Saturday, November 20, 2021

Champagne Music and Matches

Kicked off the day with breakfast and Paw Patrol on Paramount Plus. "The Pups Save Thanksgiving" from Mayor Humdinger, who takes off with the turkey bouncy house when he thinks he's not invited to dinner. The Paw Patrol dogs have to rescue him and his Patrol-imitating kittens, then restore the town's ruined Thanksgiving feast. Zuma wants to take part in the windsurfing contest on Adventure Bay, but there's no wind...until Humdinger uses his huge fan to make some for himself and win the race! His kittens get too distracted to control it, and it ends up stranding the surfers instead. "The Pups Save the Windy Bay" and solve the mystery of where the sudden breeze came from.

Attempted to call Oakland Gardens, but either their phones are out, or there was (unsurprisingly) no one in the office on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. They didn't even have an automated voice telling me to leave a name and phone number. Rose called me shortly after. I told her about my confrontation with Jodie last night and her giving me the notice. Rose wants me to avoid her as much as possible and try not to say much if she comes over here. Oh, and to pay Jodie the rent for December, even though she said I didn't have to. 

You don't know how much this is driving me crazy. I just want everyone to get along, not be at each other's throats. I thought moving here was perfect last year, but I didn't know everyone would react so badly over Jodie selling the house and my having to leave. Everything seemed to be fine during the summer, but...something must have happened between Labor Day and the end of September that got everyone upset. I wish I knew what.

Headed off to work shortly after. No problems here, not even with the turkeys this time. In fact, we were surprisingly on-and-off quiet for the weekend before Thanksgiving, and even our busy times weren't that bad. I shelved candy and looked over our circular so I could remember what I needed between customers.

Did my grocery shopping right after I finished work. Had online coupons for dishwashing liquid, sugar, sweet potatoes, and free eggs. Found packs of salmon with manager's coupons; bought the two cheapest, along with shrimp for dinner. Bought Christmas cards for Mom and my sisters and a box of cute cards depicting a polar bear and a bird celebrating the season together. Restocked yogurt, apples, broccoli, bananas, onions, cranberries, cereal, and pads. 

I was so hungry, I went straight into shrimp for dinner after putting everything away. Went to YouTube for three classic Match Game episodes from '75 and '77. The first one ended with a question asking who would play the Beast to Betty's Beauty. (The panel's answers actually inspired one of my current fanfic ideas.) Everyone helped Gene find his spare microphone during the start of the second. The PM episode featured a twinkly old man contestant who spent the show flirting with Brett.

Stayed at YouTube for Bewitched as I made my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies recipe. Aunt Clara gives us "Samantha's Thanksgiving to Remember" when she takes herself, Sam, Darren, Tabitha, and their neighbor Gladys Kravitz back in time to Plymouth shortly after the pilgrims arrived. Ironically, it's Darren who is accused of being a witch after he's seen lighting a match, and Samantha who has to defend him. 

Pulled the cookies out of the oven while watching the 80's cartoon anthology Saturday Supercade. The "Q-Bert" segment of this show is the last TV program I'd peg to have a Thanksgiving episode, but they somehow managed to turn "Thanksgiving for the Memories" into the story of Pilgrim Q-Bert getting help from the natives rescuing his little brother Q-Bit who has run away. Jealous Coile the snake only  helps out so he can win a horse and buggy that's supposed to be for the hardest-working pilgrim. 

Went online for The Scarecrow and to do a little bit of writing. I go further into this sweet but strange animated adaptation of the Nathaniel Hawthorne short story Feathertop at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 


Finished up the night with Lawrence Welk Thanksgiving episodes on YouTube. Lawrence's "musical family" didn't quite go as all-out for Thanksgiving as they did other holidays, but they did do a few memorable episodes. The 1970 show went fully patriotic, with a few songs about being thankful and the cast dressed as pilgrims sprinkled amid songs about America like "This Land Is Your Land" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." 

The holiday was more evident in the other two shows, especially in 1981. That episode began and ended with "Home for the Holidays," and we got a hilarious cowboy-themed "Turkey In the Straw" with Bobby Burgess and his then-partner Elaine Niverson, along with a rare team-up by singer Ken Delo and dancer Arthur Duncan for "Back In Your Own Backyard." Norma Zimmer sings to "Bless This House" in 1973, while the full orchestra and chorus remind us that "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Here's all three shows to provide background for your Thanksgiving dinner! (And be wary of the 1970 show - the audio drops very low during the middle of the program, but I can't seem to find another copy of this one online.) 

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