Birthdays and Matches

Started off my birthday with breakfast and Match Game '73 on YouTube. Brett and Charles made their first appearances on the show's third week, while Bert Convy and Betty White appeared outside of the pilot for the first time. It's also the first of many, many times Brett chides Charles for not wearing socks, and the first time Betty and Brett trade quips.

Headed out after that. The Uber driver didn't even need a minute to arrive. Thankfully, there was very little traffic as he headed down the highway and turned off to Deptford. He dropped me off at the front Boscov's Deptford Mall entrance around 11 AM.

Explored Boscov's first. I didn't see any clothes I liked, but they were having good sales on socks. They always have a great selection of decent socks. I walked out with a 3 pack of tan and brown cotton Goldtoe socks that came to $12 with 25 percent off.

FYE is a few doors down from Boscov's. While they no longer have the wonderful selection of DVDs and CDs they once did, they do have a decent pile of records. I found jazz group The Charlie Hunter Trio's Bing Bing Bing for $15. 

Made my way down to the other side of the mall and into Round 1 Arcade. They were a lot busier than usual, with far more small kids running around with parents. The ring toss and Lane Master bowling game were down, but everything else worked. I ran from the Monopoly dice spin to the Nerf Arcade to the giant Pac Man game to skee ball to the spinning pirate wheel to Mario Kart Deluxe (I ended up with Luigi). Came up with over 2,900 points. Normal-sized Beanie Babies were only 400 points each. I got fluffy Tundra the Snow Leopard and sweet Chopper the Dalmatian, along with two tiny popping candy bags and one of those Chinese yo-yos for 10 and 30 points each. And I still have over 2,000 points left for when Lauren visits in June.

It was past 1:30 when I finally had lunch at the food court. I really loved Pitas and Salad, the Greek food booth where I had lunch when Lauren visited last year. Had a delicious lamb and beef gyro with thick, dry fries and big tomato chunks. 

Bubble Bear Tea literally just opened a few days ago. Thought I'd finally give bubble tea a whirl. Tried their coconut milk tea. The "bubbles" were tapioca pearls, and they had a rather strange, gummy mouth feel. The coconut milk tea was good, but the bubbles were weird. I think I'll stick to green tea from now on when I want to do an exotic tea drink.

JC Penney is right behind the food court, so I went there next. They were having big clearance sales, including buy-one, get-one free on any items with a pink label. It took me forever to decide, but I finally came up with brown jeans (my old pair are starting to go in the thighs - I don't know if they'll survive another winter) and a gold cable sweater. The buy one, get one was more like buy one, get them half-off. With the sale, I got both for about $8 all together.

Peeked at the toy and accessories stores Box Lunch and Miniso, but it was past 3:30 by that point. If I wanted to check out Barnes and Noble too, I figured I might as well get going. Besides, the mall wasn't getting any less busy. I could barely move around in the toy stores. Went out the main entrance door, around Macy's, and past Dick's to the parking lot.

I originally tried to cross at the corner, but it was too crazy. As I headed down the street to cross closer to my destination, I saw something small and dirty laying in the street. It was a little Beanie Baby giraffe, all covered in dirt and bits of leaves. I couldn't just leave him there sitting next to the curb, so I brushed him off as best I could and stuck him in my bag. 

Ducked past the abandoned shopping center that once held Christmas Tree Shoppes and Bed Bath and Beyond before making it to Barnes and Noble. They were also busy, but there's also more room to spread out. I dug two mysteries out of the cozy section and found a book on game shows on the entertainment shelves. Deptford does have a music and DVD area, and they too now sell records.  

My Barnes and Noble finds were: 

The soundtracks for Encanto and The Three Amigos (and I never thought I'd see a soundtrack for the latter - apparently, it's exclusive to Barnes & Noble)

Dim Sum of All Fears - Vivien Chien

Rhythm and Clues - Olivia Blacke

Game Show Confidential - Boze Hadleigh

Stopped in at the Starbucks there to wet my whistle. This time, I went with a small Green Tea Frappuccino. It was cold and I was thirsty. I went through my finds while downing my drink.

Soon as I got outside, I called Uber. It took the young woman about 9 minutes to pick me up, but it was the height of rush hour on a Sunday. At any rate, we once again hit no traffic, and I was home in 20 minutes.

Put everything upstairs, then went right back out again. It was too nice of a day to sit inside. The weather was gorgeous. It remained windy, but was also sunny and warm, probably in the upper 60's. I originally wanted to get a treat from Los Amigos, but it turns out that they close early on Saturday. I considered Dunkin' Donuts, but they didn't have much left, and I didn't feel like hiking all the way to WaWa. I just went home after that.

As it turned out, someone already took care of that. A friend, two neighbors, and their daughter made a pineapple-upside down cake for me. I love pineapple upside-down cakes! I've made them myself a few times. My friend also gave me a card and a huge bouquet of pale pink roses that smell so nice. 

I heard from my family, too. Jessa texted late last night to see if I wanted to hit the Cherry Blossom Festival in Philly with her. I didn't get to it until late, and she didn't read it until much later. We decided to go bowling tomorrow or Tuesday instead. Rose texted me, and I had a nice chat with Mom (who also sent a lovely card). 

Soon as I got home, I took that poor little stuffed giraffe to the sink and gave him a good scrubbing. I hope I got all the dirt off. It took me forever just to pull the needle-like leaves stuck in him. Since he didn't come with his tag, I had no idea what his name was. My friend suggested Geoffrey, after the Toys R Us mascot. I think that will do just fine. At any rate, he now looks much better, or at least, is less dusty.

Watched more Match Game episodes after I went upstairs. One of the most famous early episodes was from the only week where Bobby Van and Elaine Joyce got to sit side-by-side (and the only time Elaine was in Brett's character actress seat). The contestant's answer to a question about Batman and Robin's relationship now has this episode banned from the airwaves. 

Switched to favorite episodes of the night time show after that. Two of the show's best early episodes has Gene questioning Richard's seemingly unusual answers in the Audience Match...and in the case of "Burns and __" and "Admiral __," let's say Richard was right both times. Another show begins with several panelists standing up and saluting a Scottish officer in full regalia. 

The Match Game Sunday Classics marathon began around 7:30 and ran until past 3:30. Ira Skutch, the show's producer and judge, was in the spotlight tonight. A tall gentleman with high cheekbones and a fondness for leisure suits, Ira generally appeared on camera when he had to replace a question that had been compromised in some way with a new one, or to explain his rulings. Among the time he had to do the latter was during the week Donald Ross and Patti Deustch played together. Donald said "a little yellow spot" as to what a dog did on the floor and it was passed. Two other people said "spot," and it was buzzed. Ira told them he passed yellow spot because it was specific.

Ira's rulings could cause a lot of trouble, most notoriously during the infamous "School Riot" in 1977. Ira let "college" and "scuba diving school" slide as answers to where Dumb Dora took her cultured pearls to, but not "finishing school" or "night school." Debralee Scott and Richard Dawson threw a fit. Patti Deustch was so scared, she could barely show her "night school" answer. Brett and Charles tried to defuse the situation by showing Charles as "the first victim of the school riot," but the damage had been done. The lower tier kept their answers up in protest for what little remained of the episode.

On the other hand, his decisions could benefit the contestants. When one woman struck out completely in the Audience Match in a 1976 PM episode and couldn't do the Head-to-Head, they let her match the panelists for 100 dollars each. She ended up going home with 600 dollars and a smile on her face. 

See if you can match answers with the show's infamously finicky producer and judge! 

Match Game Sunday Classics - Featuring Producer Ira Skutch On Camera

And here's the other episodes I watched today!

1973 - First Appearances of Brett, Betty, Bert, and Charles

1973 - Batman and Robin are What?!

1975 PM - Burns and Cuts

1975 PM - Stand Up To Salute!

1975 PM - The Admiral TV Incident

Oh, and the nice weather didn't last forever. The rain returned somewhere around 10:30. It rained hard for a while, but thought it remains windy, I don't think it's rained since. 

Deals Through the Years

Started off the morning with breakfast and a hot, sunny day. I did manage to get to work just in time, which is about the only exciting thing that happened all morning. We're in the middle of a traditionally slow month and are well between major holidays. We were off and on steady all morning, and never more than slightly busy, even during the morning rush hour. The teen girl who came in for me was even on time. 

Went straight home after work. Changed, had a snack, then worked on writing and editing Blank in Wonderland for a while. Dolly (Reed Martin) the unicorn in particular finds Brett fascinating. She thought humans were "fabulous monsters." Brett admits she thought the same about unicorns. Dolly tells her she'll believe in Brett, if Brett will believe in her. 

Headed out for a birthday party and dinner around 5. Came back up much later after a shower. Finished the night on YouTube, running episodes of Let's Make a Deal. Monty Hall finally got the show on NBC in a subdued pilot in 1963. No costumes, but everything else - the wacky animal Zonks, the quirky pricing games - were there from the start. The costumes apparently came in a few years later, as more people fought for Hall's attention.

Very little of the game changed over the years, other than the addition of people in wacky costumes. Monty wanted it to run in prime time as well as in the day. NBC said no, so he moved the show to ABC in 1968 when they were more willing to syndicate it. The ABC version ended in 1976; the original syndicated show ran from 1971 through 1977. 

Deal would turn up in syndication at least three more times. Monty moved it to his native Canada in 1980, but the company that made it went bankrupt within a year. He did a little better back in the US with another syndicated version that ran from 1984 to 1986. This is the version I'm most familiar with, and the one most likely to turn up today, including on Buzzr. 

Hall retired after The All-New Let's Make a Deal ended. Deal was revived again in syndication in 1990, filmed at what was then the Disney-MGM Studios. Bob Hilton was the original host; when he proved to be a little too dull, Hall was brought back. Two more short-lived revivals, in 1996 (as Big Deal) and 2003, only ran for three episodes each and are so rare, I can't seem to find them anywhere. 

Deal finally hit the jackpot on CBS in 2009 in an expanded hour format with comedian Wayne Brady hosting. It was such a hit (and paired so well with the other big CBS daytime game show The Price Is Right), it still runs on CBS in the mornings before Price to this day. The episode I chose takes us full-circle. Brady celebrates the franchise's 50th anniversary by not only bringing back Monty and original model Carol Merrill, but letting Monty take over for a prize game...and showing that, even in his late 80's, he still had the right stuff to make women dressed as ice cream cones very happy. 

Celebrate big deals through the years with these classic episodes! (The tape for the 1980 Canadian episode is barely watchable, but it's one of only two episodes of that series to have turned up in the US.)

Let's Make a Deal Pilot (1963)

Let's Make a Deal (1970)

Let's Make a Deal Synd (1980)

The All New Let's Make a Deal (1986)

Let's Make a Deal (1990)

Let's Make a Deal (2013)

Busy Summer Harvest

Started off a cloudy morning with breakfast and America Rock. These Schoolhouse Rock shorts were made during the Bicentennial in 1975 and 1976 and cover American history and government. "No More Kings," "The Shot Heard 'Round the World," and "Fireworks" goes into detail on the events leading up to the American Revolution and the creation of the Declaration of Independence. "Sufferin' 'Til Suffrage" is a big R&B number on over a hundred years of women fighting for the vote. "Elbow Room" discusses the Louisiana Purchase and westward expansion. "Mother Necessity" and "The Great American Melting Pot" detail how the Industrial Revolution and the arrival of immigrants to fill those factories changed the US for better or for worse. Snuck "Tyrannosaurus Debt," a pointed commentary on the national debt and how it keeps growing, in from the later Money Rock. 

Headed out after the cartoons ended for my first errand run of the day. After a quick stop at CVS for money and an orange Perrier, I rode over to the Collingswood Farm Market. They were packed, the busiest I've seen them in over a year. Regular pre-prepared food sales returned this week, and dogs are now allowed again. 

The summer harvest is out now, too. Strawberries, snap peas, and asparagus are gone, replaced by beans of every type, summer squash, peaches, blueberries, cherries, onions, eggplant, and blackberries. Picked up a tomato, a cucumber, a zucchini, peaches, Chinese beans, blueberries, and bananas from the tropical fruit booth. 

Ran into Jodie and Rose in the main house when I got home. Seems Jodie wanted to hit the grocery store today, too. I was welcome to join her. They'd also decided to hold Finley's birthday in the larger, and now largely empty, main house later in the day. Fin's birthday had an animal theme, with a banner decorated in monkeys, elephants, and tigers and matching yellow and green crepe paper strung in the living room. 

I quickly made my grocery list, then rounded up my backpack and bag and met Jodie at her car. I didn't really have a ton of grocery shopping to do this week, mostly basics like yogurt and butter. Found bags of espresso-flavored chocolate chips and a bottle of raspberry syrup on the clearance rack; a pack of spatulas was also listed for clearance. Steamed shrimp and ground turkey were the cheapest meat I could find. Had online coupons for cherries, blackberries, Edy's Ice Cream, cereal, and yogurt. Restocked tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black tea, mushrooms, and milk.

(And I could see why I was off. It surprisingly wasn't that busy when we were there, and they had plenty of help outside and in.)

Put everything away when I got in, then had a Blackberry-Banana Smoothie for lunch and wrapped Finley's tea set. Watched Hogan's Heroes while I worked. Hogan insists on "No Names Please" during the fourth season when a war correspondent they rescue begs to write their story. Unfortunately, it gets back to camp and not only reveals Hogan's operation, but that there's a Gestapo spy in their midst.  

It's a "Bad Day In Berlin" when Hogan teams up with an American spy (Harold J. Stone) passing himself off as a German general. He and two of the guys follow him to Berlin to trap another spy and get him out of the country.

By the time the episode was winding down, I'd finished making my bed and could hear children giggling in the main house. Rose arrived with Khai and a wound-up Finley. She sported an adorable animal-print dress and was delighted to show it off to her friends when they came in, mostly kids from the neighborhood and their parents. The kids tossed rings on the tail of an inflatable crocodile and played Animal Bingo (with animal pictures instead of numbers) to win sticky alligators and foam rubber creepy-crawlies. Some of the younger ones played with a container of plastic jungle animals and trees Finley loves. 

Shortly after he and Ryan won Animal Bingo, Khai swore he saw a groundhog on the hill under the main house. He lead all of the kids and several adults down to find it. I don't know if they ever did. I moved too slow to really join them, and I wasn't wearing shoes. Besides, the rain returned lightly, even as they raced each other over the soft green grass and back up the hill.

We just beat the rain to the punch. It started pouring shortly after we all got back in. The kids got antsy watching the rain off and on the porch while waiting for Craig to come back with three large pizzas for the adults, three small pizzas for the kids, and cheese-covered garlic rolls for everyone. Rose bought a large cake at the Acme and decorated it with cookies, plastic toys, and chocolate "rocks" made to look like a zoo with modern roam cages. After the kids had their fill, they chased each other in the den and watched the storm come down.

I returned to my side of the house to work on writing when they all hit the pool in the rain. Greg (Morris) the Diamond Card, Bert (Convy) the Spade Card, and Larry (Hovis) the Club Card find Brett and the boys admiring the Queen of Hearts' beautiful roses. They planted a row of white roses by mistake and hope to get back into her good graces by leading a "Mission: Impossible" to paint the white roses red.

Broke for baking at quarter of 7. Started the Chocolate Chip Muffins while watching more Hogan's Heroes. Hogan and the guys find themselves part of "An Evening of Generals" when they're ordered to blow up a meeting of top Nazi brass. They get help from a cook who knows German and from Klink, who is determined to make a good impression.

Suspicious Nazi General Hochstetter is back in "Everybody Loves a Snowman." He's looking for evidence of tunnels. Hogan, meanwhile, is dealing with five stir-crazy pilots who want to go home yesterday. He eventually uses the cold German weather as a cover to finally get them out under Hochstetter's nose.

Switched to MASH while making Blueberry 4th of July Softbakes from my British cookie book. "The Winchester Tapes" from season 5 reveals that new head of the base Major Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) also wants out yesterday. Like Fraiser in Cheers, he feels too erudite for the hijinks at the 4077th. Meanwhile, Hawkeye would do anything to spend time with a beautiful nurse in Seoul, including trade shifts with Winchester. 

Finished the night with This Is the Army online after a shower. I go further into the ultimate World War II patriotic musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Happy 4th of July! - This Is the Army

Birthday Bounce

Knock knock knock!

Persistent banging at the door to the main house jolted me out of slumber late this morning. Jodie had a package for me. It was one of my several eBay birthday gifts to myself, the double DVD set of Nancy Goes to Rio and Two Weeks With Love. I actually bought it for the latter, a turn-of-the-20th century-set vehicle for Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds. I remember catching it on TCM around 2001 and thinking it was really cute. Both movies might be nice for summer vacation-themed reviews in July and August. 

Couldn't go back to sleep after that, and it was almost 11 AM anyway. I read in bed and did my journal for a while. It was past noon when I finally got up and moving. Match Game '75 already began, even as I poured milk into my shredded wheat. Bill Macy, who was appearing on Maude with Beatrice Arthur at that point, figured in to one of the wilder weeks of that year. In the first episode, a comment from the pretty young contestant that she didn't have any response for the Audience Match lead to a rather amusing slip of the tongue from Gene. The second featured a question as to whom would play the Beast to Betty White's Beauty. 

Made Oatmeal Raisin Cookies while finishing out the Mickey Mouse In Living Color set. My favorite color Mickey shorts had him joining Goofy and Donald for some truly inspired gags. "Clock Cleaners" has Donald tangling with a spring while Mickey saves a woozy Goofy from falling off the edge. Their ideas of being "Moose Hunters" is for Donald and Goofy to dress as a female moose and Mickey to grab the male one. Needless to say, it doesn't work out well. "The Whalers" has them hunting on the high seas, but Goofy can't even figure out the cannon. "Moving Day" doesn't go much better. When Sheriff Pete claims he's going to sell their belongings at auction, the trio try to high-tail it out before he can hold the sale. 

Along with "Lonesome Ghosts" (which I have in full elsewhere), "Mickey's Trailer" is the best cartoon to feature the famous trio. Things start out well in their ultra-modern, push-button vacation home, with Mickey making use of the bells and whistles to get Donald going in the morning. Things get hairy quickly after Goofy, who's driving the trailer, comes in for breakfast...and forgets the car is still running. He loses the trailer when he scrambles out, leaving Donald and Mickey flying down a mountain out of control!

The other Mickey cartoons from this era have him joining the gang to put on a show for his nephews Morty and Ferdie and their orphan friends. He's the star of the show in "Magician Mickey"...and for once, gets to pay Donald back for constantly stealing the spotlight. "Mickey's Amateurs" is more like "Mickey's Gong Show," what with Clarabelle Cow accompanying Clara Cluck's number and Donald's frequent (and unintelligible) attempts at a recitation. 

There's some real carnivore confusion in "The Worm Turns." Mickey creates a formula that makes weaker creatures able to fight predators. This is all well and good with a fly fighting off a spider and Pluto chasing off Pete the Dog Catcher...but Mickey also makes a far smaller, more animal-like mouse than himself able to chase off a cat who has no interest in the bigger mouse right next to him! Things get a little spookier in "Mickey's Parrot," as Mickey and Pluto investigate some eerie sounds after hearing about an escaped convict on the radio. 

Mickey's best shorts from this era often featured him going through great lengths to show off for Minnie. "Mickey's Rival" is Mortimer Mouse, a long-nosed jerk who butts in on Mickey and Minnie's picnic date. It takes an angry bull to show Minnie which mouse really cares about her. Mickey is "The Brave Little Tailor" in one of his most impressively-animated shorts. He takes down a huge giant who is a lot nastier than Willie in Mickey and the Beanstalk to win the hand of fair Princess Minnie. 

Rose called me as I pulled the cookies out of the oven. I emailed her yesterday to ask if they were doing anything for Khai's birthday. She let him take the day off of school and took him and Finley to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden instead. Apparently, Khai wanted to have pizza and a few friends over afterwards. Did I want to join them? Sure! I had a set of Garfield comics I picked up on Amazon to give him.

(Oooh, and other than slightly burning one batch, the cookies came out well, nice and chewy.)

Put on Tattletales while wrapping Khai's birthday present. This time, Gene and Helen were the big winners, answering almost all of the questions right. (Even if Helen's answer to the first one made me wonder if she'd ever seen some of her husband's more overt skirt-chasing on Match Game.) It was all about the ladies on Press Your Luck - the one guy kept running into Whammies. The previous champ finally picked up a ton of money and trip to Curacao in the Caribbean, among other prizes.

Worked on writing while the shows were on. Gene takes Richard across the street to the City Hall, where Mayor Allen Ludden has his offices. The railroad also has offices here. It's represented by Ira Skutch in town; his boss Mark Goodson generally stays back east and is rarely seen.

Took my bike to Rose's house around quarter of 5. Khai played the goofy card word game Apples to Apples with two buddies of his from the neighborhood in the backyard as his mother and father restrained the dogs and delivered cheese, pepperoni, and sausage pizza slices to everyone. Finley insisted on me joining her to play with her new mother and baby stuffed penguins, which apparently she bought from the gift shop at the Adventure Aquarium with her Easter money. 

We climbed up on the trampoline to play with the penguins after we ate. Of course, the boys eventually saw us and decided they wanted to bounce, too. We all bounced around for a while - well, I really more hopped, being twice the size of anyone else and having fairly bad knees. Once Khai and the guys started wrestling with each other, Rose decided it was time for Finley and I to climb out.

We'd resumed playing "mother and baby penguin" when Rose brought out the cake. She told me on the phone earlier it was her first attempt at a tier cake. It was huge, two big layers iced with aqua blue frosting, with a molded candy shark's tail sticking out. For all her worries, it came out very well, and moist as can be. Everyone enjoyed it, including Craig's parents and Jodie, who arrived while we were on the trampoline. 

I headed off shortly after Khai's friends announced they were going home, too. Got home just in time for Match Game PM. Gene's vibrant red shoes comes in for some ribbing early in the show. Later, everyone sings about Texas when Richard gives it as an answer to "The Eyes of __" in the Audience Match. Steve Kanaly of Dallas and a young Jamie Lee Curtis join the lunacy here. 

We had another close game on Sale of the Century. Everyone bought or won something (and the champ finally got the Instant Cash), but here too, it eventually came down to the ladies. The other lady pushed ahead in the Speed Round, but just barely missed the Bonus Round.

Finished out the night with Hart to Hart on The Roku Channel. In "As the Hart Turns" from the fourth season, Max is addicted to the soap opera Doctor's Hospital. He's thrilled when Jennifer wins a walk-on role in a raffle. The writers on the show love the ideas she tosses out and convince her to work on storylines to bolster the show's ratings. One actor is less-than-thrilled with their decision to write him out...and intends to end Jennifer's storyline permanently. 

Unicorns and Farm Market Matches

Kicked off my 4th of July with material from my Colliers Harvest of Holidays children's anthology book. Along with shorter poems and "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," there was a chapter from Little House on the Prairie that depicted Laura and Mary going into town with their pa for lemonade and a big horse and buggy race. Switched to the Disney America anthology for a short story retelling of Revere's big ride, a story version of the Disney movie Toby Tyler; or Ten Days With the Circus, and "Ben and Me," about how Amos the church mouse supposedly helped Ben Franklin create some of his greatest inventions. The last chapter of the coffee table book Summer In America talks about how the 4th of July is America's big summer birthday party and how it was celebrated in years past.

Put on Yankee Doodle Cricket as I ate breakfast. Amos isn't the only mouse who claims to have shaped significant events in American history. Tucker the mouse tells Harry the Cat that their ancestors influenced the creation of the first flag and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, among other bits of history, and that Chester the Cricket's ancestor wrote "Yankee Doodle."

Switched to shorts as I prepared to run errands. "Patriotic Popeye" insists that his nephews have a safe Fourth doing other activities besides setting off fireworks, but they manage to find his stash every time. It takes Popeye having to rescue them from a rocket blasting in the air to convince them that there's other ways to enjoy the holiday. Donald Duck wants to set up the perfect picnic in front of the fireworks for Daisy in "Donald's Failed Fourth," but first the blanket, then the chairs refuse to behave. Tom & Jerry spend their holiday setting off fireworks on each other in "The Yankee Doodle Mouse."

Headed out shortly after Tom & Jerry ended. Despite the heat and humidity, everyone was out and about to do something for the holiday. I stopped at the WaWa in Collingswood first. Needed money and something cold to drink. Treated myself to a Mocha Mint Frozen Cappuccino to keep me awake for the party later in the day.

The parades may not have been on, but the Farm Market was. It was busy, but not as much as I expected, possibly because it was quarter after 11 by the time I got there. Strawberries are gone, but I saw the first eggplants, peaches, blackberries, and Asian green beans of the season. Picked up the last three, blueberries, baby bok choy from the organic booth, and two ears of corn.

Newton Lake Park was busy this morning, too. There were lots of people out riding their bikes, walking their dogs, or just strolling with their friends or kids. Despite the heat, it was at least sunny, with a nice breeze. The light sparkled on the green lake; the tall reeds waved in the light breeze.

Stopped at CVS on the way home. Needed another drink, as the mocha mint was long gone. Grabbed a bottle of Powerade fruit punch, got in a short line, and got out. Ran into a kindly older neighbor on the way home; she shops at the Acme, and I see her there from time to time. I explained to her about my moving soon and my accident, and that I wasn't having problems with being at home.

Put everything away while running a few more shorts. Bugs is a "Bunker Hill Bunny" when he goes up against Hessian captain Sam in a battle of cannon fire and many, many doors. He tells his nephew Clyde his own version of American history in "Yankee Doodle Bugs," but it may not be accurate enough for the little bunny to pass a school test. "Pinky Doodle" wants to hand out pamphlets encouraging the citizens of Boston to fight, if the Red Coat horse he's riding will let him!

Watched Take Me Out to the Ball Game while working on that crocheted pillow case. I go into more detail on this mix of baseball heroics and soft-shoe dance routines at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Happy 4th of July! - Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Went on the computer and did some writing for an hour and a half after the movie ended. Betty leads them into a secret passage while Malade is still sputtering. They end up just outside of the ballroom. Not only do they have to warn the others that the wicked queen is returning, but Charles wants to figure out how to restore Brett's magic as well, and the frog still wants a kiss from Betty...

Finally headed out for Rose's house around 4 PM. Everyone else already arrived by the time I got there. Jodie came from the hospital, where Dad is recovering well from his surgery. Rose chatted with Craig's parents while Finley splashed in their big inflatable pool. Rose brought out fruit, vegetable sticks, and tomato-fresh mozzarella salad in cups, with individual ranch dip for the veggies and cans of sparkling water and local beer from the cooler. Craig grilled burgers and hot dogs.

I have no idea where my bathing suit is right now - it's in a bag somewhere - so I couldn't sit down in the pool. I did wade around in it, though, picking up rings to toss with my feet. The water felt great, warm and relaxing. No wonder the kids mostly had a great time (once Rose could drag Khai outside).

I'd gone to look at Craig's massive tomato plants when I felt a stabbing pain in one of my left toes. Ouuuch! I'd stepped on a bee! I was able to get the stinger out, but it hurt like heck. Rose took me inside and slathered baking soda and vinegar on my swollen toe while I ate my burger and individual cup of macaroni salad on the bench in her kitchen.

Truth be told, I felt kind of awkward outside, anyway. I don't know Craig's parents well and I didn't know what to say to them or Jodie. I felt better when Rose and Craig brought out Finley's unicorn-themed cake. We all ate the delicious yellow sponge cake slathered with pastel whipped topping, then watched Finley open her gifts.

Craig's parents bought Finley an entire Belle ensemble, from the sparkly gold gown to shoes with small heels to even the long gold opera gloves and red gem tiara. She of course had to wear everything right away. Jodie gave her a Moana costume and a straw hat to make up for Moana not having a traditional tiara. Rose and Craig gave her the coolest gift - a soft plush ride-on unicorn! Finley loved hiding in the pink plastic "stable" her new unicorn Dusty came in just as much.

After the grandparents left, I kept an eye on Finley in the living room as the rest of her family cleaned up the party mess and tent. She showed me her other birthday gifts, including a Little People nursery with babies she could put to sleep that made cooing noises. Music videos of short songs that taught toddlers manners played in the background as we played with the nursery and her new cupcake-bride doll.

Craig took me and three boxes that Finley's birthday gifts arrived in home. I took a quick shower, then joined the rest of the live chat for the first Match Game marathon in almost two months. Match Game was revived briefly from the fall of 1990 through the summer of 1991. Brett Somers showed up for three weeks of that revival, always sitting in her old center spot next to Charles. Her voice may have been raspier, but her wit was as rapier-sharp as ever. I arrived in time for the final week's worth of episodes, including the hilarious Halloween show that had Charles dressed as Superman and Brett as a little girl.

Here's the marathon, so you can match wits with Brett one final time.

Match Game '90 With Guest Panelist Brett Somers

Finished the night on YouTube after tonight's Match Game syndicated premieres with something more related to the holiday. I wanted to see some parade today, so I went back to my childhood with this vintage recording of the 1988 Walt Disney World 4th of July Parade. This jam-packed special features quick glimpses at the then-new Maelstrom ride in Norway at Epcot Center (now the Frozen ride) and the Disney-MGM (now Disney's Hollywood) Studios, along with everyone from Broadway star Tommy Tune dancing in front of Cinderella's Castle with Rita Moreno to the Beach Boys singing their then-major hit "Kokomo."

1988 Walt Disney 4th of July Parade

And I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July, no matter whom you celebrated it with or how!

Family Assemble!

Began the morning with reading for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology debuted while King was still alive...but the material for the now rarely-celebrated United Nations Day equally represents the peace and equality that he and the United Nations both work for.

Had breakfast while watching Sale of the Century. In an episode apparently set the week before the "end of summer bash" (according to one segment selling a stereo), a lady and two gentlemen held a very tight game. The champion bought that stereo (he claimed to be a jazz connoisseur), but in the end, the other man just out-buzzed him in the fast round. Alas, that speed didn't help him in the bonus round, which he missed by one second.

Called the doctor Jodie recommended a while back after breakfast. To my surprise, not only were they open on a major holiday, but they'd be able to get me in this week. I'll get a regular check-up on Friday at 1:30.

I was half-way through Press Your Luck when Rose called. That was fast. I wasn't expecting to hear from her until 10:30. Turns out that they'd had some problems and were picking me up early. Sure, whatever. By that point, my bags were packed, I'd long finished breakfast, and I'd just gotten into my boots. I did have to run back and retrieve my cell phone when I almost left it behind, though.

Turns out Rose and Khai were originally going to drive to Dad and Jodie's to borrow their van and leave theirs, but Rose's car wouldn't start. They ended up walking there and getting me on the way back. We briefly headed to Rose's house to wait for Craig to bring Finley home from her gymnastics class and pack up the box of gifts for Lilah. As soon as they arrived, Finley changed, and the cats and Kelsey the miniature pincher were fed, we crowded into the van and headed out.

At least the ride down wasn't bad. It was a beautiful, if cold and windy, day. We encountered no traffic anywhere. Made a stop at the WaWa mid-way for snacks and so Khai could stretch his legs; he was not entirely happily stuck between Finley in her seat and me. Craig and Finley got gas while Rose picked up energy drinks for her and and her husband, Khai mixed various Icee flavors, and I grabbed a bottle of Peach Perrier and a soft pretzel.

The other trouble we had on the road was on Route 9, where a bridge is in the midst of repair. Rose and Craig took a detour that put them off-course. We ended up going through Cape May Court House and down the Garden State Parkway, which they were hoping to avoid. The Parkway is a toll road and can be busy (though it wasn't today).

We finally pulled in around quarter of 1. Anny's tribe was already there, watching The Secret Life of Pets 2 in the living room, surrounded by pink and multi-colored balloons. To my delight, Mom chatted with her in the kitchen. I guess they've mended their fences, if only temporarily. The boys migrated to Collyn's room to play Minecraft on the XBox and stayed there for pretty much the next few hours except for lunch. Everyone enjoyed pretzels (plain and covered in dark and white chocolate and sprinkles), Sun Chips, potato chips, cheese curls, and Anny's yummy chocolate chip squares and peanut butter cookies.

Lilah happily introduced me to her new My Life As WalMart doll Lilah 2 and the two huge puppies her family acquired in the last year. Nicklas is a massive, noble-looking husky who apparently considers himself to be  the alpha male in the family and protects all. Mr. "Red" Reddington is a yellowish dalmatian with golden spots. Unlike Nick, he's more skittish and is definitely a "mama's dog" - he adores Anny and cuddles with her whenever he gets the chance.

Anny called everyone to lunch around 2. She and Mom put out cold cuts, rolls, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and big, thick pickle slices. I had two small hoagies with roast beef, provolone cheese, tomato, and lettuce; the rolls were pretty small, so I kept the pickles on the side.

The cake rolled out around 3. Lilah apparently chose a shark-themed cake, with a giant shark on either side. Craig and Lilah's dad Jay, who also have January birthdays, shared the cake...which lead to the top of the cake being almost entirely covered in candles! They did blow them out, but the smoke was so bad, they had to crack open a window while we all ate cake, cupcakes, and ice cream.

Evidently, one of Lilah's favorite shows is Peppa Pig, a British cartoon about a girl pig and her family and friends. Anny and Jay gave Lilah Peppa's castle and her family's trailer, complete with slide and furniture in both. Rose and Craig gave her Toy Story 4-related items, including her own pull-back Forky and a kit to make her own Forky, as well as Hot Wheels. She loved the books I gave her; Mom was especially impressed with that put the sticker on the spot and create your own story book I found on Friday. Her brothers gave her a snowboarding outfit for her My Life As doll.

Finley got a few leftover Christmas gifts as well. She got her first Cabbage Patch Kid doll, a little girl named Mia with a silky gold ponytail wearing a ballerina outfit. Anny and Jay even gave her a mini backpack to carry her around in, just like real mommies have.

We headed out around 4:30. Lilah had ballet class at 5:30, and the moms wanted to get dinner together. Lilah and Khai didn't want to go. They were fussy through much of the ride home, with Khai constantly asking "are we there yet?" and he and Rose discussing the original, more gruesome versions of favorite fairy tales as we got closer to Oaklyn. They did briefly stop at WaWa again, but only Rose got out this time, picking up hot chocolate and hot dogs for the kids and more energy drinks for her and Craig. (I wasn't hungry or thirsty. Anny's spread was more than enough.)

When I finally got in, I ran the nighttime Match Game while eating the last of the leftover tuna and peas. Dancer Bobby Van, sweetheart Sarah Kennedy, and cheerful Ann Elder joined Gene and the regulars in two episodes from 1975. They always had so much fun in these shows, it's a delight to watch. Even folks I don't recognize like Elder or only vaguely recall like Kennedy are hilarious. And unlike most fans of this show, I'm rarely annoyed by their antics. I just like watching different "types" - fussy theater geek, crusty older character actress, blonde ingenue, suave Brit, goofy stand-up comedienne, lecherous host - interacting and joking with one another and helping people win money.

Finished the night with the three-hour marathon known as Avengers: Endgame. We pick up almost a month after Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped half of all life off Earth. Thor is the one who finally does him in on an uninhabited planet...but he destroyed the stones, and it changes nothing. Five years later, the return of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) from the quantum realm opens the possibility of time travel and going back to fix what happened with Thanos and the stones. Even though each change creates alternative realities instead of actually changing the present, they still send different groups to attempt to change things. Not every group is successful at retrieving their respective stone, and Thanos eventually catches on. In the end, every single Marvel character who had been in a movie come together to take on this menace from the cosmos...and allow the Avengers to truly assemble one last time.

This is a long and complex slog, but it's a fascinating one...if you're a Marvel fan. This is absolutely not the place for newcomers or casual viewers. You really need to know at least little bit about the majority of these folks' back stories to understand a lot of what goes on here, and seeing the first Avengers film and Infinity War before this is a must. If you've already caught most or all of these movies and have a spare three hours on your hands, it's an action-packed end to ten years of superheroic tales.

Parties and Parades

A lovely, sunny morning began with breakfast and The Bernstein Bears' Christmas Tree. Much like Clark Grizwauld, Papa Bear is determined to bring home a real, special tree direct from the woods. Unlike Clark, he keeps choosing trees that are the homes of forest creatures. They chase Papa and the cubs away...until Papa spares a bird family and finally realizes what's really important about the holidays. The cubs think they'll never get their tree, but there's a wonderful surprise at their own treehouse when they get back.

Rushed out at ten of 10. Thankfully, I was only about 15 minutes late for the Collingswood Christmas Parade. This is the largest holiday parade in the Camden County area. Mummers, string bands, and local groups from miles around participate in this community event. I hurried along Haddon Avenue until I found an empty spot just to the right of the city offices at the old school.

I missed the first few minutes of the parade, but I did manage to catch most of it. For some reason, there were a lot of luaus this year. Two of the schools and Parkview Apartments had Hawaiian themes, with kids and residents sporting leis and grass skirts over warm pants and ski jackets. Another school did a sweet Toy Story float. As cute as Ovations Dance Studio's routine to "Jingle Bell Rock" was, the Irish step dancers in their traditional costumes were just having so much fun doing jigs to "Christmas In Kilarney." An Irish bagpipe group showed off their traditional kilts and spats. A group of mini-flag bearers, waving flags that were bigger than they were, danced to "Let It Go" from Frozen. One mummers group was dressed as golfers in glittering black and white argyle. Another were the Pirates of the Caribbean, with a genuinely spooky Davy Jones (complete with octopus makeup) leading. Stilt walkers dressed as an elf and a toy soldier did juggling tricks. Costumed characters, ranging from Frosty and Crystal to gingerbread people to the Grinch, high-fived the kids in the crowd. At least the wind had died down since Thursday, allowing the high school flag groups to do their routines with little trouble.

Someone on the parade route handed me a paper that advertised a train show at a church a block from the Collingswood Library. Since I wasn't far from the library and they mentioned cookies and hot drinks, I thought it might be fun to check out. Something different, anyway. I followed the crowds across the street.

The church was already fairly crowded by the time I made it there. I got into line and grabbed chocolate chip and white chocolate cookies and a cup of hot chocolate, then joined the crowds around the train display. It was huge, taking up most of the back half of the small auditorium. Kids and adults alike oohed and ahhed over the meticulously detailed landscape, with trains riding over hills, a small town with barns and farmhouses, a city with skyscrapers and a big fancy train station, a green countryside, and even a wide train bridge over a "gully."

After I left, I picked up my bike and headed back towards Oaklyn. It was a beautiful day by quarter after noon, bright, sunny, and chilly. Despite the nice weather and the light sparkling on the bottle-green waters, I was the only one I saw out riding in Newton River Park. Everyone else must have still been back in Collingswood.

I needed to stop and pick up a birthday present for my stepbrother Jesse on the way home. Grabbed a 15 dollar gift card for Dunkin' Donuts at CVS, but couldn't find a card I liked. I finally decided choosing was taking too long. He would live without the card.

Hurried straight home in time to make a quick lunch. Watched "A Scooby Doo Christmas" while I ate. In this episode of What's New, Scooby Doo, Mystery Inc find themselves stranded in the town of Winter Hollow on Christmas Eve after the nearby bridge washes out. Every year around Christmas, a Headless Snowman attacks residents, destroying their chimneys and their warmth and forcing them into a local inn for the holidays. The kids do everything they can to solve the mystery and bring a real Christmas back to the townspeople.

It was way past 2 when I finally made it to the laundromat. I couldn't put off my laundry anymore. I had a huge load, including the three towels I used to mop up the water from the freezer defrosting. Next week, I'll try to go much earlier. They were mobbed when I got in. I got one of the last two washers; had a far easier time with the dryers. Worked on story notes and half-listened to college football and the chatter around me.

Even hurrying back as fast as I could didn't make me on time. Jodie said to meet her at Dad's. I went past her on the road as I was riding over to Dad's, ten minutes late. I quickly dropped my bike at Dad's, then jumped in her car and headed off.

Even with all the trouble, we were only five minutes late for Jesse's big 30th birthday party at the Uno's Grill in Maple Shade. As it turned out, we,  Jodie's older son TJ, and his lover Eric were the only ones from Jodie's side of the family who went. Everyone else was from Jesse's biological father's side of the family or his wife Dana's. It was kind of boring. I mostly hid in the back of a table and messed with my cell phone, though I did chat with TJ, Eric, and Jodie. Watched Auburn play Alabama on the big-screen TV over the roaring fire - the former barely won, 48-45. Blue and white balloons, including a shower of white balloons with a metallic "30," hung in front of and to the side of the fireplace. Photos from Jesse's childhood were hung in a banner over the table with the cake, cupcakes, and candy.

At least the food was good. We enjoyed Caeser salad, celery and carrot sticks, baked ziti with breaded chicken strips, and pepperoni and cheese thin-crust pizza. Those who were brave enough had saucy hot wings...but one whiff of those were too much for me! They were really, really pungent. Just standing over them made my eyes water.

The cake and cupcakes had a flower theme; Jesse loves working in the small garden between his and Dana's apartment and the main house. The chocolate cupcakes were a little bland, but the buttercream frosting and vanilla cupcakes and cakes were amazing, creamy and moist and sweet.

After I got home and finally put the laundry away, I finished out the night with the 1997 animated Babes In Toyland. I go further into this holiday tale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Babes In Toyland (1997)

Family In the Snow

I awoke to a world of whiteness out my door. It started snowing even as I was shutting down my computer last night. By the time I was rolling out of bed, it was up to...the expected one or two inches. It was still snowing around 7, but not heavily.

Rose called while I was writing in my journal. She and Craig were taking some furniture that Mom didn't want home with them, plus their second car doesn't drive well in snow. She had to borrow Dad and Jodie's car and would be a little late.

I made banana pancakes for my Sunday breakfast this morning. Yum! They came out beautifully, fluffy and just sweet enough. I didn't even burn them. I ate them while listening to the soundtrack from Frozen. I figured that was appropriate for a wintry morning. I heard so much about the music and how good it was when the movie came out, I had to buy the soundtrack. You may be sick of hearing about it (especially since there's supposed to be a sequel coming out in November), but the music really is that good. Along with the hit "Let It Go" for Elsa, I like the heartbreaking "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" that details how Elsa and Anna's relationship deteriorated after Anna's accident and Hans and Anna's "Love Is an Open Door."

Switched to one of my Disney music CD collections while doing the dishes. Rose called again and said she'd be there by 10:30. I got tired of waiting at 10:30 and went downstairs. She still wasn't there when I arrived. She didn't come until nearly quarter of 11. She had Khai and Finley with her; Craig took his car.

Khai spent most of the ride down playing with his Nintendo Switch and asking questions from his long, thin questions-and-answers booklet. Finley slept most of the way. I kept an eye on her while Rose took Khai to the bathroom and to get a drink at a rest stop. (I wasn't that thirsty and didn't need to go at that point.) We took the Atlantic City Expressway and Garden State Parkway to avoid the messier back roads. There was a little more snow further down south, maybe two inches to our one. Indeed, it started snowing and sleeting again as we were on the Atlantic City Expressway, though it was gone by the time we rolled into North Cape May.

Anny and her tribe moved into a much larger house on Bayshore Road, North Cape May's main artery, a few weeks before Thanksgiving. I remember riding by it on the way to the Villas Library or to visit my former friend Brigid in the Villas when we lived in North Cape May in the 90's and early 2000's. It was a doctor's office for years.

It's a somewhat larger version of the split-level house we lived in when we were in North Cape May. Four-year-old Lilah and her fourteen-year-old brother Skylar have rooms downstairs; ten-year-old Collyn is upstairs next to his parents. A guest bedroom shares space with a workshop for Jay's building and Anny's art projects. The boys huddled in Skylar's room for the next hour or so after we arrived, playing Fortnite with Collyn's dad Mike. (Skylar played the online version.)

Lilah spent that hour showing me her very pink and white room. Her big thing right now is unicorns and mythological creatures. If it's sparkly, has four legs, and a horn on its head, she loves it. Her mother even painted a cute purple unicorn on her wall, and she got a beautiful white bed made to look like a fence for Christmas. I was introduced to her Barbie, Frozen, and Disney Princess dolls, her My Little Pony collection, and almost every stuffed unicorn and pegasus in her room. (Including a unicorn on the bed that was bigger than she was!) She was so enthusiastic and just too adorable.

Everyone else was upstairs, playing Nintendo in the big living room or talking to Mom, including my brother Keefe, who came up here from Virginia with his girlfriend Julia. Anny and Mom laid out rolls and fixings to make hoagies in the kitchen. I had a provolone and roast beef hoagie with lettuce and pickles. (The rolls weren't that big - there was no room for tomatoes.) There were bags of Utz's multi-grain tortilla chips (yum, Mom likes those, too), Doritos, and pretzels to snack on, along with sugar cookies and Mom's famous chocolate chip bars and snickerdoodles.

After lunch, Lilah and I played in the living room while the boys went back to video games and the moms set up the cake. She had not one, but two play cake sets that she wanted to show me. We naturally had to pretend that the cakes were Lilah's real cakes and deliver them to everyone in the kitchen to try!

We had the real cake, ice cream, and ice cream cake around 2. We're actually celebrating three birthdays in the family this month. Apparently, Craig and Jay have birthdays soon, too, along with Lilah's on Thursday. Lilah requested a Carvel ice cream cake. Craig and Jay shared a Superman cake that said "For a Super-Dad on his birthday" that Anny picked up from the North Cape May Acme. It was yummy, too! A marble cake with lots of red, white, blue, and yellow icing. The North Cape May Acme always did make the best cakes, even when I was in high school and Lower Cape May Regional would order them for class parties.

Lilah opened her presents after we ate. Her largest gift was a big tent that you can not only set up in your bedroom, but comes with fabric pens that lets you make your own design on it. Along with her fondness for unicorns, Lilah also apparently shares her mother's love of art. Her dad gave her a big case of Crayola art supplies that she wanted to open and try right away. Other gifts included an I Spy Christmas book, a stuffed unicorn, and gift cards and small sticker books from her nana.

Collyn, whose birthday was last month, got a snowboard from Rose and Craig that had been too big to send in the mail. He was dying to use it, and the kids were getting antsy anyway, so Craig, Jay, and I took Collyn, Khai, Lilah, and Finley outside to the front yard to play in the snow. Rose joined us a bit later with two sledding tubes they'd brought along. Lilah pulled out a penguin-shaped sled, and Collyn convinced Jay to pump up their sledding tube, which was shaped like two Starlight candies.

The snow was down to sleet and a gray sky by 3 PM, which made it slippery, but also excellent packing snow. I'm not sure how the snowball fight started. Lilah and I were just throwing a bit of snow at each other. Some of it hit Craig, then Collyn and Khai. They threw snow back...and before we knew it, everyone was slipping and sliding all over their front yard, throwing tightly-packed, half-sleet snowballs. Keefe came out and joined in, too, and Jay did when he finished with the tube. It was so funny. Rose and the little boys were on one side, while Lilah and I joined the big guys on the other. We all slipped and slid and threw snowballs everywhere. I hadn't laughed so hard in ages.

It was past 4 when we all trooped inside to dry off. Khai had so much fun playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with his cousins, he didn't want to leave. We agreed to let him play a few more rounds while the rest of us went over to Mom's to watch the first bit of the Eagles-Saints game and help her clear out a few items. She's also in the midst of getting rid of a bunch of stuff she no longer needs. I claimed an upright teddy bear cake pan, vintage candy molds, heart cupcake molds, a baked donut pan set (I'm willing to try something different with my baked goods), a basket, and a few winter and Christmas knick-knacks. Rose and Craig claimed these wonderful stoneware soup bowls we used to eat soup out of when we were kids and Dad's old chair for their living room.

(Incidentally, the Eagles were winning 14-0 when we were at Mom's. They were still up 14-7 when we were on the road. By the time I'd gotten home, the Saints had come back, and would go on to win 20-14, ending the Eagles' Super Bowl hopes for this year. Considering their up-and-down season, I'm just glad they made it this far.)

It was five and already dark when we finally picked up Khai and started home. Rose missed her exit at one point and we almost ended up in Wildwood, but she got us turned around quick enough. After that, there were no problems. Finley slept, Khai played Nintendo Switch, and I listened to my iPod. Since it was on our way home anyway, Rose stopped at the Audubon Acme to get a quick dinner for her kids. I have no desire to go in that Acme until I have to do my grocery shopping on Friday and agreed to watch the kids while she ran in. Poor little Finley woke up minutes later in a dark car with just her aunt and brother and got very upset! Her mom came back with a fragrant rotisserie chicken and got her calmed down.

I was so tired when I got home, I didn't really do much more than put most of my things away and go online. Finished the night with the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys and the soundtrack to Radioland Murders while chatting with Lauren online.

Rewrite the Stars

I couldn't believe how warm it already was by 8 AM! I flung open all the windows, even before I had breakfast. Celebrated my birthday with two of the American Girl birthday books. Happy Birthday, Kirsten! opens with the Swedish pioneer getting ready to help her mother with a new baby. Once the baby comes, Kirsten is too busy for much of anything, including school and helping her friends with sewing a quilt for their teacher. Her friends and family finally come through with a barn-raising birthday party and a big surprise.

Kit also gets to share her party with family. In Happy Birthday, Kit!, we're introduced to her thrifty Aunt Millie from Kentucky. Kit loves most of her great ideas to save money, from gathering dandelion greens to raising chickens and selling the eggs. Some of them, though, like buying damaged goods from the grocery or making bloomers from a feed sack, seem more embarrassing to Kit than fun. She gets upset when it seems like the kids in her class are laughing at her aunt...but when she sees the beautiful dress she made from a feed sack, she understands just how useful her aunt's money-saving tips can be.

Ate a quick breakfast while watching The World of Strawberry Shortcake. The original 1981 Strawberry Shortcake special is set on the title character's sixth birthday. She's upset when she thinks the rest of the residents of Strawberry Land have abandoned her. What they're really doing is setting up a surprise party. The Peculiar Purple Pie Man is determined to spoil their fun and steal their berries for his own wares. When his watering can gift wrecks havoc on their home, it's up to the kids and an army of kids to steal back the berries and rescue resident toddler Apple Dumplin'.

Did a quick Disney short as I got ready to head out. A second "Mickey's Birthday Party," this time in color, came out in 1942. Once again, the entire gang joins Minnie and Mickey for the latter's big day. While we do get Mickey trying to play the organ and having fun dancing along, the focus is mainly on Donald rumba-ing with well-endowed Clara Cluck and Goofy's failed attempts to bake a birthday cake.

It was already in the 70's when I headed out around ten after 9. First stop was the Haddon Township Library. I wanted to return The World of Tomorrow (which I finished last week but forgot to bring back on Monday) and the DVDs. Thought they opened at 9 AM, but it would seem that the don't open until 10. I stuck the book and DVDs in the book drop, went for a short walk to watch the progress on the sign for the new Target that's replacing the shuttered Thriftway, and sat on the curb across the library and waited for the bus. Figured I'd pick up the bus at the library since I had to bring the books and DVDs back anyway.

To my surprise, the bus was almost ten minutes early! In fact, they had to honk their horn to get my attention and me off the curb. That was the worst that happened. The bus was busy but not full, and there was no traffic whatsoever.

The Cherry Hill Mall was also relatively quiet when I arrived. Decided to check out a few smaller toy and game stores first. Didn't find anything at Game Stop or Jay Street Video Games, but I did pick up something for Lauren and the cutest little stuffed chick off the discount rack at Build-a-Bear. The chick is actually a game. He "chirps" when you squeeze him, and will keep chirping until you "find" him and squeeze him again. Though The Lego Store had Solo: A Star Wars Story merchandise (including an awesome Millennium Falcon with Han, Chewie, Q'ida, and Lando), The Disney Store ironically didn't. (Despite the nice lady who greeted me when I came in claiming they did. Nope, just the barest leftovers from Last Jedi. They're gearing up for Avengers: Infinity War and The Incredibles 2 in Disney-dom right now.)

It was around 11 when I struck out across the street for the Hillview Shopping Center. The main reason I wanted to go to the Cherry Hill Mall was I got a 10 dollar-off coupon for Kohl's yesterday. There's a Kohl's at Hillview. After much hemming and hawing over blouses and pants, I finally decided to buy a new white t-shirt (my old white t-shirt got so grungy, I eventually cut it up into dust rags) and a jean jacket. I've been wanting to pick up a light jacket for cool-but-not-cold days in spring and fall for a while now.

Had lunch at the Silver Dollar Diner, overlooking the hill across from the Cherry Hill Mall. They were so busy by noon, I ended up at the counter. I had a tasty "western" omelet (omelet with green peppers, onions, and ham), a drop biscuit, and hash browns. The omelet was the perfect size, the biscuit was nicely flaky, and while the hash browns weren't as good as my stepdad's, they weren't bad, either.

Next stop was the small Target at the end of the mall. Though I looked at blouses and underwear here, I ended up with a Pokemon Raichu (the larger, more evolved form of Pikachu) for Khai's birthday next week, a "Rowdy" Roddy Piper figure that can talk to other wrestling figures for Lauren, and The Greatest Showman on DVD for me. I wanted to see that when it came out...but it came out right after The Last Jedi, and my Star Wars obsession won out at the time. The cashier who rang my order really praised it and Hugh Jackman. She and the lady behind me also gave me warm birthday greetings when I told them why I was there.

I was starting to get more than a little worn out by quarter of 2. Not to mention, it had soared into the lower 80's by that point, ridiculously hot for April in New Jersey (though a stiff, cool wind made things a little more bearable). I returned to the Cherry Hill Mall. Stopped by the Dairy Queen/Orange Julius booth for a cooling treat. I'd never had a Julius before; went with the Pina Colada. Yum. It was basically a creamy coconut-pineapple smoothie, with lots of pineapple pulp and coconut bits.

Since JC Penney is only two stores down from the food court, I ended up there next. Finally found a white lace-trimmed blouse to go with my good skirt for the wedding here, along with two three-packs of socks on sale and a pair of brown capris on the clearance rack. Also took a brief peek at Payless Shoes to find a pair of good flats, but had no luck.

Saturday may not have been the best time to hit up a popular local mall. The place was packed when I left Payless. Since I was tired anyway, I just ended up taking the 3:07 bus home. Once again, I had no trouble getting home whatsover. Traffic was sparse, even around Haddon Avenue and Cuthbert Road.

Of course, as soon as I got in, I realized I'd forgotten to buy one of the most important things - a gift card for Rose's birthday, which was last Saturday. Pulled in at the Rite Aid across from the Westmont Plaza to grab a Duncan Donuts card for her. They also had the last Tiny Toon Adventures DVD set I didn't have, Volume 3. Bought an orange Perrier to combat that heat.

Did a little bit of writing when I got home. Encouraged by Leia, Han/Prince Henry manages to escape the rack, but he's still not quite sure of himself. Leia and Luke  hold off the demons while he confronts the cloaked magician who haunts his nightmares.

It was so hot in my apartment (and Charlie was being so noisy with the dogs), I just left for Dad and Jodie's a little early. Jodie made a pot roast for my birthday dinner. We also had a spinach salad with bacon, sliced French bread and butter, carrots and potatoes, and corn. The roast was a little dry; otherwise, everything was delicious. Jessa and Joe were already there when I arrived. Rose came around with Finley a bit later. She'd gone to Khai's first baseball game of the season that morning and had completely forgotten about the dinner. (Khai was at a roller skating party in Cherry Hill; Craig had work.) Chubby, cute little Finley is starting to walk with help now. I played with some of the toys Dad and Jodie had for her.

Rose gave me a tarp to cover my new bike. She loved the gift card. Apparently, she stops at the Duncan Donuts down the street a lot and buys treats for Khai from there.

Put on The Greatest Showman as soon as I got home. Tired of a series of dead-end jobs, P.T Barnum (Hugh Jackman) comes up with the idea of starting a wax museum and cultural center to delight his two daughters. When one of his girls points out how dull the waxworks are, he adds unique acts - "freaks" like bearded lady Lettie Lutz (Keala Settle), dwarf Tom Thumb (Sam Humphery), and trapeze artist siblings Anne (Zendaya) and W.D Wheeler (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) - to bring in the crowds. It becomes so colorful and outrageous, he eventually titles it Barnum's Circus. Though the museum/circus is making money, it's not delighting New York's elite, including the editor of the New York Herold James Gordon Bennett (Paul Sparks). Casting around for something more upscale, Barnum hires bored young playwright Philip Carlyle (Zac Efron) to help him out. A tour of Europe turns up gorgeous, refined Swedish soprano Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson). While Barnum conducts an affair with Lind, Carlyle goes after Anne, despite their differences in race and class. Barnum's personal and private lives come crashing down when protesters burn the museum and his wife Charity (Michelle Williams), who has heard about the affair, leaves him. But a true showman never gives up...and as the Barnum Circus rises from the ashes, P.T and Philip learn that while show business may be make-believe, true love and friendship are as genuine as it comes.

The music and performances are the thing here. The plot is a storm of biographical cliches (and most of them are fictional), but Jackman, Williams, Zendaya, and Efron all play the heck out of them. My only real complaint is, fond though I am of Jackman, I really wish we'd seen less of Barnum and Carlyle and more of the actual "freaks." The movie talks about diversity, but it still focuses on the handsome white guys. In all honesty, the real P.T Barnum's career was far more interesting than this.

The music is a lot more fun. "This Is Me," Lettie's anthem at a fancy party, won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar, but my favorites are the duet "Rewrite the Stars" for Phillip and Anne and "Come Alive" for Barnum and his family as they recruit the "freaks." Ironically, the movie's fate was much like that of Barnum's Circus - critics didn't know what to make of it, but it went on to become a word-of-mouth hit.

If you think of it in the same way as the Danny Kaye Hans Christian Anderson movie, another "biographical" musical that's "a fairy tale about a spinner of fairy tales," you may find a lot to enjoy in this fanciful tale. Highly recommended.

Finished the night with a two-part Sailor Moon birthday tale from the third season. Usagi thinks she's not having a great birthday when her friends would rather study and Mamoru doesn't seem to remember. Like the residents of Strawberry Land, her friends are really having a surprise party...and she never told Mamoru when it was in the first place. Even when he buys her the glass slippers she wants, they turn into a monster who is bent on getting her pure heart crystal...and nasty witch Kaorinite finds out who she really is! And then there's the mysterious Sailors Uranus and Neptune, who seem to be determined to find pure heart crystals, at any cost...

Saluting Our Veterans

It was a gorgeous day when I rolled out of bed this morning, sunny and bright, but not nearly as windy as yesterday. In honor of Veteran's Day and the fine weather, I read a few items from Colliers Harvest of Holidays. Veteran's Day began as Armistice Day, the date when World War I ended in 1918. The name didn't change until 1954, in honor of the veterans of the two wars that followed...and all wars.

To that end, two of the three pieces in Colliers was based around the War to End All Wars. The Singing Tree is a touching, almost eerie short story set after a huge battle in France. A group of soldiers stumble around a devastated battlefield, hoping to discover some signs of life. They finally find it in an apple tree that was somehow spared the shelling and is now the home to dozens of different species of birds who had lost their homes. The poems included In Flanders Fields, written by a Canadian officer who died just months before the war ended and frequently memorized by children in North America in the mid-20th century (as my friend Linda Young relates in this essay). 

Since there wasn't much there for Veteran's Day and I had extra time, I added in the material listed for Book Week. My favorite piece there was the funny excerpt from All-of-a-Kind Family, involving middle sister Sarah getting upset over a lost book and how she and her new young librarian figure out how to pay for it. There was also a cute short story by Eleanor Estes about a little boy who wants so badly to take out a book, he works on printing is name and sneaks into the library in the middle of the night to sign his card.

Ran the Donald Duck in the army shorts while eating breakfast. Donald's star was already ascending in the late 1930's, but the war turned him into Disney's top shorts breadwinner. More than lovable Goofy or every-mouse Mickey, Don's brash, noisy persona suited wartime audiences and the propaganda material being churned out in the early 40's. 

The series kicks off with "Donald Gets Drafted." Donald jumps into the army with both webbed feet when he hopes to become a glamorous pilot in the Air Corps. His dreams of the skies evaporate quickly when he's stuck on an ant hole, trying to avoid the stinging residents while Sergeant Pete snarls orders. "Sky Trooper" picks up from where this one leaves off. After a disastrous test, Don does finally get his wish to fly...but not in the way he expects. 

My personal favorite of the Donald in the army shorts is "The Vanishing Private." Donald takes Pete's orders to make a canon "hard to see" literally when he covers it with a special invisibility paint. He finally finds a way to get back at the bossy cat officer when he lands in the paint himself and leads Pete on a merry chase around the base to find "the little man you can't see."

While "Der Fuerher's Face" isn't technically one of the army shorts, it's so brilliant, I usually run it with the others anyway. It won an Oscar for a reason - Donald's surreal Nazi nightmare features some truly imaginative and nightmarish animation. "Fall Out, Fall In" brings us back to more typical turf. All Don wants is dinner and a good night's sleep, but first he can't figure out his tent, then his fellow soldiers' snoring keeps him awake. "The Old Army Game" is more disturbing today. Pete catches Don coming home from a night off the base...but things get really ugly when their fight seems to have more violent consequences. "Commando Duck" is only slightly less scary. Donald's sent to meet with the (stereotyped) Japanese, and proceeds to wipe...no, wash...out the enemy.

It was almost 11:30 when I made it to the Collingswood Farm Market. That didn't give me a lot of time to do this week's produce shopping. Given the cold day and the late hour, I wasn't surprised to see that the crowds were a lot thinner than usual. The sudden cold snap brought the end to a lot of crops, notably tomatoes, and with the market in it's second-to-last week, there's now more craft booths than food booths. There was still some farmers doing business, though most were starting to get ready to go. I just needed small apples, green peppers, and cranberries. 

After having enjoyed yesterday's shopping trip, I thought I'd take a look around downtown Collingswood. There's quite a few new stores there. Oubliette, which sells fancy chocolates, gifts, and stationary items, replaced the Collingswood General Store. There's a new store finally going in where International Market used to be, too.

I browsed in Clutter, Oubliette, and The Candy Jar, but I only bought things from Inner Groove Records and Frugli Consignment. I never fail to find at least one interesting cast album at Inner Groove, and today was no exception. Dug Golden Boy, a 1965 Broadway vehicle for Sammy Davis Jr, out of the dollar record shelves. Also picked up the book-and-record version of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, a retelling of Mickey and the Beanstalk that's probably as close to having a soundtrack that short got, and Ellington Fantasies by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. 

My find at Frugli was a bit more practical. One of the few plus-sized items on the racks was a simple white long-sleeved t-shirt from Old Navy. I'd been meaning to replace my white long-sleeved tee for a while now. The one I got from JC Penney a few years ago was dingy and no longer anything resembling white. It was in such bad shape, I cut it up for dust rags a little later when I got home.

Took the long way back to Oaklyn across Newton Lake Park. Though the air remained chilly, it was otherwise a gorgeous fall day. The bottle green lake sparkled through the last of the fall foliage. The leaves have finally turned into the loveliest shades of gold, pale green, russet, and brick red. I dodged several clusters of high schools taking time off from the many practices going off at Collingswood High's athletic fields across the street.

I took that way back to Oaklyn in order to stop and Dad and Jodie's. Dad-Bruce was in Vietnam, and I wanted to wish him a Happy Veteran's Day. I arrived at a house filled with older women. Jodie had invited a bunch of her buddies over for a group birthday party for several of them, including the hostess herself. (Jodie's birthday is Tuesday.) Frankly, I found their gossip beyond boring and was happier joining Dad in the living room, watching college football. He switched back and forth between local rivalry Penn State and Rutgers and one that he started following when he lived in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and South Carolina. 

(Incidentally, the much-better Penn State blew Rutgers out of the Cooper River, 31 to 6. Florida just missed beating South Carolina 28 to 20.)

Rose arrived with Khai and Finley around 3. (Craig had to work at Anthony's, a popular Italian restaurant in Haddon Heights.) Khai wouldn't eat, but he had no problems snitching cookies and soda. He was happier when his buddy Chloe and her mom showed up later. Finley wasn't happy with anyone but her mother. She cried when handed off to anyone else, or when she was taken into the den full of clucking older women hens. I didn't blame her for getting upset. I'm not the biggest fan of crowds myself. She's teething now, which may be another factor. Rose did finally get her to sleep later in a beautiful wooden crib Anny gave her for when she visits the grandparents. 

There was tons and tons of food! One of the women made a delicious macaroni and cheese. Another did deviled eggs. Someone else brought a plate of mini-pumpkin cheesecakes and bags of Pepperidge Farm raspberry and dark chocolate Milanos. Jodie ordered broccoli and pepperoni Stromboli with pizza sauce dip and turkey hoagies from a local deli, along with cole slaw and potato salad. There was a huge bowl of garden salad and plates of shrimp cocktail. sliced salami and cheese, and vegetables and dip. I ended up taking home macaroni, salad, and three hoagies.

Ran a couple of Universal war shorts when I got in. Donald wasn't the only wacky bird to rise to stardom in the early 40's. Woody Woodpecker was the top star at the Walter Lanz Studios by the time "Ace In the Hole" came out in 1942. Like Donald, Woody yearns to become a pilot, but his sergeant has him shaving horses. The nasty officer is in for a big surprise when Woody does finally take to the skies.

"21 Dollars a Day (Once a Month)" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" spoof the peacetime draft. The former has a toy "army" (including cameos from Woody and Andy Panda) performing the title song. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" is more-or-less the same thing, this time with black stereotypes replacing the toys as a famous trumpeter gets his barracks jitterbugging with his swinging reveille. (As offensive as the stereotypes are in this short, it does have a really awesome version of the title song, and it's one of the few cartoons to depict minorities in the military.)

"Pigeon Patrol" is the most typical of the Lanz war shorts. Homer Pigeon wants to join the carrier pigeon squadron, but he's a skinny country bumpkin who can barely fly. He gets his chance to prove his mettle when he finds a downed flyer and offers to deliver his important papers past a nasty caricatured Japanese vulture. 

Worked on writing for a while after the shorts ended. Leia once again finds herself in the dream world, dressed in an elaborate red velvet gown worthy of the French court. The King appears, also dressed in finery, but still hiding in the shadows. She knows whom he reminds her of, but wishes he could step out of the darkness. As she talks to him, telling him of how she'd once saved her husband Han from an evil magician who turned him into a statue, she hears giggles and rustling in the bushes...

I'd eaten so much at Jodie's house, I took my shower before I ate dinner. Had a little bit of salad and last week's macaroni salad, along with yogurt. Did two final animated shorts while I ate. Mickey Mouse didn't really figure into many World War II shorts, but he did do a war-related cartoon in 1929, "The Barnyard Battle." Mick may be a skinny rubber hose mouse, but he has no trouble kicking the rears of the Hun-like cats who threaten the farm.

The Pink Panther has less luck in the Vietnam War in "G.I Pink." While Donald was swayed by the glamour of war, Pink is swayed by the power. He doesn't do much better than Don did. Cranky drill sergeants, impossible obstacle courses, hard-to-find land mines, and growling company mascots make him wish he'd just stayed home. 

Finished the night with the original animated Disney Beauty and the Beast. As much as I enjoyed the live-action version of this story, the original will always have a place in my heart. A French peasant girl (Page O'Hara) finds herself the prisoner of a seemingly ferocious beast (Robby Benson) in an enchanted castle filled with talking furniture. Belle's angry with him at first, and he's a spoiled jerk who can't control his temper. As the months continue, they finally grow to respect one another, until it looks something like love. The Beast reluctantly lets Belle go when her father Maurice is accused of being crazy by the handsome-but-obnoxious Gaston, who wants to marry her. Now Belle has to race to her beloved Beast's rescue, before Gaston and the townspeople destroy the castle and all who live within.

This might be better for slightly younger kids; there's a little bit less violence than the current live-action version, and it's shorter and more colorful. It's still one of my favorite Disney movies, and one of my favorite retellings of this tale. 

Limbo Birthday Rock

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and more Rick Steves' Europe. Moved over the border from France to fairy-tale Germany to explore the Black Forest region. This is probably my favorite of Rick's German episodes. The whole show looks like something from out of Mom's old Grimm's Fairy Tales book, from the towering Gothic cathedral in Cologne to the casino and mineral spa of Baden Baden to the quaint towns and romantic scenery of the Black Forest itself.

Headed out around 10:30-quarter of 11 to get the laundry done. I picked the right time. They were dead when I arrived, and only a few people showed up while I was there. I watched Let's Make a Deal and The Price Is Right (what I could hear of it - the picture kept going in and out) while working on story notes. I had a lot of laundry to do, too, thanks to the extra sheet and socks - it took me over an hour.

When I got home, I put everything away, then had lunch really fast and headed right back out to run errands. First stop was the Oaklyn Library. It was past 1 by this point. Other than the librarian and one woman on the computer, they were quiet as can be. I shelved children's books, organized the DVDs, and dodged gardeners spreading mulch around the flowers and landscaping on the front lawn.

WaWa is a few blocks down the street from the library. I stopped there for a tasty Chocolate Banana Smoothie. This is probably my favorite WaWa frozen drink. They use real bananas instead of flavoring. It tastes so extra sweet and creamy!

Rode down the White Horse Pike to grab a few things at CVS. I needed a bag for Khai's birthday present. (All my wrapping paper bags are for Christmas.) Was almost out of brush picks. Might as well get them while I have the gift card. (For some reason, CVS is the only place I can find brush picks anymore.)

I didn't like the look of the weather. The sun had long vanished, replaced by clouds and chilly wind. I rode home to do some writing for a couple of hours. Leia has her suspicions about Luke and Henry. Luke's fencing style was very familiar. She realizes why when she looks up a couple of books on the Jedi. His fencing style match that of the long-gone Jedi Guards, the protectors of the Naboo Royal Family who were killed after supposedly betraying their rulers. Leia knows Sir Kenton was once a Jedi, and now she thinks Luke...and the Crimson Hawk...may be trying to resurrect the group.

Went right back out to Dad's for Khai's birthday party around ten of 5. The place was already packed with screaming kids and amused parents when I arrived. Khai and a bunch of his buddies were in the living room, batting red, green, and blue balloons around. My nephew has apparently become a fan of the online game Minecraft. The decorations and cake had a nifty Minecraft theme, up to and including the blocky decorations on the cake made from white chocolate lollipops. The cake came from a new bakery on the White Horse Pike I've been meaning to try. The icing had an odd spicy taste, but the three-layer chocolate and vanilla cake was delicious and moist.

The kids had a lot of fun - and I had a lot of fun taking photos! I accidentally pushed the record button on my phone and ended up recording the kids' limbo game (I think Ryan won). I also recorded them playing musical statues (Chloe may have won that one) and blowing out the candles on the cake. Took photos of them playing with sparklers outside (I thought it was adorable when one of the boys said they "looked just like Harry Potter") and playing tag with Dana.

Khai got a lot of really neat stuff for his birthday! Most of what he got were Minecraft Lego sets. (Including one he'd admired while on a trip with Jodie that she'd managed to buy under his nose!) He also got two Nerf guns (one zombie-themed) and suction-cup darts, the Pokemon in a Poke-Ball from me, a pool flotation device, spy goggles from his parents, and lots of money.

I finally took my leave around 7:30. Looked over everything I'd recorded and photographed, then jumped in the bath. Ahh, I needed that after all the noise today and the running around I've done in the past few months. Felt nice to just kick back, relax, and listen to jazz while looking over self-help books on finding your authentic self.

I found a movie on YouTube tonight that I've been wondering about for years. I was at the tail-end of my first Star Wars obsession when the TV movie Earth Angel debuted in 1991. It's 1962, and a peppy prom queen thinks she has it all - hot car, hot jock boyfriend, tons of popularity. She learns about real love when she falls for the nerd who tutors her in history (Mark Hamill). The jock's not thrilled. During an argument in her car while riding to the prom in a storm, the jock spins out, totals the car, and kills her. Her late principal (Roddy McDowell) sends her on a mission to 1991. The sweet nerd is now a strict history teacher who may fail a shy new girl, the daughter of her former best friend (Cindy Williams). Now she has to make sure the kid ends up with the right guy and give her old flame the encouragement to move on, or she'll never get up there with James Dean.

I saw part of this when it came out on cable, but I don't remember having seen the end. Yeah, I mainly caught it for a rare appearance by Hamill, who makes a rather cute nerd, and because I've always been intrigued by both mild ghost stories and mid-20th-century culture. Not the best movie in the world, but if you love ghost stories, the early 60's or early 90's, or any of the cast, it's worth a look at least once.

Earth Angel (1991)

Very Warm for Easter

Began a gorgeous, warm Easter morning with stories and poems from Colliers Harvest of Holidays. Nino's Easter is the tale of a little Greek boy's typical Easter customs, from attending church to the huge family feast afterwards. The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes tells of a mother rabbit who so impresses the head Easter Bunny with how she takes care of her large family, he makes her an official Easter Bunny. She's not sure she can make it, but a pair of shiny shoes may help her get through.

Also did a short from the Disney Storybookland anthology. "Grandpa Bunny" is supposedly based after "Funny Little Bunnies." Great Grandpa Bunny Bunny has been the head of the Easter rabbits for as long as anyone can remember. When he dies, the older bunnies search for his last legacy...but their children know where it can be found.

Ran The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town as I ate Confetti Pancakes for breakfast. Sunny the Bunny is discovered by the citizens of all-child Kidsville on Easter morning. As he grows up, he insist that the kids start to expand their products outside the village and tries to bring their eggs to dismal Town. Not only does grouchy Gadzooks the Bear keep chasing him away, but rigid Lady Longtooth, who rules Town, pretty much hates anything that isn't beans or her young nephew King Bruce. As Sunny, his hobo friend, and the kids create ways to get around Lady Longtooth's laws, the discover that they're creating traditions that will outlast her strict ways.

Tossed on a quick Looney Tunes short as I got ready for work. "Easter Yeggs" features a far less benign spring hare. The Easter Bunny is feeling overworked and recruits Bugs Bunny to take over his job. No wonder - Bugs is attacked by a criminal kid and Elmer Fudd looking for a rabbit for his stew pot. Fed up, he finally decides to get revenge on the lazy rabbit.

Work was surprisingly not that bad for a Sunday and a holiday. It was busy on and off, with occasional long lines, but they didn't last. I assumed the lines would be long all day. I cleaned the bathrooms and bagged in the morning and did the carts in the afternoon. Glad I did. Part of the reason we weren't that busy may have been it was absolutely gorgeous today, sunny, windy, and ridiculously warm for April, probably in the lower 80's. I treated myself to a free chocolate doughnut (via one of the Monopoly coupons) and an Acme Orange/Mango sparkling soda on the way out.

Took the long way home down Nicholson Road. Given the weather, it was practically required. They weren't too bad, either. A little busy down Nicholson, but once I got to Atlantic, it was smooth sailing. Took an even longer route down Kendall, past Rose and Craig's house and the West Clinton Business District. Needless to say, there were quite a few people out and about today, chatting on porches, riding bikes, or watching their children play in their yards.

Did more Looney Tunes, this one a TV special, when I got in. Daffy Duck's Easter Egg-citment gives us three all-original shorts with a spring theme, and all featuring Daffy. He and Sylvester chase a golden egg in the first short. In the second, he has to keep Speedy Gonzoles out of a chocolate bunny factory. Speedy wants the bunnies for the kids of his village, but Daffy has no intention of paying. Daffy's solo in the third, as he tries to figure out how to get north without flying.

Worked on writing and editing for an hour or so. Leia's disappointed to say good-bye to Uncle Bail, who is returning to Alderaan to deal with the fall-out from the Death Star destroying their shipyards. He promises he'll be back in time for the Diamond Jubilee Gala Ball at the end of the summer.

Headed to Dad and Jodie's around quarter of 5. Rose, Khai, and Craig were already there when I arrived. Jesse, Dana, T.J, and his new girlfriend showed up shortly after. Dad and Jodie did give me socks (they're kind of thin, though - I may get one more pack next month) and Rogue One. (Which I'll watch tomorrow.)  Jodie also gave me 20 dollars. (The bulk of my birthday money is going towards tickets and money for my visit to Pittsfield to see Lauren in mid-July.) Rose and her boys gave me a 25 dollar gift card to CVS. (I gave Rose a 15 dollar gift card to Target.)

I chased Khai and Chloe around for a bit, watching them play with Khai's new blocky Minecraft toy animals in the living room. Watched some pretty odd episodes of Teen Titans Go! as the kids tumbled and jumped around the scarred old coffee table. One episode was a parody of Gilligan's Island, with Beast Boy as Gilligan, Cyborg as the Skipper, and Robin as the Professor. A two-parter had Starfire and Raven rescuing the boys from prison with the help of a few less-trustworthy female characters.

We had dinner around quarter after 5. Instead of ham, we had an amazing succulent prime rib Jodie bought straight from a local butcher. There were also roasted rosemary red potatoes, sauteed asparagus, garden salad, corn (Khai was very happy - he loves corn), and sweet rolls with butter. We said our prayers, then dug in. Everything was so good! The prime rib just melted in my mouth. The company was equally nice. Even Khai was a perfect gentleman. (And he's a lot better at cutting his meat than I was at that age.)

Chloe and her mother returned as we were preparing to have dessert. Rose requested something key lime; I wanted chocolate. The compromise - two small, round key lime cheesecakes surrounding a slightly larger chocolate fudge cake with colorful flower icing decorations. The chocolate cake was delicious, with it's very thick candy-like frosting, but soooo rich!

Joe and Jessa showed up as we were finishing dessert. They'd had car trouble, but I'm glad they did make it. My birthday gift from them was a smartphone to replace my ancient flip-top cell phone. It's Joe's previous phone, a Samsung Galaxy 5, and not that old. They showed me how to set it up and inserted the SIM card. Joe even drove me to CVS when they realized they'd forgotten the charger and bought me a new one (with a 10-foot cord) as part of the gift. I also grabbed my annual bag of post-holiday York Peppermint Patties - they were already gone at the Acme.

Which means...I can now text properly (without having to use one number for three letters) and take photos on my phone! I texted Mom later this evening to thank her for the Easter card and for calling me on my birthday. I'll mess around with the phone more later this week.

Put on a few remaining specials as I got organized and added contacts to my new phone when I got home. The First Easter Rabbit is another Rankin-Bass Easter Bunny origin story, this time in regular 2-D animation. Stuffy was once a toy rabbit, the beloved favorite of little Glinda. When she gets scarlet fever, he's saved from the rubbish pile by a fairy who turns him into a real bunny. She proclaims him the Easter Bunny, the symbol of spring for all children. But there's a nasty old snow wizard nearby who doesn't want spring to go on...

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown follows the Peanuts' Easter preparations. Peppermint Patty wants to teach Marcie to color eggs, but her best friend keeps on doing everything but boiling them. Charlie Brown takes Sally shoe shopping (and gets in some cracks about extra-early Christmas sales), while Snoopy searches for a waterproof home for Woodstock. Don't bother with the fuss, says Linus. The Easter Beagle does all that. Sally is more than a little skeptical after the Great Pumpkin incident on Halloween. Lucy would rather hide and find her own eggs.

Finished out the night with the classic 1948 musical Easter Parade. Fred Astaire plays a vaudeville dancer whose partner (Ann Miller) leaves him for a star turn in the Ziegfield Follies. Hurt, he hires a far more different and down-to-earth dancer and singer (Judy Garland) as her replacement. He tries to groom her as a ballroom dancer...but the act really takes off when he discovers she's a born comedienne. His college student best friend (Peter Lawford) has a crush on her; his former partner is after Lawford, but may still have feelings for him, too. Both couples manage to reconcile in time for the big Easter Parade in New York.

The thin story is really more of a tent pole to hang some wonderful Irving Berlin numbers, including Astaire's "Drum Crazy" and "Steppin' Out With My Baby" and Garland and Astaire's hilarious comic hobo duet "A Couple of Swells." My favorite song is Lawford's adorable ballad "A Fella With an Umbrella." If you love the cast, Irving Berlin, or light musicals, this is a fun watch for late Easter afternoon or evening.

And happy Easter to all those who celebrate it! This ended up being the nicest Easter I had in years. I hope all of you had just as much fun!