but then I remembered the generator for the house was making noise again. Miss Ellie told me the guys who were going to fix it would be around between 8 and 12. I assumed they meant 12, not 8! I rolled over, went back to sleep, and didn't get up again until after 10.

When I finally did get up, I made wrote in my journal, made gingerbread pancakes for breakfast, and listened to Brunch With the Beatles. The theme today was "Beatles songs with messages." I've never really been much for paying attention to "messages" in music, but apparently these include "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "Hey Jude," "Dear Prudence," "Act Naturally," the Wings solo hit "Live and Let Die," and one of my favorite Beatles songs, "Revolution."

Worked on the budget after the Beatles ended. This time, I spent a ton on food but not quite as much on other things. That was good - I didn't make nearly as much money last month as I have the past few months. My hours have been terrible for a while now. I think the only reason I had money until my tax return came was my Christmas money.

Headed to work after I finished the budget. It was a gorgeous day for a ride. It was sunny and windless and there was a blue sky above me. It had to be at least in the 40s. Everything was melting. Green patches could be seen on some of the more exposed parts of the grass for the first time in weeks.

Not surprisingly, given this is Super Bowl Sunday and the beginning of the month, the Acme was busy all day. We continue to have problems with the new card policy. One woman refused to sign for a card because she didn't want to give out her phone number, address, or name to anyone! Um, can we say "paranoia?" How does she expect to buy a house or get a bank account or subscribe to anything? I understand that people are worried about identity theft, but come on. Have a little trust here.

My relief was right on time, allowing me to hurry home. I went inside, grabbed the cupcakes I made yesterday, changed my shirt, and headed right back out again. It took me a while to get to Uncle Ken's - the tracks are still covered in snow and blocked by piles of ice - but I did finally get there.

The party was hopping when I arrived...and so was the game. Dad and Jodie are supposed to be in Ft. Lauderdale until tomorrow, but Dolores, Uncle Ken, and Dolores' many children and grandchildren were there, including Mercedes and Blake. Samantha, David, and their kids were there through the first quarter. Uncle Ken's older granddaughter Amber was their with her boyfriend and their daughter Ella and adorable 6-month-old baby daughter Lilly. Lilly was small and slender, with a very round head and pretty almond-shaped eyes. She was sleeping when I came in, but she got up in time for the end of the third quarter.

Dolores saved me a plate of cranberry sauce, home-made stuffing, cole slaw, and Uncle Ken's tasty turkey. (They'd actually had the dinner food around 3:30 because of all the kids.) I tried a spicy buffalo chicken-cheese dip that Amber brought, layered refried bean dip, a cake shaped like a football, a huge strawberry tube cake that was pretty good, shortbread cookies with icing, hard rolls, and a tasty fruit salad with big chunks of melon and pineapple.

I stuck around for the Black-Eyed Peas' performance at half-time. Actually, I preferred Usher, who turned up later in the performance...but I do remember Fergie when she was Sarah Ferguson on one of my favorite shows in my childhood, Kids Incorporated. I don't really listen to the Black-Eyed Peas. Some of their music was ok; some of it seemed a little odd to me. ("Boom Boom Pow?")

As with last year, I went home after halftime. And I was wrong about one thing - the game actually WAS pretty darn good. At press time, the Packers are up 31-25, but I wouldn't put it past the Steelers to get something going...


Oh, and my favorite commercials were the movie trailers. A lot of superhero movies coming out this summer. Thor sounds a tad cheesy. My Marvel-loving nephew Skylar will adore Captain America, and I think the World War II setting sounds unique.

Pizza for One

I was relieved to see only rain when I got up this morning. That blizzard that pounded the midwest and north continues to elude us. I didn't even see any sleet or freezing rain. Had muffins for a late breakfast, then got the rent together for Miss Ellie. I direct deposited my tax refund and have been waiting for it to go through. It showed up in my bank account last night.

After I delivered the rent to her door, I went out for an errand run. It was raining lightly as I headed out, not a monsoon, but enough to need my umbrella. My first stop was the bank to deposit what little was left of my paycheck after I paid for my eye exam and contacts yesterday. After that, I went to CVS for batteries and to stock up on the Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner for curls, both of which were on sale. (And the batteries were buy 1, get 1 free.)

Stopped by Uncle Ken's on my way home to say "hi" to him and Dolores and find out what's going on for the Super Bowl tomorrow. They were watching the History Channel and trying to stay warm on such a gloomy day. Yes, they're having a party tomorrow. Uncle Ken said the main dinner will be early because of all the kids, there should still be people around when I get there around 6:30, kick-off time for the game.

(To be honest, I'm only going for the food and to see my family, some of whom I haven't seen in over a month. The Steelers and the Packers have been in the Super Bowl a hundred times between the two of them, and I don't think this promises to be a terribly exciting game. I'll leave after half-time.)

Headed home after that and spent the rest of the evening doing things indoors and listening to records and CDs. I got the dusting done, which finishes this month's cleaning. I read some of my books on movies and musicals. I baked lemon-apple cupcakes for Uncle Ken's party. I made my first home-baked pizza for dinner, with onions, mushrooms, and turkey pepperoni. (I think I should have cut the dough in half - it was too fat and thick! Otherwise, it tasted very good. I'll have to use that recipe again sometime.)

I listened to several famous 1920s and 30s musicals I have on CD and record while making and eating my pizza. The 1971 revival of No No, Nanette is one of my favorite cast albums. I have no idea what the plot is, but the songs, including "I Want to Be Happy," "Tea For Two," and "I've Confessed to the Breeze" are fun. My favorite number was actually written for the revival but dropped. Ruby Keeler and Jack Gilford describe why nostalgia is so important to many people in the lovely "Only A Moment Ago."

Two Decca studio cast albums switched from goofy musical comedy to high operetta action. The Desert Song, with Kitty Carisle and Wilbur Evens, is one of my very favorites. The Scarlet Pimpernel-ish tale of a general's son who is also the desert chieftan The Red Shadow features "One Alone," the passionate title song, and the playful "Romance." New Moon goes to the French Revolution era for a love between a young woman and a lord who is a bondservant in the New World. The score includes "Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise," "Wanting You," and "Stouthearted Men."

Jerome Kern's Roberta mixes both operetta and more typical musical comedy. This 1935 show was one of Bob Hope's first hits. The original film version featured Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers. Two songs were added for Fred and Ginger, "Lovely To Look At," and "I Won't Dance," and they've been retained for show ever since. Jack Cassidy and Kaye Ballard perform "Dance" on my heavy early 50s LP, along with "Let's Begin." Joan Roberts, Laurey in the original 1943 Oklahoma, gets to sing the standard "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." Stephan Douglass, best known for originating Billy Bigelow in Carousel, sings "You're Devastating."

The Eyes Really Have It

Started the morning by finishing Chocolate Dipped Death, the last of the books I bought over the holidays. A young woman who had a bad reputation in high school and is now a trophy wife is found dead after being accused of cheating at a Divinity candy-making competition. With the contest now on hold, Abby finds herself up to her ears in candy orders, former high school classmates holding long grudges, and family members who don't think she can run Divinity on her own. Can Abby keep Divinity afloat...and find out whose grudge could have been a reason for murder?

Actually, I liked the first one and the next one, Peppermint Twisted, better, but this wasn't bad. I'm hoping to pick up the fourth one, Goody Goody Gunshots, the next time I'm in a book store.

Watched Sailor Moon and had cereal and an orange for breakfast, then crocheted for a while and made my grocery list before it was time to get to work. It was partly cloudy when I got out, but not too cold or windy.

Work was busy for much of the day. Not only is it the beginning of the month, but the Super Bowl is this weekend, too. There were some annoying old ladies who had to have everything organized just so and held up the line. Otherwise, there were no major problems, not even with the new card rule.

My schedule this week is a huge improvement over the ones I've had since New Year's. More hours, nothing earlier than 11 or later than 8, and Wednesday and Thursday off. I'll even be off on Sunday just in time to run home and run over to Uncle Ken's for the Super Bowl.

Headed straight for America's Best after work. I've needed an eye exam and to order new contacts for over a month, but either the weather's been bad, or I've worked too late or been busy. I picked the right day. They were so quiet, I got my eye exam right away. The doctor ultimately concluded that my eye had changed slightly...but not so much that a new prescription was really needed, or even new glasses. The frames are still in really good shape. I only wear them once or twice a week. After my exam, I ordered my contacts and went back to the Acme to do my grocery shopping.

Most of what I needed this week was yogurt, fruit, and vegetables. I also picked up two packs of fish, some shrimp with a store coupon, and turkey pepperoni and sauce to make my own fresh pizza. I've always wanted to try that, and I thought it might be fun for tomorrow, when I don't have a lot planned besides a quick errand run in Oaklyn and dusting.

When I got home, I put everything away and watched the Bowery Boys while eating country-fried steak, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, spinach, and celery sticks. In Crashing Las Vegas, Slip, Sach, Chuck, and newcomer Myron head to Nevada via a TV game show when Sach is electrocuted and suddenly develops the ability to guess any number, anytime. The trouble starts when down-on-their-luck gamblers overhear them and decide Sach has a system...and want the "system" for themselves.

This was Leo Gorcey's last Bowery Boys movie. His father Bernard Gorcey had died shortly after the filming of the one before this, and his death sent the not-always sober Leo into a tail spin. Supposedly, he was drunk during much of the shooting of this film, though he looks pretty much like he always does to me. If anything, it's a dull and derivative script that does this in more than any off-screen troubles. Other than an odd prison sequence and the "King For a Day" sequence, it's really rather odd and has no actual Vegas flavor whatsoever.

Balance and the Hard Rule

Started out a glorious, sunny, 35-degree day with this week's yoga class. (After last week and the storm everyone else in the US got yesterday, I was just happy to be able to get anywhere at all!) Everyone must be feeling the effects of cabin fever. A very full class worked on hip and knee openers and finding what could make us happy...and how to get there. I'm still working on some of the more difficult balance moves.

Next stop was the Collingswood Library. They were quite busy today. I put away and organized DVDs and shelved a couple of non-fiction books upstairs. I didn't get out as quickly as I wanted to - I left my earmuffs at Yogawood and had to retrieve them. Good thing they left the door open for people who wanted to use the shop upstairs.

Spent the rest of the afternoon at home. I baked low-fat ginger cookies from a Prevention Magazine recipe (made with Smart Balance spread and an egg white) and watched the last two McBride mysteries. Mac finds himself up to his ears in the love life of a dog trainer accused of killing her ex-lover in Dogged. She claims someone sent her a text message, but there's no record of it. Could it have been her lover's wife, who is bitter after an accident cost her the use of her legs?

Requiem moves to the world of the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra. A talented young first violinist is found dead on the day of a big concert. Her fiancee is accused of the crime...but could someone at the orchestra have a bigger reason for wanting her out of the way?

I thoroughly enjoyed the McBride mysteries, enough that I may try looking up other old-fashioned detective shows like Murder She Wrote and the later Perry Mason.

Wish work was as much fun. A new rule is wrecking havoc with our lines and our customers. When a customer forgets their card, we usually just ring up a store card or type it in so we can get the line going fast. This happens a lot. Some of our customers are just coming from work and don't have it on them. Others just forget. And we're on a highway, too. We get a lot of people from elsewhere who are just passing through.

Apparently, sometime between Monday night and this afternoon, they changed that rule. Everyone has to have a card...even if they have one already. We can no longer ask for or type in a store card. If they don't have a card, they have to be given one, even if they already have one. If they don't want the card, they don't get the sales.

This is silly, absurd, and impractical. We had to call for the managers every time someone wanted a card. We can't keep the applications at the registers anymore. Even people who just forgot their card had to apply for another one! I understand that they want everyone to have a card, but forcing people to have one isn't the way to do that. One guy got so upset, he actually cursed at the manager! I don't like this, either, but the language was unnecessary. You can tell executives sitting behind desk don't do their own grocery shopping.

A Foggy Day In Oaklyn Town

I was up late talking to Lauren last night and didn't get up today until almost 10! When I did get up, I couldn't see much, anyway. A thick fog surrounded the Riverside Rest. I'd never seen fog like this in winter! It was thick and white, and it obscured everything.

Once again, it would seem that we got rain this morning and last night, and that's all we got. The blizzard that pounded the north and midwest was much kinder to us. I don't think we even got sleet or freezing rain this time. Heck, it wasn't even cold. It was probably in the 40s, slightly warm for what it usually is this time of year.

When I did finally get out around quarter of 1, I headed for the Oaklyn Library first. It was still a bit foggy, though not quite as bad as earlier in the morning. The Library was pretty busy when I arrived, considering it would close for the day at 2. (The Oaklyn Library is only open from 10 to 2 on Wednesday.) I organized DVDs and shelved children's books. Helped a mother and her daughter find picture books as well.

The Oaklyn Library is finally clearing out its large collection of videos. I already had a lot of the adult videos, but there were a couple of kid videos that interested me. I grabbed two Dr. Seuss specials from the 70s, The Cat and the Hat and Dr. Seuss On the Loose, and three Winnie the Pooh specials - the two Halloween episodes and a Valentine's Day show.

I next went to WaWa for a Cherry-Vanilla Coke Zero fountain soda and a pretzel, then took a walk around the neighborhood. Though the snow was rapidly melting and the fog was mostly gone, the sidewalks were still slushy and even icy in some places. It wasn't nearly as bad as earlier in the week or last week's blizzard, but still pretty messy.

I spent the rest of the day at home. I cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed. For once, the kitchen may have been worse than the bathroom. I did a lot of eating at home and a lot of baking last month. I'll get the dusting done on Saturday. We're supposed to be getting our next round of bad weather then, though at press time it sounds like it'll be the same as today and yesterday - rain with a little freezing rain and maybe a tiny bit of snow.

Did two McBride mysteries and one I started last night. In Fallen Idol, Mac is devastated when a lawyer he admired is killed in what appears to be a robbery...but neither the crime nor the victim are what they seem to be. Anybody Here Murder Marty? takes us behind-the-scenes at a popular Jerry Springer-style talk show. The abrasive host is murdered on the night of his 10th anniversary show by a disgruntled guest...but it turns out there were plenty of other people working on the show who wanted the egotistical star off the air for good. And in Semper Fi, Mac gets into hot water with a none-too-happy Roberta when he investigates the death of a wife of an Afghanistan war vet whose sister has some ugly past history with Roberta.

Switched to the cartoons I picked up today while having tomato soup garnished with various leftovers in my refrigerator, including baked pasta and peas and carrots. Dr. Seuss On the Loose is my second favorite Seuss cartoon after The Lorax. The first two stories are based after the Seuss book of the same name. The Sneeches are ostrich-like creatures who live on the beaches. The Sneeches with green stars on their stomachs snub those who don't have them, but a salesman and his machines teach both groups a lesson in equality. The two stubborn Zax won't budge an inch for the other to move, even as the world continues around them.

The most famous of the On the Loose stories is Green Eggs and Ham. Sam I Am is determined to make a poor guy like his favorite food...and he'll follow him anywhere, from a house to a car to a train to a boat and beyond...to do it!

The tale of The Cat and the Hat is a bit simpler. Two kids and a fish find themselves bored and alone at home on a rainy day. It takes a crazy cat in a red-and-white striped hat, his two energetic companions, and the wild search for a "moss-covered three-handled family gredunza" to show the kids that fun is all around you, whether you're outside or in!

Un-Valentine's Day came last. In this episode from The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Rabbit tries to stem the tide of valentines that were given to them by Pooh the year before by canceling Valentine's Day all together, much like he attempted to cancel Thanksgiving and Halloween when things didn't go right. When Pooh gets a special gift of honey, however, he can't help giving just one Valentine to a friend. That "one" Valentine turns into two cakes going "splat," a pile of paper Valentines, and a stage romance for Christopher Robin that goes comically wrong. But who DID send Pooh that honey?

My So-Called Ice Storm

When I awoke around 9:30 today, there was the tiniest dusting of snow and ice on my porch...and it was half-melting even then. The sky was gray and the day was chilly, but it was the damp chill and flat gray sky of rain, not the biting chill and pearly gray sky of snow.

Since it wasn't doing anything by 11:30 but looking gloomy, I decided I would be fine running my errands today. I rode next to the Newton River Park and headed for the Haddon Township Library. Why "next to?" The paths in the park are still covered with last week's snow. There are lots of tracks where humans, dogs, and water fowl have run and played...but not people on bikes. I rode on the street alongside the park instead.

The Library was very busy when I arrived. There were piles of DVDs and kids' books to put away, probably due to last week's weather. Tons of non-fiction DVDs. Maybe a lot of mothers wanted their kids to learn something while they were snowbound.

I helped a mother and her adorable toddler daughter look up a book series the mother wanted to read more of. The daughter wore a beautiful gray coat with a large black velvet collar trimmed with braid and a bow on the back. The mother said she actually found the coat mint at a second-hand store!

I ended up taking out several books. Two recipe mysteries, one recent American Girl mystery, the Samantha tale Cry of the Loon, a book on crocheting, the newest Garfield comic book, and a book written by a woman who lost her job at a prestigious magazine when it shut down...and used it as an opportunity to learn how to slow down and enjoy life. I thought I could learn how to do the same.

Made a quick stop at Dollar Tree for sponges and a new brush. The top of the brush I bought last August snapped off the handle! After I left there, I had lunch at the Bagel Shop. It was about quarter after 2 when I came in, and the place was completely empty except for the people cleaning up the back dining area. I had a wonderful lunch of beef chili and a whole wheat bagel slathered in strawberry jam to myself.

Rode straight home after that. Or at least as straight as I could. The sidewalks on Cuthbert Road were icy, and it took me 10 minutes to just cross the street! I rode down some side streets instead and took the back way home.

After I got in, I put my things upstairs and went back out for a walk. It was raining a little by then, a fine misty rain that made me slightly wet, but otherwise caused no real trouble. The sidewalks were a little icy, but the street was clear. I walked down Manor Avenue and back up and around to Kendall, dodging ice and the sharp salt pellets on driveways.

When I got in, I started this month's cleaning with the bathroom. It wasn't quite as bad as when I last cleaned it, probably because I did my cleaning late last month. Still needed to get done, though. I did some reading, too.

When I finished, I switched to McBride while I made salmon, broccoli and cauliflower topped with Colby cheese, and a spinach salad for dinner. In Tune In to Murder, McBride has to defend the gentler partner of a popular morning radio host who loved playing nasty pranks on his listeners. He's killed the night after his partner had discovered him making a solo contract...but is that 911 call that Ron made before he was killed the real thing? I liked the use of sound - radio's calling card - to solve the crime. And Linda Young is right. The 911 call DOES sound so fake, it's surprising the police even bother using it as evidence.