Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Spring Winds In the Neighborhood

Began the morning with breakfast and Split Second. Monty introduced three new contestants today, after yesterday's champ finally won the car. One of the women was clearly ahead the entire time and breezed through the speed round. She opted to return after she failed to get turn up the car in the bonus round. Blockbusters featured a solo woman bookshop worker and a brother-sister team. The woman won the first round, but the brother-sister got the second. They were half-way through the tie breaker when they ended.

Returned to cleaning after I ate. The kitchen desperately needed to be scrubbed, especially the stove and around the sink. It goes without saying that I've eaten at home a lot in the last month and a half. While I understand the importance of helping the economy, I'd rather save my money for other things besides restaurant delivery. I've mentioned the difficulty most delivery people have finding this place, too.

Watched Footlight Parade while cleaning. I go into more detail on this early 30's spectacle with Busby Berkeley choreography and James Cagney dancing at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Footlight Parade

Switched to PBS and the most recent episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood as I ate lunch. Daniel wants to do a move that's as cool as Miss Elainia's cartwheel when the wheel at the county fair turns up "trick." It's Elainia's father Music Man Stan who finally insists that "Daniel Does It His Own Way" and find a trick that's his alone. Jodie keeps imitating Elainia when she and Dan visit her, to her annoyance. She finally discovers that "You Have Your Own Way," and you don't have to imitate anyone else.

Went out for a walk after lunch. It was a gorgeous day for it. Sunny and warm, but not killer hot. The gusty wind blew me down Manor as I strolled past rose bushes bursting with shell pink, magenta, scarlet, and creamy yellow blooms and spicy-scented, velvety purple irises. Children rode past on their bikes; their parents and older siblings went for their own strolls.

Since I was out, I thought I'd go check out the progress on my new apartment on Hillcrest. At least, as well as I could. They're finally working on the ancient rode and sidewalk down there, and took out the trees in front of Dad and Jodie's house doing it. I could still only see through the one window, and the bedroom remained the same peach color. There don't seem to be too many other windows. The ones in the back were up too high to peek through, the ones on the side were too small to peek through, and the ones next to the front door were too dirty to see anything.

Switched to vacuuming when I got home, which I could easily do one-handed. Turned to YouTube for Strawberry Shortcake's Housewarming Surprise while I worked. I'm not the only one getting ready to move. In this original 80's special, Strawberry is also preparing to move into a much larger home. To celebrate her move, the other residents of Strawberryland invite the friends from other lands she made on a trip around the globe. They each bring one of the recipes from their own homes as a housewarming gift. The Peculiar Purple Pieman and his partner Sour Grapes will do anything to get the basket of recipes, including grab it with English twins Lem and Ada hiding inside!

Rested with Super Password and Tattletales after I finished with the vacuum. Tried writing for a while after the shows. I thought it would be easier on my arm to write in the living room, but I just couldn't get comfortable. If I sat on the couch, I couldn't get my laptop close enough to see the writing or find a place for my mouse. If I sat at the coffee table, I couldn't find a place for my legs.

In one way or another, I did manage to do some writing. The ladies are impressed with Bobby and Richard's fine new outfits and want their own new gowns. Fannie insists she still can't go to the ball, but Gene says they'll need her to identify her contact who'll lead them to the basements to rescue the others. Joyce the nature fairy claims she'll be able to make her an absolutely gorgeous gown that will make her the talk of the town...and unrecognizable to her stepmother...

Jodie called while I worked. One of the neighbors saw me poking around at the apartment today. She says the bedroom will eventually be painted gray. I'm not the only one who cleaned the kitchen today, either. She said she scrubbed the stove and the refrigerator earlier (the latter of which Dana had apparently left very dirty).

Broke at 6 for dinner. Ate scrambled eggs with cheese, spinach, and mushrooms and turkey bacon while watching Match Game. Bert Convy and Mary Ann Mobley finished out their run in the first episode. The second brought in Avery Schreiber of the bushy hair and mustache and Patti Deutsch of the unique answers as Gary Burghoff gave one of Brett's wigs a try in the opening.

Rested and enjoyed Sale of the Century after dinner. Though a woman tried hard, neither of the newcomers could get past the musician champ from yesterday. He retained his lead for most of the episode (even after buying a pair of folding bikes) and blasted through the speed round. In the end, he opted to return another day to try for a fancy stereo system.

Finished the night with The Prince and the Pauper on Disney Plus. This 1962 adaptation of the Mark Twain historical novella was originally shown in three parts on Disney's Wonderful World of Color, but is usually seen as one film today. Sean Scully plays both the young Prince Edward, the son of Henry the Eighth, and his impoverished double David Canty, who learn a lesson in how the other half lives when they switch places for the day. Guy Williams, Zorro himself, was the swashbuckling rogue who helps restore Edward to his rightful throne. It's fairly lavish for a TV movie, apparently using the same split-screen techniques that worked out so well in The Parent Trap. If you love swashbucklers or remember the Wonderful World of Color broadcasts, you'll want to give this one a look.

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