Adventures In the Sunshine

Began the day with breakfast and a quick episode of Bluey. While out "Camping" with her family, Bluey befriends a French black lab named Jean-Luc. He doesn't speak English, but they figure out how to communicate well enough to build a shelter of their own and capture the "wild pig" Bandit. 

Hurried off to work soon as the cartoon ended. The Acme was unusually busy for Wednesday morning. Between the crowds and the people working on inventory, I had a hard time keeping up with the carts. There were at least two times I was pulled to return cold items or took too long sweeping and could barely get out to them. Needless to say, I wasn't too unhappy when I finished. I changed, grabbed a container with three pretzel roll roast beef sliders, a small bag of potato chips, oatmeal cookies, and those 70 cent bottles of Mas electrolyte drinks (just went with the lemon-lime this time) and a box of pads on clearance and headed out. 

It was too nice to eat in a restaurant today. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for early June. It was sunny and slightly breezy, with a searingly blue sky and just enough humidity to make it comfortable. Since my picnic at the War Memorial Park in Oaklyn went so well on Sunday, I decided to do it again for lunch. This time, I was the only one eating. The only sounds were the children chasing each other in the playgrounds at the Oaklyn School to my left and the men on ladders painting what will be the Blu Bear Bakery in a few weeks to my right. Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House for a coconut matcha latte to cool off before moving on.

It was such a nice day, I left for the Thomas Sharp School a bit early and got to explore West Collingswood. I first stopped at the small park on the other side of the railroad tracks. It has a small clubhouse-type building, a playground, and swings. I tried to get on the swings, but they were way too high! I could barely climb on. The local kids would probably need help from their parents, even some of the older ones. 

I next went across the street to read about the Champion School. This tiny 1821 one-room schoolhouse was one of the very first public schools in Camden County. It was a Quaker school, which meant all kids, regardless of race or class, could go there. I didn't look inside, but I did read the sign outside. Apparently, it was in use until 1906, likely until Thomas Sharp was built. I couldn't help wondering what the kids would think of being crammed into that little school! I thought about that as I headed over the tracks and down to Thomas Sharp. I just got there a little early and sat on the swings in the shade until the older kids came out and it was time for me to go in.

It got pretty wild even in the (slightly) newer school today. We had 25 kids, 10 at my table. My group wasn't bad in the bathrooms, but I had a harder time with the groups I took later. The girls end up giggling with each other and not doing what they need to, one of the boys won't stay in the hall, and some of the others kept blocking the door. On the other hand, I did get to read a really cute book about a poor mole who deals with some very noisy supernatural neighbors to two of the boys in the cafeteria.

We're still having trouble with the swings. The kids start begging the moment we get out, despite us saying that we'll tell them when it's ok. We let kids swing before they go home, but they have to be careful because of all the kids running around. One little girl fibbed right to me when she said her mother was there and she wasn't. Ironically, her mother arrived right then...and the kid still wouldn't get off. Her mother had to argue her off, pointing out that the others wanted a turn, too. 

Things went better once I managed to get them all in line. In fact, they were hilarious. Two of them lay on their stomachs and held hands. They were so funny, the head teacher took pictures of them, and two more kids ended up doing it. I hadn't laughed so much in ages. Those who didn't swing or race cars down the slide danced to "I'm Still Standing," "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "The Best of Both Worlds" from Hannah Montana, the themes from PJ Masks, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and songs from Sing and Trolls. 

Watched the Drew Carey Price Is Right when I got home. Alas, I came in just to see losses at the Check Out Game and the Balance Game. The Showcase Showdown went better. Not only did a lady get the dollar, but she got her nature-themed Showcase, too, including camping gear, a trip to San Diego, and an African safari.

Let it run into Match Game '74 while I figured out what to do about dinner. Tonight finished out the week with Charlie Brill. There was a lot of happy kissing when Richard Dawson helped the contestant with the Head-to-Head, including Gene grabbing Joyce Bulifant for a kiss! Scoey Michelll and Elaine Joyce were slightly more subdued the next week.

It took me a while to decide what to watch, but I finally finished the night at YouTube with Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. I'm so glad someone posted the original 2 1/2 hour miniseries from Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color! The Walt Disney Treasures sets and Disney Movie Club DVD releases are so expensive on eBay. Dr. Syn (Patrick McGoohan) is a vicar in colonial England by day who is beloved by his parish. At night, he and a band of local men and boys are the terrifying Scarecrow and his band of outlaws, smugglers who rob King George's men and give the money and food to the poor. 

I love a good Scarlet Pimpernel/Robin Hood story, and this is one of the most unique. The final chapter, with Dr. Syn rescuing the son of the local squire (Michael Hordern), is by far the most interesting. The second chapter that revolves around the Scarecrow dealing with a traitor in their midst feels like padding, which is likely why it was cut out when it was released as a movie in Europe. Whether you go for the original miniseries or the 90 minute theatrical version, this is a slightly slow-moving but still fascinating historical adventure story. 

Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh

Swinging Harts

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Dan gets into a "Circle Time Squabble" when he and Miss Elania want to be waiters for Chrissy, and then they both want to sit next to her during their circle time. Teacher Harriet helps calm them down and show that no matter how angry they got, there are better ways to work out their problems than hitting. "It's Not Okay to Hurt Someone," especially when that someone is your little sister. Dan gets angry when Margaret crawls through his block farm entrance, and his mom isn't happy when he washes his animals instead of coming to dinner. They both discuss that it's not right to hurt someone and how to calm down before you lash out.

Spent the rest of the late morning and early afternoon vacuuming, Swiftering, and dusting my rooms. Listened to Mean Mothers: Independent Women's Blues, Volume 1 while I worked. These aren't the depressing laments most people think of when they discuss rhythm and blues. These sassy ladies of the 20's, 30's, and 40's were tough women at a time when women were only just starting to fight for their rights and their dignity. Songs like Bessie Brown's "Ain't Much Good In the Best of Men Nowadays," Bernice Edwards' "Long Tall Mama," and Blue Lou Barker's "I Don't Dig You Jack" dig into the bawdy world of strong women who don't put up with foolishness from anyone, let alone their men. We even have two standards, "Why Don't You Do Right?" by Lil Green and "Baby Get Lost" by Billie Holiday.

Switched to the 2001 Nero Wolfe while eating a quick lunch. This stylish A&E series adapted the famous series of mysteries from the 40's and 50's, with Maury Chaykin as the corpulent, orchid-loving private eye of the title and Timothy Hutton as his assistant (and the show's narrator) Archie Goodwin. Kicked off with the series opener "The Doorbell Rang." Wealthy Mrs. Rachel Bruner (Debra Monk) turns to Nero and Archie to get the FBI to stop following her. Turns out there's something more sinister going on than government agents following a rich lady around town when Archie discovers connections to the murder of a journalist investigating illegal FBI practices.

Hurried off to school even before the show ended. I was slightly late...which may have been a moot point. The kids were sitting in the hall when I arrived. This was the music class day, and the library is still being used by the school art show. Not a good thing, since we had 26 kids today, 10 in my group, and they were all wound up. We couldn't get any of them to sit down in the cafeteria. All they did was run around. 

They were wound up outside, too. Two of the boys jumped on the swings before we told them they were allowed to. I had to fight to get them off, and then to get them all in line when we did let them on. I'm tired of them all running at me once with "Me first!" and "Can I go on next?" They need to learn to wait their turn. If they get out of line to run with the others, they lose their turn and go to the back of the line. The other kids danced to "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" from Lilo and Stitch, "The Best of Both Worlds" from Hannah Montana, "Try Everything" from Zootopia, "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, and songs from Encanto, Moana, Moana 2, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

We finally took the remaining 3 kids back to the blacktop with the older kids around 5 PM. I sat with the one remaining girl inside. She's a bit shy, and I think she was hot after running around in the playground. I stayed with her until the head teacher came in to wipe down tables and said she'd stay with her. I headed out after that, making a quick stop at the Speedy Mart on the way home for a Propel and a treat.

After I got in, I took the trash outside, took a shower, made dinner, and went upstairs. Finished Nero Wolfe, then watched Match Game '74. Charlie Brill, slender husband of Mitzi McCall, made his first of two appearances on the show. He was joined by the delightfully daffy Joyce Bulifant and the delightfully sassy Marcia Wallace.

Finished the night with Hart to Hart. Annoyed that his new suit was switched with a larger one belonging to a mysterious Mr. Sole, Jonathan decides to make the switch himself. The last thing he and Jennifer expect to find in Mr. Sole's room is a dead man in the closet. Turns out the man doesn't exist. He was part of a CIA sting to flush out a member selling information to the highest bidder. It becomes a lot more than "Hart and Sole" when Jonathan offers to help out, and the man ends up kidnapping Jennifer.

Celebrating Games

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. "Mighty Pups, Super Paws: Pups Meet the Mighty Twins" introduces Ladybird, an obnoxious thief who is addicted to all things shiny. When she snitches a bracelet with a bit of meteor from a gold chicken statue downtown, she gains flight and super-strength. Twin golden retrievers Tuck and Ella try to hold her off, then turn to the Paw Patrol to help. When Ryder sees how well they're working with the others, he gives them super powers too...ones that prove very useful in infiltrating Ladybird's steel nest and rescuing Mayor Goodway!

Headed out after that. My first stop was PNC Bank to get rent money. I couldn't get it outside, so I went inside. Couldn't get it there, either...until I realized I was using my credit card. Oops. That did it. Once I used the right card, I took out money with no trouble.

Had lunch at Sabrina's Cafe, partially because it's one of the few restaurants in Collingswood that's open on Monday. As such, they were fairly busy when I sat down at one of the thick blonde wood tables. I tried their sour-sweet hibiscus iced tea, turkey bacon, and Banana Chocolate Chip Pudding Pancakes. The turkey bacon was limp, slightly greasy, and not that great. The pancakes were huge, dripping with banana pudding and whipped cream, and while there weren't a ton of chocolate chips, they were a pretty good size. They were yummy, but proved too big to finish.

I rushed home to turn over the rent money and watch The Pirates of Dark Water. "The Dagron Master" is a little greenish fellow who claims he can help Ren and Niddler find one of the treasures after they wash up on his island during a storm. He gives Ren armor to protect him from the dragon-like dagrons...armor that turns him into one of them. Niddler has to help him remember his humanity, before the Dagron Master sells him to Blarth.

Hurried out to Thomas Sharp School even before the cartoon ended. It was honestly busier than I expected, considering we're now on the last three weeks of the school year. Apparently, from all of the boys in tropical-print shirts and the girls in fabric leis and bright flowered sundresses, today was their Hawaiian Day. We had 26 excited kids all together, 11 at my table counting one from another table who had to use the bathroom right away. 

I'm glad we got them outside when we did. It was way too nice for anyone to be inside for long! Though it clouded over a little while we were on the playground, it was mostly sunny, bright blue, and windy. They're still arguing over the swings. I got so fed up with all the squabbling, I finally told them to make a line next to the swing set. The first two in line would get to use the swings, then the next two. If you get out of line and go run around, you lose your turn and have to get in the back. That worked well enough for most of the kids to get on. At one point, two of the girls were swinging in perfect unison! By the time two boys were seeing who could swing on their stomachs the fastest (and were utterly hilarious doing so), we were down to 6 kids. Two went home just as the head teacher let me off slightly early and took the others around to the blacktop to play with the older kids.

Made a quick stop on the way home. I needed soap and thought it would be cheaper at Dollar General. Bought a new kind of all-natural soap and a Bodyarmor drink. Unfortunately, the line was so long, it had to be split in two. Took me a little while to get out of there.

Watched Match Game '74 after I took out the recycling, took the laundry downstairs, and got dinner. Tonight's episodes let Patti Deusch play on the same panel as her equally wacky comedy writer husband Donald Ross for the first and only time and introduced sweet Janet Finn, the adorable mother of 9 children who eventually went home with over $14,000. Patti was in the middle of controversy when producer and judge Ira Skutch wouldn't match "spot" with "puddle," but matched "stain" and "little yellow spot," claiming they were more specific. 

Continued with more vintage game shows at YouTube after I brought the laundry upstairs. Today begins Buzzr's big Game Show Month marathon celebration. Buzzr started in 2015 as a channel to show vintage game shows after Game Show Network dropped most of them. Match Game was on almost from the beginning (the only re-run they share with GSN). They've shown the Richard Dawson and Ray Combs Family Feud off and on; currently, the Dawson version runs early in the morning. The four existing versions of Password, from the 60's original through Million Dollar Password, have all been on the line-up at one time or another. Currently, Password Plus is a prime-time staple, while the later color episodes of the original 60's Password mainly run late at night.  

They've also run rarer shows, as part of their regular line-up and as filler in marathons. Child's Play, with adults having to guess words from kids' descriptions, and Trivia Trap, a quiz show pitting three "seniors" against younger players, were huge flops in the early-mid 80's that were parts of their early line-up and can still be occasionally seen on the channel (including this month). Black-and-white shows like What's My Line used to be early-morning staples, but they're now mostly seen in marathons. 

Buzzr really loves their shopping shows. The 70's and 80's versions of Let's Make a Deal have been on the schedule off and on (mostly recently earlier this year). They had the Wayne Brady Deal on just a few months ago....for about four weeks before they unceremoniously yanked it from the schedule. Bob Barker Price Is Right episodes from the 1980's and Drew Carey episodes from the late 2000's seem to be far more popular, despite both having separate channels dedicated to them. 

They adore Concentration, too. Classic Concentration with Alex Trebek is one of their most-run shows. The Jack Narz syndicated Concentration from the 70's has been run on the station sporadically. Currently, it's another late-night show. 

Celebrate National Game Show Month and Buzzr's 16th birthday with the best the station has had to offer!

What's My Line (1965)

Concentration (1976)

Match Game (1978)

Family Feud (1981)

Password Plus (1982)

Child's Play (1983)

Trivia Trap (1984)

Let's Make a Deal (1986)

Super Password (1987)

The Price Is Right (1988)