Harts and Symphonies

Began a quick morning with breakfast and more Silly Symphonies. "The Busy Beavers" and "Just Dogs" are similar black-and-white shorts from the early 30's. The smallest beaver tries to help his family save their dam, then themselves when a flood rages. In "Just Dogs," the youngest puppy at a pound rescues the other dogs, including Pluto, and helps Pluto find a nice big bone. (Incidentally, "Just Dogs" was Pluto's first solo short.) The color short "Father Noah's Ark" depicts the biblical story of how Noah, his family, and the animals survived that famous 40 days of rain. 

Headed off to work shortly after the cartoon ended. Work began well. It was quiet for most of the morning and early afternoon. I spent the time sweeping and gathering carts. It picked up by 1:30, to the point where I had a harder time keeping up with the carts. Ended up in a register twice for people's breaks, including 15 minutes before I was supposed to leave...and then they sent the girl I went in for to another register and had to call another teen girl to come in for me! 

(At least it was a nice day for pushing carts. The clouds were in and out all day. We were warm, but not overly so for early September, and a bit more humid.)

Needless to say, I wasn't happy when I finally got home. Went straight into writing after I changed to make me feel better. The Lobster Quadrille is a strange kind of twirling group dance. The Mock Turtle will teach it to Brett and the boys...as long as Brett's younger son David avoids mentioning they've eaten lobsters on visits to their mother's family in Maine.

Watched Match Game '76 while eating leftovers from the Labor Day party for dinner. Brianne Leary continues her winning ways in these episodes. She did very well at the Head-to-Heads too, with help from Betty and Brett. 

Game show host and former pro baseball player Joe Gargiola joined Debralee Scott, Betty White, Gene, and the regulars on Match Game PM with a lady with beautiful braided hair and a gentleman who absolutely sounded like he was from the Bronx. The lady said she'd been dying to kiss Richard Dawson...and got her wish, courtesy of "The Kissing Bandit" of Family Feud, of course!

Continued with the Silly Symphonies as I slid my favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe in the oven. "Music Land" is a Romeo and Juliet story about a princess violin from the Land of Symphony who loves a young tuba prince from the Land of Jazz. Her mother locks the prince away, which enrages her father enough for a musical attack! The princess, however, would rather settle things and release her sweetheart. This is an old favorite of mine from when it ran on The Disney Channel frequently. I've always loved the gorgeous animation of the two lands and the well-rendered details on the moving musical instruments.

"Farmyard Symphony" (another hidden Easter egg short) takes us from Music Land to a generic barn yard. This one is a lot simpler as we see various farm animals go about their daily activities. The rooster woos a pretty white hen, and a piglet tries to get food...until feeding time, when all the animals become occupied with their handlers.

Another black-and-white short, "The China Plate," veers into stereotypes territory. Here, it's a pair of lovers on a Chinese "Willow" design plate who are attacked. Her father the Emperor doesn't like his daughter spending time with a commoner and chases them with his sword. He's eaten by a dragon, who then tries chasing the kids himself.

Finished the night on The Roku Channel with two Hart to Hart third season episodes. It's all aboard the "Hartland Express" when, thanks to an air traffic controller's strike, Jennifer, Johnathan, and Max find themselves on a two-day train trip from Chicago to Los Angeles. Jennifer's horrified to find the body of a man they met in the dining car (David Doyle) in her closet. Turns out he was an FBI agent trying to protect a witness (Carol Lynley) from hired killers. Jennifer and Johnathan want to protect her, but she has her own idea of justice.

The duo get to "The Hart of the Matter" when a publisher friend of theirs who invited them to a French chateau on a remote island disappears. The staff of the hotel won't even believe he was there. They even claim his room doesn't exist. He seems to reappear again, only to not be so friendly. The two try to figure out what's going on, and why the entire hotel staff is on on it.