Kicked off Veteran's Day with a short story and several poems from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. Given Veteran's Day began as Armistice Day after World War I, it's not surprising that the material revolves around that war. The Singing Tree is the touching story of a group of soldiers who discover a still-living tree on a dead battlefield filled with homeless birds. The poems include In Flanders Field, which was written by a World War I soldier who died during the conflict. My friend Linda Young says they used to memorize it in school for Veteran's Day during her 60's childhood.
Since there's not a lot there, I also read the material for Book Week. My favorite story was a chapter from All-Of-A-Kind Family. One of the younger girls lost her library book. She's devastated, until a young librarian helps her figure out a way to pay for it. Rufus M is a little boy who is so desperate to take out his first library book, he brings the application for his library card back after hours.
Watched most of the Donald Duck In the Army shorts while I ate breakfast. More than good-natured Goofy or every-mouse Mickey, Donald's brash personality made him Disney's number one star in the early 40's. He jumped right into the army in "Donald Gets Drafted" and ends up with Sargent Pete ordering him to do drills on an ant hill. He doesn't have much more luck in "Sky Trooper." He wants to get in the air, but the last thing he was expecting was for Pete to send him with the parachute troop!
My favorite of the Donald wartime shorts is "The Vanishing Private." Pete orders camaflage painter Donald to make a cannon "hard to see"...and he does just that when he covers it with an invisibility paint. When Pete tries to get him out of the cannon, he lands in the paint. Pete ends up chasing "the little man you can't see" all over the base.
"Der Fuhrer's Face" is a unique look at the Nazi regime. Donald goes literally crazy when he finds himself in Nazi Germany and can't keep up with their incessant demands and rationing. "Fall Out, Fall In" is back in more typical territory. All Donald wants after a long hike is rest, but first, he can't figure out his tent, then his fellow soldiers keep him awake. "Commando Duck" is sent to Japan to take out a base. He proceeds to wipe...no, wash....out the enemy.
Headed to work as soon as the cartoons ended. Work, to my surprise, was quiet, or at the least steady, the entire afternoon. It never got as busy as it did last Veteran's Day. I did the recycling and trash outside, quickly mopped the men's bathroom, and alternated sweeping the store with the the head bagger, but I was mainly outside with the carts. I didn't want to be anywhere else. The weather was gorgeous today, sunny, breezy, and in the mid-60's.
Needed a few things on the way out. The Acme is clearing out a ton of items, including a lot of Nestle's chocolate chips. I grabbed butterscotch and triple chip bags. I also needed toilet paper and got money for the laundry later this week.
Did writing when I got home. Richard and Charles are going through their bags for rope when they see the evil Queen Malade climbing the tower and hear screams and yelling. Richard goes up first, but Charles is more reluctant to follow him, especially when he sees Malade attack Elaine in the window...
Broke for dinner at 7. Ran my remaining wartime shorts as I ate leftovers for dinner. Despite also being popular during the war years, Woody Woodpecker only figured into one war-themed short, "Ace In the Hole." Like Donald, he wants to be a pilot, but his commanding officer has him shaving horses. He's less-than-thrilled when Woody does finally end up in a plane and gets it into the air.
The other Walter Lantz war shorts were one-offs. "21 Dollars a Day (Once a Month)" uses stuffed animals (and cameos from Woody and Andy Panda) to spoof the peacetime draft. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" is the tale of a former jazz trumpeter who gets his camp moving with his swinging reveille. The black stereotypes run thick and fast here, but there's a nice version of the title song, and this is one of the few cartoons I know of to depict minorities in the military. "Pigeon Patrol" is the more typical story of a country bumpkin bird who has to get an important message past the enemy.
Ran two shorts representing earlier and later wars as I had my cake for dessert. Mickey Mouse didn't figure much into the World War II cartoons, but he did fight Hun cats during "The Barnyard Battle" in 1929. "G.I Pink" finds himself in Vietnam without a clue after he's swayed by Army recruiting posters promising power. All he does is annoy his drill sergeant, who ends up sending him to the Navy in frustration.
Finished the night with Here Comes the Marines. The Bowery Boys did movies representing all four of Armed Forces branches between 1952 and 1954. I went with Marines in honor of their win on Family Feud last night. The Boys are all drafted into the Marines, but Sach is the only one who keeps getting promoted, thanks to his father having known the general in charge of their camp. He's in charge of their barracks and is driving everyone crazy with his incessant demands and constantly blowing his whistle. Slip is more concerned with the Marine who turned up badly beaten after investigating a corrupt casino in town. He and the others have to figure out what the owner is up to...and how to get his female cohort out of Sach's bed, where she's hiding.
And I salute the veterans of all wars on this Veteran's Day, including the one in my life - my father Bruce was in the Vietnam War.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Monday, November 11, 2019
Sunday, November 10, 2019
A Quiet Afternoon
Began a cloudy morning with early work. It was off-and-on steady for most of the morning, not nearly as crazy as it's been the past few Sundays. For one thing, there was no Eagles game today. This is their bye week. For another, it's a holiday weekend. A lot of people may have gone away for the holiday or are waiting for their day off tomorrow. I spent the first half of the day doing carts and the second half shelving candy after another bagger came in with no problems whatsoever.
Made banana pancakes as soon as I got home. Listened to Dames at Sea while I enjoyed lunch. This off-Broadway hit from 1968 is a small-scale spoof of the big-time Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930's. A nice girl from Centerville, Ohio (Bernadette Peters) comes to New York to become a star, and ends up falling for a handsome, song-writing Navy sailor. It's a lot of fun, with some nice 30's pastiche numbers, like "Wall Street," the opening number for the leading lady Mona, or "Raining In My Heart" when little Ruby thinks her sailor has walked out.
After lunch, I spent a blissful hour or so just reading in bed. I usually read in the morning, but today, I worked so early and ran out so quickly, I didn't have the time. I don't often get to just lay around and read in the middle of the afternoon. It was wonderful, warm, and comfortable.
Put Buzzr on around 4. They saluted Veteran's Day today with episodes that had men and women from the Armed Services as competitors. I'd heard of Beat the Clock, but given it was one of the earliest hit TV game shows, running from 1950 to 1961, I'd never seen it until this afternoon. It was kind of an adult Double Dare with no trivia elements. A couple (or in one case, family) was called from the audience to perform a silly stunt, like trying to walk around an inflatable rubber tube holding one hand, or pouring milk into a bottle in your spouse's mouth from the top of a ladder.
I hope more kinetescopes exist, because the two episodes I watched from 1953 and 1954 were a lot of fun. No wonder it ran for so long. Watching the servicemen and their wives move around on tubes and drop balls from sailor's caps was hilarious.
Worked on writing after the shows ended. Charles comes up the window to find Bobby and Richard on the floor. Princess Elaine (Joyce), a pretty blonde, hit them over the head with a frying pan when they climbed into her room. Charles manages to assure her that they mean no harm. She's worried Malade will return and try to make her find the other princesses. She has no idea where they are, and wouldn't help Malade after she threatened to take her voice anyway.
Bobby is smitten with her at first sight. The other two climb down her hair to get a rope and leave him with her, giving them time together. Malade, however, isn't as gone as they guys think she is...
Broke for dinner and dessert at 6:30. Had leftovers, then tried a recipe from the Duncan Hines cake mix cookbook I picked up a few months ago. Lemon Pineapple Fluff Cake is fairly unique, as it involves spreading crushed pineapple around in a pan, mixing it with lemon cake mix, then pouring it with a sugar-water-egg-oil syrup. It came out a little soggy in the middle - I must have overdone the syrup there - but mostly quite tasty.
Listened to a few children's records retelling famous fairy tales while I worked. My recording of Hansel & Gretel is a Disneyland LP from I'm guessing the 70's, which uses the music from the children's opera to tell the tale of a brother and sister who run afoul of a hungry witch. Mickey and the Beanstalk is a retelling of the Disney featurette of the same name, with Mickey as Jack dodging Willie the Giant. My cute Cinderella is a Peter Pan LP from also likely the 70's. I like some of the songs, including the prince's love song towards the end.
Finished the night back on Buzzr, this time with Family Feud. In 1989, they did a special Armed Services Week, with each branch competing against each other. The two top winners would come back on Monday to play the grand championship. The Army gave them a tough run, but in the end, the Marines cheered their way to victory. I'm actually kind of glad. They were a delight to watch, just as enthusiastic about bad answers as good ones. At one point, one of the winners of the Big Money round picked up his female partner and swung her around! It was too cute.
Made banana pancakes as soon as I got home. Listened to Dames at Sea while I enjoyed lunch. This off-Broadway hit from 1968 is a small-scale spoof of the big-time Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930's. A nice girl from Centerville, Ohio (Bernadette Peters) comes to New York to become a star, and ends up falling for a handsome, song-writing Navy sailor. It's a lot of fun, with some nice 30's pastiche numbers, like "Wall Street," the opening number for the leading lady Mona, or "Raining In My Heart" when little Ruby thinks her sailor has walked out.
After lunch, I spent a blissful hour or so just reading in bed. I usually read in the morning, but today, I worked so early and ran out so quickly, I didn't have the time. I don't often get to just lay around and read in the middle of the afternoon. It was wonderful, warm, and comfortable.
Put Buzzr on around 4. They saluted Veteran's Day today with episodes that had men and women from the Armed Services as competitors. I'd heard of Beat the Clock, but given it was one of the earliest hit TV game shows, running from 1950 to 1961, I'd never seen it until this afternoon. It was kind of an adult Double Dare with no trivia elements. A couple (or in one case, family) was called from the audience to perform a silly stunt, like trying to walk around an inflatable rubber tube holding one hand, or pouring milk into a bottle in your spouse's mouth from the top of a ladder.
I hope more kinetescopes exist, because the two episodes I watched from 1953 and 1954 were a lot of fun. No wonder it ran for so long. Watching the servicemen and their wives move around on tubes and drop balls from sailor's caps was hilarious.
Worked on writing after the shows ended. Charles comes up the window to find Bobby and Richard on the floor. Princess Elaine (Joyce), a pretty blonde, hit them over the head with a frying pan when they climbed into her room. Charles manages to assure her that they mean no harm. She's worried Malade will return and try to make her find the other princesses. She has no idea where they are, and wouldn't help Malade after she threatened to take her voice anyway.
Bobby is smitten with her at first sight. The other two climb down her hair to get a rope and leave him with her, giving them time together. Malade, however, isn't as gone as they guys think she is...
Broke for dinner and dessert at 6:30. Had leftovers, then tried a recipe from the Duncan Hines cake mix cookbook I picked up a few months ago. Lemon Pineapple Fluff Cake is fairly unique, as it involves spreading crushed pineapple around in a pan, mixing it with lemon cake mix, then pouring it with a sugar-water-egg-oil syrup. It came out a little soggy in the middle - I must have overdone the syrup there - but mostly quite tasty.
Listened to a few children's records retelling famous fairy tales while I worked. My recording of Hansel & Gretel is a Disneyland LP from I'm guessing the 70's, which uses the music from the children's opera to tell the tale of a brother and sister who run afoul of a hungry witch. Mickey and the Beanstalk is a retelling of the Disney featurette of the same name, with Mickey as Jack dodging Willie the Giant. My cute Cinderella is a Peter Pan LP from also likely the 70's. I like some of the songs, including the prince's love song towards the end.
Finished the night back on Buzzr, this time with Family Feud. In 1989, they did a special Armed Services Week, with each branch competing against each other. The two top winners would come back on Monday to play the grand championship. The Army gave them a tough run, but in the end, the Marines cheered their way to victory. I'm actually kind of glad. They were a delight to watch, just as enthusiastic about bad answers as good ones. At one point, one of the winners of the Big Money round picked up his female partner and swung her around! It was too cute.
Saturday, November 09, 2019
Fall Into Winter
Kicked off the day with Popeye wartime shorts. The Fleichers put Popeye in the Navy before the US had even entered the war in "The Mighty Navy." (The enemy wasn't even named.) He has more luck taking on the Japanese in "Blunder Below," showing the Navy what he can do in "Fleets of Strength," and competing with Bluto for lovely Senorita Olive in "Kicking the Conga Around."
Work was steady to busy all afternoon, not surprising on a holiday weekend. I spent the first half of the afternoon rounding up carts. When the afternoon bagger came in, I switched to shelving candy. It got so busy by 2, I spent the last twenty minutes or so bagging. At least it was a nice day to be outside, sunny, chilly, and breezy.
I'm not happy with my schedule at all. I don't have another day off until next Friday! I hate it when they do that. At least my days are all morning and early afternoon, and I'll have Friday and Saturday off.
I had a lot of grocery shopping to do. I wasn't able to get to the Farm Market this week, so I grabbed apples, bananas, and cranberries. Cake mix and eggs were on sale, and I grabbed pumpkin bread mix and dark chocolate chips off the clearance racks. Had a coupon for Quaker Oatmeal Squares. Restocked milk, butter, yogurt, cheese, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, tomato sauce, a salmon patty, and peanut butter.
Finished out Popeye when I got home. "Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix" has them competing again, this time to see who can show Olive around their ship. Popeye's not saying "Many Tanks" when Bluto switches uniforms with him and he has to outrun half the Army in a tank to get his girl. Popeye has to dodge the Nazis to deliver "Spinach fer Britain."
Did writing after I got everything put away. Richard, Charles, and Bobby (Van) explore the woods, searching for the tower that holds Princess Elaine (Joyce). They finally hear a woman singing sweetly and follow her voice to a window in a tall tower. Another woman, this one in dark cloak, climbs her long, long hair. Bobby's smitten and wants to rescue her, but Richard tells him to wait for the queen to get out...
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had the hot dogs for dinner with roasted turnips and cucumber salad. Watched the Famous Studios Superman shorts while I ate. Given the tenor of the comics of the time, it was probably inevitable that Superman would fight the Axis on the big screen, too. Superman rescues Lois from "The Japateurs" who are trying to steal an experimental plane. "The Eleventh Hour" is a mature story with wonderful animation about Superman committing sabotage in Japan. "Jungle Drums" switches Japanese stereotypes for native stereotypes when Lois Lane uncovers a Nazi group leading natives in Africa. "Secret Agent" has Superman rescuing a woman who has information on a spy group that she needs to get to Washington.
Made that pumpkin bread mix into Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins while watching Follow the Fleet. I go further into this Navy-themed vehicle for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Follow the Fleet
Work was steady to busy all afternoon, not surprising on a holiday weekend. I spent the first half of the afternoon rounding up carts. When the afternoon bagger came in, I switched to shelving candy. It got so busy by 2, I spent the last twenty minutes or so bagging. At least it was a nice day to be outside, sunny, chilly, and breezy.
I'm not happy with my schedule at all. I don't have another day off until next Friday! I hate it when they do that. At least my days are all morning and early afternoon, and I'll have Friday and Saturday off.
I had a lot of grocery shopping to do. I wasn't able to get to the Farm Market this week, so I grabbed apples, bananas, and cranberries. Cake mix and eggs were on sale, and I grabbed pumpkin bread mix and dark chocolate chips off the clearance racks. Had a coupon for Quaker Oatmeal Squares. Restocked milk, butter, yogurt, cheese, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, tomato sauce, a salmon patty, and peanut butter.
Finished out Popeye when I got home. "Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix" has them competing again, this time to see who can show Olive around their ship. Popeye's not saying "Many Tanks" when Bluto switches uniforms with him and he has to outrun half the Army in a tank to get his girl. Popeye has to dodge the Nazis to deliver "Spinach fer Britain."
Did writing after I got everything put away. Richard, Charles, and Bobby (Van) explore the woods, searching for the tower that holds Princess Elaine (Joyce). They finally hear a woman singing sweetly and follow her voice to a window in a tall tower. Another woman, this one in dark cloak, climbs her long, long hair. Bobby's smitten and wants to rescue her, but Richard tells him to wait for the queen to get out...
Broke for dinner at quarter of 7. Had the hot dogs for dinner with roasted turnips and cucumber salad. Watched the Famous Studios Superman shorts while I ate. Given the tenor of the comics of the time, it was probably inevitable that Superman would fight the Axis on the big screen, too. Superman rescues Lois from "The Japateurs" who are trying to steal an experimental plane. "The Eleventh Hour" is a mature story with wonderful animation about Superman committing sabotage in Japan. "Jungle Drums" switches Japanese stereotypes for native stereotypes when Lois Lane uncovers a Nazi group leading natives in Africa. "Secret Agent" has Superman rescuing a woman who has information on a spy group that she needs to get to Washington.
Made that pumpkin bread mix into Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins while watching Follow the Fleet. I go further into this Navy-themed vehicle for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Follow the Fleet
Friday, November 08, 2019
Cartoon Heroes and Princess Brides
Slept in, then kicked off the morning with breakfast and wartime Looney Tunes shorts in honor of Veteran's Day Weekend. Termite Terrace seem to have made three different types of World War II shorts. The character shorts involved either a regular like Bugs or Daffy or a one-off bedeviling the Nazis or showing their patriotism. The best of these on this disc is "Daffy the Commando," which has him going up against a goofy nameless army (that's pretty obviously the Nazis). "Weakly Reporter" is my favorite of the skit comedies depicting life in the barracks or on the homefront. This one discusses the city and suburbs during the war. I love the woman who fixes a whole factory with her one bobby pin! "The Duckinators" is the best of the allegories on how we intended to win the war.
Headed out to get the laundry done around quarter of noon. I think I should have gotten out earlier. They were busy as heck when I arrived. I forgot that this is the weekend of the New Jersey teachers' convention. All the kids are off of school. At least I managed to get a washer and dryer. I had a bigger-than-usual load, including towels and sheets. I worked on story notes, half-listened to the news on Channel 6, and ignored the crowds.
Got home, put everything away, finished the Looney Tunes shorts, and went back out. Had a quick lunch at Phillies Phatties around the corner. Even at around 2, they were still busy with local kids checking their phones and having sodas and Powerade together. Picked up a slice of pepperoni, a slice of "Margarita" (tomato, basil, and mozzarella), and a can of Cherry Vanilla Pepsi. Ate it there while Sports Philadelphia and the radio ran in the background.
Made a few fast stops on the White Horse Pike next. I wanted butter at Dollar General, but they were out. I did pick up decently priced light bulbs. At least two were out in my apartment. Grabbed laundry detergent at CVS. I just used up the last of mine on today's load.
Vacuumed the apartment and aired out the rag rug and front door mat when I got home. I'll be doing heavier cleaning Thanksgiving week, but did at least want to unload the vacuum canister and run it really fast. I'll leave the dusting for later in the month.
Worked on writing after I put the vacuum away. Everyone splits up the next day. Charles, Richard, and Bobby agree to seek the Princess Elaine in a hidden tower in the woods, while the others will rent a boat in the next town over to find the Princess of the Sea. Betty will remain with the fairies in their realm.
Broke for dinner at 7. Had leftovers, then made Stir n' Drop Lemon Sugar Cookes from the Betty Crocker Good and Easy Cookbook. They're just oil, eggs, sugar, flour, lemon rind, and baking powder. They're easy to make and usually come out pretty well, though I burned part of the first batch.
Watched three classic Bob Clampett Looney Tunes shorts and a featurette while I worked on the cookies. "Super Rabbit" is Bugs, who eats a carrot that gives him Superman-like abilities. He uses his newfound powers to go up against a rabbit-hating cowboy and his horse. "Draftee Daffy" will do anything to avoid that pesky Little Man from the Draft Board, including blowing both of them to smithereens. My favorite of the wartime Toons shorts is "Falling Hare." For once, Bugs goes up against an antagonist that gives as good as they get when he tries to stop a gremlin from sabotaging planes.
Finished the night with one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride. A grandpa (Peter Faulk) reads his sick grandson (Fred Savage) the story of Buttercup (Robin Wright), who loves Westley (Cary Elwes). Unfortunately, he's thought to be killed by pirates at sea. She's betrothed to Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon), but she doesn't really love him. Three goofy goons kidnap her, but her beloved Wesley isn't as dead as she thinks he is. The course of true love never did run smooth, but as Wesley and Buttercup discover, even death can't stop a force as powerful as real feelings for one another.
My whole family has loved this movie for years. We taped it off Showtime during a thunderstorm in 1987 and the copy was terrible, and we still watched the heck out of it. A classic romantic comedy-fantasy with enough action to make even jaded elementary school boys start believing in fairy tales.
Headed out to get the laundry done around quarter of noon. I think I should have gotten out earlier. They were busy as heck when I arrived. I forgot that this is the weekend of the New Jersey teachers' convention. All the kids are off of school. At least I managed to get a washer and dryer. I had a bigger-than-usual load, including towels and sheets. I worked on story notes, half-listened to the news on Channel 6, and ignored the crowds.
Got home, put everything away, finished the Looney Tunes shorts, and went back out. Had a quick lunch at Phillies Phatties around the corner. Even at around 2, they were still busy with local kids checking their phones and having sodas and Powerade together. Picked up a slice of pepperoni, a slice of "Margarita" (tomato, basil, and mozzarella), and a can of Cherry Vanilla Pepsi. Ate it there while Sports Philadelphia and the radio ran in the background.
Made a few fast stops on the White Horse Pike next. I wanted butter at Dollar General, but they were out. I did pick up decently priced light bulbs. At least two were out in my apartment. Grabbed laundry detergent at CVS. I just used up the last of mine on today's load.
Vacuumed the apartment and aired out the rag rug and front door mat when I got home. I'll be doing heavier cleaning Thanksgiving week, but did at least want to unload the vacuum canister and run it really fast. I'll leave the dusting for later in the month.
Worked on writing after I put the vacuum away. Everyone splits up the next day. Charles, Richard, and Bobby agree to seek the Princess Elaine in a hidden tower in the woods, while the others will rent a boat in the next town over to find the Princess of the Sea. Betty will remain with the fairies in their realm.
Broke for dinner at 7. Had leftovers, then made Stir n' Drop Lemon Sugar Cookes from the Betty Crocker Good and Easy Cookbook. They're just oil, eggs, sugar, flour, lemon rind, and baking powder. They're easy to make and usually come out pretty well, though I burned part of the first batch.
Watched three classic Bob Clampett Looney Tunes shorts and a featurette while I worked on the cookies. "Super Rabbit" is Bugs, who eats a carrot that gives him Superman-like abilities. He uses his newfound powers to go up against a rabbit-hating cowboy and his horse. "Draftee Daffy" will do anything to avoid that pesky Little Man from the Draft Board, including blowing both of them to smithereens. My favorite of the wartime Toons shorts is "Falling Hare." For once, Bugs goes up against an antagonist that gives as good as they get when he tries to stop a gremlin from sabotaging planes.
Finished the night with one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride. A grandpa (Peter Faulk) reads his sick grandson (Fred Savage) the story of Buttercup (Robin Wright), who loves Westley (Cary Elwes). Unfortunately, he's thought to be killed by pirates at sea. She's betrothed to Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon), but she doesn't really love him. Three goofy goons kidnap her, but her beloved Wesley isn't as dead as she thinks he is. The course of true love never did run smooth, but as Wesley and Buttercup discover, even death can't stop a force as powerful as real feelings for one another.
My whole family has loved this movie for years. We taped it off Showtime during a thunderstorm in 1987 and the copy was terrible, and we still watched the heck out of it. A classic romantic comedy-fantasy with enough action to make even jaded elementary school boys start believing in fairy tales.
Thursday, November 07, 2019
Dolls On a Cloudy Day
Began my day with breakfast and an episode of the original She-Ra: Princess of Power. After helping a kindly old woman, Adora and Bow come across an "Enchanted Castle" owned by an evil sorceress. She imprisons them, but the woman they helped rescues them. They have to put out the fire to end the sorceress' powers.
Work was more-or-less the same as yesterday - quiet for most of the day. It was so dead, there were barely any carts to put away, especially once more help arrived later in the morning. I pretty much did everything else, including cleaning the bathrooms and gathering the inside trash. Maybe it's just as well that I was inside for so long. The weather was cloudy, damp, and breezy. It tried to get sunny later in the morning, but the clouds returned by the time I was finishing.
I did need one thing on the way home. The Acme had an online coupon for 49 cent sugar this week. I wasn't in desperate need of sugar, but I couldn't resist that sale. Grabbed it, got in line, got out.
Put the sugar away as soon as I got home, then had lunch. Watched more She-Ra while I ate. Madame Razz, her talking broom, and Kowl are "Three Courageous Hearts" who rescues She-Ra from the fifth dimension and the others from the Horde after not being allowed to join a local competition.
Moved on to Match Game as I cleaned up the mess. Brett, Charles, and Betty White all made their debuts together on the eleventh episode. Brett was there mainly because her then-husband Jack Klugman had complained about her so much, they decided to give her equal time. Charles was a friend of Gene's from Broadway, and Betty frequently did game shows well into the 80's. They livened things up right away. Brett automatically teased Charles, claiming to the world that he doesn't wear any socks. (Which he didn't, and if some photos online are any indication, rarely did his entire life.)
Spent the rest of the afternoon dressing the dolls for the much colder weather we're supposed to be getting this weekend. Samantha, Molly, Josefina, and Felicity are all in their original Pleasant Company "meet" outfits. Sam wears hers with black stockings and the black boots from Rebecca's School Outfit. Molly borrowed Samantha's black strap shoes. November weather in New Jersey is too cold for the short-sleeved camisa (shift) that comes with Josefina's meet outfit. I swapped in her long-sleeved night shift instead.
The other dolls are less formal. Whitney wears the pink Our Generation overalls outfit with the white henley shirt. Jessa is in an American Girl blue-violet long-sleeved t-shirt with Coconut the dog on it, loafers, and drawstring cargoes. Ariel is in the jeans from the original modern Blue Jeans Basics and the purple Our Generation cat sweater and knitted neck wrap.
Spent the rest of the afternoon writing. Betty lets the cat out of the bag, so to speak. Brett is Snow White, one of the Legendary Princesses. Jack is her prince, and the wicked Queen Malade is her stepmother. Gene tells the others that the Princess Elaine was also captured by the queen and imprisoned in a tower near the sea. Richard wishes to restore his family's lost fortune, Brett and Gene want to free their families, Charles wants to stay with them, Bill wants to find his true love who can restore his human form, and the other three men are just looking for a good time and to stick it to the queen. They all agree to set out to free Elaine and find the others the very next day.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched Tonight and Every Night while I ate and cleaned up later. I go into more details on this unusual backstage wartime romance with Rita Hayworth at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Tonight and Every Night
Work was more-or-less the same as yesterday - quiet for most of the day. It was so dead, there were barely any carts to put away, especially once more help arrived later in the morning. I pretty much did everything else, including cleaning the bathrooms and gathering the inside trash. Maybe it's just as well that I was inside for so long. The weather was cloudy, damp, and breezy. It tried to get sunny later in the morning, but the clouds returned by the time I was finishing.
I did need one thing on the way home. The Acme had an online coupon for 49 cent sugar this week. I wasn't in desperate need of sugar, but I couldn't resist that sale. Grabbed it, got in line, got out.
Put the sugar away as soon as I got home, then had lunch. Watched more She-Ra while I ate. Madame Razz, her talking broom, and Kowl are "Three Courageous Hearts" who rescues She-Ra from the fifth dimension and the others from the Horde after not being allowed to join a local competition.
Moved on to Match Game as I cleaned up the mess. Brett, Charles, and Betty White all made their debuts together on the eleventh episode. Brett was there mainly because her then-husband Jack Klugman had complained about her so much, they decided to give her equal time. Charles was a friend of Gene's from Broadway, and Betty frequently did game shows well into the 80's. They livened things up right away. Brett automatically teased Charles, claiming to the world that he doesn't wear any socks. (Which he didn't, and if some photos online are any indication, rarely did his entire life.)
Spent the rest of the afternoon dressing the dolls for the much colder weather we're supposed to be getting this weekend. Samantha, Molly, Josefina, and Felicity are all in their original Pleasant Company "meet" outfits. Sam wears hers with black stockings and the black boots from Rebecca's School Outfit. Molly borrowed Samantha's black strap shoes. November weather in New Jersey is too cold for the short-sleeved camisa (shift) that comes with Josefina's meet outfit. I swapped in her long-sleeved night shift instead.
The other dolls are less formal. Whitney wears the pink Our Generation overalls outfit with the white henley shirt. Jessa is in an American Girl blue-violet long-sleeved t-shirt with Coconut the dog on it, loafers, and drawstring cargoes. Ariel is in the jeans from the original modern Blue Jeans Basics and the purple Our Generation cat sweater and knitted neck wrap.
Spent the rest of the afternoon writing. Betty lets the cat out of the bag, so to speak. Brett is Snow White, one of the Legendary Princesses. Jack is her prince, and the wicked Queen Malade is her stepmother. Gene tells the others that the Princess Elaine was also captured by the queen and imprisoned in a tower near the sea. Richard wishes to restore his family's lost fortune, Brett and Gene want to free their families, Charles wants to stay with them, Bill wants to find his true love who can restore his human form, and the other three men are just looking for a good time and to stick it to the queen. They all agree to set out to free Elaine and find the others the very next day.
Broke for dinner at 6:30. Watched Tonight and Every Night while I ate and cleaned up later. I go into more details on this unusual backstage wartime romance with Rita Hayworth at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Tonight and Every Night
Wednesday, November 06, 2019
Sunny Autumn
Began my morning with breakfast and Tiny Toon Adventures. Montana Max gets a chance in the spotlight in "Citizen Max." In an attempt to find out why he said "Acme," Hampton interviews Buster, Plucky, and Elmyra about the recent school election. Monty had gone up against Buster and had him expelled, prompting Plucky and the rabbits to get even.
My first of two early work days in a row was blissfully quiet after all the trouble on Sunday and Monday. While I swept and rounded up the trash, I was mostly outside with the carts. It was too nice to be inside! It was sunny and breezy, chilly, but not too cold, probably in the upper 50's-lower 60's.
It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. They weren't busy, either. I ran into more cars in Oaklyn than I did down by the shopping center. Everyone was probably out enjoying the weather or at work.
Had a quick lunch when I got in, then did chores. I'm going to put off the heavy dusting until later in the month, but the kitchen and the bathroom needed to be done. The kitchen, sink and tub, were really grungy. I was home a lot last month. The sink in the kitchen was bad, too.
Watched The Sea Hawk while I worked. This Errol Flynn adventure has him as Geoffrey Thorpe, is a pirate and a member of Queen Elizabeth's privateers, "Sea Hawks." They stop a Spanish ship en route to England. It's none other than the vessel for Don Alverez (Claude Rains), the ambassador of Spain and his lovely niece Dona Maria (Brenda Marshall). Queen Elizabeth I (Flora Robson) is aware that Spain is up to something with its armada, but she's reluctant to create one of her own in the fear of overtaxing her people. She does allow Thorpe to seize a Spanish ship filled with gold. Lord Worthington (Henry Daniell), a collaborator with the Spanish, traps Thorpe and his men in Panama, driving them across the Isthmus before bringing them to Spain and arresting them. Thorpe and his men have to escape a Spanish galley and get back to England, before King Phillip's armada blows them out of the water.
Rousing action tale with some magnificently shot fight scenes on huge real ships built right on the lot. Marshall is dull as the love interest, but Robeson makes a tough Queen Elizabeth and Flynn's having a great time as the swashbuckling pirate. If you can handle that it has nothing in common with the Raphael Sabatini novel it's supposedly based on, you'll want to sign on with Captain Thorpe and his "Sea Hawks," too.
I finished the kitchen just as the movie ended. Did some writing after I put everything away. Queen Betty comes out to greet the others. Brett hugs her like a friend, but the others drop to their knees before her. She thanks the men for bringing Brett and Gene to her, then asks Gene about the whereabouts of her husband Allen. Gene and the guards have tried, but they can't find him anywhere in the castle. Gene's also worried about his own family. His daughter and wife are being used as servants in Malade's kitchen.
Made scrambled eggs with tomatoes, cheese, and mushrooms and roasted potatoes for dinner. Watched The American President while I ate. Andrew Shepard (Michael Douglas) is working towards re-election. His best friend and Chief of Staff AJ MacIrney (Martin Sheen) is pushing a crime bill that will raise his ratings, but both parties consider it to be kind of weak. Andrew is as surprised as anyone when he falls for liberal lobbyist Sydney Wade (Annette Benning) after taking her to a White House party for the President of France. With the approval of his teen daughter Lucy (Shawna Waldron), the two attempt a romantic relationship. Not only is he constantly having to take off or call off dates, but their dating is frowned on by the American public and is being used for fuel by his Republican rival Rumson (Richard Dreyfus) to claim he has no family values. Andrew has to decide what he really stands for...and whether he wants to put duty in front of love.
My stepfather used to love this movie in the mid-90's. For the most part, it still holds up pretty well. Benning and Douglas are fine as the lovers who discover how hard it can be to mix romance, politics, and jobs that are constantly in the public eye. Look for Michael J. Fox as Andrew's nervous assistant and Samantha Mathis as his sensible personal aide. Lovely score by Marc Shaiman, too. If you're a fan of the cast or romantic comedies, you'll want to take a trip to the White House for this one.
My first of two early work days in a row was blissfully quiet after all the trouble on Sunday and Monday. While I swept and rounded up the trash, I was mostly outside with the carts. It was too nice to be inside! It was sunny and breezy, chilly, but not too cold, probably in the upper 50's-lower 60's.
It was so nice, I took the long way home down Nicholson Road. They weren't busy, either. I ran into more cars in Oaklyn than I did down by the shopping center. Everyone was probably out enjoying the weather or at work.
Had a quick lunch when I got in, then did chores. I'm going to put off the heavy dusting until later in the month, but the kitchen and the bathroom needed to be done. The kitchen, sink and tub, were really grungy. I was home a lot last month. The sink in the kitchen was bad, too.
Watched The Sea Hawk while I worked. This Errol Flynn adventure has him as Geoffrey Thorpe, is a pirate and a member of Queen Elizabeth's privateers, "Sea Hawks." They stop a Spanish ship en route to England. It's none other than the vessel for Don Alverez (Claude Rains), the ambassador of Spain and his lovely niece Dona Maria (Brenda Marshall). Queen Elizabeth I (Flora Robson) is aware that Spain is up to something with its armada, but she's reluctant to create one of her own in the fear of overtaxing her people. She does allow Thorpe to seize a Spanish ship filled with gold. Lord Worthington (Henry Daniell), a collaborator with the Spanish, traps Thorpe and his men in Panama, driving them across the Isthmus before bringing them to Spain and arresting them. Thorpe and his men have to escape a Spanish galley and get back to England, before King Phillip's armada blows them out of the water.
Rousing action tale with some magnificently shot fight scenes on huge real ships built right on the lot. Marshall is dull as the love interest, but Robeson makes a tough Queen Elizabeth and Flynn's having a great time as the swashbuckling pirate. If you can handle that it has nothing in common with the Raphael Sabatini novel it's supposedly based on, you'll want to sign on with Captain Thorpe and his "Sea Hawks," too.
I finished the kitchen just as the movie ended. Did some writing after I put everything away. Queen Betty comes out to greet the others. Brett hugs her like a friend, but the others drop to their knees before her. She thanks the men for bringing Brett and Gene to her, then asks Gene about the whereabouts of her husband Allen. Gene and the guards have tried, but they can't find him anywhere in the castle. Gene's also worried about his own family. His daughter and wife are being used as servants in Malade's kitchen.
Made scrambled eggs with tomatoes, cheese, and mushrooms and roasted potatoes for dinner. Watched The American President while I ate. Andrew Shepard (Michael Douglas) is working towards re-election. His best friend and Chief of Staff AJ MacIrney (Martin Sheen) is pushing a crime bill that will raise his ratings, but both parties consider it to be kind of weak. Andrew is as surprised as anyone when he falls for liberal lobbyist Sydney Wade (Annette Benning) after taking her to a White House party for the President of France. With the approval of his teen daughter Lucy (Shawna Waldron), the two attempt a romantic relationship. Not only is he constantly having to take off or call off dates, but their dating is frowned on by the American public and is being used for fuel by his Republican rival Rumson (Richard Dreyfus) to claim he has no family values. Andrew has to decide what he really stands for...and whether he wants to put duty in front of love.
My stepfather used to love this movie in the mid-90's. For the most part, it still holds up pretty well. Benning and Douglas are fine as the lovers who discover how hard it can be to mix romance, politics, and jobs that are constantly in the public eye. Look for Michael J. Fox as Andrew's nervous assistant and Samantha Mathis as his sensible personal aide. Lovely score by Marc Shaiman, too. If you're a fan of the cast or romantic comedies, you'll want to take a trip to the White House for this one.
Tuesday, November 05, 2019
Matching With My Sister
Kicked off a cloudy Election Day with Schoolhouse Rock shorts on government and how it works. "The Preamble" discusses the Constitution and why it was created. "Three Ring Government" compares the three branches of the government to the three rings of a typical circus. "I'm Just a Bill" is probably the most famous of the government-themed shorts. A boy and a "bill" - that is, a piece of paper representing a law - describe how long the process from writing a bill to becoming a law often takes. "Tyrannosaurus Debt" is a pointed commentary on the US Debt and how it keeps growing. "I'm Going to Send Your Vote to College" is a more recent short that uses college fight song to talk about the electoral collage and how it works.
Jessa finally picked me up around quarter of noon. We were going to eat at The Pop Shop...but Jessa drove around and around Haddon Avenue and just couldn't find a place to park. She tried parking on Haddon and couldn't figure out their electronic parking meters. Collingswood is a popular lunch spot for local and city workers. We just opted to go elsewhere.
The first thing I thought of that was nearby was the Crystal Lake Diner just under the library in Westmont. Fortunately, they were quiet when we arrived. Jessa had a massive Reuben and shared her plate of fries. I had a waffle that was almost as big, covered in gluey, surprisingly tangy apples. We both enjoyed what tasted like home-made iced tea.
After we got back to my place, we enjoyed two episodes on my Match Game set together. Puppets Kukla & Ollie, of Kukla, Fran, & Ollie fame, turned up in a 1979 PM episode. Brett spent the episode flirting outrageously with them, to the mild amusement of her usual sparring partner Charles.
Gene's former boss Steve Allen and comedienne Kaye Ballard joined Richard, Brett, Fannie, and Charles in a 1974 daytime show that had them walking out when a woman answered "boobs" to a question. Later, Richard shows the panel his chest after Gene accidentally asks Fannie to show hers...er, answers.
As soon as Jessa headed out, I did, too. The sun had started to come out even as she was leaving. It left Newton Lake Park dappled in warm light, sparkling on the lake as I went by. Needless to say on a day that had suddenly gotten much nicer, it was busy as heck there, with everyone from Canadian geese to people out for a stroll on the path.
It was suddenly too nice for libraries. There was absolutely nothing going on at the Haddon Township Library, and not much to do. The DVDs shelves were all full. I shelved the few that I could fit in and took a couple out. They just got Uglydolls from earlier in the year in, and I started off my holiday season with The Nutcracker and the Four Realms from last November. Also grabbed The American President.
Made a quick stop at Target on the way home. I was out of eggs, and I wanted to pick up milk for a recipe I was going to try later. Turns out I went to the right place. Eggs are 99 cents at Target. Milk isn't as cheap, but I still got it.
Went straight into writing when I got home. Joyce reveals the fairies' beautiful spring-like lands. Turns out they're not the only humans there. The fairies are the ones who have given Queen Betty and her children refuge, though they've had no more luck in finding King Allen than Gene or Brett. They have no love for Malade, who has captured their kind, taken their magic, and turned them into imps.
Broke for dinner around quarter after 6. Had a quick leftover dinner while watching a Three Stooges election-themed short. They're "Three Dark Horses" when two campaign managers recruit them to vote for their candidate. After the guys realize that the politician is corrupt, they change their votes.
Richie Cunningham gets a lesson in politics when he falls in love with a girl campaigning for presidential candidate Adalai Stevenson in "The Not Making of the President.". Mr. Cunningham, a staunch Eisenhower supporter, is shocked. He's even more shocked when the spokesman for Ike at Arnold's turns out to be none other than Fonzie!
Radio actors Hilary Booth and Jeff Singer throw their hats into the political ring in "Strange Bedfellows." They think they can juggle their current career and a job on the Pittsburgh city council, but a humble former baseball player reminds them of how difficult and meaningful of a job politics is. Meanwhile, manager Scott Sherwood has the staff hold an informal poll on the race for mayor and gets some surprising answers.
The votes are in at the Peanuts' school. "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown," but Linus may have a shot at becoming school president...at least until he starts going on about his favorite topic, the Great Pumpkin.
Popeye and Bluto are competing against each other in "Popeye for President." Olive is the last hold-out, but she can't vote until she finishes her chores. The two see who can help her get them done first, then get her to the polls.
"The Candid Candidate" is Betty Boop's Grampy, who is inundated with requests for help after he becomes mayor. He uses his many inventions to help the people in town solve their problems.
Made bread pudding from Kit's Cooking Studio while the cartoons were on. Jodie's been giving me all the bread from her football lunches, and I had no idea what to do with it. It was milk, sugar, cinnamon, three eggs, and vanilla poured over buttered bread and baked. I think I left it too long and used too much milk. It was too soft, and it overflowed in the pan. It still tasted pretty good, though.
Finished the night with Let Freedom Ring. I go into this patriotic western vehicle for Nelson Eddy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Let Freedom Ring
Jessa finally picked me up around quarter of noon. We were going to eat at The Pop Shop...but Jessa drove around and around Haddon Avenue and just couldn't find a place to park. She tried parking on Haddon and couldn't figure out their electronic parking meters. Collingswood is a popular lunch spot for local and city workers. We just opted to go elsewhere.
The first thing I thought of that was nearby was the Crystal Lake Diner just under the library in Westmont. Fortunately, they were quiet when we arrived. Jessa had a massive Reuben and shared her plate of fries. I had a waffle that was almost as big, covered in gluey, surprisingly tangy apples. We both enjoyed what tasted like home-made iced tea.
After we got back to my place, we enjoyed two episodes on my Match Game set together. Puppets Kukla & Ollie, of Kukla, Fran, & Ollie fame, turned up in a 1979 PM episode. Brett spent the episode flirting outrageously with them, to the mild amusement of her usual sparring partner Charles.
Gene's former boss Steve Allen and comedienne Kaye Ballard joined Richard, Brett, Fannie, and Charles in a 1974 daytime show that had them walking out when a woman answered "boobs" to a question. Later, Richard shows the panel his chest after Gene accidentally asks Fannie to show hers...er, answers.
As soon as Jessa headed out, I did, too. The sun had started to come out even as she was leaving. It left Newton Lake Park dappled in warm light, sparkling on the lake as I went by. Needless to say on a day that had suddenly gotten much nicer, it was busy as heck there, with everyone from Canadian geese to people out for a stroll on the path.
It was suddenly too nice for libraries. There was absolutely nothing going on at the Haddon Township Library, and not much to do. The DVDs shelves were all full. I shelved the few that I could fit in and took a couple out. They just got Uglydolls from earlier in the year in, and I started off my holiday season with The Nutcracker and the Four Realms from last November. Also grabbed The American President.
Made a quick stop at Target on the way home. I was out of eggs, and I wanted to pick up milk for a recipe I was going to try later. Turns out I went to the right place. Eggs are 99 cents at Target. Milk isn't as cheap, but I still got it.
Went straight into writing when I got home. Joyce reveals the fairies' beautiful spring-like lands. Turns out they're not the only humans there. The fairies are the ones who have given Queen Betty and her children refuge, though they've had no more luck in finding King Allen than Gene or Brett. They have no love for Malade, who has captured their kind, taken their magic, and turned them into imps.
Broke for dinner around quarter after 6. Had a quick leftover dinner while watching a Three Stooges election-themed short. They're "Three Dark Horses" when two campaign managers recruit them to vote for their candidate. After the guys realize that the politician is corrupt, they change their votes.
Richie Cunningham gets a lesson in politics when he falls in love with a girl campaigning for presidential candidate Adalai Stevenson in "The Not Making of the President.". Mr. Cunningham, a staunch Eisenhower supporter, is shocked. He's even more shocked when the spokesman for Ike at Arnold's turns out to be none other than Fonzie!
Radio actors Hilary Booth and Jeff Singer throw their hats into the political ring in "Strange Bedfellows." They think they can juggle their current career and a job on the Pittsburgh city council, but a humble former baseball player reminds them of how difficult and meaningful of a job politics is. Meanwhile, manager Scott Sherwood has the staff hold an informal poll on the race for mayor and gets some surprising answers.
The votes are in at the Peanuts' school. "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown," but Linus may have a shot at becoming school president...at least until he starts going on about his favorite topic, the Great Pumpkin.
Popeye and Bluto are competing against each other in "Popeye for President." Olive is the last hold-out, but she can't vote until she finishes her chores. The two see who can help her get them done first, then get her to the polls.
"The Candid Candidate" is Betty Boop's Grampy, who is inundated with requests for help after he becomes mayor. He uses his many inventions to help the people in town solve their problems.
Made bread pudding from Kit's Cooking Studio while the cartoons were on. Jodie's been giving me all the bread from her football lunches, and I had no idea what to do with it. It was milk, sugar, cinnamon, three eggs, and vanilla poured over buttered bread and baked. I think I left it too long and used too much milk. It was too soft, and it overflowed in the pan. It still tasted pretty good, though.
Finished the night with Let Freedom Ring. I go into this patriotic western vehicle for Nelson Eddy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Let Freedom Ring
Monday, November 04, 2019
Bad Day, Good Matches
Slept longer than I planned and didn't have time for much else than breakfast and a few Match Game episodes. Joyce Bullifant and ditzy blonde Elaine Joyce joined Brett, Charles, and eternally anxious Bill Daily an episode from 1979. Joyce, fearing being mistaken for the other bubbly blonde on the show, wore a series of wigs the entire week. Some of them got pretty strange, but the one she wore in this episode was a fluffy light brown that was actually rather cute on her. Elegant Joan Collins sat in with Richard, Brett, Charles, goofy Patti Deustch, and tough Scoey Mitchell for a week from 1975.
Hurried off to work shortly after the Joan Collins episode ended. Once again, things started quietly, but it got ridiculously busy starting around 2. Someone called out; I ended up in the register several times, even though the other bagger was doing double-duty as a cashier and I had no other help. We were just that crazy. I barely got anything done. At least I got outside to round up rapidly-disappearing carts. The weather remains gorgeous here, bright blue and breezy and slightly warmer than over the weekend, in the lower 60's.
Needless to say, I rushed home as soon as I finished the carts. Went straight into some much-needed writing when I got in. Gene is understandably upset. Not only is he away from his beloved wife Helen, but his roving eye got the best of him again. Brett assures him that Helen was fine, though very worried about him. Richard just wants to know where the fairy haven is. Joyce leads him to a grove of what seems to be trees twisted together...until the fairies make them move...
Broke for leftover corned beef and cabbage and sauteed mushrooms and spinach for dinner. Finished the night with The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. I discussed this Disney musical about the contested Grover Cleveland/Benjamin Harrison election of 1888 last year on my Musical Dreams Movies Reviews blog.
The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
Hurried off to work shortly after the Joan Collins episode ended. Once again, things started quietly, but it got ridiculously busy starting around 2. Someone called out; I ended up in the register several times, even though the other bagger was doing double-duty as a cashier and I had no other help. We were just that crazy. I barely got anything done. At least I got outside to round up rapidly-disappearing carts. The weather remains gorgeous here, bright blue and breezy and slightly warmer than over the weekend, in the lower 60's.
Needless to say, I rushed home as soon as I finished the carts. Went straight into some much-needed writing when I got in. Gene is understandably upset. Not only is he away from his beloved wife Helen, but his roving eye got the best of him again. Brett assures him that Helen was fine, though very worried about him. Richard just wants to know where the fairy haven is. Joyce leads him to a grove of what seems to be trees twisted together...until the fairies make them move...
Broke for leftover corned beef and cabbage and sauteed mushrooms and spinach for dinner. Finished the night with The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. I discussed this Disney musical about the contested Grover Cleveland/Benjamin Harrison election of 1888 last year on my Musical Dreams Movies Reviews blog.
The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
Sunday, November 03, 2019
Pumpkins and Eagles
Began the day with work. It was steady up through around 11, after which the lines got longer. It's the beginning of the month, right before a big Eagles game, and a gorgeous day to book. Once again, it was sunny, breezy, and chilly, likely in the mid-50's. I spent most of the day doing carts, even after another bagger arrived to help out, though I did round up the overflowing trash and recycling at one point.
I got called in for the last twenty minutes. While we were busy, the carts also still needed to be done. Not to mention, even after I turned off the light, people were still coming in my line. I had to leave it to a manager so I could get out on time.
Took the long way home down Nicholson Road to calm me down after what happened with the registers. It was a little busy down around the Audubon Crossings entrance, but once I got into Oaklyn, things were mostly quieter. Given I got off at noon, most people were probably at lunch.
Ate my own lunch, then put on the Fraggle Rock record I found yesterday. According to Wikipedia, this is the first of three Fraggle Rock soundtracks released. It may have been my best find yesterday. My sisters and I used to love this show when it was on HBO in the 1980's. My favorite Fraggles were fearless Red the athlete and ever-worrying Boober. Red gets to sing "Do It On My Own" as she tries to prove how tough she really is. Sweet artist Mokey gets the gentle ballad "Why?" as she wonders about pretty much everything.
Made the bed and changed the sheets while the record was on. It's gotten cold enough overnight that the spring/fall sheets are no longer enough. I pulled out the flannel sheets and my heavy magenta fleece blanket (which is very warm, but also tends to attract fuzzies).
It was past 1:30 when I finally finished with the bed and headed over to Dad and Jodie's. The game was in full swing when I arrived, and so was the crowd. Rose and Craig and their kids were there, as were Mark and Joya and Jessa and Midnight the puppy. Khai played with his iPad in front of the TV, while a delighted Finley chased Midnight around the living room and kitchen. Jodie made corned beef and cabbage for lunch, with Italian bread and butter to go with it. Even after Rose and her family left, TJ and his boyfriend and neighbors Matthew and Karen dropped by.
Jodie and Dad's neighbor Sandy was holding a big neighborhood "pumpkin chucking" contest on the hill behind their house. Jodie, Jess, Midnight, and I went to check it out during half-time. Parents and kids (including Savannah, Ryan, and their dad) threw tiny pumpkins at scarecrow and pumpkin-themed targets (and a human in an eagle costume) on the bottom of the hill. The kids would all scramble down and retrieve their pumpkins. The little guys loved Midnight! They all wanted to stop and pet and scratch him. I threw one pumpkin, but it went way too high, and I opted to watch instead until I got too cold and went in with Jess.
The Eagles game was just as good. They played well out of the gate, coming up 13-7 by the end of the first half. The Bears roared back to life in the third quarter, but it wasn't enough. The Eagles' offense simply outgunned them. They put in a last-minute field goal and won the game 22-14. Dad's other favorite team, the Miami Dolphins, played equally well against the wayward Jets and won 26-18.
Worked on writing when I got home. Gene reveals that he'd been lured into the woods by a beautiful woman who called herself Nimue. An angry Brett tells him it was her stepmother in disguise, hoping to get rid of him and his magic. The evil Queen Malade is a shapeshifter who strips magic and beauty from living beings, keeping her young for centuries. Richard admits that she'd also attempted to seduce his father...and killed him when he refused her advances. The trio of fairies offer them shelter for the night when Brett realizes how late it is.
Broke for dinner at 7. Made French toast with the bread from last week while listening to Call Me Madam. Ethel Merman was a Washington hostess who is assigned to bring aid to the tiny impoverished country of Litchenburg. She falls for the country's ambassador (Paul Lukas), while her assistant (Russell Nype) begins a romance with the princess of the land. Trouble is, Merman worked for one company, but another owned the rights to the show. Dinah Shore took her place on the actual cast album...but there's no replacement for Merman. I listened to the original cast album chorus numbers, including the adorable "It's a Lovely Day Today," and to an admittedly nice version of "Marrying for Love" that included Shore and Lukas. Merman's best moment was the standard "You're Just In Love" with Dick Haymes.
Finished the night with the soundtrack for The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. This unusual live-action tale from Disney focuses on a family of performers who move to Dakota Territory, just in time for the contested election of 1888 between Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison. Grandpa's (Walter Brennan) devotion to Cleveland and the Democrats may end up coming between daughter Alice (Leslie Ann Warren) and her Republican beau (John Davidson). There's some decent Sherman Brothers music here, notably two rousing chorus numbers, "Ten Feet Off the Ground" for the Family Band and "West O' the Wide Missouri" for the town during the Election Day party. Warren and Davidson also get a nice duet, "'Bout Time," as they discuss their wedding plans.
I got called in for the last twenty minutes. While we were busy, the carts also still needed to be done. Not to mention, even after I turned off the light, people were still coming in my line. I had to leave it to a manager so I could get out on time.
Took the long way home down Nicholson Road to calm me down after what happened with the registers. It was a little busy down around the Audubon Crossings entrance, but once I got into Oaklyn, things were mostly quieter. Given I got off at noon, most people were probably at lunch.
Ate my own lunch, then put on the Fraggle Rock record I found yesterday. According to Wikipedia, this is the first of three Fraggle Rock soundtracks released. It may have been my best find yesterday. My sisters and I used to love this show when it was on HBO in the 1980's. My favorite Fraggles were fearless Red the athlete and ever-worrying Boober. Red gets to sing "Do It On My Own" as she tries to prove how tough she really is. Sweet artist Mokey gets the gentle ballad "Why?" as she wonders about pretty much everything.
Made the bed and changed the sheets while the record was on. It's gotten cold enough overnight that the spring/fall sheets are no longer enough. I pulled out the flannel sheets and my heavy magenta fleece blanket (which is very warm, but also tends to attract fuzzies).
It was past 1:30 when I finally finished with the bed and headed over to Dad and Jodie's. The game was in full swing when I arrived, and so was the crowd. Rose and Craig and their kids were there, as were Mark and Joya and Jessa and Midnight the puppy. Khai played with his iPad in front of the TV, while a delighted Finley chased Midnight around the living room and kitchen. Jodie made corned beef and cabbage for lunch, with Italian bread and butter to go with it. Even after Rose and her family left, TJ and his boyfriend and neighbors Matthew and Karen dropped by.
Jodie and Dad's neighbor Sandy was holding a big neighborhood "pumpkin chucking" contest on the hill behind their house. Jodie, Jess, Midnight, and I went to check it out during half-time. Parents and kids (including Savannah, Ryan, and their dad) threw tiny pumpkins at scarecrow and pumpkin-themed targets (and a human in an eagle costume) on the bottom of the hill. The kids would all scramble down and retrieve their pumpkins. The little guys loved Midnight! They all wanted to stop and pet and scratch him. I threw one pumpkin, but it went way too high, and I opted to watch instead until I got too cold and went in with Jess.
The Eagles game was just as good. They played well out of the gate, coming up 13-7 by the end of the first half. The Bears roared back to life in the third quarter, but it wasn't enough. The Eagles' offense simply outgunned them. They put in a last-minute field goal and won the game 22-14. Dad's other favorite team, the Miami Dolphins, played equally well against the wayward Jets and won 26-18.
Worked on writing when I got home. Gene reveals that he'd been lured into the woods by a beautiful woman who called herself Nimue. An angry Brett tells him it was her stepmother in disguise, hoping to get rid of him and his magic. The evil Queen Malade is a shapeshifter who strips magic and beauty from living beings, keeping her young for centuries. Richard admits that she'd also attempted to seduce his father...and killed him when he refused her advances. The trio of fairies offer them shelter for the night when Brett realizes how late it is.
Broke for dinner at 7. Made French toast with the bread from last week while listening to Call Me Madam. Ethel Merman was a Washington hostess who is assigned to bring aid to the tiny impoverished country of Litchenburg. She falls for the country's ambassador (Paul Lukas), while her assistant (Russell Nype) begins a romance with the princess of the land. Trouble is, Merman worked for one company, but another owned the rights to the show. Dinah Shore took her place on the actual cast album...but there's no replacement for Merman. I listened to the original cast album chorus numbers, including the adorable "It's a Lovely Day Today," and to an admittedly nice version of "Marrying for Love" that included Shore and Lukas. Merman's best moment was the standard "You're Just In Love" with Dick Haymes.
Finished the night with the soundtrack for The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. This unusual live-action tale from Disney focuses on a family of performers who move to Dakota Territory, just in time for the contested election of 1888 between Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison. Grandpa's (Walter Brennan) devotion to Cleveland and the Democrats may end up coming between daughter Alice (Leslie Ann Warren) and her Republican beau (John Davidson). There's some decent Sherman Brothers music here, notably two rousing chorus numbers, "Ten Feet Off the Ground" for the Family Band and "West O' the Wide Missouri" for the town during the Election Day party. Warren and Davidson also get a nice duet, "'Bout Time," as they discuss their wedding plans.
Saturday, November 02, 2019
Autumn Blue and Gold
I was in a bit of a hurry this morning and wasn't up to much more than a Match Game episode from 1980. Feisty sitcom favorite Debralee Scott gets hot and bothered over a handsome young contestant, as Dolly Martin (British wife of comedian/host Dick Martin) points out. It comes to a head during the Audience Match, when Debralee gets a little too into her embrace with him! The others try to separate them, while a more modest Bill Daily attempts to hide them behind his coat.
It was past 11 when I finally headed out to run a few errands. First stop was the Collingswood Farm Market. This is especially important, since I won't get there next week. The Farm Market is on its last four weeks. Probably thanks to the sudden cold snap, there were far fewer produce booths around and more craft booths. Kids were delighted by a pair of hungry alpacas munching hay in a pen as you arrive from the Collings Avenue side. There was enough left for me to pick up small apples, cranberries, four little yellow squash, and mushrooms.
Went across the street to WaWa for a treat. I hadn't tried their Pumpkin Cheesecake Smoothie yet. Despite the line being pretty long, I got out of there in less than ten minutes. Yum! I definitely tasted the cheesecake in there, along with a hint of eggnog. Very nice.
Found a small yard sale on my way down Lakeview Avenue. They had a box of free records right out front. I dug out one of those Columbia seasonal albums, this one with a winter theme, an Andy Williams Christmas album, a Spirit of Christmas collection from JC Penney, a Fraggle Rock album, and Christmas albums featuring the Care Bears and Pac Man.
Took the long way back across Newton Lake Park. The weather continues to be amazing. Once again, the sky was brilliantly blue and the breeze was soft and fresh. Everything seemed golden, from the glowing leaves that remain on the trees to the sun glittering on the rippling lake.
The reason I went through the park was to hit Dollar General on the way back. I've been having mouse problems again. The last time I told Charles, he gave me non-violent traps that may have been kinder to the mice, but also didn't trap them. I found exactly what I was looking for (the last two on the shelf, actually) and was once again in and out in ten minutes.
Did two more Match Game episodes while having a quick lunch and putting everything away. Gene shows off a tie a fan sent that had all the names of the regular question characters like Dumb Dora, then swapped it with Charles for his usual bright-striped scarf. Later on, Charles wants to use it for an Indian gag, but it takes a lot of yelling and running at the operator on Gene's part to get the camera where he wants it to be!
In the very next show, Gene laments that he can't banter with the upper tier, as they all matched the contestant. Richard and the two ladies on the lower tier, sassy Jo Ann Pflug and southern belle writer Fannie Flagg, cheer him up when they each imitate the trio above them. And while Richard was pretty funny as Brett, the women absolutely outshown him. Jo Ann was an adorable Dick Gautier, and Fannie was just hysterical as Charles (complete with hat and pipe)!
Finally made it to the laundromat around quarter of 3. I really should have either gone earlier, or done what I originally planned and gone on Thursday, Halloween or no Halloween. They were once again packed, though I was able to get a washer and dryer pretty easily. I worked on story notes and ignored the chaos.
Worked on writing after putting the laundry away and dropping off the rent. The boys help Brett finally dissolve the chains on Gene's left limb, while the fairies help Bobby (Van) get the ones on his right. They're all thrown off when a black mist leaves the tree...revealing an older man with dark hair and high cheekbones in a tattered blue and orange cloak. He's understandably not in good shape, but Charles and Nipsey manage to get him to his feet.
Finished the night with leftover Italian casserole and roasted Brussels sprouts while watching An American Tail and An American Tail: Fivel Goes West. I go further into these tales of a little mouse immigrant and his family at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
An American Tail & An American Tail: Fivel Goes West
It was past 11 when I finally headed out to run a few errands. First stop was the Collingswood Farm Market. This is especially important, since I won't get there next week. The Farm Market is on its last four weeks. Probably thanks to the sudden cold snap, there were far fewer produce booths around and more craft booths. Kids were delighted by a pair of hungry alpacas munching hay in a pen as you arrive from the Collings Avenue side. There was enough left for me to pick up small apples, cranberries, four little yellow squash, and mushrooms.
Went across the street to WaWa for a treat. I hadn't tried their Pumpkin Cheesecake Smoothie yet. Despite the line being pretty long, I got out of there in less than ten minutes. Yum! I definitely tasted the cheesecake in there, along with a hint of eggnog. Very nice.
Found a small yard sale on my way down Lakeview Avenue. They had a box of free records right out front. I dug out one of those Columbia seasonal albums, this one with a winter theme, an Andy Williams Christmas album, a Spirit of Christmas collection from JC Penney, a Fraggle Rock album, and Christmas albums featuring the Care Bears and Pac Man.
Took the long way back across Newton Lake Park. The weather continues to be amazing. Once again, the sky was brilliantly blue and the breeze was soft and fresh. Everything seemed golden, from the glowing leaves that remain on the trees to the sun glittering on the rippling lake.
The reason I went through the park was to hit Dollar General on the way back. I've been having mouse problems again. The last time I told Charles, he gave me non-violent traps that may have been kinder to the mice, but also didn't trap them. I found exactly what I was looking for (the last two on the shelf, actually) and was once again in and out in ten minutes.
Did two more Match Game episodes while having a quick lunch and putting everything away. Gene shows off a tie a fan sent that had all the names of the regular question characters like Dumb Dora, then swapped it with Charles for his usual bright-striped scarf. Later on, Charles wants to use it for an Indian gag, but it takes a lot of yelling and running at the operator on Gene's part to get the camera where he wants it to be!
In the very next show, Gene laments that he can't banter with the upper tier, as they all matched the contestant. Richard and the two ladies on the lower tier, sassy Jo Ann Pflug and southern belle writer Fannie Flagg, cheer him up when they each imitate the trio above them. And while Richard was pretty funny as Brett, the women absolutely outshown him. Jo Ann was an adorable Dick Gautier, and Fannie was just hysterical as Charles (complete with hat and pipe)!
Finally made it to the laundromat around quarter of 3. I really should have either gone earlier, or done what I originally planned and gone on Thursday, Halloween or no Halloween. They were once again packed, though I was able to get a washer and dryer pretty easily. I worked on story notes and ignored the chaos.
Worked on writing after putting the laundry away and dropping off the rent. The boys help Brett finally dissolve the chains on Gene's left limb, while the fairies help Bobby (Van) get the ones on his right. They're all thrown off when a black mist leaves the tree...revealing an older man with dark hair and high cheekbones in a tattered blue and orange cloak. He's understandably not in good shape, but Charles and Nipsey manage to get him to his feet.
Finished the night with leftover Italian casserole and roasted Brussels sprouts while watching An American Tail and An American Tail: Fivel Goes West. I go further into these tales of a little mouse immigrant and his family at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
An American Tail & An American Tail: Fivel Goes West
Friday, November 01, 2019
Out With the Old, In With the New
Kicked off a gorgeous, clear morning with breakfast, then went right into taking down the Halloween decorations and putting up what I have for Thanksgiving. I'm glad my October largely went much better than it did last year (nothing was stolen and no one died), but I'm still ready to move on to the quieter fall holidays.
I don't have a ton of Thanksgiving decorations, but I do have a few things. Hung a trio of Indian corn cobs on the wall between my windows in the bedroom. Two cloth-and-wood pilgrims guard my TV. My Webkinz turkeys Plymouth and Mayflower sit together on the DVD shelf. A tiny, cute stuffed pilgrim mouse is doing similar duty in front of my CD player. I have a beautifully carved turkey candle on my dining area table and a scarecrow and my annual pumpkin sitting on the music area table.
Most of the decorations I have for Thanksgiving are cardboard cut-outs. The large turkey and cute wide-eyed pilgrim girl are vintage yard sale finds; also found the Snoopy and Woodstock and pilgrim and Indian kids ones used. Mom made the hand-shaped turkey with the colorful feathers and "Happy Thanksgiving" sign when she worked for one of the elementary schools in Lower Township, which is why it's laminated. The plastic turkey hanging was a dollar store find years ago.
Watched The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters while I worked. Slip and Sach visit the Gravesends in order to convince them to sign over a lot for the local kids to play in. The Gravesends turn out to be a wacky, scary Addams-esque family who are more interested in duo themselves. The male heads of the family want both their brains for their gorilla and robot, the daughter is a vampire who is literally out for their blood, and the aunt just wants to feed them to her man-eating plant. They have to dodge all the Gravesends, and then help Louie and their buddies escape when they go looking for them, if they want to be able to get that lot with their heads intact!
Switched to a spooky episode of The Monkees while finishing up the decorations. The Bowery Boys are hardly the first group of young men who end up dealing with a frightening family. In "Monstrous Monkee Mash," a vampire and his daughter lure Davy, and then the others, to their castle, intending to turn them to monsters and use Peter's brain for their monster! It's up to Mike Nesmith to figure out how release the guys and get them out of that creepy crib.
After the episode ended, I ran out for my first errand of the day. I didn't really need much in the way of groceries. I ate out of the fridge all week. I wanted soup, but they were having a buy two, get four sale on Progresso. I don't need that much soup! I settled for a can of organic Chicken and Wild Rice soup that was on clearance. Restocked while flour, chocolate chips (Nestle's was on a good sale), and peanut butter.
I was really there to get my schedule. Thank goodness after that weird eight-and-a-half-hour day on Wednesday that I have a perfectly normal schedule. Sunday early, Tuesday and Friday off. Only complaint is I'll miss the Farm Market next Saturday. Slightly less hours, but nothing really worth worrying about.
Went straight home and put on Remember WENN while putting everything away and having a quick lunch. "The Ghost of WENN" is haunting the halls of the Pittsburgh radio station during a stormy evening in 1940. He's left a can of cranberry jelly and a stuffed albatross with rope around it laying around, and he seems inordinately interested in diva actress Hilary Booth. After the storm shuts down the power, the rest of the station's staff joins her to help solve the mystery.
I still had a few other things I wanted to do. Took the long way to Westmont across Newton Lake Park. It was a glorious day for it. While much cooler, barely in the 50's, it was also sunny and breezy, with a sky so blue, it hurt my eyes to look at it. I'm surprised the park wasn't busier. I guess everyone's still recovering from yesterday. Too bad. The leaves are finally starting to turn colors here now; the park is awash in gold, lime green, brick red, sienna, and fiery orange.
There wasn't anything going on at the Haddon Township Library, either. I put away the few DVDs that actually fit on the shelves. It was just too nice of a day for libraries. I was in and out in a little over a half-hour.
Made a fast stop at Dollar Tree on the way home. I needed a new notebook to write story ideas in. Picked that up, along with a ginger ale to satisfy my dry throat.
Worked on writing when I got home. Brett is trying to get the chains off Gene's limbs. Not only is the dark magic from the trees making her sick, but they're doing everything they can to shake her off. Charles' lovely ballad calms the trees long enough to get them to release Richard and his men. Brett, however, still isn't moving that fast...
Broke for dinner at quarter after 6. Turned ground turkey meat and leftover Italian shredded cheeses and tomato sauce into Italian Pasta Bake with the addition of tri-colored pasta (all I have at the moment), onion, green pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Not bad, actually. Nice and hearty for a cold day. After I ate, I made "Apples Rolled In Autumn" Cookies (apple-oatmeal cookies) from that cookie cookbook Lauren sent me a few years ago for dessert.
Watched Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost while I ate and baked. Scooby and Mystery Inc are in a small New England town at the invitation of popular horror writer Ben Ravenscroft (Tim Curry). Ravenscroft is trying to find a journal to prove that his ancestor was a Wiccan healer, not an evil witch. When a witch does show up, Velma thinks she's solved this mystery. There's more to this witch than meets the eye, though...and a lot more to Ben's story about his ancestor than what he claims. And what does goth girl band the Hex Girls have to do with it all?
I've watched this around early November for the past few years. It mentions Halloween and Thanksgiving, making it a nice way to transition between the two holidays. The Hex Girls were by far the most popular thing to come out of this one. They had so many fans, they would turn up again in episodes of What's New, Scooby Doo? and Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated, as well as two more direct-to-home-media movies.
Finished the night after a shower with something a little different on YouTube to celebrate the start of the next holiday season. They're currently showing Nutcracker: The Motion Picture free of charge. The real selling point on this one are the whimsical and often creepy pastel set and costume designs by children's book author Maurice Sendak. The Mouse King is downright terrifying here, and even some of the more benign figures, like a strange troll that performs during the China dance, can come off as weird. It's not the most accurate version of this story, but the elaborate designs and costumes alone make it worth a look for ballet and children's books aficionados.
Nutcracker: The Motion Picture
I don't have a ton of Thanksgiving decorations, but I do have a few things. Hung a trio of Indian corn cobs on the wall between my windows in the bedroom. Two cloth-and-wood pilgrims guard my TV. My Webkinz turkeys Plymouth and Mayflower sit together on the DVD shelf. A tiny, cute stuffed pilgrim mouse is doing similar duty in front of my CD player. I have a beautifully carved turkey candle on my dining area table and a scarecrow and my annual pumpkin sitting on the music area table.
Most of the decorations I have for Thanksgiving are cardboard cut-outs. The large turkey and cute wide-eyed pilgrim girl are vintage yard sale finds; also found the Snoopy and Woodstock and pilgrim and Indian kids ones used. Mom made the hand-shaped turkey with the colorful feathers and "Happy Thanksgiving" sign when she worked for one of the elementary schools in Lower Township, which is why it's laminated. The plastic turkey hanging was a dollar store find years ago.
Watched The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters while I worked. Slip and Sach visit the Gravesends in order to convince them to sign over a lot for the local kids to play in. The Gravesends turn out to be a wacky, scary Addams-esque family who are more interested in duo themselves. The male heads of the family want both their brains for their gorilla and robot, the daughter is a vampire who is literally out for their blood, and the aunt just wants to feed them to her man-eating plant. They have to dodge all the Gravesends, and then help Louie and their buddies escape when they go looking for them, if they want to be able to get that lot with their heads intact!
Switched to a spooky episode of The Monkees while finishing up the decorations. The Bowery Boys are hardly the first group of young men who end up dealing with a frightening family. In "Monstrous Monkee Mash," a vampire and his daughter lure Davy, and then the others, to their castle, intending to turn them to monsters and use Peter's brain for their monster! It's up to Mike Nesmith to figure out how release the guys and get them out of that creepy crib.
After the episode ended, I ran out for my first errand of the day. I didn't really need much in the way of groceries. I ate out of the fridge all week. I wanted soup, but they were having a buy two, get four sale on Progresso. I don't need that much soup! I settled for a can of organic Chicken and Wild Rice soup that was on clearance. Restocked while flour, chocolate chips (Nestle's was on a good sale), and peanut butter.
I was really there to get my schedule. Thank goodness after that weird eight-and-a-half-hour day on Wednesday that I have a perfectly normal schedule. Sunday early, Tuesday and Friday off. Only complaint is I'll miss the Farm Market next Saturday. Slightly less hours, but nothing really worth worrying about.
Went straight home and put on Remember WENN while putting everything away and having a quick lunch. "The Ghost of WENN" is haunting the halls of the Pittsburgh radio station during a stormy evening in 1940. He's left a can of cranberry jelly and a stuffed albatross with rope around it laying around, and he seems inordinately interested in diva actress Hilary Booth. After the storm shuts down the power, the rest of the station's staff joins her to help solve the mystery.
I still had a few other things I wanted to do. Took the long way to Westmont across Newton Lake Park. It was a glorious day for it. While much cooler, barely in the 50's, it was also sunny and breezy, with a sky so blue, it hurt my eyes to look at it. I'm surprised the park wasn't busier. I guess everyone's still recovering from yesterday. Too bad. The leaves are finally starting to turn colors here now; the park is awash in gold, lime green, brick red, sienna, and fiery orange.
There wasn't anything going on at the Haddon Township Library, either. I put away the few DVDs that actually fit on the shelves. It was just too nice of a day for libraries. I was in and out in a little over a half-hour.
Made a fast stop at Dollar Tree on the way home. I needed a new notebook to write story ideas in. Picked that up, along with a ginger ale to satisfy my dry throat.
Worked on writing when I got home. Brett is trying to get the chains off Gene's limbs. Not only is the dark magic from the trees making her sick, but they're doing everything they can to shake her off. Charles' lovely ballad calms the trees long enough to get them to release Richard and his men. Brett, however, still isn't moving that fast...
Broke for dinner at quarter after 6. Turned ground turkey meat and leftover Italian shredded cheeses and tomato sauce into Italian Pasta Bake with the addition of tri-colored pasta (all I have at the moment), onion, green pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Not bad, actually. Nice and hearty for a cold day. After I ate, I made "Apples Rolled In Autumn" Cookies (apple-oatmeal cookies) from that cookie cookbook Lauren sent me a few years ago for dessert.
Watched Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost while I ate and baked. Scooby and Mystery Inc are in a small New England town at the invitation of popular horror writer Ben Ravenscroft (Tim Curry). Ravenscroft is trying to find a journal to prove that his ancestor was a Wiccan healer, not an evil witch. When a witch does show up, Velma thinks she's solved this mystery. There's more to this witch than meets the eye, though...and a lot more to Ben's story about his ancestor than what he claims. And what does goth girl band the Hex Girls have to do with it all?
I've watched this around early November for the past few years. It mentions Halloween and Thanksgiving, making it a nice way to transition between the two holidays. The Hex Girls were by far the most popular thing to come out of this one. They had so many fans, they would turn up again in episodes of What's New, Scooby Doo? and Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated, as well as two more direct-to-home-media movies.
Finished the night after a shower with something a little different on YouTube to celebrate the start of the next holiday season. They're currently showing Nutcracker: The Motion Picture free of charge. The real selling point on this one are the whimsical and often creepy pastel set and costume designs by children's book author Maurice Sendak. The Mouse King is downright terrifying here, and even some of the more benign figures, like a strange troll that performs during the China dance, can come off as weird. It's not the most accurate version of this story, but the elaborate designs and costumes alone make it worth a look for ballet and children's books aficionados.
Nutcracker: The Motion Picture
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