In the Good Old Summertime

Kicked off the morning with pieces from Colliers Harvest of Holidays for Father's Day. One of the long stories was the sweet, quiet tale of a father who takes his little girl out to the yard at night so she can sleep. The other is a segment from Cheaper By the Dozen detailing how Mr. Gilbreath, father of 12 children and efficiency expert, tried to use the same logic he applied to factories at home...with mixed results.

Listened to Nat King Cole while eating breakfast. The title song of Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer is probably the best-known hit from Cole's 1963 summer-themed album nowadays. Most of the other numbers are beloved old favorites from the early 20th century like "Bicycle Built for Two," "In the Good Old Summertime," and "The Sidewalks of New York." One of the two new songs was also a hit, the dreamy ballad "That Sunday, That Summer." The other one was "That's What They Meant By the Good Old Summertime."

Headed to work a little early to get a pack of grapes, cubed muenster cheese, crackers, and tuna salad for lunch. Work was honestly not that bad. I spent the entire time pushing carts. The Sunday morning bagger and the afternoon bagger handled the indoor chores. It was too nice to be shopping anyway. It was hotter, yes, and a little humid, but breezy and sunny. 

Bought a Pearson's Salted Nut Roll for a summer treat after work, then went straight home and into tonight's Match Game marathon. Far more TV dads than what we saw last night appeared on this show! In addition to Tom Bosley, there were Robert Pine of CHIps, best known today as the father of actor Chris Pine, Michael Landon of Little House on the Prairie during that first week in 1973, Pat Harrington, and Ed Asner.

Real-life fathers occasionally brought their children on the show. Proud single dad Richard Dawson mentioned his son Gary twice. He first showed a picture of him dancing with a hula girl in Hawaii and claimed he was now engaged. Later in 1975, he invited Gary on the show near the end as a birthday present. McLean Stevenson's daughter Jennifer turned up at the end of an episode in 1978. She was adorable and funny in her Star Wars t-shirt. She even chewed her lip like her dad. As Didi Carr said, she was a "chippette off the old block." Jack Klugman often mentioned the two sons he had with Brett Somers. 

Fathers appeared on other versions of Match Game, too. Ted Knight was hilarious during the Too Close For Comfort week on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. His real-life daughter Elyse also appeared that week. Alan Thicke, later of Growing Pains, turned up twice on Hollywood Squares Hour with his then-wife Gloria Loring. Bill Kirkenbauer of Growing Pains and Just the 10 of Us was a frequent (and very funny) panelist on Match Game '90. 

Celebrate Father's Day the Match Game way as you and your dad match wits with some of the funniest fathers around!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Father's Day Marathon

Fathers and Matches

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast and Billboards Top Hits 1987. There's some heavy-hitters here that were a major part of my childhood. Two of them, "Heaven Is a Place On Earth" by Belinda Carlisle and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship remain two of my favorite songs. Other memorable hits from that year include "The Lady In Red" by Chris De Bargh, "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me" by George Michael and Aretha Franklin, "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House, and "I Heard a Rumor" by Bananarama. 

Headed to work even before the CD ended. Work was busy when I got in, not surprising for Father's Day weekend and a weekend where the weather was less than wonderful. Though it never rained hard, it was cloudy, gloomy, and cold all day, with occasional light sprinkles. I spent the afternoon gathering carts and the outside trash with no real problems. 

Finished the Billboard Top Hits CD after I got home and did things online, then went into Jimmy Buffett. "Come Monday" is the standard from the Ballads disc, and one of my favorites of his songs. It perfectly encapsulates that laid-back island vibe he was known for, and I was disappointed that the CD set Jodi gave me in 2021 that belonged to Dad was missing the Ballads disc. Other familiar songs here include "I Heard I Was In Town," "Little Miss Magic," and "He Went to Paris."

Finished the night with the Match Game marathon. Quite a few fathers, either ones in real-life or who played fathers on TV, turned up on the 70's-80's run of the show. TV dads and movie father figures who appeared included Tom Bosley, Pat Morita, Pat Harrington, and Michael Landon on the first week. Proud single dad Richard Dawson mentioned his beloved teen sons several times, even bringing the younger Gary onstage for his birthday. Jack Klugman also occasionally mentioned his two sons with Brett Somers. Robert Pine, best known nowadays as the father of actor Chris Pine, was a semi-regular in the late 70's-early 80's. Orson Bean had his own large brood with his wife Carolyn. Gene brought two adorable toddlers onstage in 1978. One was Donald Ross and Patti Deusch's son Max. The other was Gary Burghoff's darling little girl Gina. 

No one got more out of being a dad on Match Game than McLean Stevenson. During his 1978 appearance on the show (his first time since 1974), his lovely daughter Jennifer came up onstage near the end of the show, sporting red, white, and blue ribbons in her hair and a Star Wars T-shirt. (McLean was raising a very intelligent child there.) He'd bring two kids onstage during the syndicated era to share in the fun, a little girl named Michelle who kept giggling the whole time, and a little boy.

Share the fun with your father on these hilarious Match Game episodes!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Father's Day Marathon 2025

Satisfy My Soul

I slept in today and got so caught up finishing Murder Lo Mein and reading the pieces about a dad and his little girl and the chapter from Cheaper By the Dozen in the Colliers Harvest of Holidays, it was past 12:30 when I finally rolled out of bed and had a quick breakfast. Listened to the Bob Marley Legend greatest hits CD collection while I ate. I've heard a lot of Marley's music all my life without actually knowing it. I first encountered "Jammin'" on the soundtrack for old family favorite Captain Ron, and I know I've run into "Buffalo Soldier" elsewhere as well. Other favorites here include "Could You Be Loved," "Get Up Stand Up," and the original "I Shot the Sheriff." 

Headed to Collingswood on my bike around 1 PM. It was too nice of a day to waste inside, whether I had a dad or not. As I was riding across the parking lot behind the Collingswood Senior Center, I heard music and voices. I went to the other end of the block and discovered a Juneteeth fair, with people selling African crafts at booths, children throwing bean bags into a wooden board, and step dancers in bright pink and black doing a really nifty number. I watched the group and applauded them, then moved on. 

I next stopped at a very busy Haddon Culinary first. Ordered half of their turkey club sandwich on a whole-wheat roll with their house-made potato chips. Picked up a "cactus rose" sparkling water, too. Passed families and couples eating at the benches alongside the building, including a couple with a handsome golden retriever and a man with two frisky little pomeranians. 

Took my lunch down Haddon and Collings to Knight Park for a late spring picnic. After riding around for a bit, I settled at a bright blue metal picnic bench under a grove of shady trees. The sandwich was good, with real turkey slices and thick tomatoes...but the real stand-outs were the potato chips. They were by far the best chips I've ever had. They were thick, earthy, crunchy, and not a bit greasy, with just enough seasoning. I may have to go back sometime and get more of them. 

It was such a gorgeous day, I continued riding around the park, watching kids play in the playground (even the rusty log cabin-themed one), walk dogs, play catch with their parents, and go for bike rides. Enjoyed the ride and the sunny, breezy day so much, I continued through Collingswood, admiring the older homes and Art Deco-esque church. It was quiet for a Sunday holiday. Many people may have gone away to the Shore with their dads this weekend. I saw a few people walking dogs and some kids on their bikes.

Rode across the White Horse Pike to explore the stores on Collings Avenue in West Collingswood. I stopped at what proved to be a small deli and convenience store that advertised having water ice. Turned out to be scoops in paper cups nestled in the cooler with the ice cream novelties. I bought a Coke Zero and what turned out to be rainbow. Enjoyed them on the brick risers outside of the store.

Hit the shower soon as I got home, then finished Bob Marley while doing job hunting. I really wonder if I'm barking up the wrong tree. I should know what I want to do, like every adult, but I don't. All I've ever wanted to do is write, but how can I turn that into a career? Is it really the right thing for me? What is the right thing for me? 

Switched to the Little River Band Greatest Hits CD while looking up some things online. I used to hear these guys a lot on the radio when I was a young kid. Some of my favorites from them include "Lonesome Loser," "Cool Change," "Reminiscing," "Down On the Border," and "Happy Anniversary Baby." 

Finished out the night on YouTube with the Match Game Father's Day marathon. Actually, this marathon originally ran in 2021, but since I missed more than half the original broadcast due to work, I had no trouble with the repeat. Match Game did have its fair share of dads who turned up during the original run. Michael Landon was on the very first week in 1973. Tom Bosley turned up for a memorable week in 1975. David Doyle is best-known to 90's Nickelodeon fans as the original voice of Grandpa Pickles in Rugrats. Donald Ross appeared with his wife Patti Deustch in 1974. Their toddler son Max would be seen with Gary Burghoff's darling daughter Gina in Gene's arms in 1978. 

Other real-life dads appeared on the show as well. Richard Dawson was the proud single father of two teen sons. He brought the younger, Gary, onstage briefly for his birthday in 1974. Jack Klugman had two sons with Brett Somers whom Brett spoke of frequently. Robert Pine was as handsome in 1979 during his run on CHiPs as his son Chris Pine would be in later years. McLean Stevenson's smart and pretty daughter Jennifer would appear onstage in 1978. In 1981, he brought two kids onstage to get sweaters; one giggly little girl even helped him play the game.

Bring your dad to play along with some of the wackiest dads ever on television in this adorable marathon!

Match Game Sunday Night Classics - Father's Day Marathon

Dads and Matches

Started out the morning with breakfast and something a little different. I still have a pile of CDs and records I haven't listened to, so I thought I'd finally get to some of those. Began with the first disc of Remembering the 60's, a Reader's Digest set of songs we'd now call "easy listening." It begins strong with an iconic number from Bobby Darin, "Beyond the Sea." Other favorites here include "The Way You Look Tonight" and "When I Fall In Love" by the Lettermen, "Cupid" by Sam Cooke, Pat Boone singing "The Theme from Exodus," Neil Sedaka's jaunty "Calender Girl," and "Lollipops and Roses" by Jack Jones. We also get two classic instrumentals, the gorgeous "Stranger On the Shore" by Mr. Acker Bilk and the theme song from the original 60's Match Game, "A Swinging Safari" by Billy Vaughn. 

Had enough time for Classic Soul after that. This is a much shorter collection of lesser-known doo wop and soul numbers from the 50's and 60's, put out by MCA. The big ones here are "Me and Mrs. Jones" by the Dramatics, "Oh What a Night" by the Dells, and "Have You Seen Her?" by the Chi-Lights. 

Worked on writing while the CDs ran. Joyce follows her new canine friend right into the lounge room, where the food is. Ira Skutch isn't more than a little surprised when the dog tries to snitch sausages off his lap! Joyce snaps him up just a little too late. Ira's not happy about the dog trying to get onto his lap. He has nothing against him, but he thinks he should go to the pound. Joyce is protesting as Brett arrives.

Dashed off after a very quick lunch. Work started out busy, but once everyone went to their Father's Day barbecues and Juneteenth picnics, it slowed down a bit. It would be off and on for the rest of the night. We did sometimes get long lines later due to a lack of help. Thankfully, it did slow down enough for me to shut down without a relief.

Went straight home and into the shower. Finished the night with dinner and this year's Match Game Father's Day Marathon on YouTube. The marathon kicked off in 1974 with Orson Bean joking about being Gary Burghoff's second, as his wife was about to give birth and he may need to be there. (He didn't.) It ended with one of my favorite episodes of 1978. Gene brings in two adorable toddlers who turn out to be Patti Deustch's handsome little son Max Ross and Gary's darling daughter Gina. 

Richard showed off his young son Gary in two episodes, bringing him up for his birthday in one show and telling everyone about his son dancing with a hula girl during a trip to Hawaii in another. McLean Stevenson brought two children up onstage to help the panel out and get sweaters in 1982. They were way too big for them, but they didn't seem to care. His own daughter Jennifer came to visit towards the end of an episode in '78. Michael Landon, Pa Ingalls himself, appeared on the first week in 1973, but he was frankly too sweet for this wild show. 

Dads turned up on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, too. Michael Lembeck brought his own son for their Father's Day episode in 1984. Ted Knight anchored their Too Close For Comfort week, with his daughter Elyse joining the cast and Arsenio Hall. Christopher Rich may have been a star on Another World, but he and his then-wife Nancy Frangione were hilarious together. 

Bring your father along to match with some of the best dads to ever play the game!

Match Game Sunday Night Classics: Father's Day Marathon

All Kinds of People

Started off my Father's Day by oversleeping. I somehow set my alarm to 7 PM instead of AM. Got up with just enough time to write in my journal, eat, and hurry out to work. It was still really windy and chilly this morning, enough that I needed my jean jacket when I left, but didn't need anything on at home.

Work was a pain this morning. We were busy up through about 3:30. Everyone was buying huge orders for Father's Day barbecues, birthday or graduation parties, or just to feed kids who were now at home all week. Lots of gift cards for dads, grads, and birthday presents, too. Once again, we didn't have enough help until later in the afternoon...by which time, everyone made it to their barbecues and parties and we were dead. We were so quiet by 5:30, I just shut down and left with no objection.

Went straight home after work. Had dinner while listening to one of my many recent record acquisitions, The Girl Who Came to Supper. In this musical version of the play The Sleeping Prince and the Marilyn Monroe/Lawrence Oliver movie The Prince and the Showgirl, the members of the West End show "The Coconut Girl" are excited when they learn the Prince of Carpathia (Jose Ferrer) is in London for the coronation of King George V and will be seeing their show. 

The star of the show, Mary Moran (Florence Henderson), catches his eye when she trips instead of curtseying. He invites her to dinner and becomes enchanted with her, and she's overwhelmed by his charm. But his teen son is aligned with those who want to overthrow the throne, and she's hardly versed in royal etiquette. Though their worlds are too far apart to make things work, she still teaches him a lesson in democracy and seeing the world in a different and more open way.

This was...just ok. It's especially disappointing for one of Noel Coward's works. Tessie O'Shea and Henderson stole the show. O'Shea got a supporting actress Tony for her medley of Cockney songs that takes everyone on a jolly musical tour of London. Henderson gets a sweet ballad, "Here and Now," after she's been invited to the Coronation, and a tour-de-force number that has her reenacting the entire "Coconut Girl" for Ferrer, including five songs. Ferrer and his material come off far less well. He can't sing, and it makes his ballads and patter songs sound all alike. 

Lesser Noel Coward is still worth hearing, so if you love him or the big brassy Broadway musicals of the 50's and 60's, you'll want to look up this one at least once.

Worked on writing for an hour after dinner. As they look down, Brett sees a wall with a familiar egg-shaped figure. Humpty Dumpty was supposed to help her jump to the next square. She gets the Jabberwock to let them down far enough away that he won't scare Humpty before taking off again.

Finished the night on YouTube after a shower with game show episodes honoring Pride Month and Juneteenth. Homesexual actor, director, and voice artist Charles Nelson Reilly and lesbian writer and comedienne Fannie Flagg are two of my favorites on Match Game. The only time they appeared together on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour was the final week. I went with the very last episode, where Charles cries over his answers in Match Game and Fannie gets a few risqué ones in Hollywood Squares. 

Celebrity Bowling was what it says on the tin. Stars played four rounds of bowling for charity. Charles appeared at least twice. In the episode I chose where he's partnered with Gabe Kaplan from Welcome Back, Kotter, he accidentally hits Shelly Berman with his ball just as he's about to start! Charles did a lot less damage as a panelist on What's My Line in 1964, during the time he appeared in Hello Dolly on Broadway.

One of Fannie's funniest appearances on Match Game was also her last. She and Brett came rushing in late for the show! Gene gave them a good scolding for that. Fannie also did her last Head-to-Head, helping a gentleman with "__ Rebellion," and got to hear Brett complain how no one would rebel against whiskey!

Actor and "poet laureate of television" Nipsey Russell's natural habitat was word games like Password Plus. He did very well in early 1980, easily helping his contestant to the Alphabetics round. Jimmie Walker and his then-girlfriend Samantha did even better on a 1975 episode of Tattletales against experienced couples Lynda Day and her husband Chris and Don Galloway and his sweet wife Linda.

There's so much to celebrate this month! Honor some of the best panelists in game shows with these classic episodes!

What's My Line (1964)

Tattletales (1975)

Celebrity Bowling (1975)

Password Plus (1980)

Match Game (1982)

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1984)

And here's the Father's Day marathon Match Game Productions put together last year for even more June holiday fun!

Match Game Father's Day Marathon

Dads and Matches

Started off the morning with breakfast and Silly Symphony shorts on DVD and Disney Plus in honor of the summer solstice. "Summer," "Night," and "Frolicking Fish" are all variations on the "animals sing and dance in time to classical music". "Fish" has the title sea creatures dodging an overly playful octopus. "Playful Pan" starts out as Pan brings out the animals and trees of the forest to play, but he's the only one who can save them when the woods catch fire. "Bugs In Love" are rescued from a nasty crow by their fellow bugs, who use everything from paste to needle-and-safety pin bows and arrows to get rid of it. 

"Flowers and Trees" is the first three-strip Technicolor short and the first animated short to win an Oscar. It's a bit like "Playful Pan," this time without Pan. Here, a boy and girl tree are very much in love. A withered old tree wants her for himself and attempts to burn the forest down in order to get her.

Worked on writing between cartoons. Brett's starting to think Charles the Mad Hatter is almost pretty funny, even when he starts rambling about time. Richard's just trying to recruit him and the others against the Red King, who wants everyone in the under-kingdoms to play the game his way. 

Headed out shortly after "Flowers and Trees" ended. Work wasn't busy when I arrived. It didn't pick up until after 1:30, when people returned from the Shore and realized they now had kids at home for two months that needed to be fed. At least everyone was in good moods, especially those out-of-school kids. I got two compliments on my new watch (including one from a sweet girl) and another on my smile. It did pick up later in the afternoon, to the point where I was glad that it died enough by 7 for me to leave without a relief.

Rushed home the second I got out. I wanted to catch at least a little of the Match Game Father's Day Marathon on YouTube. More fathers than you might think played this game, from actors like Tom Bosley who played dads on TV, to real dads who mentioned their children on the show. Richard Dawson had two sons, Gary and Mark, whom he was a single dad to. Gary Burghoff's little girl Gina appeared an in adorable episode where Gene carried her in with Patti Deustch and Donald Ross' son Max Ross. CHIPs actor Robert Pine's son is Chris Pine, best known for playing Steve Trevor in the current Wonder Woman films. McLean Stevenson's cute and intelligent daughter Jennifer appeared on the end of a 1978 episode. He'd bring two equally adorable and funny kids out of the audience and onto the panel to play along with them in two episodes of the 1981 syndicated shows.

Bring your dad to play along with some of the wildest fathers to ever appear on television! 

Match Game Father's Day Marathon

Welcome to the New Home

The phone rang before I even opened my eyes. It was Rose. She wanted to come over to look at my apartment and see what furniture I could use and get rid of, and to see if some furniture she has to give me would work in the new place. She would be over in twenty minutes. I dressed quickly and had just managed to get my hair up when she and Finley knocked on my door.

She looked at the furniture while I lead Finley to my bed with the stuffed animals and the dolls. She was really fascinated by the mini-dolls I have for some of the American Girls. She handed me Josefina's Nina. I had to find Samantha's porcelain doll Clara (she was under the desk) and Jessa's Holly Hobbie (on the printer). (I still can't find Molly's glasses.) She loved seeing Butterbear (Rose had Butterbear when she was little) and my stuffed My Little Ponies Bow Tie and Parasol.

I'm hoping to be able to keep at least some of the larger shelves, like the good oak bookshelf in the bedroom, the shelf Rose gave me, and the rack I used to use for CDs. Rose said she might be able to take one black shelf, but they won't need the other. I can absolutely get rid of the smaller half-shelves. With fewer DVDs and CDs to store, there's now plenty of room for books and records on the larger shelves. The cabinet I use for my cookbooks can now be used for books or media storage, too. There's room on top of the kitchen cabinet for my cookbooks.

Along with clearing out media and shelves and figuring out if I can use Rose's futon, the other thing I need for the new apartment is rugs. The new apartment is entirely bare wood floor, with nary a carpet in sight. I have a long piece of carpet that might work in the hallway, and there's the rag rug in the bedroom, but I'll likely need large circle or square rugs for the living room and bedroom. The living room and bedroom windows will need curtains, too. (I would much rather wash curtains than deal with trying to clean blinds, like I did here!)

Finally had breakfast when I got home. Listened to the American Graffiti soundtrack while experimenting with pancakes. Finley insisted on having a banana while she was here. As she discovered, my bananas are getting really soft. I put one in the fridge and mashed another. I also have a ton of blueberries, so I made blueberry-banana pancakes. Not bad. The second one burned a little, but the first was soft, sweet, and delicious.

I originally planned to look up rugs and buy more of those DVD boxes that worked out so well for me. Trouble is, they'd gone up in price and wouldn't arrive by this week. I need the darn things this week. Rose was talking about Craig doing the first round of moving as early as this or next week. The binder I looked at last week was no longer available. I spent two hours searching before I decided I would buy plastic pockets and just get cheap binders...and then, even those wouldn't arrive when they claimed they would, and I canceled the order.

Listened to the original cast of Hello Dolly! while having a very quick lunch. I needed something to make me feel better. Carol Channing was a sensation as Dolly; I do like her "Before the Parade Passes By." Two favorite character actors of mine, smoky-voiced Eileen Brennan and sweet Charles Nelson Reilly, get to introduce "Ribbons Down My Back" and "It Only Takes a Moment" respectively.

Went back on the computer to do some writing after lunch. Sir Gautier hands Betty the keys, allowing her to release Brett and her sons from their prison. As it turns out, Brett's already been trying to break out of the wall via sharp sticks and her sons pranking the trolls. She tells them that Bill the wolf and some more rebellious trolls are being held in the other doors...

I went back to trying to find cases and didn't even consider dinner until past 7:30. I originally considered getting pizza, but I'm not sure if you can just walk in and order, or if you have to order online first. I finally decided it wasn't worth it and went for a walk instead. I had to drop off Dad's Father's Day card, which I forgot to bring with me when we were there earlier. I would have popped my head in, but Jodie's been so worried about Dad catching the virus, I didn't want to upset her.

Decided that I needed dessert before dinner and stopped at Phillies Yummies for a soft-serve swirl cone with rainbow sprinkles. It was hot earlier today, sunny and humid, but by quarter of 8, there was a nice breeze and it had cooled off somewhat. I enjoyed my walk home. So did a lot of other folks. I saw many people out for a stroll or walking dogs.

Finished the night with leftovers and one of the few Good Eats: Reloaded episodes I haven't watched yet. I'll save "Holiday Spirits" and "Whole Lotta Latkes" for the actual holidays, but I've never tried using a pressure cooker before. Alton revised his "Pressure" episode, adding more of his fancy spices and throwing in a recipe for the Thai street soup Pho at the end.

Of Dads and Chipmunks

It was still sunny when I rolled out of bed this morning. Started off my day with reading in honor of Father's Day and Flag Day on Friday from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays book. While I enjoyed the two stories about Betsy Ross and the women who made the flag that flew over Baltimore in 1814 and inspired "The Star Spangled Banner," my favorites were the Father's Day pieces. The first story was a very sweet and simple short about a dad who takes his little girl outside on a hot summer night to get her to go to sleep. The second is an excerpt from the biography Cheaper By the Dozen that has Mr. Gilbreath forming his 12 children into a committee to do chores and buy supplies.

Made Blueberry Pancakes while watching more Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers. "A Creep In the Deep" is stealing fish from restaurants and cargo boats. The Rangers discover that the raids are lead by Captain Fin and his crew, who restored a submarine and filled it with water so they can steal on land. The Captain thinks he's setting the fish free, including a star whale...but not all of them are so eager to leave their homes or show business.

Moved to "Normie's Science Project" while cleaning up from breakfast. Normie is Professor Nimnul's equally obnoxious nephew, who has swiped his uncle's "sound amplifier" for a school science fair. Turns out it does a lot more than impress teachers. It can level whole cities. The Rangers have to get the record it uses back to it's original owner, Normie's rival at the fair.

"Seer No Evil" has a gypsy moth fortune teller at a fair claiming that Chip will die within the next 24 hours. Chip thinks it's a load of hogwash, but when her predictions seem to come true, the others try to keep him from getting hurt and still solve the case of a monkey and a game barker who use the game prizes to rob the homes of wealthy fair goers.

Headed out to run a few errands around noon. The day had become a bit cloudy while I was finishing breakfast. I even felt a few sprinkles of rain as I headed down Manheim to Dad and Jodie's house to wish Dad a happy Father's Day. Jessa was also there when I arrived. I was able to give Dad his card and a hug, and the four of us talked for a while. They'd had Rose and her brood over the day before. Evidently, Finley has now decided she doesn't need anyone's help to swim and will stubbornly jump in without her mother's help. They said she's all over everything at once, grabbing at things.

Jessa drove me to Dollar General, which was my next stop. I was out of dishwashing liquid, and I badly needed underwear. Treated myself to one of the tasty pecan logs that only they sell.

The rain was long gone and the sun was out by the time I strolled back to Oaklyn. I had lunch at Phillies Phatties. It was past 2 by then; not surprisingly, the only people there were me, the cooks, and Freeform on TV. Enjoyed a slice of white broccoli, a slice of tomato basil mozzarella, and a can of Vanilla Pepsi. (I had no idea Pepsi revived their vanilla flavor. Considering I'm a big fan of Vanilla Coke, I'll more than happily take Pepsi's version too.)

The clouds were starting to gather as I hurried home, and though it was still a bit cool, it was also windy and very humid. Spent the next few hours writing. Luke separates from the others to check out something he saw at a cave in one of the snow-covered mountains. He no sooner lands to check it out than he's knocked out...and it's not by a huge yeti-like creature, but something far more human...

Broke for dinner at 6. I wasn't really that hungry and stuck to having a chocolate banana smoothie for dinner. Continued Rescue Rangers while I ate. The Rangers are "Chipwrecked Shipmunks" when they're stranded on a deserted island. Dale and Monty find a treasure while looking for supplies and plan to keep it for themselves...until their old friends the Pirats show up, looking for treasure, and a hurricane starts to roll in...

Monty is hailed as a hero by a little Spanish mouse town in "When Mice Were Men." They believed he saved them from a nasty bull. The truth isn't quite as heroic as they think. Monty has to find his inner courage when the bull returns, seeking revenge.

Dale has a sweet tooth on a camping trip in "Chocolate Chips." Though Chip scolds him for eating all their snacks, it comes in handy when he's the only one who isn't bitten by drugged mosquitoes that forces locals to cut down cacao trees and turn the chocolate into candy for an insane chocolatier.

It started to rain just as I began dinner. Once again, when it rained, it monsooned. No pyrotechnics this time, but the precipitation was really coming down for a while. (To my knowledge, it's been gone for a while.)

Instead of video games, I switched to Buzzr after dinner. They were preempting their usual weekend re-runs of re-runs with Game Changers, a documentary on game shows. The show was more valuable than its makers could have known at the time. At least three of the men interviewed are no longer with us, including long-time Let's Make a Deal host Monty Hall and TV songwriter and actor Alan Thicke. By the time I got online, they were discussing more recent shows and how they were made. Seeing Pat Sajak and Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune for the first time or Regis Philbin discuss the phenomenal success in the late 90's of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire brought back so many memories. I watched the latter in college (and still occasionally catch it in syndication), and my whole family would gather to watch the former and Jeopardy in the 80's and early 90's.

Finished the night after a shower with more Mary Pickford. Her movies are so short, I managed to squeeze in three. I think my favorite of the bunch was The Poor Little Rich Girl from 1917. The story of a girl who has everything in the world but her parents' attention is a wonderful showcase for Pickford's brand of comedy. My favorite sequence is when she happily turns a broken sink into her own water park, prancing around in the spray, and even letting it hit the resentful maid who wanted her out at one point.

A Little Princess wasn't the most faithful adaption of that particular book (the whole Ali Baba sequence early on just drags things down), but it's saved by an expressive and surprisingly rather pretty ZaSu Pitts. Cinderella was a dreamy adaptation from 1914, with Pickford paired with her then-husband Owen Moore as the prince.

Here's all three if you'd like to give Pickford and her child-like world a try:

The Poor Little Rich Girl
A Little Princess
Cinderella

Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries

Began a hazy, hot morning with a few short stories and poems from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. The first piece, about a little girl whose father takes her outside to enjoy the summer evening to tire her out, was really lovely. "Mr. Chairman," a chapter from Cheaper By the Dozen, depicts how Mr. Gilbreath tries to enforce his methods of efficiency at the factory at home with his children, with often humorous results.

Put on the soundtrack from Popeye while having blueberry pancakes for breakfast. The 1981 musical adaptation features a perfectly-cast Robin Williams as Popeye looking for his dad again, with Shelly Duvall as his Olive Oyl. Harry Nillson's score is actually quite good. I like Popeye's opening "I Yam What I Yam," Olive's "He Needed Me" on her feelings for Popeye, and the touching "Din' We" (the last of which was unfortunately cut from the film).

Did some quick writing after breakfast. They arrive at a seemingly abandoned hangar, only to discover that it's really teaming with life. Brit Jeanne Erson's father was forced to work for the Coruscant Empire. He built their Armory with a few little quirks and tunnels that would make it easier to invade. She introduces them to her darkly handsome Spanish partner Cassian Andorez.

Had a quick lunch, then got ready for work while listening to the soundtrack from Pennies From Heaven. I haven't seen this depressing musical since I was a kid. A sheet music salesman in the Great Depression imagines his life as cheery musical interludes, based after the optimistic songs he pushes. It's is really anything but as his wife and business fails and his affair with a schoolteacher (Bernadette Peters) makes both their lives miserable. Thankfully, the music reflects none of this. It actually features a lot of songs from this era that have since been forgotten, like "Love Is Good for Anything That Ails Ya" and "The Clouds Will Soon Roll By."

Work was steady, a bit surprising for a holiday Sunday. I figured we'd be packed. People must still be at the Shore. It was busy enough to have a hard time keeping up with the carts. Good thing we had plenty of new help, both inside and out. While it was in the lower 90's today and the breeze had turned warm, it at least remained dry. I gathered baskets and did returns when the sun got to be too much.

I ran into Dana just as I arrived at work. I'd been wondering if Dad and Jodie had anything planned for Father's Day. Turned out Jodie was just tossing hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. As soon as I got home, I changed and went right back out again. This wasn't one of their huge blow-outs. It was just Rose and her kids (Craig had to work), a couple of neighborhood kids, Dana, Jesse, Dad, and Jodie. I had two hot dogs, a burger, garlic asparagus, and roasted potatoes while chatting with everyone and watching the wide-eyed Finley enjoy her hot dog. Later, I went outside to the pool to watch the kids play and chat with Dad.

As soon as I got in, I talked to Dad-Bill. He didn't sound so good, and he did say he wasn't feeling well. He was spending his Father's Day resting at home. We didn't do much talking, just long enough for me to wish him the best of the day and hope that he feels better soon.

Spent the rest of the night on the computer. Lauren was online early to watch wrestling with her folks. I settled for another Mystery Science Theater 3000 movie, The Lost Continent. Caesar Romero headlines this 1951 fantasy adventure as the head of a group of military men who are downed on a remote island and spend the majority of the movie climbing up...and up...and up a mountain before finally bagging a few dinosaurs. Joel and the robots' commentary was most welcome here. This pedestrian tale lacked even the creepiness of The Mad Monster or the goofy excitement of Radar Men From the Moon and needed all the pop culture jokes it could get.

The Lost Continent

And I salute all dads (including ones whose children are four-legged or feathered) on this Father's Day!

Restless Heart

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all, including those whose children are four-legged or feathered. :)

Second, I had a fairly quiet day. Slept in, then made some tasty Strawberry Pancakes while listening to Fanny. Fanny (Florence Henderson) is in love with Marius (William Tabbert), but he loves the sea more. After he's left for a sailing job, she discovers she's pregnant. She's pressured into marrying the older Panisse (Walter Sleazak) by her mother. Panisse is delighted at having a child, whether it's his or not, and raises the boy as his own. Marius tries to reclaim his family, but his father (Enzio Pinza) turns him away. When the son grows older and longs for the sea, too, the ill Parnisse has to decide how long he wants to cling to the past.

Harold Rome wrote some really lovely music for this dramatic tale of broken hearts on the French waterfront. Nice cast, too, including Henderson in one of her first major roles as the title character. If you enjoy the more romantic side of musicals, the CD for this is out of print, but can currently be heard on YouTube. (There was a movie in 1960 with Leslie Caron as Fanny and Maurice Chevalier as Panisse, but it used the music as background scoring and made it a straight drama.)

Texted Dad-Bruce and called Dad-Bill to wish them both a Happy Father's Day. Bill was on his way out to sea as well. Bruce and Jodie were going to visit Jodie's dad, then have dinner at the Cove. I'll visit Bruce and give him his card on Tuesday, my next day off.

Worked on writing for an hour. Leia, Langdon, and Rusty join Luke in rescuing Wedge and the other Rogues. Leia explains that Henry is back on the Falcon, sleeping off the drugs Jenkins gave him. She throws a smoke bomb, giving them time to escape before Vader and his men arrive.

Switched to the soundtrack for The Music Man while getting organized for work, Meredith Wilson changed a few things for the movie, notably replacing "My White Knight" with "Being In Love" (supposedly because he had outside help on "My White Knight"). That aside, this is still a lot of fun - Preston is every bit as good here as he is on the original cast album, Shirley Jones sounds great on "Being In Love" and "Goodnight My Someone," and you also get Hermoine Gingold (in "Pick a Little, Talk a Little") and Buddy Hackett ("Shipoopi").

Work was a complete pain. I spent most of it outside in the heat, gathering carts, though I did do outside trash and rounded up baskets briefly. I had no help. One teen girl called out. Another was around for 15 minutes before claiming she was sick and going home. One of the cashiers volunteered to help around 3:30, but he could only stay out for a half-hour. It was busy all day, thanks to the holiday, the hot, sunny day, and most kids either getting out of school last week or early this week. I was sweating to death when I got out at 6, and the carts were still disappearing.

When I finally rolled home, I ate a very quick dinner, then played Lego Clone Wars. Finished out the "Story" levels with the final two missions of the game. The last Ventress round has Mace Windu and a couple of Clone Troopers rallying the army to take back Ryloth for good. In the last Dooku round, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and a couple of clones follow Luminara to a dark, dusty tomb deep under Geonosis. The tomb is filled with zombie Geonosians...and their queen, who has Luminaria prisoner. The two Jedi and their clone friends have to save her and capture Poggle the Lesser, before the queen does any damage.

As it turned out, neither of these rounds were as long or as difficult as the ones before. "Victory On Ryloth" was only slightly more complicated than previous army-building rounds. "Legacy of Terror" took a little longer, thanks to the dark caverns that made it hard to see many obstacles, but it still wasn't as difficult as some of the back-and-forth flying rounds.

I'm going to give Clone Wars a break for a while. I want to give Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, which looks like an RPG (role-playing type game), a try. I'll double back and do the Free Play rounds on Clone Wars after I finish that.

And sorry this was late! I had some trouble with the internet last night. For all that I can do on my Kindle and cell phone, I'm afraid one of them isn't updating my blog. At least it seems to be working  now.

Hot Fun In the (Almost) Summertime

We really slept in today! I wasn't up until around 10. Lauren didn't get going until over an hour later. When we did finally get moving, I made us Silver Dollar Blueberry Pancakes while I ran the first half of my new K-Tel collection. (I'm really happy with how the pancakes came out, too. They cooked perfectly, even with the blueberries. Lauren loved them. I'll have to do them silver dollar-sized more often.)

Had just enough time to dash for the bus to the Market Place after breakfast. It was only slightly late, surprising for a holiday Sunday. The traffic wasn't bad, either, a little iffy in Westmont but otherwise fine. We were in Cherry Hill in less than 20 minutes.

Decided we'd start in the back and work our way to the big box stores. The Barnes and Noble wasn't busy, either. Lauren didn't get anything this time. I found the other Star Wars book I looked at when we were in Moorestown on Friday. The Lando Calarissian Adventures is an anthology of three Lando-centric action tales released in the wake of Return of the Jedi in 1983. I've had the Han anthology since the late 90's, but I've never been able to find the similar one for Lando. Han and Lando have long been my favorite Star Wars characters (along with Leia and Chewbacca). Like Leia, I guess I have a thing for scoundrels. ;)

Lauren was hungry, and lunch wouldn't hurt me, either. Besides, it was nearly 3 by then, past time to eat. I forgot our original choice, Chick Fil' A, is one of the few major chains that closes on Sundays. We ended up at 1,000 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza, a brand-new pizzeria on the very end of the Market Place, next-door to the Philadelphia Eagles store. They were dead as a doornail when we arrived. I liked the dark, cool brick-and-Formica look they had going. They have a make-your-own pizza option - we did that, opting for a small half-mushroom, half-pepperoni pie with Coke for Lauren and Coke Zero for me. We chatted about Star Wars and geekdom while enjoying our pie. (And our pie was tasty. I loved the soft crust. I must go back there the next time I'm at Market Place.)

After brief looks at Best Buy and Dick's, we strolled over to the Christmas Tree Shop. Normally, I don't have much use for them after the holidays, but they have a surprisingly decent food section. Lauren picked up soda-flavored frozen slush bars for a dollar. I grabbed Bigelow's Vanilla Chai Tea (which was much cheaper there than at the Acme) and 50 muffin cups for a dollar.

The real reason I wanted to go to Market Place was to use at least a few of the many coupons I've been getting for Bed Bath and Beyond. I needed new bath mats rather badly. The rubber on the old ones have been flaking for months. They were surprisingly not all that busy, either. I've seen much longer lines there during the weekdays. I had a hard choice, but I finally picked two very soft polyester plush mats in vanilla and sage. Lauren picked up a few sundries - she's gotten blisters from all the walking. I was hoping they'd have fans, but I didn't see any there, or at Best Buy.

Tired of walking, we finally plopped down on a black metal bench outside of a jewelry store so Lauren could put Band Aids on her blisters. We moved to the grassy meridian to await the 5:45 bus. It was on time, and once again, there were no problems getting home.

I really, really needed a fan. We stopped at Family Dollar on the way back to my place. They had a huge pile of fans in their main window. The first one I picked had a damaged box. The lady at the desk grabbed a newer one. I got that, and we got going.

When we made it home, Lauren called her dad, and I called my stepdad in Cape May County. In good news, Dad-Bill's cancer is in remission, enough that he just came back from his first long fishing trip in months. However, that left him too tired for a long conversation. Mom had just come from her job at the Ferry and was even more tired. She did give him his own wind chimes for Father's Day. He was trying to figure out where to put them when I called.

Lauren chatted with her dad for over an hour! When she finally got off, we ate leftovers for dinner (Lauren finished the tuna salad), then played more Lego Indiana Jones. We went back to the first level and did more bonus rounds, including one that involved flying a plane, and another driving round. (This one, thankfully, in broad daylight on a desert plain.)

When we went online, I put on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It was rather appropriate, given we meet Indy's dad (Sean Connery) here. Indy's in pursuit of the missing Professor Jones, who had finally gotten clues to the location of his long-time obsession, the Holy Grail. Trouble is, the Nazis are on its trail too, including the beautiful Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Janney). Indy and his dad haven't spoken in years, but now they have to work together to elude the Nazis and learn a bit about the nature of bonding...and letting go.

My long-time favorite Indiana Jones movie. Sean Connery and Harrison Ford are hilarious as the battling father and son who have more in common than they want to believe.

Finished the night with two episodes of the original late 80's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (Lauren is a huge fan.) "Attack of the 50 Foot Irma" has the nerdy receptionist being accidentally hit by Krang's growth ray. Not only is she now knocking over half of New York, but she's on a diet...and has a giant-sized case of the munchies! Donatello has to figure out how to get her back to her right size.

"The Maltese Hamster" is a hilarious spoof of film noir and private eye movies. Donatello narrates the tale of how gangsters used high-tech weapons to overrun the city...weapons provided by Shredder. Shredder is after a small hamster statue that April bought from a junk shop. Now the Turtles have to protect her and figure out why that statue is so important to Shredder.

We were originally going to Atlantic City tomorrow...but Lauren pointed out while we were eating pizza that it's going to be in the 90's again. Not only is it too hot for hiking around on a shade-less boardwalk, but we've both done a lot of walking as it is. We're going to make a return visit to Moorestown instead. She wants to return one of the shirts she bought from FYE, and I want to check out their Dick's and the sock selection at Boscov's. (I forgot to do that on Friday.)

Oh, and Happy Father's Day to all dads, including those whose children are four-legged or feathered (or estranged archaeologists). :)

Summertime for Dads

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all dads, including my own two and those with children who are four-legged and feathered.

We had some pretty noisy storms overnight. The clouds were just subsiding as I finally got up around 10. Made Blueberry Coconut Pancakes and enjoyed the air conditioning as I listened to one of the two cassettes I picked up from the yard sales last week. The Hollywood Musicals features Johnny Mathis with help from Henry Mancini. I like that there's a few obscure titles, including "It Could Happen to You" (from the little-known And the Angels Sing) and "Crazy World" (from Victor/Victoria).

Work was, surprisingly for a holiday, not as busy as I thought it would be. For one thing, it got sunnier and hotter as the day went on. I suspect a lot of people may have headed off to the Shore once it became apparent that the weather wasn't going to be anywhere near as bad as the local newscasts claimed. Other than some fussy customers, there were no major problems, and my relief was on time.

It sure felt like the first day of summer when I got out of work. It actually wasn't that hot, probably in the mid-80's and a bit windy, but it was humid as heck. I hurried home the short way down the Black Horse Pike.

When I got in, I called the family in Cape May County to wish Dad-Bill a happy Father's Day. To my surprise, he answered the phone. He apparently ripped a tendon on a knee a while back and had just had surgery on it. He was at home, resting. I'm glad I got to talk to him. He's usually out working on Father's Day. Talked to Mom, too. She was let go from the Ferry earlier than expected, thanks to an error, and is now at loose ends. My nephew Skylar will be spending the night at her house to celebrate the end of the school year. I can't believe he'll be going into sixth grade in the fall!

(I'll go to Dad-Bruce's house and deliver his card tomorrow or Tuesday. I think he and Jodie may have gone away for the weekend.)

I listened to my other yard sale cassette find while having leftover chicken sausages with a farm-market fresh spinach salad for dinner. I took Barbara Streisand's Back to Broadway album out of the library a few times a while back, but I don't think I ever owned it. My favorite song on this one is the touching "Children Will Listen," from Into the Woods. I also like "Luck Be a Lady" from Guys and Dolls.

Perfect Day for a Party

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all dads (including those whose children are feathered or four-legged)!

We slept in really late today. I didn't get up until around 10. It was closer to 11 by the time Lauren stirred. When we both did get going, I made Banana Pancakes with one last banana that was going really soft. Lauren tried calling her dad, and I called the Cape May side of the family, but we didn't have any luck.

It was too nice to be sitting inside. We went for a walk down Goff to the boat landing, and then down Kendall and around to the little playground at the Tracy Conners Memorial Park. It's not very big, but just large enough for the two of us to goof off and Lauren to snap a few pictures of the two of us on the equipment and sitting together on the black metal bench. Lauren also got a hold of her dad; he and her mother had been out to lunch.

It was a gorgeous day for a walk. The sky was blue. The sun was warm, but not humid or too hot like it's supposed to be later in the week. There was a nice breeze, but not as heavy as yesterday. Everything is just so green here. The early summer flowers are debuting - primroses, summer lilies. The trees provided wide, shady canopies over our heads as we returned to my apartment for me to change into my bathing suit and pick up the cupcakes I made last night.

As they did last year, Jodie and Dad were having a Father's Day barbecue. It wasn't a really huge blowout, but it was fun. There were hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and sweet and hot sausages on the grill, along with macaroni salad and that really vinegar-y cucumber salad Jodie likes. My Red and Blue Velvet cupcakes were a big hit. They vanished so fast, the only one remaining by the end of the evening was the red velvet cupcake Jodie put aside for herself. I didn't even do anything fancy. It was just the Duncan Hines Summer Velvets cake mix made into cupcakes, with no frosting.

I spent most of the party in the pool with Jessa, Joe, Khai, and Joe's four kids. 5 year old Danica, 10 year old JoJo, and 16 year old Nick had no problems splashing and jumping around with Khai, Jess, and me. 4 year old Connor wouldn't go in - he apparently hasn't learned to swim yet - but had no problems squirting everyone else with the foam water guns. Jess initially just stuck her feet in, until the kids and I splashed her, and then JoJo knocked her in! Lauren mostly just talked to Jodie's mom and dad. She's not really a swimmer. Their neighbor Sandy was around at one point, and my sister Rose kept an eye on Khai.

Lauren and I headed home around 7. I jumped right in the shower, then made Blue Raspberry Blues Cookies with the Blue Raspberry cake mix I bought yesterday and the blueberry Craisins. We played Kirby's Epic Yarn while the cookies cooled.

Tomorrow, we're going to try to get out to Westmont and Haddon Township relatively early before it gets too hot, then go Goodwill-hunting with Jessa and Joe later in the evening.

Father's Day In the Pool

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all dads (including those dads whose children are four-legged or feathered).

It was cloudy and cool when we finally got up around 10ish. I made Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Pancakes for breakfast as we watched the remaining Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes we started last night. I briefly called Mom. I was hoping Dad-Bill was at home, but he was at sea, and Mom was dealing with my oldest nephew Skylar. Lauren had more luck with getting her dad on her cell phone while I did the dishes.

The clouds were picking up as we headed to Dad-Bruce's house. He invited us over for a small family Father's Day party, like their Mother's Day party but mostly outdoors. And for once, it was small. It turned out to just be Dad, Jodie, Jodie's Aunt Colleen, some relatives of hers, Jessa, her boyfriend Bobby, Khai, and later Rose. Lauren and I chatted with Dad, Jodie, Colleen, and her relatives until Khai's dad Craig dropped him off. It was spitting off and on as we hit the pool, but it was mostly just chilly.

The pool was in the 70s - not freezing, but not that comfortable either, unless you're an excited three-year-old who loves the water. We played with his plastic trucks and an orange wind-up fish. Jessa, Bobby, and Lauren joined us on the side of the pool later; it was too cold for them to go all the way in. Jess and Bobby splashed Khai, much to his delight. In between, I took Lauren inside to show her the changes since the last time she visited.

We had dinner around 5PM, which is also when Rose finally arrived. Dinner was hamburgers, hot dogs, mild and hot sausage, cucumber salad, regular green tossed salad, macaroni salad, and deviled eggs. There were a Lime Cake made by Colleen and my Key Lime Mousse Pie for dessert. The older adults watched the US Open. Everyone else watched Team Umizoomi, The Fairly Oddparents, and Spongebob Squarepants on Nickelodeon. Everyone ate tons and really enjoyed it.

The sky was just getting darker. It just had to wait to burst until we were walking home. We ducked beneath the train bridge on West Clinton Avenue to wait out the weather. When we got in, I went right in the shower. The sun came out shortly after we got home. It looks like clouds may be building again. We'll see what happens.

Whatever happens, our only real plans for tomorrow is to get laundry done. We'll see what else we're up for.

O Brother and Vicki, Where Art Thou?

Started a cloudy and cool morning with Brunch With the Beatles. Sir Paul McCartney turns 70 tomorrow, and they ran songs from his solo career (plus the Beatles song "Birthday") in his honor. Most of what we heard were songs from his days with Wings, including "Silly Love Songs," "My Love," "Uncle Albert," "Jet," "Band On the Run," and my personal favorite, "Live and Let Die."

After the largely lousy week I had, I figured I needed Double Chocolate Mint Chip Pancakes and a big handful of farm market cherries. When the last cherry had been popped in my mouth (and the pit popped in a bowl), I called Mom and Dad-Bill to wish the latter a Happy Father's Day.

Mom was not a happy camper. They were having "issues," in her words. Apparently, that used Camero my brother Keefe bought a few weeks ago died in North Carolina, stranding him and his girlfriend Vicki near Myrtle Beach. Dad sounded less ticked off and more annoyed when I talked to him. He cracked up when I told him to smack Keefe silly when he finally got home. (I wasn't joking. ;) )

I called Rose after I got off with Dad.  She confirmed  both Keefe being stranded and our departure time. She wants to pick me up somewhere between 11 and 12 on Tuesday morning. Fine with me. I'm off from Tuesday through 1PM Friday. She can pretty much pick me up anytime she wants. She wants to stay overnight after the party Tuesday, then make a Wednesday morning trip to either Wildwood Crest or Cape May to introduce her two-year-old son to the beach. Also fine by me. I can't remember the last time I went to a beach that wasn't on the banks of a river.

I spent the rest of the afternoon quietly. Messed around online for an hour, then made Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes for the party on Tuesday. I squeezed the juice of three of the lemons I bought from the Acme and grated some of their rind into a white cake mix. Also added flaxseed for a little extra crunch along with the blueberries. I also got a jump on my packing - I probably won't have the time tomorrow or Tuesday morning. I'm all set except for the things like my toothbrush that can't go in until Tuesday.

(When I was going through my bedroom closet, I decided to thin things out a bit. Moved most of my luggage except for the big gray piece under my bed. Put the plain brown messenger back in the back room. I used it a lot in college, but not only do I not transport a lot of books or things anymore, but I also have my laptop bag that performs the same function, more-or-less.)

The cupcakes came out of the oven just in time for me to make dinner, change into my uniform, and head out for work. Work was quiet when I arrived and when I left, but very busy during the usual 4-6 rush hour as people prepared for Father's Day barbecues and birthday and graduation parties. It was so quiet by 7PM, I was able to leave with no relief.

I called my biological father when I got in. Dad-Bruce is in Florida and in the midst of a cruise ship job, but it was still nice to talk to him. It sounds like he'll be home next week. He reminded me that the pool's open. I might try to get there Thursday - it's supposed to be super-hot that day.

Oh, and I finally started to play around with that iPod Lauren gave me for Christmas. I downloaded iTunes and synced a whole pile of CDs to the device. I'll mess around with downloading later in the week. I can't believe how fast this thing syncs CDs! It's three times as fast as my old Coby MP3 player. I love it. I'll bring it on the trip to Cape May County to try it out. 

Here's hoping all fathers had a great day, including those whose children are four-legged or feathered. :)

Daddy's Day

Happy Father's Day to all dads, including those whose children are four-legged or feathered. I began today with blueberry pancakes, Brunch With the Beatles, and a call to my dad (and mom) in Cape May County. Brunch covered the Beatles' break-up in 1970. That meant we primarily heard songs from Let It Be ("I Me Me Mine," "The Long and Winding Road," "The Two of Us," the title song) and the Beatles' early solo efforts ("Instant Kharma," "Maybe I'm Amazed").

Called the family in Cape May County after finishing my pancakes. I was very happy to get Dad first! I got to wish him happy Father's Day. He had a very nice morning. His wife, son, and grandson took him out to a breakfast brunch in Cape May that's very popular. His leg is improving as well; he no longer needs the cane. He'll be going back to the doctor's for more tests on his blood pressure tomorrow.

Also got to talk to Mom. She was doing what I did two weeks ago; going through old material on CDs and floppy disks. In her case, the material in question were posters, flash cards, and other visual aids she made for the Mitnick Elementary School when she worked there around 2003-2005. Poor Skylar got a workbook filled with homework that he needs to do during the summer! Though Mom and I agree that the very idea is ridiculous - summer vacation is for REST - the school insists that it's necessary and must be done. Mom thought some visuals would help Sky.

Spent the rest of the morning beginning all the things I need to do in preparation for Lauren's visit on Thursday. I went through the things I've put in the back for donations. Lauren wants to go through it and see if there's anything she can use. Most of the clothes and shoes will probably be deposited in the clothes drops in the back of the Acme. The videos, books, and CDs will be given to the three local libraries I volunteer for to stock their book sales. I don't know what to do with the other random items and toys I no longer want now that the thrift shop is gone. Maybe I'll see if someone can drive me up to Goodwill or can recommend another near-by thrift shop.

I also started the dusting. I've been putting off the major spring dusting to closer to Lauren's visit. I had just enough time to do the music and dining sections of the living area today. My living room is so big, it's separated into three sections: the dining area (where the table is), the music area (record player, CD player, CDs, records, books on entertainment, the antique dresser that holds odds and ends) and the entertainment area (baker's rack, TV, DVD player, VCR, DVDs, videos, rack for my aprons and blue backpack). I dusted the chairs and washed the table top. Removed the floral cloth I use for the coffee table in the music area to be washed with the rest of the laundry tomorrow. Removed the books on my plastic shelves and dusted under and behind them. Dusted under some of the records and CDs. (Others are in rough wood crates that are too rough to really dust.) Dusted on and under the record player and CD/cassette player and the antique dresser.

I just barely had enough time to grab a Peanut Butter and Strawberry Raspberry Butter sandwich before dashing off to work. Good thing I made it right on time. We were crazy-busy all day long, with lines going out the door and not nearly enough help. I was late leaving because one of the two other cashiers took forever coming back from break, the lines were too long to leave one cashier, and the managers were doing other things.

When I got in, I had leftovers for dinner and listened to the last 20 minutes or so of The Dress Circle. My favorite of the parents-themed songs for Father's Day was another winner from the Unsung Irving Berlin CD set, "I'm On My Way Home," apparently intended for the 1930 Al Jolson vehicle Mammy.

In the Good Old Summertime

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all dads, including new dads and dads whose children are feathered or four-legged.

Second, I hope all of you had as lovely of a Father's Day as I did, with or without your father. As it turned out, neither of mine were available. I called Mom this morning and chatted with her for about a half-hour. Bill-Dad was out on his motorcycle, and had been in Atlantic City the day before with Grandma Ann and Aunt Mary, his mother and younger sister, respectively. He, Mom, Keefe, and Anny and her boys were going to have a special Father's Day dinner that evening...that Dad had just told Mom about. Dad gets these spontaneous ideas, but it's often Mom who has to deal with them.

I accidentally called Bruce-Dad while I was looking up the number for the Cape May County side of the family on my cell phone. It turned out to be a really good thing I did. Dad is in Ft. Lauderdale, working for a cruise ship company, and won't be back for a couple of days. I did get to wish him a happy Father's Day.

I ate blueberry pancakes while the Beatles show was on. ("Past Masters; Or, Songs That Didn't Make the British Albums" was the theme today.) After the show ended, I looked up a few things online, then decided I'd stick to my original plans for today and go swimming in Dad and Uncle Ken's pool. I'd bring over the Chocolate Mocha Mousse Pie I made for Father's Day and just leave it at Dad's house in case anyone hanging around wanted some.

Jessa was at Dad and Uncle Ken's house when I arrived. She was the only one. Uncle Ken and Dolores had left to visit his daughter Samantha and her family on their trip to Ocean City, Maryland. No matter. I had a nice chat with Jess for a while, then went for my first real swim of the year. The water was a little chilly going in, but wonderful once you got used to it. After I got out of the pool, Jess and I honored our father by sharing slices of his pie.

After I finally got home (I had to turn back around the moment I got on the porch when I realized I'd left my keys at Dad's), I headed inside and changed. It was quarter of 3, and I was starving for a real lunch. I was also feeling a little lonely. I couldn't make a father appear at will, but I could still share a nice picnic lunch with friends.

I took my four American Girls dolls on my little picnic with me. Samantha, Molly, Little Jessa, Felicity, and I settled under a tree near the back of Veteran's Park next door. I set up an old Muppet Babies baby blanket that Mom used for Anny in the 80s, and then for Keefe. I had an apple, a peanut butter and peach butter sandwich on honey whole wheat bread, and a granola bar for a late lunch and took pictures of the girls sitting around the blanket and "climbing" the tree. It was the first time I ever took them outside.

After I finished the Beatrix Potter Cottage Tales mystery The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood, we all just lay back on the blanket and leaned into each other. It was hot and humid, but there was a really nice breeze, and it felt great under the tree. It was a wonderful feeling. Just me and the dolls, bees buzzing in the clover behind us, planes and birds above us, wind rustling in the fat green leaves. Samantha lay on my stomach. The other three just cuddled next to me.

I didn't really want to break up the nice moment, but it was getting late. I finally gathered the girls, the blanket, the camera, and the trash, and headed back to my place. The ground chicken I took out for tonight's dinner wasn't defrosted yet, so I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner after a little North By Northwest and some crocheting.

I ended up at Newton Diner on the White Horse Pike, across from the WaWa and the Ritz Theater. It was quieter than I thought it would be on Father's Day, but I was there around quarter of 6, still a little early for many diners. I had a Cheeseburger Deluxe platter with cole slaw and sweet potato fries that were way too greasy.

There's a crane machine in the Newton Diner's narrow lobby. It was a bit expensive at two dollars, but I thought I'd give it a try. My luck from Atlantic City held. I got a velvety, dark-blue horse with large amber eyes and odd, stubby legs. I named her Hydrangia, or Gia for short, after the hydrangia bushes in the pool area that were the same brilliant shade of blue.

When I got home, I went online and listened to the Dress Circle. "Dance Numbers and Extended Underscoring Music" was the theme today. Among the famous dance music heard was "The Small House of Uncle Thomas Ballet" from the 1997 revival of The King and I and the "Sunday By the Sea" number from High Button Shoes (although their version was the one performed in Jerome Robbins' Broadway.

Dinner With My Father

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all dads, including those whose "children" are four-legged.

It wasn't sunny when I finally woke up around quarter of 10, but it wasn't raining either, which was a good sign. I finished reading An Incomplete Revenge (good thing, too - it's due on Tuesday), wrote in my off-line journal, and listening to the Beatles Show. ("Past Masters" - songs that never made it to the Beatles' British albums - was the theme today.)

Had Oatmeal-Buttermilk Pancakes with homemade Fresh Summer Berry Syrup for breakfast, then called Dad in Erma to wish him a Happy Father's Day and talked to Mom. My sister Anny had to work today, so they were keeping an eye on Skylar and Colin.

Work was nuts when I came in. There was a line half-way across the front end for the Express Lane for a while, and it was even longer when the Express Lane checker was 15 minutes late. By the time 5 o'clock rolled around, it had slowed enough for me to leave with no problems.

I changed, frosted the Gold Cupcakes I'd baked for Dad with Light Cool Whip, and headed for Dad and Uncle Ken's house. Jessa had come by work earlier to buy pasta for herself for dinner and told me Dad and Jodie were out visiting Jodie's dad. I didn't expect them to be home, and they weren't. I said "hi" to Uncle Ken, who was watching a movie and resting, and left the cupcakes and a card for Dad in the kitchen.

I was sweeping the porch about 20 minutes later when I got a phone call. It was Dad. He and Jodie had almost literally just missed me. They really appreciated the cupcakes and card. Did I want to go out to dinner at the Oaklyn Manor Bar with them? Sure!

The sun was out in full force when we sat on the Manor's lovely veranda and outdoor bar and dining area. The veranda has a great view of West Clinton Avenue and Manor Avenue and attractive landscaping. Jodie had a hankering for pork roll. Dad had a small burger. I opted for my favorite Chicken Cheese Steak with fried onions. We shared a plate of cheese fries (with real cheese, none of that Cheez Whiz gunk). We talked about old times. Jessa came in as Jodie was sipping her second drink and had an iced tea. She wanted to ask Dad if he minded if she went to the Tuesday midnight showing of the new "Transformers" movie. (He did, but she talked him into letting her go anyway.) She ended up driving me home.

Oh My Papas

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all dads, including my own!

Second, while we're celebrating events, congratulations to all Class of 2008 high school and college graduates, including my cousin Taylere and all of the Audubon Acme employees who graduate this year.

I spent most of the day at work. I listened to the WOGL "Brunch With the Beatles" show (Paul McCartney was in the spotlight today - it would appear his birthday is this week) and tried calling my stepdad. Got Mom - apparently, he'd gone out with my brother, and she was on her way into a shower. I'll try again tomorrow.

Work was long and busy. I ended up staying an extra hour, since we had two night call-outs. As I mentioned, not only are many of the teenagers who work at the Acme graduating this year, but there are parents who have graduating kids, too. A lot of people are going to be very busy this week.

Oh, and I'm not going to eat dinner on the porch from now on. I don't have problems with breakfast, but I had my late dinner of leftover burgers and broccoli, cherries, and bread outside and the bugs almost ate ME.

Father's Day

First of all, I wish all dads a Happy Father's Day!

Second, my day was fairly hectic. The Acme was a zoo. Between Father's Day and graduation parties, the lines were going into the eisles! We had complaints about a lack of staff too, especially baggers. (I don't see why perfectly fit people complain about bagging their own groceries. I understand if you genuinely can't do it, but if you can do it, what's the big deal?)

Thankfully, I worked early enough today that I got off of work with plenty of time to wish my own fathers a Happy Father's Day. My stepfather was at work (he's a commercial fisherman) when I called him; chatted with Mom instead. My biological father was at home, though. I spent a plesant evening with him, his girlfriend Jodie, and my stepsister Jessa. We had sandwiches and played ball with neighbors using their pool.

By the way, Dad LOVED the Summer White Fruit Cake. I never saw him eat anything so fast. ;)