Winds of March

Began a quick and early morning with breakfast and my first Easter special of the year. Stuffy is little Glinda's favorite toy, but he's taken to be burned after she comes down with scarlet fever. A sympathetic fairy turns him into The First Easter Rabbit, the symbol of springtime for children around the world. He's directed to April Valley, where the Golden Easter Lily blooms...but may not get the chance to show what he can do when the nasty Zero takes the Lily and lets the valley be covered in snow.

Once again, I overslept, had trouble getting a ride, and was late to work, though not as late as yesterday. That was the worst thing that happened all day. We were quiet the entire morning and afternoon. Other than sweeping up a trail of sugar and rounding up trash, I spent my shift outside with the carts. I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else, even with the bitter and blustery wind. It was also sunny and bright, still too nice for inside work.

It took me a while to get a ride home, too, but at least my ride showed up when it was supposed to with no trouble. When I got home, I had a snack while watching Tattletales. Once again, Craig Mullavy and Meredith MacRae and Elaine Joyce and Bobby Van were the big winners. They got almost every question right, even the new round that allowed the audience to match their answers to the celebrities'. 

Everyone got slammed with Whammies on Press Your Luck. The woman Whammied out early in the second round, leaving the two men to battle it out. The other man eventually picked up a trip and a little cash after the champ hit a Whammy in his last turn.

Tried to work on writing after the show ended. The bartender, a gentleman named Charles Nelson Reilly, grumbles about a local band of outlaws called the Wilder Gang. They just killed the town's previous sheriff, and Marshall Rayburn is looking for a replacement. He asks Ira what he knows about the thefts from businesses and ranches, but he claims he doesn't know anything about it. 

Ate dinner while I worked. Jodie knocked on the door to the main house around quarter of 5, bearing slices of pepperoni and mushroom pizza. This is one of those times I'm glad I live alone. No one can complain about me eating pizza over my desk, while working on my laptop. 

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had celery sticks and hummus for a snack while watching Match Game '76. Betty White kicked off this one by rolling up Gene's pant legs again...leading Lee Merriweather to scoot out and roll them back down. Meanwhile, Charles sticks a "taxi" sign in his hat and calls himself a cab company, while Brett made jokes about the tip of Gene's microphone coming off. 

Started making Lemon Ginger Muffins while Match Game PM was on. Joyce Bulifant and Jo Ann Pflug showed off their sexy sides in the opening, while everyone else argued over what a guy in a coffin did while producer and former singer George Jessel gave his eulogy. Everyone kisses pretty much everybody else in the end when she wins, but announcer Johnny Olsen is more than a little surprised when he gets in on it, too!

Slide the muffins in the oven just as Sale of the Century began. This was another really close game. Everyone won or bought something...but the other man came back in the Speed Round to win. He beat the Bonus Round with seconds to spare, too.

Finished the night with Darby O'Gill and the Little People on Disney Plus. Darby (Albert Sharpe) is the aging caretaker for a lord's estate in Ireland. He lives there with his pretty daughter Katie (Janet Munro), who claims she's more interested in taking care of her father than in local bully Pony Sugrue (Kieron Moore), no matter what his elderly mother Sheelah (Estelle Winwood) thinks. Darby's chief interest is in capturing the king of the Leprechauns, Brian Connors (Jimmy O'Dea). 

He doesn't know how to explain it to Katie when he loses his job to young and handsome Michael McBride (Sean Connery). He begs Michael to let him tell it, but he doesn't get the chance before he finds King Brian himself. After a narrow escape, he's able to capture Brian and convince him to grant three wishes. Darby thinks he doesn't know what he wants...but he realizes after Katie comes down with a fever and is threatened by a banshee with a death coach that his daughter and her happiness mean more to him than any gold or wishes.

This used to turn up a lot on The Disney Channel in the 80's and early 90's, especially around St. Patrick's Day. The finale with the banshee used to freak me out as a kid, and as dated as the special effects are for that part, it's still pretty spooky today. The effects used to make Brian and the leprechauns shorter than Darby come off much better. You really do believe he's talking to wee people. The performances are splendid too, especially from Sharpe as the old man who may not be as daft as everyone believes, and O'Dea as the crafty king of the wee folk. A must if you love fantasy adventures or tales of old Ireland.