Monday, August 26, 2013

The Tooth of the Matter

I was just starting my journal when Mom called me back this morning. We talked for over an hour! She finally got a day off from taking care of her grandson yesterday and spent it running errands. I told her about my dental appointment and how stressed I've been lately. She pretty much said the same thing Mrs. Stahl did - try to live your life and get out and do something. We discussed how many people don't understand how we feel about bikes. For Mom and me, they're transportation, not just exercise!

I did make it to the dental appointment on time. It was really quick this time, just filling a cavity that was smaller than the last one. It took less than a half-hour. However, the next one will be for the root canal. Ugh. I am not looking forward to that. It's the reason I put off dental work for so long in the first place. I don't know if I should have scheduled it for the same day as my counseling appointment on September 17th (which is also the day before I leave for Cape May County), but I really want to get it over with. The last cavity will be filled on my final day of vacation, the 23rd.

The dentist's assistant mentioned that the Crystal Lake Thriftway was open in it's new location in the old Super Fresh building. I decided to check it out. I was in Thriftway once on a ride around Haddon Township, but I hadn't been there since. Their former building was small and kind of out-of-the-way. Though there were people shopping and stocking the shelves, they weren't entirely finished with their move yet. Many shelves remained empty. I did discover that they had good prices on their generic green tea (a 99 cent sale!), vinegar (79 cents!), cake mix, and cooking spray.

My next stop was the Haddon Township Library while the numbness in my mouth dissipated. I organized the children's DVDs, combed through the adult titles to remove kids' and foreign titles that didn't belong, and helped quite a few people find movies. I ended up taking out two relatively new kids' titles, the Scooby Doo collection Scooby Doo and the Circus Monsters and the second release from the new Care Bears show Welcome to Care-A-Lot, A Belly Badge For Wonder Heart Bear.

It was still sunny at this point, but hotter and slightly more humid than it has been. I cut through the park initially, but turned at Merrick Avenue and went home through Haddon Township. Since my mouth was still a little numb and it was a bit late by then, almost 2PM, I opted to buy a small turkey and spinach hoagie from WaWa instead of going out to lunch.

I went home and watched Belly Badge For Wonder Heart Bear as I ate lunch and let my mouth return to normal. As with many of the Strawberry Shortcake titles, this "movie" is really a series of three episodes, in this case revolving around curious cub Wonder Heart Bear. Tenderheart's sweet little niece is the only Care Bear who hasn't developed her powers yet, and she desperately wants to. She's so obsessed with her powers, she swipes "wish lockets" from her uncle to try to wish her way into Hugs and Tugs' talent show act in the first story. Hugs and Tugs aren't the only returnees from the late 80s shows. Gram Bear also makes a comeback (now turquoise and walking with a cane) to help Wonder Heart develop her powers in the second story. The third teaches Wonder Heart and her new human friend Isabella the value of responsibility when their goofing off almost gets them into trouble.

I took my laundry out around quarter of 4. I'd debated whether or not to do it today or tomorrow, but I finally decided I'd had enough of rushing chores. It actually worked out rather well. Clouds had covered the sun and, coupled with a nice breeze, made my walk more tolerable. The laundromat wasn't busy, either. One guy left as I came in, one couple came in shortly before I left. Otherwise, it was me, NBC's newscast, and the manager, who spent the hour I was there wiping down washers and driers.

When I got in, I swept the piles of nut pieces from my messy animal neighbors off the porch. I then put on the musical Summer Magic as I made Jam Tart Cookies from Samantha's Cooking Studio, replacing the jam with the lime curd I bought from the Acme's clearance rack on Friday. Summer Magic is Disney's second of four live-action musicals made in the 60s, and I believe the most successful at the time. A newly-widowed mother (Dorothy McGuire) and her children (including teen daughter Hayley Mills) move from Boston to a beautiful old yellow house in a small town in Maine in the early 1910s. When a snobbish cousin (Deborah Walley) joins the family, it sets up a summer filled with handsome teacher beaus, Ugly Bug Balls, and the discovery that the wealthy owner of the Yellow House isn't what everyone thinks he is, and nor is the town's postmaster who rents it to the Careys (Burl Ives).

If you're a fan of the similar nostalgic musicals Meet Me In St. Louis or On Moonlight Bay, you'll probably enjoy this one, too. (In fact, the screenplay was written by the same woman who did St. Louis, Sally Benson.) Recommended for fans of Mills or Ives, or grade-school girls and older who'll enjoy the leisurely story.

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