The Doctor's In

I slept in this morning and finished off the Samantha American Girl mystery Danger In Paris. Didn't get rolling until almost the end of Blockbusters. Had breakfast during the first half of Match Game. Singer Greg Morris and comediennes Ann Meara (mother of Ben Stiller) and Ann Elder join the regulars for two fun episodes in 1974.

Match Game continued as I got ready for my doctor's appointment. Broadway singer Karen Morrow, tough guy Scoey Mitchlll, and MASH favorite Gary Burgoff join Gene, Richard, Brett, and Fannie Flagg for two 1975 episodes. Announcer Johnny Olsen was in on the joke in the second show. One of the questions joked about his days with The Price Is Right, calling "Come on down!" years before Rod Roddy. Johnny demonstrated his most famous line, which brought Gary dashing down in imitation of a Price Is Right contestant.

Headed out to the doctor's around 1. Turns out I knew the office very well. It's the little yellow building on the corner of Atlantic and Lakeview, across the street from the parking lot where the farm market takes place. I pass it every time I go into Collingswood! I locked my bike at the rack across the street. Arrived a little early to sign the usual forms. The waiting room lined with blue-upholstered wood chairs was narrow and surprisingly full, with a lot of people watching house selling shows on HGTV.

A nurse lead me down a oak wood-paneled hall, stopping to weigh me on a built-in weight machine with a digital number reader before leading me into the doctor's room. To my surprise, the doctor was a sweet young blond woman, Dr. Jessica. She mentioned doing blood work, but I'd already eaten. After that, she did everything that's done on a check up - looked into my eyes, ears, and throat, checked my nerves and reflexes, asked a lot of questions about my medical history.

As of this afternoon, Dr. Jessica says I'm mostly fine. Slightly high blood pressure, but nothing frightening. I haven't had an eye exam since 2015. America's Best, the eye place behind the Acme, didn't take my health insurance at the time and was expensive. She gave me a card with the name of several local eye doctors that may take Independence Blue Cross. I'm still overweight and have the habit of eating too much of the baked goods I make; she said to counter this with more vegetables. I also need to call the gynecologist. I put it off last year.

Made a very quick stop in Collingswood after I got out. There's a traditional small hardware store on Haddon Avenue. I was hoping they'd have a clamp for my bike, since the Bikeshare is only a few blocks away, but nope.

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. The weather was incredible, sunny, breezy, and warm for January, probably in the mid-50's. I dodged quite a few people out for a stroll or walking their dogs, and many groups of kids heading home from school.

Went home, grabbed my laundry, and went right back out. Despite it being late, I really had to get laundry done. I should have done it this morning. I'd no sooner shoved my laundry into one of the cheaper washers than it suddenly got mobbed. A toddler girl ran around squealing, first tossing a hard plastic gold Christmas ornament she called a "ball," then just ducking under chairs and feet. Her mother kept trying to call her back. And when I pulled my clothes out of the dryer, they weren't really very dry. I took them out anyway because I wanted to get going.

Put what was dry away and hung the rest around the apartment while watching Match Game. Greg Morris, Betty White, and Patti Deustch finish up the run with that good-looking contestant. Betty White was just as enamored of him as Fannie, and she was married at the time! She really wouldn't let him go after she won him the Audience Match.

Worked on writing for a while. Richard and Marcia finally drive the horse through rusted iron gates and into the Summer-Winter Castle. The forbidding edifice is the home of the Summer-Winter Garden. Half the courtyard is a pleasant green spot filled with flowers, rose vines, and fruit trees. The other half is snowy and bleak. Marcia tells the others that the man she wrote mentioned wanting to take her on their date to a "Summer-Winter Garden."

Broke for dinner at 7. It was another close race on Sale of the Century. The one woman was ahead for most of the game, but one of the men killed in the speed round. He won the money in the bonus round as well, along with a nifty little bar.

Finished the night after a shower with more Downton Abbey. World War I finally hits home - hard - in Episode 5. Matthew (Dan Stevens) comes home from the Front paralyzed and told he'll never walk again or bear children. William (Thomas Howes), the former second footman, is even worse off. He dies hours after marrying his sweetheart Daisy (Sophia McShera), the kitchen maid. Bates is still having problems fielding his many secrets, including one about Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery). Nasty Vera (Maria Doyle Kennedy) swears she'll get revenge for tricking her into silence. Mrs. Hughes the housekeeper (Phyllis Logan) takes care of former maid Ethel (Amy Nuttall), who has nowhere else to go.