Veteran's Day Adventures

Charlie's cursing downstairs woke me up at 7:30. I went back to sleep for another two hours. When I got up for good, I read a few chapters of Return of the Jedi, then did a short story and two poems for Veteran's Day from the Collier's Book of Holidays. The short was The Singing Tree, by Kate Seredy. One of the poems was In Flanders Fields. There's also photo of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

I did the Donald Duck in the Army shorts as I had breakfast. From 1942 to 1944, Donald appeared in a series of cartoons that mostly had  him dealing with daily life in the barracks. Donald jumps into the army with both webbed feet in "Donald Gets Drafted." He quickly discovers that army life isn't as glamorous as the recruiting posters make it seem when Pete demands he stand at attention over an ant hill! "Sky Trooper" is a follow-up to this. Donald does make it into the air...as a paratrooper, much to his shock! He's "The Vanishing Private" when he uses a new invisibility paint to make himself disappear before Pete can get him. "Fall Out, Fall In" has Donald marching with his troop. He's tired and he wants dinner, but first he has to set up his tent, then he has to try to sleep with all his fellow soldiers' snoring! Donald is "Commando Duck" on his first big assignment to contact the (heavily stereotyped) Japanese agents. He ends up wiping...no, washing...out the enemy.

The most famous of the Donald wartime shorts, and the only one to win an Oscar, was the infamous "Der Fuehrer's Face." Donald finds himself in a surreal nightmare where he's a worker in Nazi Germany, forced to eat wooden bread and make bombs until he's exhausted. Things get really crazy when the foremen demand more and more shells, and Donald finally cracks! I do have fond memories of seeing this on the Disney Channel from time to time as a child, usually on a night show like Mouserpiece Theater where the context could be explained. (And I think they usually cut the ending with the tomato at Hitler and several of the nastier racial stereotypes. I believe I've never seen this short intact until I bought the Treasures DVD set.)

Headed out around quarter after 12 to Collinsgswood for volunteering (making a very short stop first to see if Studio LuLoo was open - they were not). It was a chilly day, though not too cold, probably in the lower 60's. The sun kept playing peek-a-boo behind thick, heavy clouds all day long. It certainly felt like fall as I cut across the development on Park Avenue, across from the park and community pool in Westmont.

I'd just about come out of the development when I heard it. A loud POP! sounded through the development. I felt the back tire go flat. What?! But Richard had just fixed it a month ago! I was so upset. It was a good thing I did leave early. My appointment wasn't until 2. I at least had time to get it fixed. Thankfully, a young lady who was about to take her truck to work on King's Highway gave me a lift to the bike shop.

Thank heavens the shop was open. It turns out Richard hadn't put the tire on properly either when he fixed the wobbly back wheel or when he originally put them on after he found the bike for me. The valve in the inner tube had been rubbing against the tire...and they both finally gave. I ended up having to replace the tire and the inner tube. (I just hope the front one is in better shape. I do have a spare inner tube, but not a spare tire.)

Had lunch at the Bistro after the bike was fixed. The lunch hour was just winding down when I got in around quarter after 1. I had their version of "the Gobbler," the Turkey DeBrie. No stuffing, but it did have real sliced turkey on toasted marble rye with cranberry sauce and melted brie. It was very tasty. It came with crunchy fries and an excellent but tiny cup of cole slaw.

It was getting late. Though I window-shopped a bit, checking out the book sale at the small storefront Haddonfield Library (their main branch is in the midst of major remodeling) and taking a look in a new book store and around The Happy Hippo Toy Store, I finally just went to counseling ten minutes early. I looked at books until Mrs. Stahl was ready.

I told Mrs. Stahl about my vacation and the fun we had and the towns we visited, my (mostly) wonderful Halloween, the slow but sure progress on my story, Charlie's continuing (and noisy) work on the house, and my lack of hours. This happened last year at work, too. They cut our hours in the weeks before Thanksgiving, then wondered why they had long lines and cranky customers during busy times. We discussed my plans for Thanksgiving and what I usually do for Christmas - baking and a little shopping. The latter is mostly for my nephews and niece (who don't need a ton of sugar), Jessa (who can make her own cookies), and Lauren and Amanda (who come from small families and don't have a lot of people giving them presents).

We also went into all the trouble I've had at work lately. I just get so scared and nervous when I make a mistake or things get crazy. That's why I do things like give customers back their money. I just panic when things go wrong or there's tons of people all demanding things at once. I don't know what to say or do, and I feel so horribly guilty for all the trouble!

She suggest that I write a short story about a young woman who is also getting scared at a job she hates and is feeling bad about it. I actually did start something like that and have other stories in mind, but either didn't write them or never finished. I'll have plenty of time to do it. I don't do counseling in December. I have too much going on during the holidays as it is. I won't see Mrs. Stahl again until early January.

Since it was getting chillier by 3 PM, I decided to forgo the water ice and get a treat at the Westmont Acme instead. The Acme's having a big sale on Domino's sugar and Nestle's chocolate chips. I was almost out of sugar and figured I might as well stock up on chocolate chips for Christmas baking while I can. I bought one of the large dollar packs of Fig Newton-style fruit bars (peach apricot) for my snack.

Cut across Newton Lake Park on the way home. They were very busy despite the chill. Kids rode home from school. Haddon Township High School's girl's track team practiced. People walked their dogs and pushed their toddlers in strollers. The park is awash in color now, all reds and yellow-greens and golds. The algae is long gone, replaced by a glassy green waterway.

When I finally got home, I went right into writing. Jeff meets Betty, Mackie, and the others at Port Harbor's big Summer Festival. They're setting up an outdoor stage in the park to perform for royalty, including Hilary and Jeff, and win enough money to continue their journey. Betty's nervous about having her brand-new play performed before royalty. The others assure her they'll be fine.

Hilary isn't so sure. She's not in any hurry to see some traveling group perform a play she's never heard of. She doesn't agree to it until Jeff tells her Betty is a Guardian and a Light Magician. While Hilary has spent the last few years trying to avoid any involvement with magic, she does want to find out more about this girl. (Especially if Jeff has any interest in her.)

I got up to stretch and have leftover Chicken-Vegetable Soup around 7. Made Ally's "Snappy" Ginger Snaps while finishing out the wartime shorts. Bugs and Daffy headlines my favorites of the Looney Tunes wartime tales. "Super Rabbit" has Bugs spoofing the World War II superhero craze when a carrot turns him into an invulnerable critter. He continuously outwits a rabbit-hating cowboy, but when push comes to shove, he turns into another kind of hero - a Marines officer. Unlike Donald, Daffy wants nothing to do with the army in "Draftee Daffy." He'll do anything to avoid that pesky "Little Man From the Draft Board." "Falling Hare" is one of the few times Bugs deals with an antagonist who gives as good as they get. He has to stop a gremlin from sabotaging planes, before they get out of that free fall!

Though laid-back Mickey Mouse didn't figure into many World War II shorts, he did do one war-oriented cartoon in 1929. "The Barnyard Battle" has him joining the army to fight a group of Hun-like cats. He may be a skinny rubber-hose mouse, but that won't stop him from giving the enemy a lickin'!

The Pink Panther was one of the few major cartoon characters to take part in the Vietnam War in "G.I Pink." He's also been swayed by recruiting posters, but he's expecting power, not glamour. Like Donald, he gets quite an eye-opener when he finds himself dodging land mines, avoiding obstacle courses, and constantly getting his commanding officer in trouble with the company mascot and the other officers.

Did two quick fantasy-oriented cartoons while cleaning up from the cookies. Little Audrey did a couple of Silly Symphony-style tales that had her wandering through a fantasy land and helping the characters who live there. "Goofy Goofy Gander" shows Audrey that Mother Goose can be a pretty hip gal when she has to save Mother Goose Land from the two gangsters in her comic book. "Tarts and Flowers" has her helping to rescue Angel Cake from the evil Devil's Food Cake and return her to her Gingerbread Boy sweetheart.

And I honor all those who served and fought for our country on this Veteran's Day, including my own dad Bruce (Vietnam), my late uncle Ken (World War II), and two who are out there now in the Navy, my brother Keefe Jackman and my friend Jen Waters.

Cartoons Go to War

I awoke to a cloudy, rainy, rather cozy day. I drowned out the cursing and blasting 80's pop downstairs with more wartime shorts. The Walter Lanz Studio at Universal only did a few out-and-out war-related shorts. Woody Woodpecker's only war short was "Ace In the Hole." He wants to be a pilot, but his sergeant has him shaving horses. Woody does finally get in the air...much to his sergeant's surprise.

Two of the war-related Lanz "Cartunes" actually debuted shortly before the US entered World War II. "$21 a Day (Once a Month)" uses toys to parody the peacetime draft (and features cameos by Woody and Andy Panda). "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" shows how a former Chicago trumpeter gets his camp up and moving with his swinging revile. The African-American stereotypes run thick and heavy in this one, but it is one of the few animated shorts I know of to depict minorities in the military.

"Pigeon Patrol" gets a little closer to the wartime output from some of the other studios. Country bumpkin Homer Pigeon is determined to become a carrier pigeon when his girl admires the carrier pigeons on their way overseas. Homer encounters one after he's downed by an enemy bird. The country bird gets a chance to show what he's really made out of when he has to avoid the (stereotyped) Japanese agent and deliver the message behind the lines.

I spent the rest of the morning writing. Scott Sherwood meets one of Palermo Racine's dapper henchmen at a tavern in Port Harbor's Old Town waterfront. Scott still has the papers he swiped off Grace Cavendish in the woods several weeks before. The henchmen wants the papers - they're discuss "protection money" to keep the Shadow Realm out of Racine's headquarters in glittering Atlantica City. Scott wants to give them the papers to eradicate his debt. The henchman would rather sell Scott and Mackie (who has also had involvements with Racine in the past) to his boss. Scott turns the henchman temporarily into crystal and sends him to Racine before he can shoot him.

Around 1, I got up for lunch and to make Pumpkin Muffins. Switched to Popeye shorts while I baked and ate. The Fleischer studio at Paramount also tossed Popeye into the military before the US actually joined the war, in "The Mighty Ensign." The majority of Popeye's wartime service saw him either continuing to fight Bluto for Olive's hand (as in "Kicking the Conga Around" and "Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix"), or fighting some extremely stereotyped Japanese ("Fleets of Strength") and Nazi ("Spinach Fer Britain") villains.

"Many Tanks" is an unusual variation on the Bluto/Olive/Popeye triangle. Army soldier Bluto is unable to get leave. When he sees sailor Popeye on his way to meet Olive, he steals Popeye's clothes and dumps him in the Army barracks. Now the Army thinks Popeye is one of them and wants him to work with the tank corps! Popeye just wants to get to his date on time.

The rain was thankfully down to mist by the time I headed to work. It was pretty much the same as yesterday - quiet when I came in and when I left, crazy-busy during rush hour. Once again, we didn't have enough help to deal with the rush hour crowds, either. It did slow down enough by 8 that I was able to leave quickly with no relief.

Getting the Laundry Done

I wanted to finish my copy of the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back today and didn't really get moving until around quarter of 10. I've had my copies of the novelizations of the original Star Wars Trilogy movies for a long time. I got the novelization of Return of the Jedi from Cape May Elementary School's library around 1989 after I took it out about eighty times. It was falling apart even then. Found Star Wars at a book sale at a fair in West Cape May around 1991; picked up Empire Strikes Back from a used book store in Ft. Lauderdale when we were visiting Dad-Bruce in the early 90's.

I really should replace them. I have regular scotch tape holding on part of the Star Wars cover. Jedi is currently being held together with masking tape. I just can't bring myself to get rid of them. I have too many memories associated with them. In fact, they're some of the few books I do still have from my childhood (along with Charlotte's Web, which is also in bad shape, The Wizard of Oz, and my hardback Anne of Green Gables novel collection). Jedi was one of the first adult-oriented novels I ever read.

I didn't get to the laundromat until quarter after 11. It was fairly busy there, with at least two families and two older folks. Thankfully, I was able to get a washer and drier without much trouble. I had a big load this week, including towels. I listened to The Price Is Right and the local news and worked on notes for my story.

When I got in, I put my laundry away, then had a quick lunch while finishing out the Looney Tunes wartime shorts disc I started during breakfast. Termite Terrace threw themselves hard into propaganda shorts, mainly of three varieties. The first was a typical comic story centered around either one of the regular Toons gang, like Bugs ("Herr Meets Hare") or Daffy ("Daffy the Commando") or a one-off ("The Draft Horse"). The second variety was a series of sketches spoofing life on the homefront - on the farm ("Wacky Blackout"), in the barracks ("Meet John Doughboy"), at the Hollywood Canteen ("Hollywood Canine Canteen"). The third discussed how we got into the war and how we planned on winning it ("Fifth Column Mouse").

Some of the sketches are funnier than others. "The Ducktators," a take on Adolf Hitler's rise to power featuring geese, ducks, and doves, is my favorite of the allegories. "Weakly Reporter," on life in the city and suburbs during wartime, was the funniest of the revues. (Love the woman who fixes a whole factory with her one bobby pin.) "Russian Rhapsody" depicted "Gremlins from the Kremlin" attacking a plane piloted by Hitler himself.

Switched to the Paramount Superman shorts while getting ready for work. Given the tenor of the comic books of the time, it was probably inevitable that Superman would fight the Axis on the big screen as well. Of the war-oriented Superman shorts, my favorite is by far "The Eleventh Hour." A mature story about Superman sabotaging the Japanese and some marvelous, shadowy animation makes up somewhat for the heavy-handed Japanese stereotypes. "Jungle Drums" is also marred by stereotypes, in this case African-American natives. Otherwise, it's rather like a short version of the Shadow "White God" episode, with Superman instead of The Shadow and Nazis instead of scientists. "Secret Agent" has Superman rescuing a beautiful female spy from the Nazis chasing her and is the last short, and the only one to not feature Lois Lane.

Work was quiet when I came in, steady when I left. Rush hour was a mess, though. In addition to the last of the beginning of the month people, people are still trying to buy those turkeys but forgetting the coupon. It's been a real pain. (Now I just have to cross my fingers we don't run out of them.)

Did two war-oriented Three Stooges shorts when I got home and threw together vegetables, canned chicken, and the remaining tomato sauce and home-made chicken stock for Chicken-Winter Vegetable Soup. "Back to the Front" has them as Navy sailors who survive an explosion on their ship, only to be picked up by a Nazi boat. They find themselves rounding up the officers, including their former officer from the destroyed ship. They're "Higher Than a Kite" when they're chased by an officer who isn't happy with how they (didn't) fix his car, only to end up hiding in a bomb. When they land, they disguise themselves as Nazi officers and a lady to get the goods on the enemy.

Eagles Ride On the Cowboys

It was a beautiful morning when I awoke. The sun was out, the humidity was gone, and it looked and felt more like fall. I celebrated with Carrot Spice Pancakes and Yankee Doodle Mickey. This Disneyland album has a patriotic theme. I did it this weekend for the Armed Services Medley, which has Mickey singing the themes for the Air Force and the Marines, Goofy singing for the Army, and Donald of course representing the Navy.

I have the book-and-record version of The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. Two of the younger kids in the Family Band provide the hilarious narration (and get a lot more characterization than they do in the movie). While most of the songs are studio versions, I do believe that's Walter Brennan we hear sing "Drummin', Drummin', Drummin'."

Work was very busy for most of the afternoon. Not only are we still getting the tail end of the beginning of the month people, but many folks are starting to prepare for Thanksgiving. November is a big birthday month, too. Thankfully, while the turkey coupon remains a problem, at least we haven't run out of them yet, like we did a couple of times last year. My relief was actually early, and I was able to head out with no problems.

It was such a glorious day, I opted to take the long way home down Nicholson Road. There couldn't have been more perfect fall weather. Last week's heat and smothering humidity had been replaced by sunshine, dry wind, cool air, a bright blue sky, and more normal lower 60-degree temperatures. I did notice cars driving across the bridge over Nicholson. It's about time they finished that. They started it last spring. They said they'd be done by July. They were still working on it in at least August or September.

When I got in, I spent the rest of the evening writing. We're now in Port Harbor, a former major port on the Great Lake that's now a popular tourist spot. Jeff meets Scott between fish warehouses by the docks. He asks after Betty and the others, then mentions he's in town to meet several Shadow Realm members who are going to be talking to Palermo Racine's gangsters about "protection" money in the guise of the King of Thieves. They also discuss Hilary, who is still angry with Scott for lying about his lack of royal status and abandoning his court.

I put on another Roaring 20's CD while making crab cakes and roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner. Echoes of the 20's is a two-disc set. I listened to the second one. The 20's loved its novelties, and there were quite a few songs referencing popular heroes or fads, including "Lucky Lindy" (on Charles Lindburgh), "Hello Montreal" (on Prohibition and how to get around it), and "Henry's Made a Lady Out of Lizzie" (on Henry Ford updating the Model T design). "Precious Little Thing Called Love," "Sunny Side Up," and "Am I Blue?" were the result of another "novelty," this one with more staying power - the advent of movies with sound.

Switched to the Eagles-Cowboys game on WIP Radio after I got out of the shower. Wow, what a stunner! Neither team dominated; it went back and forth all night, ending in an overtime win for the Eagles, 33-27. 

Fall Harvest In the Rain

I awoke to another cloudy, humid morning. Started off with breakfast and an episode of Sailor Moon from the new first season dub. Usagi and Rei hit a rough patch in their friendship when they both compete in a ski competition for the title of Miss Moon Princess. Things really get rocky when it turns out to be a Negaverse plot.

Didn't get out to the Collingswood Farm Market until past 11. Of course, the moment I head out, it starts showering. It continued showering off and on the entire time I was out. After a quick stop at WaWa for money, I headed across the street. The Farm Market's on its last three weeks. There's no more craft booths than there are food booths. There were enough food booths left for me to pick up Brussels sprouts, small apples, broccoli, and mushrooms. (I wanted cranberries, but everyone was out. I bought them at the Acme later.)

When I got home, I put everything away. I had leftovers for lunch, then made Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies while watching The LEGO Movie. The fate of several worlds is in the yellow curved hands of Emmett (voice of Chris Pratt), a typical LEGO piece construction worker. When he gets the "piece of resistance" stuck to his back, the rest of the LEGOs are convinced he's "the Special," the one who will save their world from the secret weapon of the evil Lord Business. Who knew a bunch of building blocks could make such an imaginative movie? Hilarious and thoughtful take on creativity, individuality, and teamwork.

Did one more first season episode of Sailor Moon as I got ready for work. Makoto is skating on thin ice when a handsome gold-medal-winning figure skater shows interest in her during a group coaching session. But his partner is jealous...and they both may be part of another attempt by the Negaverse to capture the Sailor Guardians.

Work was busy for most of the night, steady when I left. That turkey coupon is just driving me crazy. I wish people would handle it better when they forget it or are told we don't have any. It comes in the mail and can be found online. That's the only way to get it. Next year, they really have to drop the coupon. It's far too much trouble. Other than that, I was in and out. I was able to buy my cranberries and leave with a minimum of fuss.

(And figures. The rain was slowing down even as I got home. To my knowledge, it hasn't rained since. It's just been windy, cloudy, and cool.)

Hot Time In the Fall

Began a cloudy, ridiculously warm, windy, and humid morning with oatmeal for breakfast and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Peppermint Patty invites herself, Franklin, and Marcie over to Charlie Brown's house for Thanksgiving dinner. There's one small problem there. Chuck's family is planning to eat at his grandma's house. Linus suggests he make a smaller meal beforehand to appease the others. His dinner of toast, jelly beans, and popcorn isn't exactly appreciated by Peppermint Patty, until Linus and Marcie remind their friends of the real reason for the holiday.

Continued on to The Mayflower Voyagers while using the remaining cranberries to make Cranberry Flummery. The Peanuts play the Pilgrim children and animals who traveled to the New World with their parents, seeking religious freedom. The Pilgrims suffer through a long, perilous journey and a bitter cold winter that results in much death, until the friendly Indians Squanto and Massasoit and their people lend them a hand. To thank them, and celebrate their first harvest, the Pilgrims invite the Indians for a party, the very first Thanksgiving.

Headed off to the Acme around 11;30. Since I worked late, I wanted to get my grocery shopping in now. The biggest thing I needed was meat. The ground chicken wasn't on a great sale, but I needed it. Found two crab cakes and a Swai fillet with manager's coupons. Needed to restock a lot of things - vanilla extract (McCormick's smaller size was on a good sale), canned chicken, grapefruit, buttermilk (got the last one on the shelf), I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, tissues, soup (got Campbell's Homestyle Italian Wedding Soup for $1.50), and jam. Decided to try the Open Nature Gelato Cafe Latte. It was $2.99, and I had a coupon for 50 cents off any Open Nature product. Was totally out of cereal; fortunatly, Quaker cereals were $1.77. I grabbed Cinnamon Life.

When I got back home, I put everything away, then had leftovers for lunch. Did one more spooky episode of Tiny Toon Adventures while I ate. It's a "Hare Raising Night" when Bugs recruits Buster to rescue helpless animals from a mad scientist. Buster lies to Babs, Hampton, and Plucky and tells them he's taking them to the Emmys to get them to help out. While Babs fends off a love-crazed monster, Plucky keeps insisting he's going to win an award, and Hampton just wants to know where the buffet is.

Spent the rest of the afternoon avoiding the heat and humidity and working on my story. Betty wakes up in the cart the next day with absolutely no idea of what happened after she passed out or where they are. Eugenia, Mr. Foley, and C.J explain that they're on the road to Port Harbor. The lakeside city has a summer festival every year that holds competitions for the best plays. Mackie and Maple persuade Betty to write a play to win the contest and get enough money to continue their journeys.

I got off with just enough time to change, pack up my dinner, and head to work. Work was actually pretty quiet for a lot of the night. It did get steady during rush hour. Otherwise, it wasn't that bad. I was able to shut down at the end of my shift with no relief and no need for one.

Oh, and I did get my schedule. A few more hours, though still not as many as I normally have. I'm not overly happy with a relatively early day on Sunday. Otherwise, pretty much the same as last week, including the same days off (Wednesday for counseling).

Rainy Autumn

It was raining pretty hard when I got up this morning. I opted to spend the morning inside, cleaning and watching Those Calloways. This is one of the last movies from the dubbed batch I got from Lauren last Christmas that I hadn't gotten to until now. The Calloways in question in this live-action Disney drama from 1965 are a family living in a small backwoods town in Vermont. The father (Brian Keith) dreams of buying a small marsh near-by to start a sanctuary for the wild geese that fly through the area most years. His wife (Vera Miles) wishes he'd spend the money on their home instead of chasing dreams. His son (Brandon DeWilde) is more supportive, to the point of failing to notice that his longtime gal pal Friday (Linda Evans) has become a very attractive young lady. The townspeople of near-by Stillwater think the dad's crazy, except gabby old Al (Walter Brennan). When a real estate agent from Burlington shows up and insists the town can use the wild geese to attract hunters, the townspeople have to decide if they want to support the "progress" the hunters may bring...or Calloway's dream.

I have vague memories of seeing at least some of this on the Disney Channel during my childhood. The copy Lauren sent me seems to have come from a Hallmark Movie Channel dubbing (from around 2005, from the commercials for the McBride movies Anybody Here Murdered Marty? and Tune In For Murder). This is not one of Disney's faster-paced movies. It's very slow and intense, especially early on, and for a movie that features Ed Wynn (as a deaf friend of Brennan's) along with Brennan, rather humorless. The romance between the teenagers is fairly bland as well. Miles and Keith are much better as the Calloway parents, who love each other despite their very different desires and opinions on the marsh and the geese.

The cinematography alone is reason to at least give this a look. It was actually filmed in Vermont, and the exteriors are gorgeous, especially during the opening and closing sequences in the fall. The DVD is evidently one of Disney's few 50's and 60's movies to be released in its original widescreen format; I can certainly understand why. If you love quiet family dramas or some of Disney's other more dramatic films and can handle the snail pace, or just want a good look at the rugged beauty of rural Vermont, this one is worth at least a rental.

Did quite a bit of cleaning while this very long movie was running. I gave the bathroom a quick scrubbing. I washed the windows. I aired the rugs. I vacuumed. The one chore I put off was the dusting. I'll do that Thanksgiving week, before I put up the Christmas decorations.

Despite it raining again by 12:30, I headed out to run a few errands anyway. It was raining so hard by the time I arrived at the Oaklyn Library, they were dead except for one guy reading random books and two librarians. Even the kids stayed at school. This did give me a chance to work on organizing the children's area, especially the board books and easy readers, while it continued to pour.

The rain had finally vanished by 1:30. Ran to WaWa for eggs and lunch. I loved their "Gobbler" hoagie so much last year, I treated myself to the mini-version last year. It's turkey, cranberry sauce, mayo, and stuffing, and it's divine. Also grabbed a Chocolate Cookies n' Cream Smoothie, which was wonderfully decadent as well. Unlike the last time I ran to WaWa, it was down to clouds when I headed home. I peeked at Studio LuLoo, but the rain must have scared them off.

Did the first Thanksgiving special of the season when I got home as I had lunch. Garfield's Thanksgiving doesn't start off well when Liz the veterinarian decrees that Garfield must go on a diet the day before the holiday, then Jon invites her for dinner. Jon can't make a big meal to save his life, either. Grandma from the Christmas special knows how to make things right.

Went right into my story after lunch. Pruitt and Victor (in his "Sir Johnathan Arnold" guise) have brought prisoners from the captured white crystal mine to the downed Flying Fortress. Pruitt introduces the sinister magic-draining machine and how it works. Victor wants to stop him right there, but fears revealing his identity. Meanwhile, Pruitt sends him ahead to Port Harbor to spy on Duke and Duchess Singer and find out where their loyalties lay.

Had a nice bath after I got off the computer. Ahhh. That felt good. I read Peace and Plenty and listened to one of my finds earlier in the day. The Oaklyn Library recently acquired a plastic bin of mostly paperback books, but also some CD's. The majority of the titles were classical releases, but I did find three of music from the 20's. I did the Hits of '26 album, with iconic songs of the era like "When the Red, Red Robbin Comes Bob-Bob-Bobbin' Along," "Black Bottom," and "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue."

Did some quick Max & Ruby while eating a "spinach pancakes" (spinach, eggs, and cheese cooked flat on a pan) for dinner. Ruby wants to decorate the table for "Max's Thanksgiving." Her brother just cares about Grandma's nut stuffing. "Ruby's Leaf Collection" may be the best in her class, if she can ever dig it out of the huge pile of leaves her brother has been making. Ruby helps Candy out in her shop in "Ruby's Candy Store." She keeps admonishing Max to eat fruit instead of candy. Max has other uses for the fruit.

Ten Feet Off the Ground

For once, I got up fairly early, even before I heard Charlie cursing downstairs. This was a very good thing. I had a lot to do today, starting with calling Mom. She called me yesterday. She's fine. She, too, has the next two days off. She'd been working in the yard all morning and was on her way to run errands. I told her about my vacation, my fun Halloween, and all the trouble at work. She's already clearing her schedule to get ready for Thanksgiving.

As soon as I got off with Mom, I made breakfast and put on You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown. The votes are in at Charlie Brown's school. He's not in the running, but Linus might have a chance of winning...at least until he mentions the Great Pumpkin in his campaign speech.

As soon as I finished breakfast, I put everything else I'd had to move around in the back room where it belonged, then dressed the American Girl dolls in clothes appropriate for the late fall. Josefina, Felicity, and Samantha are mostly in their original meet outfits. Samantha's wearing the black tights from Rebecca's School Outfits and the black and white button boots from her Flower-Picking Dress with it. Jessa's wearing her yellow, turquoise, and magenta "meet" sweater and short-sleeved mock turtleneck shirt with the magenta leggings from the 1996 modern meet outfit and the striped socks and turquoise  and white sneakers from the 2003 modern meet outfit. Whitney wears the poodle skirt outfit I bought on eBay for her last year with the white cardigan with the ruffled collar from a Springfield Collection outfit. Molly's in Kit's original meet outfit with the floral skirt and lavender cardigan and the beige shoes from Kit's Yellow Floral Dress.

Next on the to do list was cleaning the bathroom. The bathtub was really grungy. Otherwise, it wasn't that horrible, but it did need to be done. Ran this year's first Christmas DVD, Very Merry Christmas Songs, as I worked. This Disney set throws most of the songs from the original Very Merry Christmas Songs video with songs based around mostly direct-to-home-media material, including "As Long as There's Christmas" from Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas.

Stopped to talk to Charlie really quick as I headed out. The outlet next to the window overlooking Veteran's Park isn't working. Either the guys accidentally turned around when they were messing with the electricity, or they blew a fuse somewhere. Charlie said the electrical wiring on this house is shot as it is. It may have blown.

My first stop on the errands list was lunch. Treated myself to Aunt Berta's, a soul food restaurant on the White Horse Pike. There were two guys enjoying big spreads when I came in. They were slow taking orders, but that was ok. I went through the notes I have in the notebook I carry in my purse and listened to The Young and the Restless. I waited so long, the waiter gave me an extra salmon cake to make up for it. It was tasty, at any rate. I love their salmon cakes. I also had corn bread, salty collard greens, and mashed sweet potatoes (candied yams). I thought about their sweet potato pie, but that second salmon cake really hit the spot. I was too full for dessert.

Next up was volunteering at the Haddon Township Library. They were busy, but the kids must have just gotten out of school. They had no kids' DVDs to shelve, and most of the adult DVDs didn't fit. There weren't too many audio books and CD's to shelve, either. I did put away some new books.

Made a few quick stops on the way home. My sister Anny's birthday is next week. I picked up a card for her at Dollar Tree, along with a sponge. (They don't have the cellulose sponges I like anymore. I'll have to start getting them from elsewhere.) Grabbed a quart of skim milk and whole wheat flour at Thriftway - they're both cheaper there.

Went straight home next to work on writing. There's a log jam of refugees fleeing the attack of the Flying Fortress at the Brooklania Bridge. Elizabeth uses her magic to fly them over the Fortress and the traffic and across the bridge, but it wears her out so badly, she faints the moment they land. Mackie and Maple opt to head to neutral Port Harbor next while Betty rests. It's Jeff and Hilary's home, and Jeff may know a place where they can stay.

Ran The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band while making spiced chicken legs, honey-glazed carrots, baked acorn squash, and roasted squash seeds for dinner. The title band originally lived in Nebraska in 1888. Grandpa (Walter Brennan) is a devoted Democrat. When the family moves to the very Republican Dakota Territory on advice from oldest daughter Alice's (Leslie Ann Warren) pen pal sweetheart (John Davidson), Grandpa can't help but stir up trouble. He teaches his anti-Republican views to the kids at school and causes a rift between the lovers and the Family Band. When matters come to a head during the town's Election Day party, the band and the town learn a lesson. It doesn't matter whether you're Republican or Democrat. States and bands work best when everyone is working together.

This is one of the more unusual of the "epic" musicals of the late 60's and early 70's. You don't often see a musical comedy that revolves around an infamous contested election. Some terrific music (including the ensemble numbers "Ten Feet Off the Ground" and "West O' the Wide Missouri" and the charming "'Bout Time" for Davidson and Warren) offsets the often too complicated plot and characters who aren't explored as much as I'd like. Look for Goldie Hawn as Davidson's date and dance partner during the "West O' the Wide Missouri" number and Kurt Russell as one of the younger Family Band kids.

Vote For Anyone

Started a sunny, unusually warm Election Day morning with breakfast and cartoons. Tiny Toon Adventures spoofed the classic Orson Welles movie Citizen Kane in its first season with "Citizen Max." Buster and Montana Max compete for Acme Looniversity's student body president. Monty plays dirty to get Buster expelled. Plucky and Babs help him get even. Meanwhile, reporter Hampton explores Monty's past and tried to figure out why he yelled "Acme."

Richie Cunningham votes with his libido in the second season Happy Days episode "The Not-Making of the President." He campaigns for 1954 Democratic candidate Adelai Stevenson to impress a pretty girl who is obsessed with politics. His father is incensed. He's a staunch Republican and is voting for Eisenhower. To make things worse, Richie has to make a speech promoting Stevenson at a young voter's rally at Arnold's.

I made Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Muffins while the show was on. Used Alton Brown's Old School Muffins recipe. It requires yogurt - I'm out of buttermilk and low on milk. Only had one egg, so I just used that. Yum! It came out amazing, soft and sweet and chewy.

Did a few cartoons while I cleaned up from baking. "Popeye For President" have Popeye and Bluto campaigning to get in the White House. Olive is the last person who needs to get to the polls, but she can't vote until she finishes her chores. Popeye helps her out, but Bluto may get her there first.

The vote is in. Betty Boop's Grampy is "The Candid Candidate," and he's now the town mayor. The people of the town have myriad problems for him to solve. He uses his many inventions to try to help them out.

Worked on my fanfic for an hour or so. The Buttery Inn is going up in flames! "The Leader," the head of the Rebel Society, transforms into a demon the moment he's near the light from the fire, but to Betty's shock. He delays the Shadow Realm knights and turns Holstrom over to Victor (in Sir Johnathan Arnold mode) to bring to Pruitt while the others escape. Maple leads them to the stable via a secret passage in her workshop. They just manage to get the horses out and hitch Mackie's horse to his cart when the explosions from the Flying Fortress get closer...

Had leftovers for lunch while watching "Monkee Mayor" from the early second season of The Monkees. When a corrupt businessman throws their elderly neighbors out of their home, Mike Nesmith campaigns for mayor to get the current mayor out of office. Though he wants to help, he discovers just how hard it can be to play the political game when the businessman figures out what they're doing and tries to control them.

Finished out with one more animated short before I went to work. Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam are the candidates in "Ballot Box Bunny." They try every dirty trick they can think of to push themselves ahead in the polls. The race has a surprising conclusion, though...

Work was quiet when I came in and quiet when I left. It was busy only during rush hour...but a lot of the customers we had during rush hour were a pain and a half. Maybe their candidates lost. There were a lot of people who were grouchy or rude or just wouldn't help bag. Some of the managers were a bit rude, too. I was so happy when a college kid came in so I could get out on time.

The Trouble With Turkeys

Started off a cloudy morning with Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost. In the second direct-to-home-media Scooby animated movie, the gang is invited to a small town in Massachusetts by horror writer Ben Ravenscroft, who wants some time off to recharge. When they arrive, they discover that the town is anything but quiet. There's talk that the ghost of Ben's ancestor Sarah, who may or may not have been a witch, is terrorizing the town. While Shaggy and Scooby clear out a restaurant's entire inventory and Velma and Ben search for Sarah's lost journals, Daphne and Fred discover the Hex Girls, a goth band that seems very suspicious. The Hex Girls turn out to be the least of their problems when they find out what Sarah really was, and why Ben wants her journal.

With references to both Halloween and Thanksgiving, this makes a nice way to transition between the fall holidays. Though it's not quite as spooky as the previous Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, it's still pretty scary for this franchise. It also introduced the Hex Girls, who proved so popular, they would turn up in a later movie, as well as episodes of What's New, Scooby Doo? and Scooby Doo Mysteries Incorporated.

Spent most of the morning working on fanfiction. "The Leader" is caught between the magic explosions from the Flying Fortress and Holstrom, who isn't a magician and has no idea how to work the Fire Talisman. His arrow shots go wild, thanks to the explosions, sending the bar up in flames. Betty's trying to help save the others. She gets quite a surprise when she sees what happens to "The Leader" after the fire starts...

Added canned chicken and fresh carrots to leftover chicken and rice soup for lunch. Did some episodes of Schoolhouse Rock that related to government or voting while I ate. "The Preamble" goes into the Constitution and its importance. "Sufferin' 'Til Suffrage" shows how women finally got the vote after years of protests. "Three Ring Government" compares the government to how a typical circus is run. "I'm Just a Bill" describes how a bill becomes a law, and how long that process can often take. "Tyrannosaurus Debt" from Money Rock is a rather pointed commentary on the US debt and how it keeps growing. The more recent "I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College" uses a college fight song spoof to explain how the Electoral College works.

Headed to work after the shorts ended. I wish I hadn't. Though we were really only busy during rush hour, work was a pain and a half. People were rude, obnoxious, and ignorant. They wouldn't help bag and gave me trouble over the free turkey coupons.

Those turkey coupons have never been anything less than a major difficulty for all concerned. The coupons for a free turkey if you spend over 100 dollars is supposed to come in a flyer in the mail. We don't have them in the store. This sounds fine on paper, and it is better than waiting to save anywhere from 200 to 400 dollars to get a free turkey. Most people have either never understood how it worked and assumed they could save a hundred and get a free turkey, or forget their coupons, or just don't get a flyer in the mail. I wish they'd drop the darn things all together and either have people save a hundred and get the freebie, or just sell them really cheap and forget saving anything. Besides, it's just a turkey. The darn things aren't made out of gold. One woman got so upset that we wouldn't just give her the freebie (she forgot her coupon and couldn't come back), she walked out without buying her order. She was "only getting it for the turkey." That's silly. You buy food because you need food. Free turkeys are supposed to be a nice bonus.

I was about ready to tear out my hair when I got home. I calmed down with spiced chicken cutlets and roasted broccoli for dinner while watching a few more political-oriented items. Married couple Hilary Booth and Jeff Singer find themselves on the opposite ends of the political divide when they both run for office in the second season Remember WENN episode "Strange Bedfellows." Meanwhile, the other staff members take a survey on Pittsburgh's mayoral race. Station manager Scott Sherwood doesn't seem to be taking the elections seriously.

The Three Stooges throw their hats into the political ring in "Three Dark Horses." They're hired by a corrupt political group to vote for their man. Even the Stooges aren't that dumb and end up changing their votes.

Tales of the Shadow

I decided I'd try something a little different with my Sunday pancakes this morning. Since I had that extra can of Mandarin oranges, I made Orange-Honey Pancakes. Basically, my regular recipe with the oranges and juice replacing milk or buttermilk and a teaspoon of honey for flavor. A little sweet, but not bad. Ran George Winston's gentle Autumn jazz/New Age piano solos as I ate.

Worked on my story for an hour after breakfast. "The Leader" appears just as Holstrom tries to get fresh with the ladies. He reveals that the original orders were fakes. The Shadow Realm is attacking that night. Even as he talks, the magic explosions from the Flying Fortress can be heard in the distance. Holstrom pulls out the Fire Talisman and Flame Bow and Arrow, threatening "The Leader" and the others. Trouble is, he has no magic, and as "The Leader" points out, doesn't really know how to control the artifacts...

Did another episode of The Shadow as I prepared for work. "Society of the Living Dead" is another fun, pulp-ish tale. The ending, with the Shadow, a dying man, and an older man who isn't well trying to stay alive in a room filling with water, is one of the most memorable death traps in the entire series.

Work was busy all day. Though the Eagles were off this week, this is the beginning of the month. Many people have birthday parties or Halloween parties going on today as well. There's also church events, and the fact that many people who work regular hours don't have the time to shop any day but Sunday. It's not helping that they're doing that annoying turkey coupon that only comes in the mail again. I wish people would read them. You have to buy 100 dollars worth of food AND bring the coupon, not one or the other. At any rate, other than some obnoxious people, there were no major problems. It slowed down enough by 5 for me to leave with no fuss. I was even able to pick up toilet bowl cleaner (which I forgot on Friday) and treat myself to a bag of Acme M&M bakery cookies on clearance.

(I did watch part of the Saints-Giants game during break. Wow! I haven't seen such a high-scoring game in a while. They were 35-28, Saints ahead, when I was there during the middle of the third quarter. The Saints just barely won, 52-49.)

When I got in, I went right into taking down the Halloween decorations and putting up what little I have for Thanksgiving. Though I had fun yesterday, Halloween has never really been my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is more my speed - family, food, parades, and football! I wish I could find more decorations for it. Most of my Thanksgiving decorations are cardboard and paper items, including four large posters of pilgrims and Indians working together and making food together. Those are so big, I suspect they may have originally been intended for classroom use (though I got them at the Acme the year I moved here).

Finished out the rest of the night with more Shadow episodes. "The League of Terror" has the Shadow rescuing a young woman from a group of counterfeiters who have so frightened their neighborhood, her father was jailed for refusing to testify against him.

"Sabotage" takes us from conventional crimes like counterfeiting into international espionage. Navy boats have been blowing up, and the Navy can't figure out who's behind it. Lamont figures out it's an inside job, but it'll take the Shadow to find out who's been setting the explosives and reveal the leader of the ring.

The later "White God" is more exotic. Lamont remains The Shadow throughout this tale, which takes him and Margo to a "Graveyard of Ships" in the South Pacific. It seems a super-powerful magnet hidden in an island volcano has been drawing these ships. It makes the plane that brings the duo to the island there go haywire as well. The Shadow and Margo discover that the "white god" is a disgruntled scientist who stole his boss' work in magnetism and wants to show it off to the world. After he has the natives kill the scientist, The Shadow and Margo do what they can to make sure he doesn't kill his daughter as well.