Saturday, May 09, 2015

Spring Harvest Season

I began today with a run to the Collingswood Farm Market. I did it more for the ride than for any real need for vegetables. Despite the cool, cloudy, humid morning, it was packed with people looking for flowers and produce for their Mother's Day barbecues. I ducked around the crowds long enough to buy bok choy, asparagus, mushrooms, and my first apple cider donut from Cherry Hill's Springdale Farms of the year.

I even managed to squeeze a few yard sales in before I had to head home. No luck. The one in Collingswood was all baby toys and clothes. The one on Newton Avenue in Oaklyn had nothing of interest. I also took a brief look at the Spring Fling school fair on West Clinton Avenue. Other than the booths selling cosmetics and crafts, it seemed a lot less elaborate than the one last year. There was one food booth, two rides, some games, one bounce house, and no fire engine rides or car show or water ice vendor. As far as I could tell, only the games required tickets this time. It was too early for lunch, though.

When I finally got home, I had just enough time to change, pack lunch, and hurry back out to work! Work was on-and-off busy. I mostly spent it doing returns, though I did end up in the registers when we got busy. Unlike earlier in the week, I was able to shut down easily without a relief. 

After I got home via Nicholson Road, I changed into regular clothes, then spent the next hour and a half doing chores. I still hadn't gotten around to dusting. It's pollen season - it's needed to be done badly, especially around the windows. I did the living room. Swept the porch, too. It's the height of fuzzy seed pod season, and they're everywhere. 

Ran The Secret of Nimh while I worked. Mrs. Brisby is a little field mouse with a few big problems. Her son Timothy is very sick with pneumonia, but it's plowing season, and the farmer may have to dig up their home. She's first directed towards the Great Owl, who finally recommends she seeks help from the rats who live on the farm. It seems these are no ordinary rats - they steal electricity and are as intelligent as humans (and are darn good with swords). While the rats argue over whether to continue to live the way they are or move to a place where they no longer have to steal, Mrs. Brisby is given an amulet that has tremendous power...and that allows to show just how courageous a mother can be.

Long a personal favorite of mine, this is by far one of the most stunning animated movies of the 1980's. The score by Jerry Goldsmith, including the ballad "Flying Dreams," is so lovely my sisters and I begged Mom to record the entire movie through the end credits when we taped this off cable during my childhood, just so we could have all the music. Frank discussions of illness, death, and animal testing and two gristly on-screen deaths make this a little much for young kids despite the "G" rating. For everyone else, this is highly recommended.

I hit the bath as soon as I finished dusting. That felt great, especially after having spent the entire morning and afternoon on the run. I just looked over cake decorating magazines, listened to George Winston's interpretations of Vince Guaraldi songs (including some of his music from the Peanuts specials), and let my mind rest.

Did one more cartoon while having a leftover chicken leg with sauteed asparagus and bok choy and the last of the brown rice for dinner. The late-80's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles twice dipped into the swashbuckler well, the first time in "The Four Musketurtles." After reading The Three Musketeers, Leonardo is hit on the head and thinks he's D'Artagnan, the other Turtles are the remaining Musketeers, April is the Queen, and Shredder is Cardinal Richeleu! His brothers try to keep up the illusion while attempting to help April keep a rare jewel out of Shredder's hands. 

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