Spring Winds

I didn't sleep that well last night. When I did get up, I read Caught Read-Handed and wrote in my journal until around 11:30. Watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while eating breakfast. "Mickey's Little Parade" is just for the smallest members of the Clubhouse - Buzz Buzz the Bee, Chip & Dale, Baby Red Bird, and Goofy's old friend Wilbur the Grasshopper. Mickey, Goofy, and Daisy accidentally wind the mechanical band members they intend to use for the parade too tight, sending them flying all over the Clubhouse! They recruit the others to help retrieve them.

Switched to Match Game '77 as I finished up breakfast. Roz Kelly, best known as Fonzie's tough girlfriend Pinky Tuskedero on Happy Days, makes her second and last appearance on the show this week, along with Craig Morris and Joyce Bullifant. The German coat worn by a contestant and the Audience Match "Werner __" brings in a lot of German accent jokes, especially from Richard, who knew German and Austrian actors doing Hogan's Heroes.

Made a few phone calls after breakfast. I wasn't able to get Mrs. Stahl or Collingswood Family Medicine, but I did finally get Jessa. She's willing to join Lauren and me in Barrington and Deptford next week, and even suggested seeing concerts in Philly. (Although I suspect those may be a little too late for us.)

Headed out for a walk after I finally got off with Jess. It was too nice of a day to hang out inside. Stopped at CVS for water, then strolled down to Newton Lake Park. The weather remains perfect here, sunny, windy, and warm. The sun reflected on the bottle-green water as I made my way past the newly-laid blacktop parking lot and the old playground. Couldn't resist going down that awesome bumpy slide with the rollers on the bottom. Went home via the heavily wooded, unpaved back paths. It was cool and peaceful back there, amid the sweet-smelling primrose and sunny yellow irises. 

After I got home, I had a brief lunch and rested while watching Carolina Blues. I go further into this wartime vehicle for Ann Miller and Kay Kyser and His Orchestra at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Carolina Blues 

Tried to focus on writing as well as I could when I was tired for the next few hours. Richard's torn between helping Gene out with the bandits who are raiding the town, and keeping an eye on the gold. If only he could be in two places at once...

Broke for dinner at 7. Watched Match Game '79 as I ate. Bill Daily actually managed to match a few times here, while the others tried to figure out "Lullaby __" in the Audience Match. Brett was nervous when she was hit on the Star Wheel to do "__ In Law" for the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night at Disney Plus with episodes of The Muppet Show. Started off with three of the most unique guest stars to ever appear on the series. Mimes Shields & Yarnell inspire Fozzie Bear to attempt his own mime act, but he tries too hard to be unique. Scooter, meanwhile, is convinced that the mimes are robots, while we see bouncing birds on a wire perform "Take a Chance On Me" and a gorilla climbing the Empire State Building claim "It's Lonely at the Top." 

Puppeteer Senior Wences inspires an extremely meta episode devoted to other forms of puppetry. Fozzie's ready to try his own marionette act, but his wise guy clown puppet would rather control him. Piggy doesn't see why "moving dolls" are so entertaining. Wences isn't the only unique puppet act on the show that week, either. Another puppeteer, Bruce Schwartz, does a haunting act with shadows and a Japanese doll. 

Honored the late Harry Belafonte, who passed away last month, with his episode from the third season. Fozzie spends the show trying to write scrips around the madness backstage. (I guess no one told him about the writer's strike.) Belafonte does better by the opening version of his hit "Day-O" before Fozzie tries to "improve" it. The striking finale, "Turn the World Around," has Belefonte singing with realistic African mask puppets as we learn about the philosophy of peace for all people that he and Jim Henson shared.