Yarn Daze

I slept until 9:30, longer than I'd planned...but it did wonders for my cold. I still sniffled a bit and had a mild headache and a dry throat. Other than that, I didn't feel anywhere near as bad as I did over the weekend. I had oatmeal for breakfast while watching spring-oriented Tiny Toon Adventures episodes, "Spring In Acme Acres" and "Rainy Daze." My favorite of the short episodes in these was in "Rainy Daze." Babs turns ordinary rainy-day chores like cleaning her room into an adventure when she uses her imagination to spice things up a bit.

After the Toons ended, I got ready to go. I stopped at Miss Ellie's side of the house on the way out and found a square package on the patio for me. It was from Mom and despite being a good size, not heavy. Yay, the yarn and tapestry needles Mom sent me had arrived! I put the package on my porch and went on my way.

It was sunny and probably in the 50s when I rode my bike to the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteering session there. Newton River Park was gorgeous today. There wasn't even a hint of snow or ice left anywhere. Everyone was out - dog walkers, parents with children in strollers, friends walking together, joggers, Canadian geese having an early lunch.

Haddon Township wasn't too busy today, probably due to the weather. I mostly organized the childrens' DVDs and put away the adult ones. I also helped a mother find books to help her son with being an only child.

I took out several DVDs and books this week. I thought I'd try the Shaun the Sheep series for the first time and opted for a collection of six episodes, "Party Animals." I also took out a CGI Care Bears movie The Giving Festival and decided to give the current CGI Strawberry Shortcake another chance with The GlimmerBerry Ball. Grabbed two recent live-action movies I've wanted to see for ages, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Pirate Radio.

For once, there wasn't anything I needed at Super Fresh or the Dollar Tree, and I obviously didn't need anything at JoAnn's. I rode home instead, making a brief stop at WaWa for an orange juice, a small turkey and Swiss hoagie, and a pretzel.

After I got in, I quickly ate my hoagie, then opened the box. I had expected a couple of small balls of yarn, the doll crochet pattern magazines, and tapestry needles. I got the magazines, the needles, a tape measure...and bags and bags of yarn in every color under the sun! Most of the balls weren't big...but they were enough for me to practice with and make small things for the dolls and around the apartment. All of the yarn had been separated into bags for pinks, red and oranges, beiges and whites, blues, greens, browns and blacks, etc. There was even a big bag to keep it in.

I called Mom right away to thank her. Got Dad; I hadn't figured I'd get Mom at 3:30 anyway. I told him to tell her that I really appreciated the yarn.

Went for a quick walk next. I was hoping the Doria's would have skim milk. I forgot to get it at WaWa. No such luck. Mrs. Doria said it wasn't a big seller. I wasn't out for too much longer after that. Not only was it getting late, but it was growing windier and colder, too.

I worked on some crocheting while running The Giving Festival Movie. The "movie" seems to be several episodes of the new Care Bears show Care Bears Power Team stitched together, and as such, is kind of cute. I especially liked the second segment where Oopsy helps True Heart overcome her fear of roller coasters and helps the Care Team at the same time.

The main storyline has the Bears trying to prepare for their Giving Festival, but there's a heavy wind blowing that's preventing them from having it outdoors. Will that wind keep the Princess Starglow from arriving in time for the Festival?

Actually, my biggest problem was with the revamp. I don't like the super-power thing at all. For one thing, there's less emphasis on all of the Care Bears than I'd like. For another thing, this is getting a little too far into sci-fi territory, with powers that sound like they come straight out of Sailor Moon. Maybe it's time American Greetings scrapped the Adventures in Care-A-Lot Care Bears all together and gave them a new look, like they did with Strawberry Shortcake two years ago.

Speaking of Strawberry, I decided to give the 2009 version of the franchise a second chance after I was less than impressed with last year's The Berryfest Princess. Like Giving Festival, The GlimmerBerry Ball Movie is basically three episodes stitched together to follow a loose storyline involving the residents of Bitty Berry City's preparations for First Frost (i.e, their winter festivities).

I ended up enjoying this a lot more than the muddled Berryfest. We see more of Strawberry's friends, and they make a bigger and generally better impression this time. We also have some surprisingly realistic plots. I especially liked the first one, where a book that Blueberry Muffin gives Lemon Meringue that is hopelessly unsuited to her is re-gifted from girl to girl like a bad fruitcake...until it finally gets back around to Blueberry Muffin and she smells a fruit-scented rat. It takes a gift from Strawberry to Mr. Longface the Snail to remind the girls that the best gifts are the ones that fit the recipient, not the giver.

I also liked the emphasis on traditions and how the history behind them makes them special in the second story. Strawberry reads the story of how the GlimmerBerry Festival began to the girls...but they get too carried away with their berry-carving and start accusing each other of stealing ideas. The girls were more annoying here, but I love Strawberry's sweet solution...and how a book helps them realize that it doesn't matter how you do a tradition, but why.

Switched to Shaun the Sheep while having steamed collard greens, chicken meat loaf, home-made gingerbread, and roasted Brussels sprouts for dinner. Sean the Sheep is apparently an offshoot of the popular Wallace and Gromit shorts, made by the same company. They look and feel like a cross between Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit. Since the shorts are dialogue-less, as far as I could tell, the story here seems to be that Sean and his fellow barnyard animals like to party behind their master's back. The sheep dog is their pal and won't tell...but the cat would love to catch them in the act.

The Haddon Township Library had a full season set for Sean the Sheep. I might have to take that out the next time I'm there. These were really funny. My favorites were the one where the barnyard animals tried to save their master's toupee when it blows away, the dog teaches Sean to play pool on the master's new table, and the cat gets Poloroids of one of their parties...but ends up on an electrical pole before he can show them to the farmer.

(Oh, and I finally finished the crocheting project I was working on...not because I was finished, but because I ran out of yarn. Oh well. It's too wide to be a scarf for Sam, anyway. I'll make it into a nice, warm cape for the Sailor Moon dolls. Oh, and I changed all of my AG dolls into pretty spring dresses this evening.)

On the Road to Recovery

Woke up with a sore throat and a bit of sniffling, but not much else...which meant that I could catch up on some chores I'd put off over the past few days. The first of these was my rent. I got that together and delivered it at Miss Ellie's door on my way out.

The second was my laundry. I got in around 10:30...which may have been a mistake. The place was packed. There was an older lady doing hers and at least four couples and one pair of what sounded like sisters. I was just barely able to get a washer and a drier.

Got home and put everything away, then had chicken soup for lunch. After that, I worked on some more editing. The three Bowery Boys stories I'm editing now are all related, so I'm going to wait until I'm done with all of them to post them. Look for them later this week or this weekend!

I had just enough time after that to take down the general winter decorations. Everything but three cardboard snowflakes were squeezed into the small container I use for winter-related items. The snowflakes showed the mark of having been up since late November; there were stains where condensation on the windows had gathered under them. They went in the recycling.

(And I must remember to get a new container for the winter items. They've finally outgrown the one they're in now.)

Headed to work right after I put the container in the back room. Work was busy again, far busier than the norm for a Tuesday. This wasn't surprising, given that today is the first day of the month. The chillier but otherwise still nice weather must have put everyone in good moods, for once.

The worst problem I had today was a toddler who kept trying to get into everything in her mother's order. She tore open the Apple Jacks box and dumped a canister of bread crumbs on the floor! For once, it was the kid's fault. The mother was doing everything she could to bag AND get the kid to behave, but the kid wasn't having any of it. She finally stuck the kid between her and the register...and she still managed to climb on the back of it!

I'm gonna have to hit the Haddon Township Library whether I'm up to it or not tomorrow. The DVDs are due, and so are some of my books.

Sleepytime Gal

I must have really been sick last night. I didn't get up until past 10 this morning! The first thing I did when I got up was take my temperature. My new digital thermometer read 97.1 when I pulled it out of my mouth. Much better.

And I do feel better. I still have congestion and a mild headache, but the worst thing now is a really awful sore throat. My head isn't burning up like it was, though, and I don't feel nauseous or too cold.

Needless to say, I didn't really do much today. It was almost lunchtime before I even got to breakfast! I did work on editing some of the Bowery Boys stories Lauren and I have written in the past month. Look for them later this week!

I took a DayQuil and felt well enough to handle work. Alas, my computer editing took me longer than I planned. I ended up having to rush my black bean soup lunch, toss my dinner together, throw on my uniform shirt, and rush out into the pouring rain. There wasn't time to ask for a ride. I went to work and got wet.

Work was steady when I got in, on-and-off later. I have the feeling that the only reason we're busy is because of the beginning of the month. Unless you're a big partier and need your green beer on St. Patrick's Day, March is neither a huge month for sports nor for holidays.

It was raining hard again when I went home. I just got wet again. I hate asking for rides.

I'm going to have to do the laundry tomorrow whether my head is up to it or not. I can't put it off anymore.

The Kids Aren't All Right

I slept fitfully last night. My eyes originally opened at 6:30...and I promptly rolled over and went back to sleep until 9:30. I still didn't feel much better. The coughing had been replaced by a heavily congested head and nose. My nose was running like crazy.

Needless to say, I didn't do much today. In fact, I mostly watched movies and cartoons. Did Garfield: His 9 Lives while making French Toast for breakfast. This is a true oddity, a series of shorts revolving around how Garfield might have lived in a previous life (and needless to say, how he's living in this one). My favorite by far of these is the touching watercolor short "Diana's Piano," about a cat devoted to her mistress and her music.

In honor of tonight's Oscars, the first movie I ran after breakfast was For Your Consideration. Christopher Guest's usual crew spoofs Oscar buzz in the tale of a small independant melodrama, Home For Purim, whose cast members hear talk of possible Oscars for them. How will they handle suddenly being in the spotlight?

This is actually my first encounter with Guest's world; I've never even seen This Is Spinal Tap. I have the feeling some of the "Hollywood insider" jokes may have gone over my head. I didn't find this to be that hilarious. It was, however, a fairly accurate take on small-time moviemaking that suddenly finds itself going big time in a huge way.

I stayed in Southern California and moved to another ensemble comedy, Fast Times At Ridgemont High. More or less the same idea...only this time, we're looking at one year in the life of a typical California high school. One young teenager is experimenting with sex for the first time. Her dorky science classmate and a slick fellow student try to win her. Her best friend gives advice but waits for her fiancee. Her older brother runs through an increasingly frustrating series of hash-house jobs. Meanwhile, Spicoli, the nuttiest surfer dude in school, wages an ongoing war with a strict history teacher.

Jennifer Jason Leigh as the budding young lass and Sean Penn as Spicoli are the standouts here, as is the surprisingly insightful script by Cameron Crowe. (Apparently, Crowe spent a year undercover as a student in a real California high school, so he has some idea of the territory.) Other familiar faces to look for include Judge Reinhold (as the older brother who thinks he has it all), Phoebe Cates (as Leigh's best friend), Anthony Edwards (as one of Penn's party-hearty buddies), and Forest Whittaker (as a football player who takes his anger out on the opposing team when Spinelli damages his beloved car).

Called Mom during For Your Consideration; got Keefe first. He seems to be fine. He was just about to go over to my sister's to babysit. Mom didn't have much time to talk when she finally got on. She was cleaning out her car. I told her about my cold. She suggested DayQuil and aspirin.

Made my first granola bars during Fast Times. I threw together applesauce, two eggs, 2/3 of a cup whole wheat flour, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, coconut, and chocolate chips. The recipe originally called for honey and raw cane sugar, but I forgot both...and the bars may be better for it. They came out chewy and just sweet enough.

Fast Times ended just as I was hurrying out the door. I probably shouldn't have gone to work, but I can't afford to call out, and I needed DayQuil, a new thermometer, and herbal tea.

Thankfully, it was very nice outside, probably in the 50s with no wind. We were busy all day. There were many large orders, some well over 500 and 600 dollars. A trio of men with two full carts and a 600 dollar order said they were working for a tugboat and needed to stock up for a trip; that, I can understand. My stepfather does that before the boat he works for goes out. I wonder about everyone else, though. It's not like we were snowed in last week. Maybe a lot of people just put off shopping?

Work did go quickly, and I was done before I knew it. I grabbed that thermometer, DayQuil, and tea as soon as I finished (along with stocking up on Polaner's fruit spread), then rode right home.

My new digital thermometer worked very well...maybe too well. I had a temperature of 100.1! I did it a second time and got 99.5, still fairly high but not as bad. I really hope I feel better tomorrow. I do NOT want to have to call out.

Cold and Flu Season

The day started out sunny and perfect for this time of the year, about 40 degrees and no wind. I slept in again, then had Shredded Wheat n' Bran, skim milk, strawberries, and half of a grapefruit for breakfast.

After breakfast, I realized something embarrassing. I had put off and put off sending my Verizon bill...and it's due Monday. I finally decided to do what I should have done ages ago - restart my "My Verizon" account and pay online. I already pay the Nelnet college payments bill online. I've resisted because I never trusted giving anyone my accounts, but now that I've shopped online for several years, I find that it's far more convenient. I'm less likely to put it off when the way to pay is right in front of me instead of laying on the dresser in the living room. And it's better for the environment, too!

I walked to the bank next. I got really lucky. It was 12:55 when I got to the bank. I thought they closed at noon on Saturdays...but it turns out they close at 1. I just got in, deposited my paycheck, and headed back out to enjoy the lovely day.

I would have enjoyed it even more if I hadn't felt so gosh-darn tired. By the time I got home, I was coughing like crazy. My chest felt congested, and my head pounded. I had an omelet with winter vegetables and no cheese and collard greens sauteed in soy sauce and broth for lunch. Before I left for work, I took some cold medicine in the hope of at least feeling a little better.

It didn't really work. I felt tired, cold, and congested all night, despite spending half the evening sucking cough drops. This was not helped by a large crowd and the fact that we were supposed to be pushing a new brand of soda Canada Dry just put out, a Mountain Dew-esque flavor called Sun Drop. (Cute name, by the way.) There was a big free soda with coupon promotion all day.

By the time I finished at 7:30, I was ready to drop. Thank goodness it was dead by then, and the only thing I needed after work was a good bottle of vanilla extract. (With all the baking I do, I might as well get the superior stuff.) My ride home was a bit chilly, but windless and easy.

I'm still not feeling right. I have cough drops and a bottle of water by my desk. I hope a good night's sleep with make things right again.

Spring Comes Thundering In

I never did get to yoga today. It was pouring cats, dogs, and chickens when I got up this morning. The downpour didn't really end until around 11. I spent the morning reading and doing things online instead.

By 12:30, the rain had taken a temporary leave of absence. I grabbed my coat and went outside...and went right back inside to change into my lighter spring coat. It had to be at least 60 degrees, too warm and much too humid for this time of the year.

I just strolled around the neighborhood. The rain had done it's work. Only a very few small piles of slushy snow remained from this winter's storms. There were signs of spring everywhere. I saw the first green grass in lawns and green shoots in front gardens. When I came home, I looked out at Miss Ellie's garden under my porch and noticed that her daffodils are starting to come up, too.

I was only out from 12:30 until 1...and that was enough. Twenty minutes after I went inside, we got our second heavy storm of the day. This time, it came complete with thunder and lashing wind. I was very happy to be inside, watching Good Eats episodes and making leftover chicken, peas, brown rice, and Brussels sprouts for lunch.

I had great timing with the weather today. The storm ended just in time for me to pack up and head to work. It also cleared out the Acme. Work was so quiet tonight, I spent an hour and a half after my break doing returns, and an hour before it putting candy away.

I didn't have quite as much grocery shopping as I had in the last few weeks to do after I finished. For one thing, now that I'm trying to eat better, I'm no longer buying boxes of granola bars or the smaller containers of yogurt. I bought one big container of plain nonfat yogurt and will mix that with honey or fruit and spoon it into small containers to eat instead. I also decided I wanted to try sparkling mineral water to drink; went with Poland Spring and bought a lemon and lime to squeeze. Winter is the season for citrus and greens; I picked up collard greens, tangerines, oranges, and grapefruit, as well as strawberries and broccoli on sale.

I seriously regretted wearing my blue spring jacket to work instead of my black winter coat. It was much colder and windier when I headed home. I had a hard, blustery ride.

New Bowery Boys Fanfics Posted at the Riverside Rest

Finally got around to posting two stories Lauren and I did earlier this month, "Sach's Secret Life" and "Be My Bowery Valentine." Though the latter is obviously late, I still hope you enjoy both!

The Bowery Boys' Basement Clubhouse

Sweet As Honey

I must have really not been feeling well yesterday. Even though I didn't go to bed that late, I slept until 10. By that time, yoga was half-over. Oh well, it was worth it. My head was still a little achy, but otherwise, I felt much better.

Since I was feeling better, I decided to reverse my schedule and volunteer at the Oaklyn Library today instead of the Collingswood Library. It was past 12:30 when I finally got moving. The sky was blah and cloudy, but it was quite warm. Not as warm as last week, but above the norm for late February in southern New Jersey, probably in the lower-mid 50s. Which meant that yes, everything was melting again. The snow on my porch was half-gone when I headed out.

The Oaklyn Library was fairly busy when I came in, mostly with people doing the computers. I worked on organizing the DVDs and the children's books. In fact, I would have stayed longer, but the library closes for the afternoon at quarter of 2.

Went for a stroll on the White Horse Pike next. I bought a pretzel and an unsweetened iced tea with a small squirt of cherry syrup at WaWa. I then hiked to the other end of Oaklyn and stopped at CVS for vitamins and their dishwashing liquid sale.

Since I went past Uncle Ken's on the way home anyway, I decided to stop there and say "hi." Dolores greeted me in her car on her way out to pick up her grandchildren. Dad was working on the computer. He showed me a cool purse his girlfriend Jodie got that is made out of a huge can of Campbell's Soup. (Jodie works for Campbell's headquarters in Camden.) Uncle Ken was watching Rachel Ray.

I thought I'd take the shortcut on the path over the train tracks. Most of the snow was gone from the tracks, and it was smooth sailing...until I got to the route under the trees between the VFW parking lot and the tracks. Someone had piled up dirt and cut down trees, effectively blocking the path! I had to make my way through sticker bushes instead that caught on my hands and jacket.

Spent the rest of the afternoon inside. I discovered when I got in that Mom had sent me a text message. I'm not very good with texting, so I just called her instead. She wanted to know if I had the g, h, and i sized crochet hooks. Yes, I did. They came as part of the pack of hooks I bought last year. Turns out she's sending me piles of her old acrylic yarn for me to use for my dolls and for practice. She's also sending me a big needle to be able to sew the crochet items together and a couple of books of doll clothes patters - sewing and crochet - that she had for years. I used to love paging through those magazines when I was little.

(Actually, part of the reason was I wondered why the Barbie dolls used as models in those magazines and the style of clothing they wore was so different from ours. Turns out the magazines were from the early-mid 70s, and the dolls were the ones that were available then, either the sophisticated heavy-lashed lasses with the bubble cuts or the fresh-faced Malibu Barbies.)

Spent the rest of the afternoon working on editing some of our most recent Bowery Boys role play stories. Look for them tonight or later this weekend.

After that, I made a Honey Cake inspired of an episode of Good Eats that revolved around honey, "Comb Alone." Since the recipe called for orange blossom honey and I had none, I used the organic wildflower honey I had and added vanilla extract. Other than that, the recipe was exactly the same. I overbaked it, but otherwise, it came out very well, moist and just sweet enough.

Nuts About Baking

Slept in a bit this morning, then started out the day with a ride to the Haddon Township Library. It was a little warmer today, probably in the upper 30s-lower 40s. That's more like what it should be at this time of year. The front path at Newton River Park wasn't entirely clear. I had to walk over a few patches of crunchy slush-ice. Unlike the icy patches from last month, this ice was brittle and broke easily under my feet. There were lots of people out in the park today. I saw dog-walkers, joggers, and mothers with children in strollers.

Hit the library next. I returned children's books and DVDs, including a pile of non-fiction programs. I felt a little bad, though, when a lot of people asked me questions I couldn't answer. I didn't know where they were keeping the tax books (I did mine online), or how to deal with the printers when they're out of paper.

I enjoyed the Felicity's Cooking Studio book I got from Linda Young for Christmas so much, I decided to look around for other American Girl cookbooks at the library. I'd taken out Samantha's and Kirsten's before and thought I'd try Josefina's. I also took out Knitting and Crocheting for Dummies and four DVDs - Scooby Doo and the Samurai Sword, Two Mules For Sister Sara (which I remember seeing on cable as a child), Fast Times At Ridgemont High (one of those iconic 80s movies I just never got around to), and the Christopher Guest comedy For Your Consideration.

My next stop was Super Fresh to get some things to make granola bars, including dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. After that, I went to the Bagel Shop for lunch. Had a roast beef and provolone sandwich on a 9-grain bagel for lunch.

Alas, by lunchtime, my head felt like a swollen balloon. I was stuffed up. My forehead was sore, and my neck ached. I rode home, hoping some fresh air would make me feel better.

I went for a short walk down to Goff Avenue and back, once again hoping the chilly air would do me some good. It didn't. Despite the brisk breeze, my head still felt like it was going to burst. I'm glad I went for the walk, though. The view of the river and ramp from the concrete launch on the end of Goff was spectacular today. The river was almost completely defrosted and very clear. You could see all the way to the Ben Franklin Bridge.

When I got home, my head still didn't feel much better. Oh well. I took some cold medicine and spent the next hour working on Wishcraft exercises. I made a spreadsheet of twenty things I enjoyed doing, when I did them, how much they cost, where I did them, etc. Most of the things I enjoy are free (walking, reading, writing) or only cost a minimal fee (yoga classes, making sure my bike is in good enough shape for the constant riding, browsing in stores).

I thought some baking might clear my head...but I turns out I didn't have the right butter for the Pecan Bars recipe I wanted to make. I improvised my own Peanut-Pecan Bars with pecans, chunky peanut butter, honey-nut-roasted peanuts, whole wheat flour. baking powder, baking soda, honey, brown sugar, and sea salt.

Ran Scooby Doo while doing the bars and making Baked Black Beans and Vegetables for dinner. Scooby and the gang are in Japan, where Daphne is invited to take part in an invitation-only martial arts competition. The martial arts academy where the competition is to take place is run by a princess who lives by Japan's older ways and rues how much technology has changed Japan's culture and eliminated many legends. One of those legends is the Ghost of the Black Samurai. When that ghost seems to come to life, Mystery Inc is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. But there's an even deeper mystery afoot in Japan, where it seems like legends never die...

One of the more interesting of the Scooby Doo movies I've seen. I liked the discussion of Japan's heavy embrace of technology vs. their older, more traditional ways of living. And Shaggy and Scooby made surprisingly good samurai.

And no, my head doesn't feel better, despite the cold medicine. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. If my head still wants to pound, I probably won't be going anywhere.

I've Got the Snow In the Morning and the Moon at Night

Yes, it did snow last night. I think we got about 3-4 inches all together. Not only was it not nearly as much as the last few times, it was fluffy and light and sparkly - spring snow, the kind that looks pretty coming down but doesn't last long. In fact, it was starting to melt even as I headed out the door. It was a lot warmer today than I or the weather reports (including the National Weather Service) thought it would be. I'm guessing it was in the mid-30s, instead of below freezing...which meant everything was melting. Though some of the sidewalks were still covered when I headed to work around quarter of 11, the streets were perfectly clear.

Work was quiet all day long. There was a mild spurt around noon...and then it just died again. First of all, we had several call-outs who were either sick or couldn't shovel their way out in time. Second, I have the feeling my bosses are right and most people did their shopping yesterday.

For once, I had a pleasant experience with WIC Check customers. A lady, her daughter, and her mother were really sweet. They were very understanding when they had to exchange their juices for 100% juice (no cocktails allowed), but otherwise, they had everything right. The daughter bagged without a fuss. The mother was funny. They seemed to like me, too. They said they appreciated my help and would shop there again - they'd just moved to the area. I was glad to help such nice people!

Beyond that, the day was boring. I got very sick very quickly of people complaining about the snow. It wasn't even that cold, and if it was windy, half of that glittery fluff would have been blown to Canada by morning! I really wish people would learn to deal with the weather better.

I, however, had every intention of enjoying the weather. I LIKE living where there's four seasons. Seeing the seasons change and the delights they bring is one of the great joys of life. I didn't even bother going upstairs when I got home. I just left my things in my bike basket and went for a walk in the park next-door.

It was like looking at the window of Tiffany's or a fresh, pure white linen sheet that was just laid down on a bed. It was breathtaking. There was barely a mark in the soft, translucent glitter that lay before me. I tramped through it, then rolled down the hill, like I did last month when it snowed, and made a snow angel. The snow was too fluffy for snowmen or snowballs, but I did toss some snow in the air to catch a passing breeze. It sparkled and twinkled in the late afternoon sun.

When I got in, I worked on the first couple of Wishcraft exercises. These mostly dealt with who you think you are, the things you loved in childhood, and what you want now. I did these when I took the book out last June, but my answers have changed so much since then, I decided to redo them.

The biggest change is that I no longer want a family. I want to be around people, yes, and even kids...but I don't want to raise them. I've seen my mother, sisters, and cousins raise children, and while I like kids, I don't think I want that kind of responsibility. Yes, I'd like to be part of a group...but I enjoy my space, too.

No Business Like Snow Business

Started the morning with grits with bananas and a grapefruit for breakfast. I ran the beginning of Annie Get Your Gun while I was doing the dishes. Annie is the 1950 adaptation of the hit Broadway show. Judy Garland was originally supposed to have played the title role. She filmed two numbers, but ultimately dropped out due to her many problems at the time. Betty Hutton took over playing Annie Oakley, the female sharp-shooter with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Shooter who charms everyone...including Indian chief Sitting Bull, who adopts her into his tribe, and bullheaded fellow marksman Frank Butler.

I love Irving Berlin's score for this one (yes, even the non-PC "I'm an Indian Too"), but the book hasn't dated that well. Still, if you can get around some of the comic treatment of Indians and smart ladies, there's a lot of really nice numbers here. My favorite - Annie and Frank come face-to-face (and high heel-to-rear) in the hilarious "Anything You Can Do."

Also included are the two sequences Judy Garland filmed before she dropped out, "Doin' What Comes Naturally" and "I'm An Indian Too." "Naturally" is genuinely charming. Garland has a lot of fun with the kids, and it's warmer and less pushy than Hutton's version. Garland, however, didn't seem to be up to the rigors of "Indian Too" - she's noticeably weary throughout the number.

Headed for the laundromat after breakfast. Thanks to those three days off last week, I only had one work uniform to wash and half the laundry I usually had to do. Good thing, too. Probably thanks to the holiday and the weather, the laundromat was very busy. I saw three older women, two men, three college students, and two couples with tons of laundry. Thankfully, I was able to get a washer and dryer without waiting.

Inspired by the tips in the Younger By the Day book I've been reading, I decided it was time to do something I haven't done in years. I cleared out my makeup and hair accessories. Most of my clips and scrunchies belonged to my mother or have been around for years. I rarely wear makeup, which means I replace it even less often. Some of my makeup has been around since I lived in Wildwood, and possibly longer. Anything that was stretched out or I knew had to be way past its expiration date was thrown away. Scratched clips were tossed. I really need new clips, and at least a new lipstick wouldn't hurt, either.

I had leftover teryiaki chicken cutlets with broccoli slaw and peas and brown rice for lunch while watching more of Annie. After lunch, I changed into my work uniform, packed dinner, and headed for the Acme.

It was sunny this morning, but the morning sun gave way to pearly gray clouds and wind this afternoon. Everyone fussed about snow and how cold it's gotten. Um...it was probably in the 40s when I rode to work. We were supposed to get around 1-3 inches of snow starting at 8. Thing is, I seem to remember this time last year, we also got a late snowstorm...that dumped about an inch or two of snow on us that didn't really do much damage. The ground was just too warm.

Between the weather and this being President's Day, we were busy for a lot of the night. Thankfully, it had slowed down enough by 8 for me to shut down, as I had no relief.

A woman claimed it was sleeting around 6:30. If it did, it either didn't do it here or didn't stick. It was still dry when I came out around 8. In fact, as far as I can tell, it didn't start snowing here until around 10. The snow seems to be coming down fairly hard and fast...but it's the light kind of snow that you can sweep up like dust.

Here's hoping that all of my readers had a wonderful President's Day Weekend!