Children In the Wind

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "Digger Runs Away" when he makes a mistake and soaks Dinkel's uniform. The others go after him, but when they run into villains, Digger has to rescue them. "The Commissioner Is Missing" and has been captured by Mastermind, a villain who was caught by the Shirt Tales before. He wants to catch them now, but he refuses to believe that the Shirt Tales could be fluffy small animals and keeps thinking they're just being pests.

Headed out after that. I was slightly late. Not a good thing, since we were busy all morning. I have no idea why we were busy. Memorial Day Weekend is next weekend. The only things going on this weekend are various yard sales and farm markets. I was behind on carts for a lot of the day. At least it was windy and chilly but not bad. The sun was in and out at that point. The clouds wouldn't start really clearing out until after I finished work and was making my way to Oaklyn.

(I also got my schedule before I left work. In good news, I'll have plenty of time to rest next week and will have no problem getting to Thomas Sharp's half-day next Friday and the Collingswood May Fair on Saturday. The only days I work at the Acme next week are Sunday and Wednesday, and they're both short hours. The head bagger is actually bagging, and a lot of college kids just got out of school. It does mean my Acme paycheck will be lousy, but it also means I'll have a chance to do more research.)

I had a quick lunch at Phillies Phatties, about a block from the school on West Clinton Avenue. They were surprisingly busy for 1:30, mainly with local families. I watched a darling little miss climb around (and try to climb into the back of) her stroller while enjoying a slice of basil and mozzarella and a slice of mushroom pizza and a can of Diet Pepsi.   

Since I had plenty of time, I dodged road repair on West Greenwood as I made my way down to Dunkin' Donuts. I still had that $5 gift card I got for Teacher Appreciation Week last Friday. They were dead as a doornail. Not even anyone in the drive through. I enjoyed a fruit punch donut (regular donut with very very pink fruity icing and crunchy topping) and Marshmallow Vanilla Matcha Latte (green tea with marshmallow topping, almond milk, and a shot of vanilla). Oooh, yum! They were both really good. The donut was a little dry, but the icing did taste like fruit punch. The latte was smooth and creamy and very sweet with the marshmallow topping. 

Instead of hanging around Dunkin', I just left for Thomas Sharp early. I made the right call. There was no one there to greet the kids when I came in. The head teacher called out. Fortunately, the other teachers weren't far behind me. We had 26 kids today, 9 at my table, and they were absolutely wild. Two of the little girls went to the bathroom on their own without asking an adult. I found them in a stall, flushing the toilet and giggling. I climbed under the door and into the stall to tell them not to hide and why this wasn't a good idea. Later, they hid under one of the cafeteria tables again and couldn't be coaxed out for anything. I tried to pull one out, and she bonked her head on the table. I gently held them on my lap while I apologized for pulling at her, rubbed her head, and pointed out that bonked heads were a big part of why they aren't supposed to play under the tables. 

It was almost 4 when we finally got them all outside. On one hand, they did argue over the swings and kept trying to go on them when there were too many kids around. On the other hand, when they did get on, they were hilarious. Near the end of my shift, I pushed a boy and a girl who kept laughing and saying they were going higher and faster than the other, even though I was pushing them about the same height and speed. They were sooo funny! The other teachers had just taken the remaining 3 younger kids to play with the 4 older kids still in the cafeteria when I left.

Went straight into Price Is Right and Match Game '73 when I got home. Tonight's episodes were entirely devoted to the week with "Mama" Cass Elliot that also gave us the debut of game show host Bill Cullen on the show. It's too bad Cass didn't live to come back. Other than some unnecessary weight jokes from Richard Dawson, she seemed to have a good time that week and played pretty well. Brett Somers spent the week arguing with her then-husband Jack Klugman in the seat next to her (for the last time until 1978). 

Finished the night with Murder She Wrote. It's "A Fashionable Way to Die" when Jessica attends a fashion show put on by her dress designer friend Eva Taylor (Barbara Rush) and they find her benefactor dead in his hotel room shortly afterwards. Turns out the gentleman had been extorting cash from just about everyone around him, including Eva, a popular model (Tania Elg), and the daughter of a cabaret singer (Juliet Prowse). Jessica has to convince the local gendarme that he has the wrong woman with the help of two maids who heard gunshots 20 minutes apart. 

One Day at a Time

Began the morning with breakfast and The Pirates of Dark Water. "The Little Leviathan" is a baby sea serpent Ren rescues from the Dark Water. He becomes fond of the little one, despite eating Niddler's Mellons and annoying Ioz. All three are captured by Bloth, just as a family of leviathans turn up looking for their child. That baby may be the only way the trio can get free and find the next treasure, before the leviathans do a lot more damage.

Spent the rest of the morning doing more research on home-buying. Today, I went further into closing costs and terms like appraisal, escrow, and underwriting. I'm beginning to realize that I went about house-hunting all wrong. I should have done this months ago, probably over the winter, then talked to banks or the government about loans after I learned more about them and got help to please my case. 

Next week, I'll look into the human side of house-hunting and do research on housing counselors. mortgage brokers, and anyone else who helps you find a home. I may talk to Rose later in the week too and see what she knows about the legal side of things. Rose bought her home over a decade ago when things were a little less rigid and expensive, but she did buy it and knows what it's like to want a home of your own.

Watched Li'l Abner while I worked. I go further into this 1959 adaptation of the Broadway show and famous comic strip at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Li'l Abner (1959)

Watched two episodes of The Adventures of Superman as I ate my leftover fries and gyro for lunch. In "The Case of the Talkative Dummy," Lois and Clark investigate when a ventriloquist complains that his dummy seems to talk on his own. Turns out this "dummy" and what he says may be linked to gang of crooks and a series of armed car robberies. 

"The Mystery of the Broken Statues" doesn't seem like much of a mystery when Lois sees a pair of con-men breaking cheap animal statues. She and Clark later discover that the statues hold clues to the location of a valuable gemstone. 

Hurried out to the Thomas Sharp School after the second episode ended. Got there just in time, which was a very good thing. Though we only had 22 younger kids today, they were still pretty antsy, including the 8 at my table. I'm glad we got them outside earlier this time, especially given it's supposed to get really hot next week. Some of the kids chased the college-age teacher. Others gathered around the chain link fence and tried to call out to Mr. Softee in the hope that he'd stop so they could buy ice cream, but to no avail. Some of the smaller ones danced to "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "I Like to Move It," the themes from Bluey and PJ Masks, and songs from Moana, Frozen, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

I did have to argue with them over the swings. One little girl accidentally ran into me with her head when she was laying stomach-first on the swing and I was arguing with her. She knocked into my bad knee, and I let out such a loud yelp that I was able to get her off. Later, when she and her best friend were legitimately allowed on, I apologized for the yell and explained that they'd scared me. I also told them that everyone has to wait in line, even adults in line at the grocery store or at the doctor's office. 

Went straight into Match Game '73 when I got home. These episodes finished out the week with Patti Deusch and Jim Bakcus. Probably the most notable moment that week was when Gene said "Can we get a little milk from Patti" in response to a question, and she took it a whole different way.

Finished the night listening to another extremely 50's musical on LP. Redhead debuted on Broadway in 1959 and was a huge hit, winning a Tony for the show and for its lead Gwen Verdon. Verdon played Essie Whimple, a plain young lady in Victorian London who works for her aunts' wax museum. Their latest display showing the death of chorus girl Ruth LaRue brings out policemen and her former co-workers, including handsome strong man Tom Baxter (Richard Kiley). Hoping to attract Tom's attention, Essie lies about knowing who the murderer is and even fakes attempts on her life...but the fakery turns real when the actual murderer believes her fibs and comes after her.

Without the lavish dances and the huge production that made this such a hit in 1959, this is...just ok. Verdon's obviously having a ball on big dance routines like "Erbie Fitch's Twitch" and "The Right Finger of My Left Hand," but Kiley's big ballads are dull, and as in Li'l Abner, the dance routines are more there for dance's sake rather than to move the story along. I suspect this is too lightweight for a major revival, but there's a few fun titles if you're a fan of Verdon or comic mysteries. 

Night of the Spring Winds

Began the day with breakfast and Little Bear. "Grandfather's Attic" is full of treasures, from rocking horses to his old top hat. They're supposed to be clearing them out, but they end up reliving some fond memories instead. "Little Bear's Egg" is small and blue, and it's lost. Owl assumes it's from a small blue bird, but a mother robin who is missing an egg knows better. There's a "because" "Party at Owl's House" to celebrate Emily leaving after the summer. There's hats, games, and Mother and Father Bear bring chocolate cake and lemonade.

Hurried off to work on my bike after the cartoon ended. It was blustery and sunny, too nice for Uber. I had to dodge a lot of road work that made me a bit late. That was the worst thing that happened all day. The Acme was quiet as can be. We're in the middle of the month, between holidays, and the Sixers and Flyers are out of the playoffs. I barely had any carts to gather. I did put away a few cold returns, but other than that, there were no problems whatsoever.

After I changed my shirt, I headed out on my bike. Had lunch at Common Grounds Coffee House in Oaklyn. They were even quieter than the Acme had been. I had no problem finding a lovely little table by the window to eat my salty-sweet Earl Gray scone and bacon-spinach quiche and sip my Berry Refresher (green tea and various juices). Even with lingering over my Berry drink, it was still early when I left for West Collingswood. I relaxed at the outdoor tables in front of Crust N' Cravings before moving on to the school.

Glad I got there early today. We had 24 kids today, 8 at my table. The ones at my table cleaned up pretty well and could have been worse in the bathroom. Once again, it was after snack time when they got crazy. One of the boys got his cars mixed up with his friend's and threw an absolute fit over it. He was the only one held back when we went outside, and that was more to get him calmed down. I had to point out metal shelves full of learning toys and papers to get a boy to behave in the bathroom halls...and even then, he tried to climb the shelves. They fussed over the swings, too, including when they finally got on them. On the other hand, I caught one delighted little girl who leaped into my arms from the blue plastic steps leading up to the swings, and they had a ball chasing the new college-age male teacher with the very long legs. 

The weather wasn't bad at that point. It was beautiful and sunny, if gale-force windy, for most of the afternoon. Clouds were starting to gather, even as the head teacher called the remaining four kids to the blacktop to play ball games. I wanted to avoid any rain and hurried home the moment my shift ended.

Watched The Price Is Right when I got home. Arrived in time for the Showdowns. One was crossword-themed, with a trip to Italy and a trailer as the big prize. The other had no theme and was pretty much just living room furniture and things like vacuums to go with it. There was some mix-up with the woman who bid on the crossword Showdown, but it was finally revealed that she was way under. The other woman came in closer and got her couches and carpeting.

Had dinner while watching Match Game '73. This was the week with the infamous episode where Gene sported a green and red plaid suit that was hideous even by the standards of the early 70's. Jack Carter said it looked like a station break in Poland, and he wasn't wrong. At the end of the episode, everyone was so excited after the contestant won, most of the panel ran out into the audience and gave them hugs and kisses! The last episode of the night was the start of the next week, the first for Patti Deusch and the only appearance of Jim "Mr. Magoo" Backus.

Finished the night after a shower with The Wild Wild West. Jim West and Artemis Gordon find themselves involved with "The Night of the Flying Pie Plate" when what we would now call a space ship or flying saucer lands at a small town. The beautiful green-skinned ladies from Venus claims their ship needs 400 pounds of gold as fuel. Jim just happened to accompany gold dust on its way to the US Mint to the town. Jim and Artemis smell a Venusian rat, especially after Jim falls for one of the supposedly alien women and learns she's more human than she lets on. 

Oh, and it remained cloudy for the rest of the night. Thankfully, the clouds waited to burst until about 20 minutes ago. The rain is going at a pretty good clip now. 

A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel Asks What Friends Like" when he wants to give hi-fives, but his friends have other ways of greeting people. He doesn't like it when Prince Wednesday calls him Danny, even though Wednesday calls himself W. "Miss Elania's Space Restaurant" is open for business at the Merry-Go-Round Museum. Elaina wears her apron as an apron and is upset that Katarina wants to wear hers as a cape, until their mothers remind them that everyone has their own ways of doing things.

Spent the rest of the morning doing research on basic house-hunting and what I need to do now. The rest of this week, and possibly part of next week, will be spent doing research into house-hunting on days when I don't have two shifts. Buying a dwelling is a lot more complicated than I thought. I have a friend I could talk to about more of the basics, and I need to call Rose and ask her about the legalities. I need to do more research on things like closing costs and housing inspections, too. 

But most of all, I need to see if I can find a housing counselor. I'll call about those next week. There's too much going on here for even just one or two people to deal with on their own. PNC and Camden County have already turned me down for loans. I need to learn more about the basics and find out who will accept good credit and savings without a perfect debt-income ratio.

Listened to jazz vocalists while I looked over websites, took notes, and had a quick lunch. Songs for Swingin' Lovers is one of Frank Sinatra's most famous releases for Capitol Records in the 50's. Every song here is among the best performances he ever gave. Probably the most iconic are "You Make Me Feel So Young" and "I've Got You Under My Skin," but "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me," "Old Devil Moon," "I Thought About You," and "How About You?" are a lot of fun, too.

Johnny Mathis' I Just Found Out About Love is a tribute to a songwriter who often crafted melodies for Sinatra as well, Jimmy McHugh. The title number and "Love Me as Though There Were No Tomorrow" are from a McHugh stage musical Strip for Action that apparently ran into major trouble for doing just what it said in the title before being shut down in Boston. Too bad, because the songs are really nice. "I'm In the Mood for Love" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street" are far better-known today. There's also the sweet "Warm and Willing" and charming "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening."

This time, I got out on time and arrived at the Thomas Sharp School on time. They were in the library when I arrived. The music class was still rehearsing in the cafeteria. Once again, the 26 kids were really noisy. Even my 8 kids were noisy in the bathrooms. They were noisy when they got out of the bathrooms. I had to separate two girls who kept pestering one of the boys. One of the girls fibbed to me about the markers belonging to one of the kids. The pre-schoolers aren't allowed to use markers. They make too much of a mess with them. The girl ran out in the hallway in a fit. I coaxed her out by taking her to the bathroom to wash her marker-covered hands. Ironically, her father was waiting for her when we got back.

They were only slightly less noisy once I came back. They got so crazy, at least 10 kids had to be kept back so the head teacher could talk to them. Once we got out, I had to argue them off the swings at least twice before enough kids went home that they were finally allowed on. (Including the little boy who fell off yesterday. He's perfectly fine.) I did have to argue with an older boy who was outside to let the other kids have their turns. He threw a tantrum, but did get on before his mother came for him. Other kids drew with chalk (and got covered in chalk dust) while listening to "You've Got a Friend In Me" from Toy Story, "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" from Lilo and Stitch, "I'm Still Standing," "The Pink Tiger Hunt," the theme from Bluey, and songs from Encanto, The Lion King, and Frozen. 

At least the weather couldn't have been more perfect for them to be running around. As several parents pointed out when we were outside, this was about as nice of a spring day as one could wish. Like I told one of the littlest boys, the sky was bluey-blue, the sun was bright yellow, the wind felt nice, not cold, and it was just warm enough. It's awesome when spring really feels like spring! They were having so much fun, the other teachers were only just taking the remaining 4 kids to the blacktop to play ball games when I left.

Since it's two blocks down from the school on Magill Avenue, I had dinner at Zena's American Mediterranean Restaurant. Small but attractive blue-and-white painted space on the first floor of an older apartment building sells basic Mediterranean sandwiches, salads, and entrees. I had an enormous chicken gyro, a huge wicker basket overflowing with fries, two small pieces of baklava, and Turkey Hill iced tea. It was all tasty, but so big, I took half of the gyro and about three-quarters of the fries home with me.

Made a really quick stop at CVS on the way home, mainly so I could use the bathroom. Finally remembered to get D batteries, too. My flashlight is starting to look a little on the dim side. 

Watched the second half of Match Game '73 when I got home. They finished out the week with Pat Harrington and moved on to Fannie Flagg's first week. It was the first of two times she was in the 4th "ingenue" seat before she moved permanently to seat 6 by early '74. Bert Convy, comedian Jack Carter, and comedy writer Ann Elder join in here as well.

Finished the night with Mystery Science Theater 3000. The Mole People is a B-sci-fi double feature flick from 1956 that's basically "underground Lost Horizon." After a rather dull and dry opening prologue where a real-life professor explains what you're about to see, archaeologists Dr. Roger Bentley (John Agar) and Dr. Jud Bellamin (Hugh Beaumont) take 20 minutes talking about their major finds, before they finally get under the Earth to prove their theories. They find a race of albino Sumerians living in a lavish kingdom, keeping the Mole People of the title as their slaves. Roger falls for a beautiful blonde (Cynthia Patrick) who has never seen sunlight while using his flashlight to keep the Sumerians at bay. They can't handle bright sunlight, and even sacrifice maidens to it. The flashlight has just gone out when the Mole People finally revolt, and an earthquake once and for all destroys both the kingdom and the maiden who decided she'd rather not see the sun...

It's too bad the first half of this is dull as dishwater and moves slower than the Mole People. The second half is honestly a not-bad Lost Horizon/Phantom Empire-style lost civilization yarn. The Mole People don't turn up until almost the end of the movie, the love interest is perfunctory at best, and the robots are right that people (especially Agar) spend way too much time talking and not enough time doing sci-fi stuff. I like some of the ideas, though, including sacrificing maidens to the bright sunlight. Worth checking out with or without robot wisecracks if you're a fan of lost civilization stories and can get past that lethally dull first hour and some of the plot holes. 

Wild Games

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "The Humbolt Ghost" edges into Scooby Doo territory as the animals try to figure out where the ghost haunting an old mansion came from and what it's after. "Figby, the Spoiled Brat Cat" looks adorable, but he causes nothing but trouble when the Commissioner insists that Dinkel and the animals watch him.

After I took the laundry downstairs, I spent the rest of the morning looking up credit unions, whom I suspect may be the only ones I could get a loan from at this point...and realized that I don't really know anything about buying a condo at all. I've never bought anything this big before. The biggest thing I've bought before this was a bike, and that cost about $300. I looked up phrases like "closing costs" and what needs to be done before you put money down. I thought you just got a loan and bought a condo.

Keep in mind that I'm doing this alone. I really don't have many people I can ask. Later this week, along with doing more research on buying condos, I'll look up local mortgage brokers - people who help loans and home buying for a living - in this area and see how much they cost and check their reviews. I just want out of the attic at this point. I was hoping to be out by early next year, but considering I was turned down by a major bank and Camden County, I'm wondering if I'll ever get out at all.

Listened to records from relatively recent animated and family musicals while I did research and put the laundry in the dryer. Trolls is probably best-known today for the massive hit "Can't Stop the Feeling," which is on here twice (in the film version and Justin Timberlake's smash single), but the soundtrack has other virtues. The kids in the after-school program love the medley "Move Your Feet/D.A.N.C.E/It's a Sunshine Day," but my favorite number is Poppy doing whatever she can to "Get Back Up Again." 

Although The Garfield Movie isn't a musical, there's some pretty decent songs on the soundtrack. Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and Dean Martin's "That's Amore" turn up in two of the most memorable scenes in the film, but the big hit was "Good Life" by Jon Batiste. Hannah Waddingham gets the hilarious declaration "I'm Back." Callum Scott's "Then There Was You" is also a lot of fun.

The live-action Snow White had a lot of problems last year, but its soundtrack wasn't one of them. The utterly adorable version of "Whistle While You Work" that had Snow White working together with the dwarfs and animals to clean their cottage is by far my favorite number. The lively opener "Good Things Grow" is my favorite of the songs written for this film version. Alas, Gail Godot isn't really much of a singer and does no favors to her song "All Is Fair."

Broke for a quick lunch and to rush out to the Thomas Sharp School. Lunch took longer than I thought, and I ended up being five minutes late. This was absolutely not a good thing. We had 26 kids today, 10 at my table, and they were all totally insane. Two of the girls and a boy hid under the table in the cafeteria, where they are not supposed to go. Two older girls kept trying to bother one of the boys, who was just trying to draw. I had to separate them all twice. The head teacher had to threaten to keep all of the boys who had been playing with magnetic tiles with staying inside to get them to clean up their mess.

It was just as crazy when we got outside. For one thing, though the sun came out as the kids ran around, it was still windy and chillier than it has been, probably in the lower 60's. There were still so many kids when we went out, it was quarter of 5 before they were allowed on the swings. They pushed each other and knocked each other over. Even when they did finally get on the swings, one of the boys accidentally let go when he was swinging high and ended up hitting the ground hard. He more had the wind knocked out of him than anything else, but the head teacher took him inside. The kids drawing with chalk on the concrete listened to "I'm Still Standing," "Swab the Deck," and songs from The Lion King, Moana, and Frozen. 

I made a very brief stop at Dollar General for electrolyte drink mix sticks on the way home. When I got in, I had dinner and watched Match Game '73. Most of tonight's episodes were devoted to the only week featuring Pat Harrington, later of One Day at a Time. One episode from this week had Gene turn up in a gray checked suit with a pink bow tie that Pat and Brett (accurately) claimed made him look like half of a vaudeville team. This was also the episode where Pat said to Richard Dawson "that was more than Diana (Dors, his ex-wife) ever did for you." Richard, whose divorce from Dors had been difficult, to say the least, ruefully agreed. 

Took a shower after the episodes ended, then made the bed and finished the night with other game shows featuring celebrity panels. These were some of the earliest game shows on television. If a game show in the mid-50's wasn't a big-money quiz show, it had a select group of well-dressed celebrities trying to guess who a person was or what they did for a living. In the case of Make the Connection from 1955, the panel has to guess the connection between two people. Hispanic bandleader Xavier Cugat and his wife, singer Abbe Lane, were the guests on one of the surviving episodes and gave the panel a lesson in playing Latin musical instruments. With Gene Rayburn hosting and Betty White on the panel, this show is just a tiny bit less formal than most of its ilk. 

The 70's upped the comedy quotient. The syndicated I've Got a Secret from 1973 retained later host Steve Allen and gave Richard Dawson major exposure. The episode I have here with Don Knotts is pretty typical of the show as a whole. (And I learned something, too. I wonder if they still use that lady's recordings telling you the time over the phone?) Match Game was leaning heavily on wacky shenanigans by the time of this episode in 1978. Poor Richard's hand is crushed by a huge contestant, and he ends up whispering his answer to a very nervous Marcia Wallace.

Panel games were fewer on the ground in the 80's. Most of them moved too slow, and the celebrities proved expensive. Bert Convy and Bert Reynolds' Third Degree from 1989 attempted to bring back the "panelists guess what a person does." In fact, this has a lot in common with Make the Connection. Once again, the panel has to guess how two people relate to one another. It wasn't really all that exciting despite some interesting guests and barely lasted 8 months. 

Kids had more fun with Figure It Out on Nickelodeon in 1997. This is basically Junior I've Got a Secret, with a panel of Nick teen celebrities (including Amanda Byrnes in the episode I have here) and a ton more slime. Summer Sanders is the energetic host. 

Guess along with some of the wackiest celebrities on TV as they try to figure it out, make connections, and give related people the third degree!

Make the Connection (1955)

I've Got a Secret Syndicated (1973)

Match Game (1978)

Third Degree (1989)

Figure It Out (1998)

A Day for Mothers

Started off my morning with the Colliers Junior Classics Harvest of Holidays anthology. Did the material for Arbor Day first, since I forgot to do it last month. "Mr. Plum and the Little Green Tree" is the long piece here, a sweet story about a kindly cobbler who saves the little tree in front of his shop from being chopped down. The other material is all poetry, including the famous "Trees." The long Mother's Day piece is "My Mother Is the Most Beautiful Woman In the World." A little Ukranian girl gets lost in the wheat fields and tells people that her mother is the most beautiful woman in the world when they ask her where she is. People tease her when she does find her plump, genial mother, but her mom knows that her daughter can see with her heart.

Called my own mother even before I had breakfast. Mom herself seemed to be in a pretty decent mood. She's been walking into Yorktown, a small tourist enclave that, as fans of Hamilton know, was where Cornwallis surrendered to end the Revolutionary War. Mom says it's expensive but attractive and a nice walk. They're not far from Williamsburg, too. She's more concerned about my brother Keefe and his wife Julia. Keefe just had surgery on his eyes. One came out just fine. They're waiting to see how the other will be. They're also having difficulty with their older daughter Aurora, who may have special needs and need more help.

I told Mom about my own long week. She was really understanding about all the trouble I had, especially with Jessa and with getting loans. She's having a hard time buying a home down in Virginia, too. Apparently, they're one of the more expensive southern states. 

After I got off with her, I put on Miss Peggy Lee Sings the Songs of Cy Coleman while eating breakfast. Coleman's known for his songs from Broadway shows nowadays, like "Hey Look Me Over" from Wildcat, "I've Got Your Number" from Little Me, and "Big Spender" from Sweet Charity. What's not as well-remembered as that he also wrote pop songs with no stage connections. The best-known is probably the hit "The Best Is Yet To Come," which is usually associated nowadays with Frank Sinatra. Lee wrote three songs with Coleman she performs here, "I'm In Love Again," "That's My Style," and "Then Is Then (And Now Is Now)." "When In Rome, Do as the Romans Do" was written for Little Me but not used. "Pass Me By" is from the romantic comedy Father Goose.

Headed off to work after the record ended and got there on time for once. Good thing, too. As one of my co-workers pointed out, the Acme was a zoo for the entire afternoon. Everyone wanted flowers for Mom and to make her a big dinner. Thank heavens I spent the entire afternoon outside. There was plenty of help. The morning bagger was there when I arrived, the evening bagger when I left. They handled the trash and the inside chores. I just pushed carts, enjoying the sun this morning, then the clouds and occasional light showers when they rolled in around 2:30. Absolutely no trouble whatsoever. 

I had slightly more problems refilling my blood pressure medication after work. My insurance had expired. I already knew about it. Apparently, it expired this February, likely due to the lack of hours I had last winter. I just sent the paperwork for the extension in the mail today. Thankfully, the medicine only cost $13, which is hardly a problem. I forgot honey yesterday, too. 

After I got home, I changed and finished listening to Nature's Baby. This Lena Horne album couldn't be more 1971 if it tried. I think I like her version of "Maybe I'm Amazed" better than the Beatles' rendition, and she does nice versions of "A Song for You," "It's Not Easy Being Green," and "Your Song" too. "Think About Your Troubles" is from the unique animated TV musical The Point. "I Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (Ain't Nobody Perfect)" and "Only the Moon and Me" are the best of the lesser-known material.

My Trolls album arrived from Amazon around this point. This was the only soundtrack played frequently at the after-school program that I didn't have. It's only $19 at Amazon right now, which is cheap for a recent soundtrack release. 

Finished the night with the Sunday Match Game marathon. Mothers appeared on the panel as well as in the audience. Peter Issakson's mother came to all his appearances, and apparently accompanied him wherever he went. Likewise, Betty White's beloved mother Tess often came to see her daughter play. Gene's mother was in the audience at least once. Brett proudly pointed out her beautiful redheaded daughter Leslie in the audience (who looked a lot like a younger version of her mother).

There were mothers on the panel, too. As mentioned last week, Jo Ann Pflug and Patti Deusch both appeared while pregnant, Patti multiple times. TV and movie moms who did at least one week on the show included Bonnie Franklin of One Day at a Time, Isobel Sanford of The Jeffersons, Esther Rolle of Good Times, Michael Lerned of The Waltons, Barbara Billingsly of Leave It to Beaver on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, Jamie Lee Curtis of the Freaky Friday films, and Ethel Merman, who played Gopher's mother on The Love Boat. 

Celebrate Mother's Day matching with some of the wackiest mothers on television in this sweet and heartfelt marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Mother's Day Bash 2026

(Oh, and the showers have continued off and on for the rest of the evening. There was even a thunderstorm at one point, though that's long gone.) 

Mothers and Matches

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "Donald's Clubhouse Sleepover" is at his very own boat-shaped home on a lake. Donald loves it and keeps showing off what it can do, even as his friends try to sleep. The others have to figure out how to get him settled down, so they can all get to sleep. 

Though it was only cloudy at that point, I still called Uber. I didn't trust the weather, and I had grocery shopping to do later. They arrived in 9 minutes...but I called too late and was slightly late to work. They took 8 minutes going home.

Other than that and I had to clean up a spill from one of the watermelon chunk bowls, there were no other problems today. We were really busy, especially later in the morning. I could hardly keep up with the carts! There was no help, either. The head bagger was helping in the floral department, and everyone else was needed up front. At least the weather held out. The clouds remained, and it was windy and relatively warm, but it didn't rain.

Went right into grocery shopping after work. Restocked yogurt, chicken, cheese, soda, granola bars, brownie cookies, and strawberries. Had online coupons for Like Air puffcorn and Siggi yogurt. Bumble Bee tuna was buy five cans, get them for 99 cents each. I had to go back and get the right ones when three out of the five cans I picked up were packed in oil instead of water. Got a slice of chocolate cake for a special treat.

When I got home, I had lunch while watching the last episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus currently on Disney Plus. Mickey and Minnie go back to fairy tales with "The Candy Cottage." They're Hansel and Gretel who must find the candy to fix Wizard Pete's cottage after Donald eats part of it and Pete puts him under a sleeping spell. Peppermint Clarabelle, Farmer Goofy and his candy apple trees, and Daisy Bo Peep and her marshmallow-wool sheep may be able to help.

Took a much-needed early shower, then put everything away and got into bed for a nap. I've had a really long week, and I've been up too late a lot recently. I badly needed the rest. I went down at 3 PM and didn't roll out of bed until 5:30.

(Oh, and it did finally rain around 2:30-3 PM, not long after I got home. The rain had long disappeared by the time I finished my nap. It was gorgeous for the rest of the evening, sunny and warm.) 

Put on The Lawrence Welk Show next. Honored Jo Anne Castle, the honky-tonk pianist and comedienne who passed away yesterday, with a spring-themed episode from 1966. Jo Anne is my favorite performer in the 60's episodes. Her joy, talent, big heart, and voluptuous figure proves that you don't need to look like a sweet little Lennon Sister to be a variety show scene-stealer. Jo Anne and her piano "go green" here with her fabulous rendition of the old Al Jolson favorite "Swanee." 

The Lawrence Welk Show - Springtime In the Rockies (1966) 

Finished the night with dinner and today's Match Game marathon. Mothers - those who played them on TV, real-life mothers, and questions about mothers and motherhood - abounded on this show. One of the first mothers to appear on the show in 1973 was also possibly the most unique. Carolyn "Morticia Addams" Jones did a memorable week late in the year. Esther Rolle of Good Times turned up in 1974 along with bass-voiced comedian Joe Silver. Isobel Sanford of The Jeffersons and Bonnie Franklin of One Day at a Time made their first appearances in 1976, Sanford on a hilarious week that also included composer Marvin Hamlisch. Hope Lange of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, who remained friends with Charles even after that show ended its run, turned up in mid-1978. 

Real mothers appeared on the panel and in the audience, too. Producer Mark Goodson's mother Fanny was spotted in the audience at least twice during the syndicated run. Bart Braverman mentioned his grandmother on the same episode that Charles wished his Swedish mother in Connecticut a happy birthday. Towering-yet-boyish Peter Issacson pointed out his mother in the audience during the first day of his week in 1975. During Hope Lange's week, Gene turned up in the opening with two toddlers. One was Patti Deusch's son Max; the other was Gary Burghoff's darling daughter Gina. Elaine Joyce's daughter Taylor was seen twice during the syndicated run; the episode here has her appearing in her adorable Polish dance costume.

Bring your mother along to match with some of the funniest mothers on TV in this hilarious and touching marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Mothers are Beautiful Marathon

Appreciated Harts

Began the day with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "The Late, Late Show" has nothing to do with Stephen Colbert. Mickey and the others want to stay awake and see a meteor shower, but they keep falling asleep! Donald in particular spends the episode nodding off. They have to find ways to stay awake before the big celestial event hits.

Thankfully, work wasn't really much of a problem today. The head bagger was there, but though she did sweep during my break, she mostly helped the floral department manager. Not that I really needed her much anyway. We were dead the entire morning. There were barely any carts to do. I'm guessing everyone is waiting for Mother's Day weekend.

I'm less happy with my schedule. Other than a later day on Sunday. it's the exact same schedule as this week...up to and including working Wednesday and Friday. The head bagger took Friday and Saturday off.

Soon as I changed and grabbed pads, I headed out. I took my bike today, partially so I could ride up to the Legacy Diner for lunch. After the week I'd had, I needed pancakes rather badly. I had my favorite coconut-pineapple pancakes, bacon, and water. The pancakes were so huge, I'm glad I went with the short stack. The bacon was melt-in-your-mouth crispy. Though the waitress took a little while to get my order, the food came quick after that. I was out fast enough that I got to the Thomas Sharp School a little bit early.

On one hand, we had a lot fewer kids today. Some of the classes went on a school trip, so we only had 18 little ones and 14 older kids today. On the other hand, they got pretty crazy, especially in the bathroom. I had 7 at my table, but there were so few at the other tables, we ended up taking them together. Probably not a good idea, considering how crazy they were. I brought the one straggler back. 

When the kids finished their snacks, we gathered those interested at a table to do an art project. They drew cards for their mothers with colored pencils and the dot markers from the March St. Patrick's Day pot of gold pictures. The head teacher gave them colorful stickers for their cards, most of which ended up on the floor. The boys next to them playing with Hot Wheels cars and magnetic tiles were so noisy, they got lucky they were able to go outside at all. 

We finally were able to get the kids out around 4 PM. The sun had been in and out all day, but by that point, it was sunny, blustery, and maybe even a little humid. I did have to argue with one little girl about getting on the swings while there were still too many kids around. She and her friend wailed because one of the older boys wouldn't play with them. I tried to point out that he wanted to play with boys closer to his own age, but they weren't having any of it. One of them did finally get her way when he was briefly on the swings at the same time as her. The remaining 4 kids happily ran around and asked me to push them on the swings until I finished and the other teachers took them inside to get their things and clean up the remaining stickers and markers mess.

And...those kids and their families are such sweethearts. One little boy and his mother came in today just to hand out boxes of home-made white chocolate-covered strawberries and white chocolate-caramel pretzels and Target gift cards to the teachers. A little girl and her family gave us 5 dollar gift cards to Dunkin' Donuts. They're some of the only people right now who really do make me feel loved and appreciated, even when they drive me crazy.

Watched Match Game '73 when I got home. Most of the episodes were for the early week with Dick Gautier, his then-wife Barbara Stuart, and Oscar-winner Shelley Winters. Gautier and Stuart seemed to do decent enough playing off each other (though one episode from this week is banned due to an offensive answer from Dick and the contestant). I'm not sure Shelley entirely got the humor. Robert Culp didn't do much better next week. Pat Carroll, on the other hand, seemed to have a great time, and it's a shame she never came back.

Finished the night with Hart to Hart. "The Hartbreak Kid" is Reilly, the little girl who gives Max tips on the horses at the stables. She's close with the Harts, their filly J.J Hart, and his trainer. Reilly ends up in big trouble when she accidentally overhears two men who have money on another horse try to get him to throw the race. The Harts bring Reilly home with them for Christmas and to find her grandmother. Even when Granny turns up, she's not what she seems...and the Harts have to rescue Max and Reilly and figure out how they can win the race without anyone getting hurt. 

Dolls on a Perfect Spring Day

Began the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. Mickey is reading "Daisylocks and the Three Bears" to his teddy bear Duffy when Daisylocks herself turns up at his door. She's supposed to be delivering blueberries to the Three Bears, but she got lost. Mickey and the gang help lead her home and wake up Papa Bear when she gets there. 

Switched to Pirates of Dark Water while getting organized. "The Collector" is a wizard who shrinks ships and seals them in bottles to take their treasures. He first steals a ship that Ioz sneaked aboard to get his treasure, then gets the Wraith. It's up to Ren and Niddler to trick the wizard and reverse the spell.

Spent the rest of the morning dressing the dolls for warmer spring weather. Ariel is in a hand-made pink polka dot dress with pearls sewn on the smocking that I bought from a doll dress maker two years ago. She borrowed Samantha's side bow headband. Samantha is dressed for her birthday in her Pink Striped Dress and Lace Pinafore with the white and pink shoes. Molly's also in a hand-made outfit, in this case a recreation of her hard-to-find Victory Garden Dress. Josefina celebrates a late Cinco Del Mayo in her gorgeous Dress and Vest with the lovely red and gold print skirt and black velvet vest. She wears it with her gold embroidered shawl from her Feast Day Finery.

Barbara Jean's hot pink fringed and sequined dress and fur wrap was supposed to be a play outfit for Melody, but I have it as her ultra-chic prom gown. She borrowed a tiara from the Sugar Plum Fairy ballet outfit to make her the queen of the Cherry Hill High East prom. Felicity is ready to help me clean in her green striped Work Gown and the lace-trimmed apron I originally bought from Cold Spring Village years ago as a pinafore for Samantha. Kit's ready to find that scoop in the second version of her Reporter Dress with the polka-dot vest and skirt and the cute rickrack side collar and bow. Whitney goes red, white, and blue for Decoration Day (Memorial Day when her story is set in 1959) in Maryellen's bow-print School Outfit. 

Listened to two of my recent record finds as I worked. Hooligans is one of the many Who greatest hits collections floating around. I have Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy on CD, but that one stops in the early 70's. This one goes up to Who are You and includes songs from that, Quadrophena, Who's Next, and Who By the Numbers. Of the less familiar non-album singles, my favorite is "Join Together." Other later songs on here I love include the dynamic live "Summertime Blues," "The Song Is Over," and the title song from Who are You. 

Diana Ross' self-titled album from 1980 was one of her biggest hits and featured two of her most popular singles, the bouncy "Upside Down" and upbeat "I'm Comin' Out." Other good ones here featured her in a more typical bluesy mode. I especially liked "Now That You're Gone" and the cute "Have Fun (Again)."

Headed out early after Diana Ross ended. Picked up two soft pretzels and a pepperoni-filled pretzel from A&A Pretzel Shop and ate them at the stone bench along the road leading into the Bettlewood entrance to Newton Lake Park. I didn't have much time to enjoy them. I had to hurry along to work. 

I was a minute or two late, nothing horrible...which was a good thing. Despite there only being 23 kids today, they were pretty riled up, even the 8 kids at my table. I had to coax one little girl who decided to hide in the bathroom stall out so she could go back with the others. 

Thankfully, we were able to get them out to the playground early. It was too nice for them to be inside for long, anyway. Like I told one little girl when she finally got on the swings, this was just about the most perfect weather you could imagine. It was golden sunny, warm, and blustery, probably in the upper 60's. If the kids weren't chasing each other, they were playing hide and seek with me and the other teachers, racing Hot Wheels cars down slides, or dancing to Taylor Swift songs, "The Floor Is Quicksand," "Diggin' In the Dirt," and songs from Encanto, The Lion King, Moana, and KPop Demon Hunters. There were four left when we took them briefly back inside to get anything they'd left there, then joined the remaining 8 older kids on the blacktop to let the teachers conduct their meeting in the cafeteria.

Took a shower when I got home, then had dinner while watching Three Daring Daughters. I go further into this charming vehicle for Jane Powell and Jeanette MacDonald at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy Mother's Day! - Three Daring Daughters

Finished the night with more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "A Dragon Tale" has Mickey and the gang trying to get a fire-breathing dragon away from Queen Clarabelle's front door so she can have her tea party. Turns out the dragon isn't anything like they think he is, and they learn about being a good friend when they help him find something he can drink tea out of and get Dragon Pete unstuck from a narrow bridge.

Join the Circus

Got a quick start today with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "The Tale of the Moo-Maids" is the first of three fantasy-based episodes in a row. Daisy is devastated when she loses a string of pearls in Mickey Lake that belonged to her Great Gram-Quacker. The others dive under the lake to find them and help Queen Clarabelle of the Moo-Maids find her lost crown.

It was so late when I was finally ready, I called Uber. Of course, they took 13 minutes to arrive, and I was late to the Acme. Thankfully, not only did they only take 8 minutes going to Thomas Sharp, I called early. It took me a little longer to get a driver home after the first one canceled, but I did find one who came in 6 minutes. 

Thankfully after all that, work was fine. It wasn't really busy until later, and even that could have been worse. It started showering around 11 AM, which probably helped. (I also ended up pretty damp while I did the carts.) Other than I did have to replace the toilet paper in the women's bathroom, there were no problems whatsoever.

After my carb-heavy lunch and dinner yesterday, I opted for something with a lot less cheese. I went to Futomaki in the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center behind the Acme for lunch. Had a bento box with salmon and vegetables in teriyaki sauce, California rolls, rice, and scallops. I enjoyed a nice, quiet, serene lunch. The only other person there was an Asian gentleman working on his laptop. Went back to the Acme after that to get granola (which I forgot last Saturday) before calling Uber.

Things largely went better at Thomas Sharp School. For one thing, the rain was long gone by the time I got there. It hasn't rained since about 12:30. For another, I had 8 kids at my table, and they were perfectly fine in the bathroom. There were 27 all together, which meant the cafeteria did get pretty wild. Two of the girls did goof off under the tables again and tried to eat their snacks on the floor. They were kept back for 10 minutes so the head teacher could talk to them while the rest of us took the other kids outside.

Things went better once we did get out. For one thing, by 4 PM, it was cool, cloudy, and windy but perfectly dry, probably in the lower-mid 60's. For another, they were able to get on the swings by 4:30, but didn't stay on long. We have a new teacher, a long, lanky male college student. The kids had a ball chasing him around as they listened to the Taylor Swift songs "Welcome to New York," "Shake It Off," and "Wildest Dreams," the kids' dance number "The Gummy Bears Song," "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, and songs from The Lion King, Moana, and KPop Demon Hunters. Two of the boys left when I did, leaving the one remaining girl to go inside with the two remaining teachers and join the older kids.

Vacuumed and Swiftered my bedroom while watching The Price Is Right. I came in for a heartbreaker of a Three Strikes that ended with the contestant getting the third strike at the last minute. The Showcase Showdown went better. One lady got 95 on her first try that no one else could touch. The Showcases were a generic furniture and trip and one of the Time Capsule sci-fi skits, this one ending with a speed boat. It got really close, but the lady who hit that 95 needs to look into boating lessons...

Stayed at Buzzr for Match Game '91 as I moved to dusting and washing the window. Evidently, they're stopping here for now, or at least until we get into their National Game Show Day all-new episodes marathon next month. Vicki Lawrence, comedian Bob Sarlatte, and Marcia Wallace spent the two episodes watching Jimmie Walker flirt with a very pretty contestant, and then pretty much claiming he's going to marry her after he helps her win big bucks.

Since they switched to the first episode of Match Game '73 after that, I spent the rest of the night after dinner watching The Greatest Show On Earth. This Cecil B. DeMille three-ring melodrama won an Oscar for its glittering costumes and huge spectacle, and while it's been criticized as one of the weaker Best Picture winners, it's hard to rival this one for sheer fun. No-nonsense Brad Braden (Charleton Heston) is the manager of Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, the biggest traveling circus in the US. His girlfriend Holly (Betty Hutton) is furious when he takes her out of the center ring and replaces her with The Great Sebastian (Cornel Wilde), who is a bigger draw. 

She and Sebastian spend the next few performances trying to out-perform each other as Holly falls for him and Sebastian flirts with his former girlfriends Angel (Gloria Grahame) and Phyllis (Dorothy Lamour). Holly's devastated when one of Sebastian's tricks go wrong, and it looks like he might be out of the ring for good. The circus has even bigger problems. Angel's jealous ex-boyfriend and former elephant trainer Klaus (Lyle Bettger) and busker Harry (John Kellogg), whom Brad fired when he found him cheating customers, try to steal from the pay car, setting off a disastrous train collision that brings Buttons (James Stewart), a former doctor-turned-clown, out of hiding as well. It's Holly who finally figures out why the circus means so much to Brad when she almost loses him and ends up making the show go on herself.

Like I said, for a comedic soap opera that gets fussed about for being lightweight compared to the other Best Picture competition in 1952 (including High Noon), this is honestly way more fun than it ought to be. The cast mostly delivers, especially Gloria Grahame as sarcastic Angel and Stewart as kindly Buttons, though Lamour could have more to do. Some of the details (including how Brad is eventually saved after he's badly hurt in the train accident) are a little too campy for words...but there's no arguing with the spectacle. You can't get more circus than this movie. The spangles-and-feathers costumes are incredible, and they really pop in my Paramount DVD copy. If you're looking for something fun and thoughtless and feel like joining the circus (and have a spare two and a half hours on your hands), join Holly on the trapeze and check this out.

Heartbreak All Over the World

I heard the phone before I could even have breakfast. It was Tony Sanson, the loan officer from PNC Bank. Yes, he was the same man who told me last year my debt-to-ratio income wasn't enough and I should wait two years for the market to cool off...and yes, he said pretty much the same thing today. Even though I work hard, have an almost 800 credit score and no debt, I just don't make enough for their ratios. They would not give me a loan. I've been with PNC for 20 years, since 2006, never had a single problem with them, and they wouldn't give me a loan.

I was furious and heartbroken after that. Put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus during breakfast to make myself feel better. Everyone is looking forward to the "Clubhouse Carnival," especially the new ride The Mouseke-slide. They're about to get on when Donald realizes he's missing his toy lion Sparky. They end up searching all over the Carnival to find him.

After that, I worked online a little, then called Alyssa at Camden County again. I still hadn't heard from her. I finally got her today...and she said she couldn't help me. Gave me the same jabber about ratios that Tony Sanson did. At least he got back to me within 24 hours and told me that. I've called her three times in three weeks, and this is the first time I actually heard from her. I hung up on her when she gave me "have a nice day." 

Tried to calm down with some Bowery Boys on Tubi. Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) are dealing with Blonde Dynomite when they convince ice cream shop owner Louie Dumbrowski (Bernard Gorcey) to take a vacation in Coney Island with his wife (Jody Gilbert). They open up an escort service with the help of the other Boys, but most of the ladies they end up escorting are demanding older dowagers. They're ready to quit when four gorgeous ladies turn up, asking for dates. They think they're really interested, but they're actually gun molls who are distracting them while their real boyfriends dig from Louie's into the next-door bank. Their friend Gabe (Gabriel Dell) was threatened with revealing he lost $5,000 to one of the molls if he didn't give them the combination. Sach thinks they're digging for uranium...and it turns out they're more likely to find ore than a bank...

I was so frustrated and angry and fed up and bored, I left for the Thomas Sharp School early. My first stop was the Oaklyn post office. I needed to drop off the Mother's Day card and buy stamps. The very sweet lady behind the counter helped me pick some very pretty stamps with sunflowers on them.

Had lunch at Crust N' Cravings on Collings Avenue in West Collingswood. Most people were eating outside on a gorgeous day, but I needed to think. Enjoyed a slice of cheese, a slice of broccoli-tomato, and a Fresca while listening to the NBC News Now channel.

Went straight to the school after lunch. I forgot today was Tuesday. Not only were the kids in the library because the music class was in the cafeteria, but they had been in the library earlier, and all of the tables and chairs were pushed in the back. The 23 kids were sitting on the floor. They were all pretty antsy, including in the bathrooms. One of the 10 kids at my table just walked off without waiting for the rest of us. She's not supposed to do that. Another boy threw a fit during lunch because his best friend was sick and hadn't come today. He walked out, probably to look for him, but I nudged him back. At least I got hugs from two of the girls, and one girl gave me her donut artwork. 

I'm glad we got out early to the playground again. The kids were crazy - in the cafeteria, in the bathrooms. One of the boys walked off from the bathrooms without permission. Several kids kept calling each other names or fighting over the one multi-colored pencil (that I had to throw away anyway because I couldn't sharpen it anymore). When we got out, the kids first gathered around the fence, hoping to get ice cream from the Mr. Softee truck. When it became apparent that Mr. Softee wasn't stopping, they crowded around an older boy eating his snack under the big old tree. Some of them tried to grab their snacks, but they're not really supposed to be eating outside.

They finally got on the swings around 4:30. I had a rather interesting conversation with one of the boys on the swings. He was swinging slowly and lightly, while the girl on the other swing was going high and fast. He wondered why the girl was going so fast. I told him some people go fast, and some people go slow. Some people go high, and some go low, and it's ok. Everyone moves at their own speed. We listened to "Bad," "Uptown Funk," "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride," the theme from PJ Masks, and songs from Trolls, Moana, The Lion King, Aladdin, and KPop Demon Hunters. There were four younger kids left when we took them around to the blacktop to play with the eight older kids. I finished shortly after.

Hurried straight home and had just enough time to take the trash out before Jessa picked me up at a little after 6. We had a small argument over my having lost housing and what I should do next. She suggested getting on the Section 8 waiting list or getting on a waiting list for a retirement community I'll be able to move into when I'm of retirement age. I'm not doing either. I want to get out of the attic as soon as possible, not when some waiting list says I'm ready, and not when I retire, either.

She took us into Merchantville to celebrate Cinco Del Mayo with dinner at Avocado Fiesta Grill, the restaurant next to the little convenience store on Park Avenue. They're a relatively small hole-in-the-wall place with bright striped vinyl tablecloths and a huge, pretty painting of Mexico City on the walls. She had the Al Pastor pork sandwich. I had the Pollo chicken and cheese quesadilla. They were amazing. Her sandwich was huge. My quesadilla was filled with tons of cheese and big chicken pieces, and there was shredded lettuce with crumbled soft, sweet cheese on the side.

They did have desserts, but they got really busy while we were eating. We thought we'd be better off going elsewhere. I suggested Scoop DeVille in Westmont. She had a small blueberry cheesecake frozen yogurt. I had a small pancake shake. They were really busy too, so we sat outside and enjoyed our treats in the gorgeous, warm, sunny, windy weather. She said her frozen yogurt was really tasty, with lots of big graham cracker and cheesecake pieces mixed into the yogurt. The pancake shake did taste like pancake syrup with crunchy bits, which meant it was good, but really sweet.

Finished the night with Murder She Wrote after a shower. Two critics, one known for being sarcastic and bitter, the other for being respectful but honest, get into an argument right before the opening of a Broadway play that is an adaption of one of Jessica's books, written by an old student of hers. Their reviews become a "Deadpan" when one gives the rather bad show an uncharacteristic rave review, only for the other to be found over him, holding the murder weapon. Jessica at first sets out to prove he didn't do it...but when the show's author is accused of being the killer, Jessica begins to wonder if maybe they were right about the killer from the first after all.