Golden Easter

I  had a quick start this morning before work. I had Coconut Pancakes for breakfast and watched It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. It's a very memorable spring for the Peanuts, as Peppermint Patty and Marcie attempts to color eggs and Lucy tries to get Schroeder to give her Easter gifts. Don't bother with all the preparations, says Linus. The Easter Beagle will do all that. Sally's skeptical, to say the least, especially after Halloween. Lucy's even more so. She'd rather find her own carefully hidden eggs. Meanwhile, Snoopy's buying birdhouses for his little buddy Woodstock, giving Charles Schultz a chance to make fun of very early Christmas sales.

Work was, much to my surprise, mobbed for most of the morning and early afternoon. I didn't think most people would want to shop on a holiday. I forgot it's still the beginning of the month, not to mention a Sunday. This is the only time of day many people can shop, holiday or no holiday. We were so busy, I didn't get to my break until late again. Thankfully, it slowed down enough by 2 that I was able to leave without a relief.

The moment I got home, I changed and headed right back out. It was a glorious day for a ride to Collingswood. The sun was shining. The sky was as blue as could be. It was still really windy, but not too cold. In fact, I exchanged my heavy winter coat for a sweater. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for Easter. I saw children playing in the park and people out for bike rides in the nice day.

Unfortunately, I got a reality check at the door of Tortilla Press. Though their website said they were open until 4, apparently their last call was 3. They weren't taking more customers. I was disappointed, but it isn't like there aren't 200 restaurants in Collingswood anyway. I ended up across the street at Kitchen Concierge.

Kitchen Concierge was a small, fancy, dark-paneled restaurant in what had been a florists' shop when I first came here. Though they said they were mostly taking large groups, they did have a table open in one corner. It was quiet and isolated. It was perfect. I needed quiet and isolated after work! I had a decent view of the elaborately dressed groups of people coming and leaving and the TVs playing Angels With Dirty Faces and White Heat.

My dinner was delicious. I took the suggestion of my dapper waitress and had the Mozzarella Bruschetta for an appetizer. It was two thick slices of grilled Italian bread smothered in marinara sauce, peppers, onions, and fresh mozzarella cheese. My waitress knew what she was talking about. It was amazing, sweet and salty and tangy. The grilled salmon was just buttery enough, with large pineapple slices underneath. I had zucchini in tomato sauce and a salad, too. It cost me 44 dollars in the end, and that was without dessert. It was expensive, and I probably won't eat there again, but for a holiday when I needed fun, it was worth it.

I walked around Collingswood, but other than a long line at Il Fiore Restaurant, they seemed to be shutting down. It was Sunday, anyway. Most things shut down early on Sunday. I went to WaWa and treated myself to a Mint Cookies and Cream Frozen Cappucino for dessert. I drank it in the parking lot behind the Senior Center. After I finished, I headed home.

As soon as I got in, I pulled out my American Girl dolls and took my annual Easter portraits. I did get one group shot outside, but it was too windy for the individual shots. I had to take those inside. Here's how they came out:

Easter at the Riverside Rest

Spent the rest of the night watching Easter programming and more WENN. The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town is Rankin Bass' third and last spring special. This time, the bunny is Sunny, a peppy fellow from the all child town of Kidville who is determined to bring eggs and cheer to the citizens of gloomy Town. Domineering Lady Lilly would rather he and the kids kept their eggs and their traditions out of her domain. Sunny and the citizens of Kidville do their best to get around her laws and teach her about the importance of traditions and new beginnings.

Easter Parade takes us to New York City in 1912. Fred Astaire plays a dancer whose partner (Ann Miller) just quit their act to go solo in the Ziegfeld Follies. Crushed, he takes on a young chorus girl (Judy Garland) to be his new partner...but she's a comedienne, not a ballroom dancer. While he figures out how to tailor the act accordingly, she's courted by his college student best friend (Peter Lawford) who is also dating his former partner. The romantic entanglements are figured out in time for New York's big Easter Parade down Fifth Avenue. A charming, if slight, musical with some fabulous dance numbers. My personal favorites are Lawford and Garland's sweet duet "A Fella With an Umbrella" and Garland and Astaire's hysterical "A Couple of Swells." Fun for on or around Easter if you're a fan of the big MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's.

Moved back to three second season Remember WENN episodes to finish out the night. Hilary Booth is "The Diva Who Wouldn't Die" when the sponsor wants to kill off her character Elizabeth on the WENN program The Hands of Time. Hilary Booth never goes down without a fight!

It's Hilary who learns the lesson in "Behind Every Great Woman." She won't perform a song originally sung by stage star Ruth Geddy (Donna Murphy) and feigns stage fright. Betty ends up going on for her, and she's such a success, the sponsor wants her...or Hilary...to sing with Geddy. Hilary wants Betty to keep on singing for her, but the rest of the staff reveals the deception.

"Scott Sherwood of the F.B.I" brings Scott's Aunt Agatha (Jan Miner) to the station. Scott has been telling her that WENN is a branch of the F.B.I! He and Betty jump through hoops trying to keep up with his deception, but it turns out that Aunt Aggie has a few surprises of her own to dish out to her nephew.

I've spent the rest of the night listening to music. I hope you all had a very enjoyable, beautiful, and filling Easter!