It Happened In Oaklyn

Though I no longer had a fever when I opened my eyes this morning, my throat was still sore, my head ached, and I was still dead tired. I called the Acme at 6 AM...and then had to wait and call them back to tell the manager at 7:30. I did read some short holiday stories Told Under the Christmas Umbrella, including "Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus," "The Mouse Who Didn't Believe In Christmas," and "December." I especially like the latter, about a father who takes his children to the beach for Christmas. The kids are disappointed there won't be snow, but they eventually enjoy decorating their tree with shells and other objects washed up on the beach. 

(In the 80's and 90's, we did use shells on our tree. Mom tied red ribbon around holes in beautiful white sand dollars. They made such a nice contrast to the green tree! We were all disappointed when they finally became so brittle, Mom had to throw them away.)

This time, I was able to sleep until 11. Wrote in my journal, then emerged for breakfast and Doc McStuffins. Millie the Microphone karaoke machine has "A Good Case of the Hiccups" when she keeps repeating her words. Doc and the stuffed toys try every method to cure hiccups they can think of to stop them, bud Doc eventually learns that the simplest methods are often the best. Donnie's best friend is upset when his favorite toy digger Riggo's arm is "Stuck Up." Doc can't figure out what the problem is, until her brother gets sand in her eye and she realizes there's sand stuck in Riggo, too.

Switched to Match Game as I discovered the lemon Jell-O finally thickened. That sure felt good going down! They jumped back to 1976 as Gene announced Richard Dawson was preparing to host a brand-new game show in the fall, a little entry called Family Feud. At this point, anyway, it didn't effect him playing the game. Bill Daily happily got a kiss for getting the top Audience Match on "Dizzy __," and Richard did equally well with "Vanilla __." In the second episode, Gene gets so annoyed with the audience not being in time with his questions, he tells them to shut up!

Started nodding off over the second episode, so I went down for a nap at 1. I really am feeling a little better. I only slept until 3 this time. 

I desperately need food in the house, but I don't think I'm up to a huge grocery trip right now. Cleared out most of my perishables before I went to Rose's. Figured it was time to try my first online grocery order. Since I already use Uber, I went with Uber Eats. Mostly just restocked items - apples, Brussels sprouts, milk, bananas, yogurt, an onion, canola oil, carrots, mushrooms, canned pineapple, sweet potatoes, cranberries. Bought low-salt Triscuits to go with the cheese spread Mom sent me in that Swiss Colony box and Mucinex for my current illness. 

Felt up to writing after I put in my order. Brett somehow manages to stop the train by pulling on the goat's beard. A none-too-happy Joey (Bishop) the conductor throws them off for knocking everyone around. Richard tells him they were getting off at this stop anyway. Everyone jumps off the train and into a lush forest, where Brett hears a familiar buzzing...

The woman with my Uber order didn't arrive until 6:30...but that was really perfect timing, as I intended to eat then anyway.  Apparently, she couldn't find the cold medicine, and that's what caused her to be a bit late. She got everything else, and she was very sweet about everything. I still prefer to shop in person, but I now know that online grocery shopping does work if you're in a pinch or not up to being there. I'll see if I'm up to picking up cold medicine at Dollar General tomorrow. 

Made French Toast with the last of my Herb Bread; had it with a banana as I watched Match Game '74. They skipped two episodes to the beginning of the next week. Broadway star Robert Morse and TV favorite Adrienne Barbeau join in for one of the best weeks of that year. An especially frisky contestant kept trying to kiss all of the ladies, especially Fannie Flagg! Richard, Gene, and Charles "defended" their women while Charles and Richard make jokes about Fannie's flower t-shirt in the opening. 

Two more lively contestants made Match Game PM a lot of fun, too. A nervous former Marine from Brooklyn and an African-American lady with gorgeous long braids were funny and played very well. Richard happily gave the lady the kiss she wanted, though Gene ended up dragging him back. Though baseball legend Joe Gargiolia was on the panel, Brett and Charles got the best lines and answers to a question about what a sports team held in the locker room. (I'm surprised Brett's answer wasn't censored!)

Finished the night online with Sun Valley Serenade. My final musical review of 2021 takes us to the fabled Idaho ski resort with ice skater Sonja Henie, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, and some great big band numbers. I go further into Henie's last major hit at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Sun Valley Serenade