Awoke to a sunny, humid morning. Had Farina for breakfast while watching To Tell the Truth. The first contestants got into Indiana Jones territory with their translucent skull and its fantastic story. Alan Alda and I said number 2, who seemed to be the most interested and knowledgeable, and we were both right. Next up was a woman who had apparently gone to China with her husband, the then-head of the New York Times, and wrote a diary about her trip that was eventually published. Kitty Carlisle dropped out early; evidently, she and the woman were good friends. Everyone, including me, said 1 or 2; turns out it was sweet 3.
I caught the What's My Line episode before, so I switched over to the Disney Now app for Muppet Babies. Miss Nanny takes the Babies to the museum to check out the Egyptian artwork. Animal can't resist touching a sarcophagus that holds a magic mummy. When the mummy touches the artwork, he brings them to life, but he also makes a mess. The other kids remind them that it's not right to touch things that aren't yours. Gonzo is such a huge fan of the Zorna sci-fi book series, he's created "The Friends of Zorma Club." The other kids want to come to his galactic dance party, but he makes it too hard to join the club. The kids decide to hold their own dance party, which makes him feel equally left-out.
I got up early this morning so I'd have time for writing. Gene gently reminds Charles that friendship is just as important as love. Brett's husband isn't the only one who loves her. Charles sings gently to his friend, just as Malade comes up with the frog struggling in her hand....
Broke to get ready for work around 10:15. Yesterday's champ from Split Second had tough competition from the other lady, but eventually won the Countdown round decisively. She missed the car and once again opted to return.
Went to work shortly after Split Second ended. The sun was still out when I headed down the Black Horse Pike, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It wasn't quite as hot as it has been, but I've never felt such smothering humidity! It was terrible. I was still dripping when I got in.
We were steady for most of the morning. Not overwhelming, but still pretty busy for the middle of the week and the middle of a month that doesn't normally have a lot going on. I didn't pay much attention to the high windows in the front of the store...until I heard thunder and rain on the roof during my break, around quarter after 2. When I returned to my register, the sky was pitch-black, and our customers were gone. I spent most of the next two and a half hours writing story notes. By the time the rain stopped and it started to pick up again, I was done.
Wanted to get my grocery shopping done today, before the weather gets worse. Found boxes of Twinings tea and bags of Kind oat and nut clusters on the clearance rack. Picked up a crab cake for dinner. Little "Rocket" apples in a bag were $2.99. Red leaf lettuce was on sale, too. Restocked butter, buttermilk, bananas, blueberries, grapes, yogurt, milk, and peanut butter. Had to dodge long lines because my replacement was late and they just didn't have enough help.
Thankfully, the sun was just emerging as I headed home, waving "hi" to Jodie on my way. There was a small box on Jodie's side of the house with my name on it. Linda Young mentioned a while back that she sent me a homecoming gift. Yay, it arrived! I brought it inside and opened it after I changed into regular clothes.
Linda and her husband James are so sweet. Along with more bookmarks and a bicycle key chain, they gave me a lovely framed artwork of a wreath of colorful wildflowers surrounding the words "Home Sweet Home." Linda does crafts - she may have painted it herself. Until I can get more of those Velcro strips to hang things, I set it up on the kitchen table.
I also noticed when I was in my bedroom that Craig finally got around to putting up the white print gel clings on that big front window. They're on four windows around the main one and are a white-ish with a diamond pattern. They look very elegant. I can still see everything out the middle windows, and they'll help with keeping it from getting too warm in here.
Watched Match Game while putting everything away. Tough comedian Scoey Mitchlll made his first appearance on a memorable 1974 episode that also featured Bert Convy in a cameo kissing a contestant as the turntable entered. It was his way of advertising the just-debuted Tattletales and Gene taking over hosting it for a week, so he and his own wife could appear. (Wonder if Buzzr ever ran that week?)
Had a very quick dinner of PB and SJ (strawberry jam) and salad while watching Sale of the Century. Pretty much the same deal as yesterday's episode here. The other female contestant started strong, and even bought something, but the champ pulled ahead in the end. She hit the 25 dollar card on the Fame Game, then came on strong in the speed round. She still couldn't get the money in the bonus round, though.
Finished the night online with the 1932 melodrama Smilin' Through on TCM's on-demand website. John Carteret (Leslie Howard) was to have married the sweet and beautiful Moonyean Clare (Norman Shearer) in 1868, but lost her when she took the bullet at their wedding that his rival Jeremy Wayne (Frendric March) intended for him. He spent 30 years mourning her and the memory of that terrible day, until her orphaned niece Kathleen (Shearer) came into his life. He's horrified when the grown Kathleen falls for the late Jeremy's charming son Kenneth (March) and forbids her from seeing him. She continues to go out with him anyway, vowing to marry him when he returns from World War I. John would rather live in anger and bitterness over what Jeremy did to his beloved Moonyean...until Kenneth returns from battle wounded and turns Kathleen away. Now he realizes that unless he can bring the two together, he will never heal the wounds in his heart and be with his lost bride again.
I guess I'm just in the mood for romantic fantasies right now. The story is pure melodrama, but a spirited Shearer and especially Howard really make it work. You do believe Howard is an old man weighed down by years of grief and anger. A lovely production, with gorgeous gowns by Adrian for both Shearer's roles, add greatly to the bittersweet tone. If you're a fan of any of the stars or love slightly sad romances, you'll want to check this one out.
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