Busy Harvest

Kicked off a busy morning with Garfield and Friends as I ate breakfast. Garfield reveals "The Legend of the Lake," the story of a cave-cat who desperately wants to reach an island filled with lasagna trees. Orson's been living his books again in "Double Oh Orson." His new spy novel turns into a James Bond spoof with him as the spy, Wade as his boss, Lanolin as the girl, and Roy as the bad guy. It inadvertently ends up helping Booker and Sheldon when the milk bucket they used to catch worms happens to look like the villain's explosive device. Garfield gets into a "Health Feud" with a local exercise show host who has convinced Jon to get rid of all his high-fat foods. He comes up with a creative use of his cue cards to get rid of him.

I couldn't believe what a gorgeous day it was when I headed out. It was sunny and hot, but not humid at all, with a lovely breeze. My first stop in Collingswood after parking the bike was WaWa. I needed money from the ATM. Also treated myself to their amazing Bananas Foster Smoothie, made with real bananas.

The farm market is across the street. Even at quarter after 11, they were bustling with people buying produce for their tailgating parties and weekday dinners. Peaches are gone, but there's plenty of everything else, especially greens. I saw acorn squash and pumpkins for the first time this season, and beets and kale for the first time since the early summer. Bought small Empire apples, a zucchini and a yellow squash, mushrooms, and baby kiwi (tiny fuzzless kiwi on stems).

Took the long way home across Newton River Park. The park couldn't have been prettier today. Sunlight sparkled on the rippling green waves, blowing through the leaves on the trees. It was surprisingly quiet for a nice Saturday. I only dodged someone out for a stroll and a flock of Canadian geese looking for lunch.

Had my own lunch when I got home and put everything away, then had yogurt and fruit for my own lunch. Put on my first mildly spooky cartoons of the year while I ate. These New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh episodes were released as part of a Halloween DVD set. Piglet is "A Knight to Remember" when he imagines himself into a fantasy world where he's a very reluctant knight who has to save the kingdom from a fierce "dragon." He has a nightmare in "Rock a Bye Pooh Bear" and thinks that if he sleeps, his friends will vanish. The others try to show him that dreams are just dreams, and don't always come true.

Continued into Frankenpooh while getting organized. "The Monster Frankenpooh" is a not-so-scary story Piglet is telling about a mad scientist creating a huge Pooh Bear, but Tigger makes it spookier than Piglet intended. Everyone thinks there's ghosts around in "Things That Go Piglet In the Night." It's really a spooked Piglet in a sheet and Eeyore trying to learn to swing. Piglet and Pooh think they're on "Pooh Moon" during a camping trip, but they really landed in a cave. The others think the Grab-Me-Gotcha snatched them and try to find them.

Next up on my to-do list was grocery shopping. I didn't eat much at home this week, so there wasn't much I needed. Took advantage of good sales and online coupons to grab honey, Duncan Hines cake mixes, almond milk, and Pumpkin Spice Cheerios. Restocked cooking spray (buy one, get one), butter, and yogurt. Treated myself to mini-coconut macaroons off the clearance baking shelf.

My schedule next week is much better, really the best I've had since well before vacation. An early day tomorrow means I'll get to see most of the game, and the rest of the week is early or mid-afternoon. Tuesday and Friday off, and I work late enough to do the farm market next week.

Went straight home...and right back out after I got everything put away. I wanted to get my vacation laundry done. There wasn't really that much, anyway. There were a few people when I came in, but it cleared out quickly. Half-listened to college football while working on story notes.

Worked on writing after I got in and put everything away. Everyone's nerves are on edge after rescuing host Gene Rayburn from nearly being electrocuted. Gene has to separate Fannie and Brett before they get into a cat fight and calm down Bill Daily's considerable nerves before he finally figures out the answer to producer Ira's question. He knows where fellow host Richard Dawson feels the most in control and calls out the definitive answer - "Survey says, Family Feud!" As soon as he speaks the words, they all vanish again.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Finished the night with a salmon patty and zucchini, yellow squash, and potatoes sauteed in white wine sauce while continuing with the Pooh theme. I go further into the charming anthology The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh