Dolls On National Night Out

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Auntie Hen" is preparing her home for lunch when Little Bear brings her chick nephews and nieces to visit. They wreck so much havoc inside, they end up eating at Hen's picnic table. Little Bear would love to "Play Ball," but he's angry that Emily took his ball without asking. Emily's angry at him for making fun of her baseball uniform. It takes the actual game to patch up their hurt feelings. "Lucy's Okay," even after Duck accidentally sits on her and they hold a mock funeral for the doll.

Had no trouble getting to the Acme on time this morning and on my bike. That's about the only thing that did go right at work. Work was a pain in the rear end from beginning to end. It's the beginning of the month and the day seniors get a discount. I had no help, either. The bagger who was supposed to help ended up in a register again. I kept getting behind on carts. I'd fill them, and they'd vanish again. I was very happy when I finally finished and got out of there.

At least the weather was pleasant. In fact, I think this is supposed to be the nicest weather we have this week. Sunny, breezy, hot, a little humid, but nothing like yesterday! For all the trouble, I did have a pleasant ride home, and it wasn't bad gathering carts when I could get out.

Returned to cartoons during lunch with Paw Patrol "Sea Patrol" episodes. "Pups Save a Water Walker" when Mayor Humdinger steals Francois Turn'bot's new water walking boots, intending to turn Turtle Island into part of Foggy Bottom. Not only did he completely ignore the fact that the island is a turtle habitat, but he can't control the boots. The pups have to go after him. "Pups Save a Windsurfer" when they save an older lady and her friend from an underwater and island volcano that are about to go off.

Switched to the 2002 Strawberry Shortcake as I finished eating. Peppermint Fizz is the only one who refuses to accept newcomer Rainbow Sherbet. She lives on a houseboat, and her life revolves around the water. She's too different for Peppermint. Strawberry holds "The Costume Party" to show why differences are nothing to be afraid of.

Dressed the dolls for August next. Kit, Samantha, and Molly wear their historically-accurate bathing suits I found on eBay. Jessa's purple tropical-print modern bathing suit also came from eBay. Ariel and Whitney's bathing suits were gifts from Lauren. Lauren also gave me the purple sundress with the lace jacket and hot-pink pineapple print. I can't find a historically-accurate bikini for Barbara Jean, so she gets to wear that for a summer date. 

Josefina and Felicity come from time periods where swimming and bathing weren't considered ladylike. Felicity wears her lavender striped Traveling Gown and second "meet" outfit. Josefina is in the pretty beige flowered dress and beige moccasins I found her in.

Listened to CDs while I worked, starting with finally getting all the way through American Musical Theater Vol II. The Cradle Will Rock, an opera about a steel worker who attempts to unionize against a miserly boss, was so politically charged the government tried to shut it down before it opened. Writer Marc Blitzstein ended up playing the piano for the cast while they sang their parts from the audience. Howard DaSylva gets dark title song. They weren't the only show to have trouble, either. Porgy and Bess wasn't a hit in its original 1935 run, though songs like "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" eventually put it over by 1940. Pins and Needles was a very similar revue from around the same time, though far more comic in nature. Ruth Rubenstein sings about being a "Chain Store Daisy" who has to sell to men instead of chase them. 

Two of the big names in this time period couldn't have been more different from another. Kurt Weill specialized in groundbreaking concepts and odd fantasies featuring brittle leading ladies like Gertrude Lawrence, who introduced "Jenny" in Lady In the Dark, and Mary Martin, who joined Kenny Baker to introduce "Speak Low" in One Touch of Venus. He also wrote the wistful "September Song," which was introduced by Walter Huston in Knickerbocker Holiday. "Tchaikovsky" had very little to do with Lady In the Dark, and everything to do with the performer who introduced the wild patter number about Russian composers - Danny Kaye. Cole Porter, on the other hand, went in for goofy shows with sassy belters like Ethel Merman. She introduced the title song of Anything Goes and "Friendship" with Bert Lahr in DuBarry Was a Lady. Mary Martin became a star singing Porter's sexy "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" in Leave It to Me. 

All of that changed when Oklahoma debuted. Rodgers and Hammerstein's romantic comedy-drama led a revolution where stories got meatier and songs and dances now had to have some relevance to the plot. The version of "Soliloquy" heard here is from the original cast album of Carousel and has a passage Hammerstein cut after opening that is heard nowhere else. For some reason, they use the 1966 revival of Annie Get Your Gun with Ethel Merman, Bruce Yarnell, and Jerry Orbach singing "There's No Business Like Show Business" instead of the original. Irving Berlin himself sings his own comic number from This Is the Army, "Oh How I Hate to Get Up In the Morning." St. Louis Woman wasn't a hit, but it did give us the gorgeous ballad "Come Rain or Come Shine."

Put on Diana Krall as I cleaned up the dolls' boxes and shoe hangers. Quiet Nights mean just that, soft ballad and bluesy numbers. There's standards here, too, "Where Or When," "Too Marvelous For Words," "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," and a really lovely version of "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face." Of the newer numbers, I liked the title song and "So Nice" the best.

Rested while watching the first three episodes of Remember WENN. Decided to rewatch my favorite TV show in honor of its 30th anniversary this year. "On the Air" introduces Betty Roberts (Amanda Naughton), who has just arrived at Pittsburgh radio station WENN in 1939. She won a writing contest, but erudite station manager Victor Comstock (John Bedford Lloyd) isn't impressed until her script saves a broadcast.

"Klondike 9366" brings in perky ingenue Ceila Mellon (Dina Spybey) and shows us more of husband-and-wife acting team Jeff Singer (Hugh O'Gorman) and Hilary Booth's (Melinda Mullins) contentious relationship. Celia is tossed into the fray when she and Jeff host Victor's latest radio creation, a late-night call-in talk show. It just ends up with crossed lines, until they help a little boy (Nick Holmes) keep a prowler at bay. 

Victor and Betty are caught between "A Rock and a Hard Place" when wealthy Mr. Action (Barton Heyman) wants to create a slam-bang action show. However, that would mean canceling Pittsburgh Public Library Theater and upsetting another influential sponsor, Mrs. Mellon (Irene Worth). While Victor tries to figure out how to appease both of them, Ceila tries desperately to avoid Mrs. Mellon...and Betty learns she wasn't entirely upfront about how close she was to the Mellon family. Good thing Betty can keep a secret (something she'll be doing a lot more of in the later seasons). 

Headed out after "Rock and a Soft Place" ended. I dropped off a book at the kiosk in front of what used to be the Oaklyn Library, then headed down to West Clinton. The Oaklyn Police Department held their National Night Out at the parking lot between the school and Tonewood Brewery. They were giving out free bags of popcorn, water ice, hot dogs, bottles of water, and very thin slices of pizza. I had two slices of pizza and one of everything else. Ate while watching older kids slide around and jump triumphantly out of a sports-themed bounce house. There was a Mickey Mouse-themed bounce house for the younger kids. 

I had just come back for cherry water ice when the police announced a pie-eating contest. Actually, it turned out to be more of a Reddi-Whip-in-the-pie-pan eating contest. Two cops competed against a line of kids. They were all utterly hilarious to watch, kids and cops alike! I think one of the older boys ended up winning. I finally went home as mothers wiped their children's whipped cream-covered faces and the cops grabbed lots of napkins.

Caught the last Match Game '76 episode of the night when I got in. Jimmie Walker spent a lot of the week enamored with a very pretty contestant who made her own clothes. Richard Dawson was happier to be between Elaine Joyce and Fannie Flagg (and their shapely figures).

Put on more WENN after Match Game ended. Movie and theater star Grace Cavendish (Patti LuPone, the first of three Broadway divas to appear on the show) makes a special appearance at the station in "There But for Grace." Hilary Booth is furious. She never forgave Grace for stealing her part in Razzle Dazzle. Grace is really there to see Victor, whom she once had a relationship with. Betty's not too happy either when she catches them renewing said relationship. Victor, however, is married to the station and the artistic freedom it brings. Meanwhile, Hilary is determined to get rid of this interloper, or at least give her the stomach ache of her life. (Look for LuPone's performance of the title song, the first of two times on the show you'll hear its lyrics.)

Finished the night at PBS Kids with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Strawberry Shortcake and her friends aren't the only ones who learn that it's not so bad for our friends to have different interests. It's "Pizza Day at School." Dan wants to be "pizza buddies" with Prince Wednesday, but doesn't understand why he prefers broccoli over green peppers. Likewise, Miss Elainia tries to get Katarina to try finger painting, but she prefers painting with a brush. "Daniel and Jodi Like Different Things" when they play at the beach. Dan doesn't like to be squirted with a squeezy whale. Jodi's brother doesn't want his feet covered with sand, but he loves to help make sandcastles! 

Before the Storms

Began the morning with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel and Margaret Visit the Farm," and Daniel rides Peaches the horse for the first time. He's nervous, but his father holds his hand. Daniel does the same for Margaret when she's too scared to feed the ducks. Daniel's parents take him and Margaret on a 4th of July picnic to watch the "Fireworks and Fireflies." The fireflies make Margaret nervous, so Daniel holds her hand again until she's chasing them...and they both need their parents' hands when the loud fireworks frighten them.

Switched to Super Password briefly while I finished making my grocery list, then headed out. First stop of the day was the Westmont Plaza. My niece Finley will be turning 9 next Friday. I got her a card at Dollar Tree (along with soap) and a gift at Target. I also grabbed more of that tasty, fruity Iced Blue Coconut Matcha Latte from the Target Starbucks. 

Strolled further down the Westmont Plaza to Sprouts next. They were having a buy one, get one half-off sale on their bakery cookies. I loved the oatmeal-cranberry-walnut I got last week, so I went with those and snickerdoodle. The Annie's Homegrown chocolate chip granola bars are still on clearance, and those little bins of dried berries and pineapple are still 99 cents. I got one of the former and two of the latter. Grabbed oat milk and found strawberry fruit spread that was also on clearance. 

Rode down the hill next, past the library and high school and Burger King and McDonald's to the Westmont Acme. The weather isn't supposed to be appropriate for running to the farm market tomorrow, so I got my cherries and blueberries today. Restocked microwavable popcorn, yogurt, Swiss cheese, soda, granola bars (Nature's Valley were buy 2, get them for $1.99 each), low-salt tuna, and granola. Every store I hit up today was busy. It's close to the beginning of the month and a week from the biggest holiday of the summer season. 

Cut across Newton Lake Park going home. Considering it was hot (probably in the mid-upper 80's), thickly humid, and cloudy, the park was busy too when I was there. It's beautiful there now, with the emerald green trees waving in the breeze. I pushed my bike up the path over the hill, enjoying the earthy scents and ducking under a low-hanging branch.

Ran more cartoons when I got home as I put everything away, starting with Shirt Tales. "Kip's Dragon" was fired by a puppet show owner when he couldn't act like a dragon. Kip and the Shirt Tales try to teach Sparky to act like a dragon...but when his former boss captures his new friends and intends to make them the act, Sparky has find the dragon in himself. It's "Double Exposure" when a crooked photographer (who looks amusingly like a taller Gargamel) takes photos that can really capture a subject, including money and jewels. Pammy gets her camera mixed up with his and goes after it. He captures them, but it's Kip who figures out how to really get this guy exposed for good. 

Moved to Paw Patrol during lunch. Cheetah is an equally whiny cousin of Mayor Humdinger's who is still angry that Marshall won a driving trophy instead of her. She steals the PAW Patroller bus, hoping to ram down trees and the Monkey Temple and build her own jungle race track. "Pups Stop the Cheetah" from wrecking more havoc with the help of the new, improved PAW Patroller bus Ryder built.

Watched Meatballs online after I ate. Camp North Star in eastern Canada is shaping up for it's wildest summer on record. Tripper Harrison (Bill Murray), the head counselor who lives to break rules, befriends lonely camper Rudy Gerner (Chris Makepeace) the first day. He also has no trouble chasing the no-nonsense head female counselor Roxanne (Kate Lynch) or encouraging the randy CITs to play pranks on camp owner Morty Melneck (Harvey Atkin). There's also snobbish Camp Mohawk, the camp for wealthy kids across the lake, to contend with. Camp Mohawk has won (or cheated into winning) every Olympiad between the two camps. The kids think they're going to lose again, until Tripper reminds them that it just doesn't matter, and it's only games, after all. Rudy has a chance to redeem himself with the four-mile marathon, if he can get past Camp Mohawk's best runner.

Murray and Makepeace steal the movie wholesale as the wacky head counselor and the camper he ends up mentoring. They had so much chemistry and they worked so well together, more scenes were added of them playing carts to beef up the relationship. Not all of this movie has dated terribly well. Some of the treatment of the ladies, especially Tripper harassing and attacking Roxanne in several scenes, can be uncomfortable to watch nowadays. For the most part, though, this remains a lot of fun to watch if you're a fan of other "slobs vs snobs" comedies of the 70's and 80's.

Oh, and I got my schedule at this point. In good news, pretty much the same hours next week...except for the 4th of July, when I work 11 to 5. Maybe it's just as well. I can just make Oaklyn's parade and will have no trouble seeing the fireworks. I didn't really have a whole lot planned for in between them, and it's supposed to be crazy-hot anyway. 

Walked down to West Clinton Avenue after the movie ended. As I started off, I saw a gaggle of 13-year-old kids on bikes sitting in the middle of the road. One had just dropped his bike and was running in front of two dogs behind fences, trying to make them bark. A neighbor finally came out to tell them they were behaving like obnoxious twits and needed to leave the dog alone and get their bikes out of the street, before they were run over. 

Final Friday wasn't elbow-to-elbow crazy like it would be later in the night, but it was still pretty noisy when I got there. It was mostly families and old couples sitting at Oaklyn Manor Bar and Tonewood Brewery, or on benches and blankets and towels on the street next to the Brewery. There were tons of food trucks, and three different inflatable games for the kids - a ring toss, a basketball throw, and an "ax" toss. I did get to check out Inkwood Books' new Bookmobile and bought a yummy root beer float frozen bar from the Bubba Creamery cart, but there wasn't a whole lot more of interest there. I ultimately just headed home after a half-hour. 

Match Game '75 was just starting when I came up with dinner. This one was all about the week with Avery Schriberer, Gary Burghoff, Trish Stewart, and a radiant Patti Deusch. Patti was pregnant at that point, and it seemed to agree with her. I think she even got more answers right.

Moved to YouTube after a shower for The Swamp Fox. It's "A Case of Treason" when Colonel Tarleton (John Sutton) finally figures out what Mary Videaux and her parents are up to with all those parties. He catches her with Francis after one of those balls and arrests both of them. He escapes and follows her with his men in a hay wagon to Charleston. Not only do they free Mary there and send her to New Orleans, but they get more rebels out of prison, too.

Finished the night with three more Hungarian Folk Tales. "The King Who Did Not Want His Daughter to Marry" loves her so much, he turns her into three different animals so she won't wed the prince she loves. The prince finally figures out how to change her back...but even then, the princess still loves her father and is willing to forgive him. 

The "Dyer's Apprentice" is a variation on the story of a boy who won't tell his dream for anything, not to his master, not to the king, not to the princess he loves. It's not until he helps defeat an army that he finally tells the princess his secret. 

"The Jackdaw Girls" is basically a gender-reversed "The Wild Swans" without the prince and nettles subplot. The young boy must find his sisters, whom his mother accidentally turned into jackdaws when he got tired of their squabbling. He's helped by three ancient old women who call all the animals of the world to find out where his sisters went. 

The Blacktop Bash

Began the morning with breakfast and Spidey and His Amazing Friends. I know this show is popular with the kids at Thomas Sharp, and with superheroes on my mind, I thought I'd give it a look. "Spidey to the Power of Three" has Peter Parker, aka Spider Man, reminding his friends Miles Morales, aka Spin, and Gwen Stacy, aka Ghost Spider, that they all need to work together to stop Rhino from stealing gold coins and get back before his Aunt May brings home ice cream. Peter learns "Panther Patience" when he helps Black Panther recover a piece of vibranium stolen by a female Doc Octopus at a local museum.

Went to the special Spidey and Iron Man: Avengers Team Up! next. From what I can tell, this is a crossover between Spidey and His Amazing Friends and the spin-off Iron Man and His Awesome Friends. Peter joins the Avengers, including Iron Man Tony Stark, Black Panther, Captain America, and super-stretchy Ms. Marvel, to stop the Green Goblin and Ultron from teaming up to wreck havoc on New York's machines and make them all do what they want.

Changed the Cabbage Patch Dolls into summer outfits while the cartoons were on. Dulcie, the girlier doll with the long red yarn hair, wears a red plaid shirt with ruffled sleeves and a boat print on it and jean shorts with plaid bow trim. Tomboy Carrie with the short yellow yarn curls got a bright blue sailor romper. 

Left for Thomas Sharp around 11:55. I called Uber this time. Though it was sunny, I wasn't sure what the weather was going to do. Not to mention, there was the Blacktop Bash later. There wouldn't be anywhere for me to park the bike. The driver going there picked me up in 8 minutes. The one going home came in 7. No problems either way, and I was right on time.

We started off with 18 kids today, 8 at my table. We didn't have that many for long. Many of their parents came in the first hour. Some of them didn't last through lunchtime. For those who did, I read "Goofy, Movie Star" from Storyland and several shorts from Richard Scarry for them. I brought the old Mickey Mouse Memory game that belonged to my brother Keefe when he was their age and broke it out before we went outside. I played with two boys and a girl. The younger boy did by far the best. He had quite a memory! He had twice as many as anyone else before the head teacher announced it was time to clean up, because we were going to the playground.

I'm glad that it was hot, humid, and blustery today, but it never rained. Considering it's supposed to rain all day on Monday, this may be the last chance we have to take the kids out during the current school year. There were only 10 kids left by the time we all made it out there, enough that they could all swing right away. I kept an eye on those swinging while the boys chased after the stuffed Spider Man one of them brought and wrestled with it and each other. We finally brought them inside when it started to get too hot and humid and they began to set up for the Blacktop Bash.

There were two younger kids left when we all went back inside, but I stayed anyway. The head teacher had to leave early, and the afternoon teacher for the older kids couldn't come at all. We did try to go back outside to the playground, but it was brief. There were too many older kids out there who weren't with Healthy Kids. I watched the older kids make snakes with Play Doh, read Richard Scarry stories, and played another round of Mickey Mouse Memory with two kindergartners and a first-grader. This time, the kindergarten girl got by far the most matches. I finally left at 5:15, when they were down to five older kids and the younger kids were long gone.

The Blacktop Bash was in full swing when I got off. Fortunately, the line wasn't long at all. I paid my $6 and got in with no problems. There were three food trucks, a bake sale and pizza table, a table selling Thomas Sharp merchandise, a tent for the kids to have their faces painted, and tables and tables of raffles. I left the raffles to the families and had dinner from the trucks instead. I got a tasty, if messy, cheese steak quesadilla from the Mexican food booth (their specialties also included fried macaroni and cheese balls), then sat down for dinner at one of the many tables set up while chasing my napkins, which all blew away in the wild wind. Cooled off after that with a Pina colada shaved ice from the Kona shaved ice truck. Said "hi" to several of the kids from the after-school program and their parents, then watched kids run around and play games near the entrance to the cafeteria.

Oh, and the kids are so sweet. One of the girls and her parents gave me a $20 gift card to Dunkin' Donuts for taking good care of their daughter all year long. A boy and his family gave me a $20 gift card to WaWa and a card he made himself. I've never felt so appreciated. The kids may drive me crazy when they're together, but I love them all individually.

Finished the night at home with Killer Diller on Tubi. I go further into this tuneful B-movie from the late 40's with an all-black cast that includes Nat "King" Cole and Moms Mabley for Junteenth tomorrow at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Celebrating Juneteenth - Killer Diller

Perfectly Spring

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. "Pups Save a Melon Festival" when Mayor Humdinger's giant striped ball (which he insists is a huge melon) ends up bouncing all over town. Rocky's the one who finally finds a way to stop it. "Pups Save a Cow" after two farmers with a sick cow coming back from a county fair are stuck on a jammed drawbridge. Rocky fixes the gears on the bridge, while Marshall and Chase stabilize the bridge and Skye saves the cow when she becomes too agitated. 

Switched to Classic Concentration as I got organized and made my grocery list. At one point, Alex Trebek said "now for the Daily Double" instead of "open the boxes." He laughed when he realized the mistake he made, but he must have been tired as heck at that point. I'm pretty sure the episode was from at least the late 80's. He would have been doing Jeopardy then, too. At least the lady made up with it for winning two difficult puzzles and uncovering a car. Supermarket Sweep just started as I headed out. 

It was a gorgeous day to hit the grocery stores. Started at Sprouts. I mainly needed coconut milk here. Most of the prebiotic sodas were buy one, get one 50 percent off. I bought two of the Olipops, including the seasonal flavor Raspberry Sherbet. Found peanut butter cookies on clearance in the bakery. The seasonal lemon and citrus-flavored products were also buy one, get one 50 percent off. Tried the bags of pink lemonade-flavored dried mango slices.

Hurried down Cuthbert to the Westmont Acme next. Needed to restock soda, sliced chicken, sliced cheese, yogurt, granola bars, granola, and whole wheat wraps. Got a slice of strawberry cake for a treat, and I did find Fresca in the coolers. Picked up a snack pack with grapes, provolone cheese cubes, green grapes, and crackers for lunch. I loved the cheesy grits I had at the Westmont so much last weekend, I bought grits to make my own this week. Both stores were a little busy, though far from overwhelming. It was too nice to be grocery shopping!

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. It's really spring now. That rain we had last weekend may have washed out Memorial Day festivities, but it really helped the local flora. The trees are so green now, and the leaves are huge. The grass is getting greener, too. It was sunny and breezy, as perfectly spring as one could wish. I saw two Canadian geese pushing a huge herd of goslings in the lake while others lounged nearby. Perhaps Canadian geese have teachers too, and those two were showing the little ones to swim or find lunch while their parents looked for their own meal. 

I was able to walk the bike over the hill this time. It was cool and calm and quiet there...and very, very green. It also wasn't that damp. That's how starved we are for rain. The ground there was relatively dry.

I got home with just enough time to put everything away, eat the snack pack, and watch Little Bear. "Little Bear's Trip to the Stars" his his dream of flying among the stars in the night sky while he's visiting his father on his boat. "Little Bear's Surprise" is something special for Mother Bear he's making from leftover boards. His friends all help him out, but he's the one who finally figures out what the "surprise" actually is. "Little Bear and the North Pole" takes him and Duck on a journey through the snow up north, with the help of a friendly moose. 

Left after the cartoon ended. Got to Thomas Sharp School just in time. We had 22 kids today, 7 at my table. They were all so cute in their pajamas for Pajama Day! I saw girls in Elsa and Anna nightgowns and flowered shorts and shirts and boys in Spider Man and Paw Patrol flannels. They weren't that bad in the bathrooms, but once again, they got noisy in the cafeteria during and after snack time. The coloring table always gets so crowded! One of the girls kept drawing on one of the boys' space, despite his tears and all attempts to move her. She and her friend have been annoying that poor boy for a while now. When we did get outside, I talked to all three of them separately about being a good friend and giving friends their space.

They were really crazy outside, too. They kept pestering and pestering about riding the swings...and when they did get on the swings, all any of them did was argue. I got overwhelmed. One of the little girls wouldn't get off, even when her mother told her to. One of the older girls also stayed on longer than she was supposed to, despite having to go home. One of the older boys kept twisting and throwing mulch when he was told not to. The other kids all danced to "The Pink Tiger Hunt," "I'm the Bravest Star," "Pink Pony Club," the theme songs from Bluey and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, "Pup Pup Boogie" from Paw Patrol, and songs from Sing, Moana, Tangled, Aladdin, and KPop Demon Hunters. Thankfully, they were down to 4 kids by the time I left and they took them over to the blacktop, and two of them went home when I did.

I first stopped at CVS on the way home. I needed to use the bathroom, and there were a few things I hadn't picked up earlier. I couldn't find the mouthwash I use (and I forgot soap), but I did get suntan lotion for a good price. Grabbed a Powerade Zero for the ride home.

Glad I saw Final Friday mentioned on the digital sign outside of Oaklyn's City Hall. I almost forgot today was the first Final Friday block party of the year on West Clinton. Oaklyn's shopping district holds a huge block party on the last Friday of every month from May through September. There's music, inflatable basketball and bean bag games for the kids, booths with freebies from local services like the Oaklyn Civic Association, and tons of food trucks and carts. There were also tons of crowds, mainly families enjoying the gorgeous weather and older couples out with their friends. It was too crowded for me! I bought a key lime cream pop from the Bubba's Creamery cart and went home.

Had a quick dinner while watching Match Game '74. The first hour was devoted to two episodes from Anson Williams' first appearance on the show. Brett spent the week flirting with him, and Charles spent the week making fun of her about it. The rest of the week exists, so I'm not sure why they skipped ahead in the second hour to the week with Alejandro Rey and Juliet Mills.

Finally got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, just as many hours, only one double shift this time. My only complaint is that they're all early shifts. I'm guessing the Sunday bagger took that day off and the head bagger either took next Saturday off or is cashiering or helping in the floral department. 

Finished the night after a shower with Murder She Wrote. "The Way to Dusty Death" is through a hot tub when a tyrannical businessman (Cornel Wilde) is found electrocuted in his just hours after telling his board of directors he has no intention of stepping down. Jessica is a member of the board and finds herself up to her ears in suspects when it seems every man either wanted to be chairman or to sell him out to a competitor, and every woman would literally kill to either succeed him or make sure her husband took his place. 

Let the Good Times Roll

Began the morning with breakfast and the last episode of Pac-Man I'll be doing for now. (The series finale is a Thanksgiving episode I watched last November.) It's "Super-Pac Vs. Pac-Ape" when an organ grinder's monkey eats Super Power Pellets and grows huge. Super-Pac tries to help, but it's Pac Man who has to rescue Pepper when Pac-Ape grabs her and starts destroying Pac Land. Pac Man hopes their new computer will change their lives, but "Computer Packy" bites off more power pellets than he can chew when PJ messes around with it and it sucks in Pac Baby, then the two of them.

Honestly, the first cartoon based after a video game...isn't bad. It's very much of its time, especially in the slightly goofier second season. I definitely like the first season better, where the focus is on Pac Man and his family and the ghosts and he's more of a hero. Neither PJ nor Super Pac add a whole lot in the second season. Super Pac's antics and incompetence are good for a few mild chuckles, but PJ is just obnoxious, a Pac-Fonzie without the charm. Worth checking out if you're a fan of 80's kid action cartoons, Pac Man, or want to see what Pac Man would look like on the small screen.

Did a few things online, then headed out. Collingswood was having its first major outdoor fair of the year. The Green Festival was on the street and parking lot behind the old brick school building on Haddon Avenue. It was booths filled with plants, flowers, local Collingswood information, and information on lawn care, ecology, composting, and indigenous flora. I didn't buy anything, but I did run into one of the little boys from Healthy Kids who sits at my table and his mommy. I waved and told them I was out walking around.

The real reason I was in Collingswood was to hit Innergroove Records for Record Store Day. The small, narrow store was jammed with records, CDs...and record collectors looking for great deals. I managed to dodge the collectors long enough to pick up: 

Theme from Growing Pains - Steve Dorff and Friends (Collection of songs from 80's TV shows - including the title sitcom. I almost bought this on my birthday, then decided to wait for Record Store Day. At $12.99, this was the only Innergroove album that cost more than $2.)

The Official Music of the 23rd Olympiad Los Angeles 1984 (Yes, the 1984 Olympic music collection. I thought it was especially appropriate with the Olympics going back to LA in 2028.)

Gold Rush '79 Volume 2 (K-Tel collection)

The Best-Loved Music of Christmas (I mainly bought this for the nifty pop-up cover.)

Diana Ross - Diana

The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys' Party!

The Cars - The Cars' Greatest Hits

Went down the block and across the street to Haddon Culinary after I got out. I was there for a drink. Picked up a Diet Dr. Pepper, a treat, and a container of their amazing house-made potato chips. 

Had a quick lunch when I got home while watching two episodes of Bluey on Disney Plus. Bluey and Bingo are excited to spend "The Weekend" with their dad Bandit. Bandit gets so into a game he and the girls playing where Bingo is a statue that keeps moving around, he doesn't hear when Bingo points out a bug that resembles a walking leaf. Chili insists that her daughters do "Housework" and clean up their blanket fort, but their way of walking while they put things away is so funny, their parents end up watching them instead.

Hurried off to work after I finished eating and changed. I was slightly late, which was the worst thing that happened all day. They were really busy when I got in. I needed help around 4 PM to gather carts. The later it got, the quieter it got. By the time I left, the store was much quieter. At least it was a gorgeous day for pushing carts, sunny, breezy, and much cooler, a perfect lower 70's. 

Picked up a gift card for my nephew Khai for his birthday tomorrow after I finished. I can't believe he'll be turning 16! I brought his card with me and dropped it off at his mom's house on my way home. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, and I wasn't planning on riding the bike. 

Since it was still open and two blocks away, I stopped at The Score Records on my way home. They're smaller than Innergroove, and I didn't make as many great finds, but I did pick up a few good titles:

Peggy Lee - Miss Peggy Lee Sings the Songs of Cy Coleman

Lena Horne - Nature's Baby

Aerosmith - Rock In a Hard Place (This was the most expensive here at $13.) 

Bruce Springsteen - Greatest Hits (The lone CD I picked up today.)

Changed and had dinner when I got home, then spent the rest of the night watching the Saturday Match Game marathon. With The Lone Ranger in re-runs on TV and radio, questions joking about his relationship with Tonto and what he and Tonto did out there on the plains were heard throughout the entire run of the 1973-1982 series. They weren't always the most politically correct, and several episodes with Native jokes are no longer seen on regular TV. In one episode, Charles tied his tie around his head in his idea of a Native headdress as his answer to a question. (This was also the episode where Gene got mad at the cameraman and attacked him.) Another featured Bertha, the sweet older woman contestant whom the panelists were so kind to. They fanned her, got her a seat, and Johnny Olsen brought her water. There was also the early episode with the charming British contestant who needed the money because he and his wife had gotten into a car accident the day before. His wife was in the audience with a bandage around her head.

Of course, there were occasional questions about the other Indians, the ones from India. They weren't any more politically correct than the Native American jokes. In one episode, Gene and Betty White ended up on the floor to demonstrate how an Indian fakir blows on a horn to charm a snake. There were also more jokes about "Gunga Dingy" than you can shake a snake charmer's basket at.

At any rate, take a trip out west and to the mystical east with these wild wild episodes!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Lone Ranger, Tonto, and Indians

Afternoon Delight

Started off the day with a quick breakfast and the classic Donald Duck and Chip and Dale short "Crazy Over Daisy." In the early 1900's, Donald rides a huge wheeled bike to woo Daisy with chocolates. Chip and Dale drive him crazy, but his way of dealing with them doesn't impress Daisy.

Hurried off to work after that. Work was, once again, no trouble whatsoever. It got a little busier later in the day, and I had a slightly harder time keeping up with the carts, but it still could have been worse. I was in and out quickly and with little fuss.

After I got home, I quickly changed and went right back out again. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, breezy, and just warm enough, probably in the lower 60's. It was too nice to hang out inside all day! I had lunch at the Legacy Diner. They were still fairly busy at quarter of 2, but I did get a good booth near the window. Oh, yum! The three enormous pumpkin pancakes were fat and fluffy, the best I ever tasted. Had some decent bacon, too.

Rode down to Haddon Heights next for their Fall Fest on Station Avenue after a quick stop at the Audubon WaWa for money. I parked next to the bounce houses and mini-scrambler ride, and I saw a mini merry-go-round that had already been shut down. The block where Anthony's and Market Links is featured craft booths, a table selling children's books for Halloween, and food trucks, while local services advertised on the other side of the tracks. They were still mobbed when I arrived, even though it started around 10. 

I ended up at the Haddon Heights Library, which advertised a book sale. They didn't have nearly as much there as Mt. Laurel or Cherry Hill does at theirs, but I did learn that their children's room is in the basement (and the stairwell area is brightened by a lovely mural). Ended up with two copies of a Peanuts book I have for Amanda and Lauren's Christmas bags and boxes.

Doc's Finds was also very busy. I didn't have a lot of room to check out their bins of records, especially the dollar bins under the main shelves, but I did make some decent finds. Most of my K-Tel collections are from the 70's, but I did manage to dig out two from 1983, Starlite and Hit Explosion. I also pulled two vintage children's albums from the dollar bins: 

Golden Records retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with Art Carney

Disney retelling of The Story of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates 

Also found one 2-disc CD set:

Aerosmith - Gold 

I also got to chat with the owner a bit. He admired my Pikachu and Eevee backpack (apparently, he's a big Pokemon fan) and wondered where I'd been. I told him about the after-school program and how much fun I was having with the kids.

Returned to the Market Links Cafe next to get a smoothie. I went with "The Purity," which is apples, cinnamon, oats, milk (I went with almond), and honey. Oh, yum. Though it was a bit gritty, it did indeed taste like an apple pie in a cup. Sipped it outside as I watched the kids whirl around on the colorful Scrambler. 

Stopped at the Oaklyn WaWa on the way home. I was still thirsty, so I thought I'd try something different. I love that they have one of those Coke Freestyle machines. It's fun to make your own flavors! I ended up with Coke Zero Peaches and Cream (peach and cream). Not bad. I tasted peach and vanilla, so I knew it at least worked.

Put on Zombies 4 when I got home. I go further into the most recent entry in Disney's light-hearted horror musical parables at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Family Fun Saturday - Zombies 4: Rise of the Vampires

Had dinner and spent the next few hours watching tonight's Match Game marathon. With Gene and many of the panelists (including Brett and Charles) having starred on Broadway or done musicals, it was likely inevitable that dancing would turn up on the show. Indeed, two of the show's semi-regulars, Bobby Van and his wife Elaine Joyce, had danced on film and on Broadway. Bobby danced in several major MGM movies of the 50's, including Kiss Me Kate. Elaine was the lead in Sugar, the first Broadway musical version of Some Like It Hot, in 1972. 

There was the time in 1975 when Allen Ludden and Betty White were on the same panel. A lady insisted she'd belly dance if she won money. She did win $5,000...but the music department played "The Star Spangled Banner!" That didn't stop Brett and Betty from doing their own interpretations of belly dancing. Joyce Bullifant got to show off her own early dance training in 1979 when she did a terrific jitterbug with a contestant who was a champion performer, complete with the music department kicking in an instrumental swing tune.

Some of the contestants were darn good dancers, too. There was the jazz dancer Richard drooled over in 1976 who eventually showed off a few high kicks. A tap dance teacher taught Gene a few steps in a syndicated episode. Gene himself would occasionally break out a vaudeville soft shoe routine to cover a slow panelist or just when the pace was flagging.

Bring your dancing shoes along to this swinging marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Dance Party Marathon

The Town Picnic

Began the morning with breakfast and listening to the Sounds of Vancouver 2010 CD. This was the official release for the Winter Olympics that year, and it actually has some pretty decent material for something I picked up out of the cheap bin at FYE. (It was only $1.99!) "The Closing Ceremony Fanfare," "Olympic Fanfare and Theme," and Entrance of the Athletes" are appropriately stirring. "Let's Have a Party" with Eva Avila, Nikki Yanfosky, and Derek Miller is pure fun, while Neil Young and Nickelback go darker with "Long May You Run" and "Burn It to the Ground." "The Maple Leaf Forever" by Michael Buble is lovely...but the subsequent "Made In Canada" medley drags on forever. Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" is a lot more interesting.

I headed out around quarter of 1. Oaklyn finally had its Town Picnic this afternoon between 12 and 3. There were lots of tables filled with handicrafts from local artists, a DJ playing everything from "Golden" to "Magical Mystery Tour," and a few booths from various Oaklyn municipal facilities. I talked to the teacher at the Oaklyn Education Foundation table. Turns out she had been a pre-school teacher at the Oaklyn School for 8 years. She taught older grades before that, but she enjoyed working with the youngest kids the most. We talked a bit about how much we loved working with the youngest students.

Had lunch next. The Civic Association had tables with free hot dogs, meatball sandwiches, chips, cole slaw, and sodas in the very back of the parking lot between Tonewood Brewery and the school. (Apparently, the burgers weren't ready yet at that point, and the heavy wind knocked the pasta salad over and scattered it on the blacktop.) I had a hot dog, meatballs without the roll, cole slaw, and a Diet Pepsi. The meatballs and hot dogs were honestly pretty good, especially the huge meatballs! Grabbed a chocolate cupcake for dessert. They had tables that let you cover your cupcakes in Halloween sprinkles. There was also free water ice, but the line was so long, I didn't have the time for it.

The strong wind may have driven all of the vendors crazy, but it was useful for me. I helped two of the vendors gather their wares when they were blown over, a lady who made lovely coasters and key chains from yarn embroidery, and a sweet older woman in a wheelchair who sold flowers made from pipe cleaners. I chatted with the lady who sold the yarn items and learned a bit about yarn needlepoint. I've tried crocheting, but I always lose interest because I can never keep count, and my rows always end up uneven. Not to mention, I tend to lose interest before I've barely finished larger projects. I wonder if yarn needlepoint might be a tad easier and quicker to figure out. I bought a colorful yarn key chain for Lauren from the yarn seller and three pipe cleaner flowers for Lauren, Amanda, and me from the older lady.

Work was even less of a problem. We were dead the entire afternoon. It got mildly steady when the Eagles game ended around 4, then went right back to being dead. Everyone was either out enjoying the sunny, warm weather, or attending all the local events like the Town Picnic that were cancelled last week due to the nor'easter. I got in and out with no trouble whatsoever.

(The Eagles had a few more problems with the Minnesota Vikings, but apparently came back in the second half to win the game 28-22.)

Took a shower when I got home, then had dinner and went straight into tonight's Match Game marathon. Three Price Is Right models made appearances on the 1973-1982 run of the show. Janice Pennington and Anitra Ford appeared within a month of each other in 1976. Janice's episodes were just on Buzzr this week, in fact (which may be why the YouTube channel's owner ran this marathon). Sultry Anitra only just passed her episodes for re-runs in 2019...and I'm so glad she did. She had one of the funniest weeks of 1976. Richard Dawson spent the week flirting with a gorgeous blonde contestant who not only kept on winning, but became the biggest winner on the sho up to that point, with over $20,000.

The Barker's Beauty who appeared the most on - and got the most out of - the show was feisty Texan Holly Hallstrom. She was a semi-regular later in the run, starting in 1978 and appearing throughout the syndicated run, long after the show left CBS. Holly became known for either wearing tight tops and outfits like the red and white striped off-the-shoulder dress she sported in 1980, or honoring her Texan heritage with cowboy hats and vests. She was also an ardent feminist (as Bob Barker would discover to his chagrin later), complaining about the chauvinistic ideals of the Bo Derek movie 10 a question joked about. She also got to hear a young man admit that he wasn't too happy with his new marriage, a rarity for game shows, on a PM episode.

Come on down and match with three of the loveliest ladies to model prizes on The Price Is Right! 

Match Game Sunday Classics - Match Game With Barker's Beauties 

Oh, and happy birthday to my best friend Lauren! She made it a girl's day out and went to Crossroads with her former co-workers Heather and Sarena. After the mall, they took her to an Applebee's in the area. (She got a blue drink that admittedly looked pretty tasty.)

Still the One

We got an early start this morning after I ate a quick breakfast, driving through Lee and Stockbridge and onto the Mass Pike. This time, we had no trouble anywhere, not even in West Springfield. There was no traffic on the road or near the fair. Lauren set her GPS to take us to the Price Rite shopping center, where the parking is cheaper. We dropped the car there, then made the five-minute walk to the fair grounds. 

The Eastern States Exposition, aka The Big E, is one of the biggest state fairs in the US. The moment you enter, you're immediately assaulted by a farm market building, booths selling everything from solar panels to hot tubs, and stands with bright boardwalk-style signs selling every possible kind of food that can be fried. (And a few that you can fry but probably shouldn't, like Kool Aid.)

We spent the first few hours wandering around, seeing the lay of the land. Decided to hit the Avenue of the States first, before they got too busy to walk around in. The Avenue of the States features recreations of each New England state's original government house. Massachusetts boasted wild honey, fresh lobster rolls, and Boston sports teams memorabilia. Vermont's included its fresh cheeses and a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream stand. Connecticut had the New England Air Museum and Mohegan Sun Casino. People stood in a long line to wait for Poland Springs water and baked potatoes in Maine. New Hampshire had beautiful jewelry and thick slabs of fresh fudge and maple candy.

Next up was after a quick bathroom break was the Young Building, one of the two shopping buildings at the Big E. We made our way right to the booth that sells clothing and stuffed animals made from alpaca wool. Lauren found a fluffy lavender winter hat. I bought an adorable little lion I named Mack, after Betty's stuffed lion in The WENN Nutcracker Suite. We saw nothing else of interest there, so we headed out again. Took another stroll in the Better Living Building, but bought nothing there.

By this point, it was finally lunchtime. We spent another half-hour walking around, trying to decide what to eat. There were way too many choices! Lauren, who loves Mexican food, finally found a tiny Mexican stand. We both had quesadillas. Hers was beef. Mine was chicken. We enjoyed them at a table between booths.

Our next stop was the Midway. Lauren's not much for rides, and I did rides at Philly and Atlantic City this summer. Not to mention, the last time we played games, Lauren spent over an hour trying to win a big stuffed toy. We stuck to the cranes. I won nothing, but Lauren picked up a Captain America doll for her guy friend Rico.

We headed back out to the main concourse. I was hot and sweaty, and Lauren was sunburnt. It was a gorgeous day, sunny, blue, breezy, and dry, but it was also hot, probably in the lower 80's. I'd seen "mix and match slushies" booths all over the fair and thought I'd try one...until I saw all the bees buzzing around the booth! I had wondered where all the bees that seemed to be everywhere had come from. They must have flown over from the landscaping. I figured getting a pumpkin spice mocha frozen drink from a donut stand was safer. 

While I tried to decide on a cold drink, Lauren was looking over a leather goods store. I joined her just as she was admiring a table filled with every kind of cowboy hat in existence. She was trying on a fuchsia cowgirl hat with a pink and silver ribbon. I had to agree with the saleslady. Lauren looked really cute, and it was on sale. She not only bought it, she wore it for the rest of the afternoon.

After Lauren picked up a strawberry lemonade frozen drink from the donuts stand, we decided it was time to get out of the heat. Since we were in that area anyway, we sat down at the Court of Honor Stage. There were musicians gathering and a drummer practicing even as we settled on the yellow benches. Turns out the 2 PM concert was a yacht rock - aka soft rock from the 70's and 80's - cover band. They even had a guest who had sung the hit "Brandy, You're a Fine Girl" in the 70's and wrote the theme from Lizzie McGuire. They weren't half-bad. We had an enjoyable hour or so in the shade listening, resting, and clapping along.

I needed to use the bathroom, so we went back to the Better Living Building. We explored there after I finished, but once again, we saw nothing we really wanted. Lauren looked at socks with cute or unique patterns and looked for superhero toys for Rico, but we ultimately moved on with nothing.

There was one last thing we wanted to do at the Big E, and one ride Lauren didn't mind doing. An adorable little blue and yellow train picks up across from the Massachusetts Building at the Avenue of the States, driving down the streets nearby and back around the States Buildings. It's technically for kids, but we get a big kick out of it. It's like being in a parade. Everyone waves to the train as it goes by. (Although the conductor did have to shoo one person off who tried to get on without a ticket.)

By that point, it was almost 4:30. We had been walking for six hours, much of it in the hot sun, and were tired and sore. It was time for dinner. Lauren considered getting McDonald's, but we both ended up at Chipolte. She had sofritos with white rice, black beans, tomato salsa, corn, and cheese. I replaced the white rice with brown, the sofritos with chicken, and threw in lettuce with the other things. Yum! It was all good, but the bowls were so big, we ended up taking part of them home.

We headed back out again around 5:30. Same deal going home. Once again, no traffic, not even around the fair or as we passed by Springfield. The sun was just sinking behind the Berkshire Mountains when Lauren finally pulled into her garage. 

Since the Match Game marathon never materialized, I watched the Lawrence Welk Show episodes I didn't get the chance to check out last night. There's at least three on YouTube with a county fair theme. The earliest is from 1967. I thought Jo Ann Castle as the bearded lady and Jack Imel as a carny singing "Anything You Can Do" was a riot! In the 1971 show, Arthur Duncan dances "Meet Me In St. Louis," and Cissy and Bobby naturally get a country fair song from the original Mickey Mouse Club, which Bobby appeared on. Tanya Welch is a psychic who wonders "Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair?" The 1975 show was the last time country singer Clay Hart was a regular. This time, Norma Zimmer got to sing "Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair?"

Here's all three episodes, so you can visit the fair with Lawrence Welk and his musical family, too!

County Fair (1967)
County Fair Show (1971)

County Fair Show (1975)

Finished the night at Tubi with News Hounds. This is one of the earlier Bowery Boys movies, from when the group was still jelling. Slip and Sach are a copy boy and a photographer, respectively. Slip dreams of being a real reporter, going undercover with Sach to expose a sports gambling ring. Their friend Gabe, who works for the ring, finds Slip's story against his bosses and inadvertently has it published. Thing is, Slip was about to give up the story due to lack of evidence, and now the paper is slapped with a huge lawsuit. Gabe agrees to help the guys find Sach's camera and bring in the photos as evidence. 

Friday Afternoon Fever

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. It's "Swicheroo Day," and everyone switches places with one another. Alice eventually figures out how to rhyme and surprise people like the Cheshire Cat, and Rosa has fun helping with recipes like Cookie. Hattie and Fergie get switched with each other...and refuse to ask for help when they claim what they do is easy. The Cat and the girls remind them that it's not a bad thing to ask for help if you don't know how to do something. Glowing purple berries only drift in with the tide "Once In a Wonderland Moon." Alice has to figure out how to turn them into sea-going variations on Dole Whip before the moon vanishes, and the berries become shriveled, overly salty husks. 

Hurried out after that. I had a lot to do today, starting with an errand run at Target. Though my three-year-old niece Aurora's birthday isn't until October 1st, I wanted to get her and Amanda's cards out today. I bought a Disney gift card for Aurora. Mom says she's a huge fan of Minnie Mouse, so I thought she'd get a kick out of something from Disney's online store. I needed a new computer mouse rather badly. The Bluetooth one I bought a while back doesn't work with my new laptop, and my old USB port mouse is losing the pads on the bottom and eats batteries for breakfast. I finally found a smooth pink mouse that wasn't a bad price. Got a new pair of earphones too that could hook up to the cell phone I got in January.

Sprouts was next on my list. They sell "kids' meal" bags with chips, a sandwich, a bottle of water, a cookie, and a container of applesauce. Most of them had barbecue chips, which I don't like. The only one that came with regular chips was the almond butter and jelly sandwich. Why not? I don't think I've ever tried almond butter. The bag I bought last year was great for the train trip. Also small bags of mixed nuts and dried apricots for the trip and granola bars (buy one, get one half off) and soda for when I get home.

Headed down Cuthbert to the Acme next. Most of what I picked up here was for when I got back, including yogurt, soda, apples, and more granola bars. I did get a Propel for tomorrow. I'll likely need more liquids than just that tiny bottle of water that came with the kids' meal bag. Incidentally, I could absolutely see why I got off so easily this week. None of the stores were busy, not even Target. 

Rode down Cuthbert next and over to Haddon to hit PNC Bank. I wanted to take out money for the trip. I stopped at the outside ATM machine, got my money, and got out just as a car pulled up to the driveway. 

At least the weather was gorgeous for all the running around. The rain of the last few days was replaced by sunshine, blue skies, cool winds, warmth, and slight humidity. I enjoyed it as I made my way past the park and down to East Clinton.

Put everything away and packed my backpack while watching Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!) on YouTube. Charlie Brown is shocked when Linus signs the two of them up for a foreign exchange program to France. Peppermint Patty and Marcie are a part of the same program, while Snoopy and Woodstock tag along for the adventure. (And because Snoopy can somehow drive a Volkswagen.) Chuck gets an even bigger surprise when he receives a letter in French asking him and Linus to stay at the Chateau Mal Voison. As Marcie explains, this means House of the Bad Neighbor...and it turns out that the Baron who owns the house is anything but friendly. It's Linus who eventually finds out who wrote the letter and how they knew about Chuck. Elsewhere, Peppermint Patty gets a crush on the son of their host, while Snoopy sneaks out to a cafe to sing songs from World War II and drink root beer.

This is by far the most unique of the Peanuts' five (to date) theatrical films. First of all, it's the only Peanuts film where you hear adults actually speaking. It would have been strange for four 11-year-olds, a beagle, and a bird to travel through Europe without some adult intervention. It's also the darkest of the five Peanuts movies. Though the Baron ultimately does nothing to the boys besides being a lousy host, he does make serious threats. There's also the sweet story between Violette's grandmother and Chuck's grandfather that makes a nice contrast to Peppermint Patty's imaginary romance. 

Not everything works. Most of the first half, with Snoopy playing tennis at Wimbleton and the kids trying to figure out Cockney accents in London, is pure filler, and honestly, the story seems a little too dark for this particular franchise at times. This is still recommended for major Peanuts fans like me and families with older kids who know something about history. Those with younger kids or who are less familiar with the Peanuts outside of the holidays will want to start with A Boy Named Charlie Brown or The Peanuts Movie first. 

Switched to What's New, Scooby Doo? while eating lunch. Mystery Inc realizes that "Diamonds are a Ghoul's Best Friend" when they come to see the US play Russia in a major hockey match, only for "The Frozen Fiend," an icicle-covered hockey player, to steal the cup and the diamonds embedded in it. Fred wants to jump the gun and capture the ghoul before they've figured out who it is, but Velma reminds him why actually solving the case before they chase the bad guy is important.

(Oh, and I checked my Acme schedule at this point, too, just to make sure my vacation went through. Yes, it did. I'm off for all of next week, and in fact won't be going home until next Sunday.)

Put on a quick Disney short while getting ready for work. Donald thinks he's a "Hockey Champ" when he imitates then-popular figure skater Sonja Henie, then challenges his nephews to a game. That proves to not be a smart move. The boys almost literally skate rings around Donald.

Dropped off the birthday cards for Amanda and Aurora in the mail box, then made my way down the White Horse Pike and Collings to the Thomas Sharp School. Our dance parties for the last two days had been so successful, the teachers decided to have another one in the library, despite it being nice enough to go outside.

This time, they gave out glow sticks to the kids and turned off the lights, turning it into something of a disco dance party. It was hilarious. The kids were a riot running around with their glow sticks, trying to twirl them around their arms and perching them on their heads like glowing crowns. Even the teachers got glow sticks. We danced to "The Wiggle Dance," "Doin' the Flamingo," "Under the Sea," "Hakuna Matata," and songs from Frozen and KPop Demon Hunters. I hadn't had so much fun in ages.

After I got out, I made my way back down the White Horse Pike...but this time, I turned at CVS and rode into Oaklyn. Today was the last Final Friday block party of the year. "Final Friday" is two blocks on West Clinton of food trucks, craft booths, face painting and mini-golf for the little kids, and a local DJ playing hits under a tent. They were already pretty busy when I arrived, especially the long line for the barbecue truck! Since I'm going away tomorrow, I compromised. I had cheaper slices of broccoli-chicken teriyaki and tomato-basil-mozzarella pizza at Phillies Phatties, but for dessert, I treated myself to another one of those Bubba's Gourmet Creamery popsicles. Got chocolate-mint swirl. Oooh, so yummy and creamy...and very minty!

Put on Match Game Syndicated when I got home. Today's episodes covered the time future talk-show hostess Jenny Jones was a contestant on the show. She did very well, too, winning over $5,000. I learned quite a bit that I didn't know about her, like her being from Canada by way of Israel originally.

Worked on Maplepunzel next. Pavla slinks to King Thomas and Queen Gertie and, in the sweetest way possible, demands to have Maple fired. Not even Mr. Eldridge buys it. Maple has been nothing but a good and faithful servant. Gertie has her own reason to keep Maple on. Not only is she worried about Pavla keeping Victor from the rest of the household, but the coffee everyone's been drinking gallons of is putting people to sleep, not keeping them awake. She asks Maple to find out what's going on there.

Since I enjoyed Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown earlier, I finished the night with the far more typical The Peanuts Movie. Poor Charlie Brown just can't catch a break. He badly wants to impress The Little Red-Haired Girl, but whether it's a dressing as a cow for his sister Sally's talent show act, attempting to show off his moves on the dance floor, or writing a complete book report of War and Peace for her, nothing ever seems to turn out right for him. He thinks she doesn't notice him, but it's not until she chooses him as a partner at the end of the year that he realizes how much of an impact he's had on her and all of his friends. Meanwhile, his dog Snoopy writes a story about him being a brave World War I flying ace who saves a pretty poodle from the dreaded Red Baron.

Yeah, if you want to introduce your kids to the Peanuts outside of the holiday specials, I'd start here or with A Boy Named Charlie Brown. They're the most typical of the movies and probably come the closest to what the comic strips are actually like. I also love the animation style here. The kids look more like stop-motion animation, like they're almost made of felt, but their eyes have a hand-drawn style that allows them to have expressions closer to the comics. There's also the comics animation itself turning up in everyone's thought bubbles. No wonder this was a big hit a decade ago. It's probably one of Blue Sky Studio's best production and is really a sweet and charming treat. 

A Fair Day for Indian Summer

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. "Jaques Turtelle's Soup" introduces the title chef, a mock turtle who exiled himself to Looking Glass Land after his "Calamity Chowder" made a mess of Princess Rosa's first unbirthday party. Alice and the kids convince him to make the chowder again for her latest unbirthday and show him that sometimes, a little calamity can be a lot of fun. The kids have to solve "The Curious Case of Crumbs" when someone - or something - devours Rosa's edible art exhibit. The Queen of Hearts would rather have a trial, but the kids know that looking for evidence before you jump to conclusions is a better way to handle a mystery.

Hurried off to work after that. Work was pretty much the same as yesterday - quiet when I came in, busy later. Thankfully, this time I had help from the new female recruit, who helped me keep up with the carts and switched off sweeping with me. No trouble whatsoever. It was a gorgeous day for it, too, sunny and warm and windy.

Since I was already at the Acme, I did my grocery shopping next. Mainly needed to restock yogurt, grapes, and granola bars. Grabbed more soda, too. Found my favorite black-eyed Susan cookies on the bakery clearance rack. Fortunately, it had slowed down considerably by quarter after 1, and there were no lines. 

Headed home after that to change and put everything away. Watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I worked. "Daisy's Pony Tale" has her feathery hair growing Rapunzel-long when it's accidentally sprayed with Professor Ludvig Von Drake's growth formula. Daisy, Goofy, and Mickey head to Witch Pete's tower to ask for the Rapunzel flowers that will shrink her feathers, then have to rescue Daisy from his tower when he trips over her hair.

Went back out again around 2 PM. My first stop was the Westmont Bagel Shop. They close at 3, but I was hoping they wouldn't have started cleaning up yet. No such luck. By the time I got there, the seating area was closed and the grill was off. I bought a chicken salad sandwich on a pumpernickel bagel and a bottle of Diet Pepsi and ate it on the black metal bench outside of the shop. Made a quick bathroom break at Sprouts before moving on.

Haddon Township always has their Fall Festival block party next to the pool area on Crystal Lake Road in mid-September. No car show this year, but lots of everything else, including bounce houses and a mini-Ferris Wheel and merry-go-round for the kids. Heard the kids from Studio LuLoo singing "Soda Pop" and "Can't Fight This Feeling" and another band doing covers. I wanted to buy CDs and a record from one of the booths, but I realized I left my debit card in my work lunch bag and only had my credit card. My credit card doesn't tap anymore, and they could only do tapping cards. They were nice, but I was still embarrassed. 

Made up for it with a treat at Scoop DeVille. Went simpler with a pumpkin pie milkshake. Not bad. A little gritty, but that was the actual pie crust pieces. I got to watch a family with a mom, dad, and two little boys enjoy their own treats at the pastel tables outside. The dad's bike had two children's seats on them. It reminded me so much of how Mom would take Anny everywhere on her bike and bike seat in the 80's, before my parents finally broke down and bought Mom a second car (an enormous old blue Buick that was ugly as heck). 

Rode back to Sprouts after I finished, dodging the weekend traffic on Cuthbert and Haddon Avenue. Was mainly restocking granola bars, coconut milk, and soda here. In fact, I got those filled cookies again, since they were on a better sale. Found more of the cherry shortbread cookies on clearance. The bulk apricots were on a really good sale, too. One of the kids at the after-school program always brings dried seaweed for a snack. I thought I'd try it.

Put on KPop Demon Hunters as I put everything away, then had dinner. I go further into this enormously popular Netflix action musical at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - KPop Demon Hunters

Finished the night with not one, but two Match Game marathons. Character actor Bob Donner became a semi-regular mid-way through the run of the syndicated show and would continue appearing through The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1984. For some reason, he kept attracting some very weird people. The winning contestant during his week with McLean Stevenson and Melody Scott-Thomas was so crazy, she almost literally tore him to shreds after their Head-to-Head. Her shrieking and wild movements terrified Gene and made almost all the panelists hurry offstage to avoid the lunacy. There was also the time on Squares Hour when Donner hired a guy called "Crazy George" to scream and play loud drum music in the audience. Gene had to finally go out there and subdue the guy.

Drum up a little out-of-this world fun in this wacky marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Bob Donner on Match Game

Polly Holliday, best-known today as sassy waitress Flo from Alice and its spin-off Flo, passed away on Tuesday. She did one memorable week on Match Game in 1977. Gene was more than happy to grab her for a new-kid-on-the-block kiss, but she wasn't as amused. A bit later in the Monday episode, Richard held a mock funeral for her microphone after it bent over and died. Fannie did a ritual to make it come back to life on Tuesday. Gene also managed to get Polly to say Flo's signature "Kiss my grits!" at least once.

Honor this beloved southern Belle with a week of diner-fried hilarity! 

Polly Holliday Tribute

Keep an Eye On Summer

Got a late start with breakfast and a double-dose of Hello Kitty Furry Tale Theater on The Roku Channel. "Hello Mother Goose" checks out her nursery rhyme friends one day to discover many of their most famous props are missing and My Melody Bo Peep's sheep have run away. She has to solve the mystery of what happened to those objects and where the sheep ran off to. "Crocodile Penguin" is an Australian wrestler whom Kitty is sent to the Outback to do an article on. Catnip is more interested in having him wrestle Hulk Alligator (Grinder) at Cattison Square Garden.

"The Ugly Quackling" (Chip the Seal) is ridiculed by his oldest sibling (Catnip) and misunderstood by his mother (Fangora). He's clumsy and a little goofy, but in the end, he's the one who saves them from the hungry wolf (Grinder) who spends a year chasing them. "Grinder Genie and the Magic Lamp" grants wishes for poor Middle Eastern kids Kitty and Sam, giving them enough money to pay off Sultana Catnip's taxes. She tries to steal the lamp, only to discover why Grinder's lamp says "make wishes at your own risk."

Switched to Buzzr next. Caught the tail end of one Supermarket Sweep episode, then a full one. Alas, both ended with teams who did wildly well at the Big Sweep, only to just miss figuring out the right answer on the final clue in the Bonus Round.

Press Your Luck and Classic Concentration were a lot more fun. Buzzr continued its Back to School Week with episodes featuring college students as contestants. The one boy in Press Your Luck Whammied out early in the second round. It was one of the two girls who ended up taking home over $12,000 in prizes, including a Windjammer Caribbean cruise. The boy on the Classic Concentration College Week dominated his game, winning, among many other prizes a trip to Paris. He didn't do quite as well on the match-the-car bonus round. 

Hurried out for a quick grocery store run next. I didn't really need a whole lot anyway. Cascadian Farms granola bars were buy one, get one at Sprouts. Poppi soda was buy one, get one half-off. Got both, along with coconut milk, dried mango slices, and more of those cherry shortbread cookies from the bakery that were super-cheap. Mostly needed yogurt and soda at the Acme, both of which were on decent sales with online coupons. Also picked up granola, found a bottle of the Listerine Clinical Solutions Gum Therapy mouthwash with a two-dollar-off coupon and boxes of Watermelon Propel single mixes that were half-price, and dug out two more 20 ounce bottles of Fresca. Neither store was remotely busy, though I did go in the regular line at the Acme so the cashier could handle the coupon.

Cut across Newton Lake Park on the way home. It was certainly a lovely day for it. The weather remains perfect here, breezy, dry, and cool but not cold. I was surprised I didn't run into more people in the park. The Westmont Plaza was inundated with teenagers looking for lattes and something to do. I pushed my bike on the dirt path over the hill by the Environmental Center, enjoying the wind rustling through the dark green leaves. 

When I got home, I put everything away, then had lunch while watching She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Catra is tired of getting mixed "Signals" from Hordak, who is frustrated with her lack of progress. She's even more upset when Entraptra manages to fix the machine he was working on and gains his trust. Meanwhile, Bow, Adora, and Gilmmer investigate a supposedly haunted village that used to be one of the top suppliers of goods for the Rebels. The village is empty when they arrive, and they see ghostly images that make their imaginations run wild and leaves them wondering how the Old Ones' technology managed to conjure ghosts.

Spent the rest of the afternoon working on Hilary and the Beasts. Mrs. Fox may be a full animal, but she still knows to bring along the rest of the household to help her attack Pavla and her monsters. (Except for Mr. Cat, who takes a nap on top of the grand piano in the ballroom.) Hilary is shocked to discover that producer T.J Hunnicut is now a monster, but his new form hasn't dulled his wolfish instincts. It takes Troll clawing his back to get him off Hilary's lap. 

Pavla has Hilary on the ground and is about to attack her when they hear Pavla's voice, repeating the words from her supposed interview with producer Trevor Zanish in "Mr. and Mrs. Singer." Maple reveals that Pavla's confession is on the last, unheard record. Betty reads Newspaper (Gus Kahana), adding that Trevor Zanish had been producing in England for the last two years. Not only that, but Victor Comstock and Mr. Foley let the record run, revealing that Pavla had a drunk Scott kidnapped and used as leverage to force Jeff into marriage and Victor and Foley into silence. 

While Hilary brings Mackie around and gets him and Foley to let the cops and the FBI in, Maple runs to the caged Eagle. Hilary manages to retrieve the keys to the cage from Pavla's bosom and toss them to her waiting middle sister. She releases the affectionate bird, giving him a kiss and telling him that she loves him no matter how many feathers he has. Betty is also able to get the muzzle and ropes off Bear. She holds his paw on the story he wrote her, telling her that she understood he was trying to tell her the truth, and that she too didn't care how smart he was or how much fur he had, she still loved him.

Mr. Rabbit trots up to the silent Miss Organ, lovingly rubbing her and licking her side. Hilary too finally throws herself into Troll's waiting arms, breathlessly telling him as the last bong strikes at midnight that she loves him and wants to marry him, no matter what he looks like.

That does it. No sooner does Hilary tell Troll her feelings than the entire household is engulfed in a bright golden light. When it subsides, Puppy is teen maid Enid Farlleigh, who sits on a normal man rather than a monster. Eugenia, now released from her organ, gives her fiance Mr. Foley a big hug. Gus Kahana, freed from the newspaper, is able to use John McCormick's Irish brogue to explain to the cops that he's willing to state evidence. Mrs. Fox turns into Gertie Reece, who manages to wake up Mr. Eldridge just as the light ends. 

Yes, Eagle is Jeff's gentle-voiced, sad-eyed secretary Victor Comstock. He admits to Maple that he can't really fly - Scott's the pilot - but he would still love to take her out on an airplane. Maple grabs him so passionately, she knocks them to the ground. Bear's fur falls away to reveal a battered but grinning Scott Sherwood, who wants nothing more than to keep writing stories with Betty. Troll is, indeed Jeff Singer, who also kisses his soon-to-be-wife passionately before she reminds him they have an audience.

Watched The Singing, Ringing Tree as I worked. This East German fairy tale from 1957 also involves a prince-turned-bear and a haughty lady. In this case, the prince traded his own humanity to a devilish little figure to get the title tree and impress a spoiled princess. The princess wasn't impressed, with him or anything but her own beauty. The nasty little imp turned the Prince into a bear and his horse to stone. He brings the Princess back to his enchanted grotto, where she is turned ugly until she learns to be kind to not only the animals in the grotto, but Bear as well. The copy currently on Tubi has very British narration added.

Headed out around 5:30 on my bike. Not only was today Oaklyn's Final Friday block party, but the newest business in town finally opened. The Score Records replaced the healthy smoothie and milkshake shop in the store on the corner of West Clinton and Manor Ave, across from the Manor Bar. They weren't big and didn't have nearly the selection that Phidelity or Innergroove do, but they also had smattering of CDs, books, and cassettes, along with t-shirts, stickers, and strange boxes covered in recycled objects painted in rainbow colors. They were also extremely busy, but I did manage to pick up two records:

The Beach Boys - Shut Down Volume 2

Oscar Peterson Plays the Irving Berlin Songbook

And two CDs:

Dave Bruebeck - Vocal Encounters and Ballads

Final Friday was busier than ever with people celebrating the last Friday of the summer and the start of  Labor Day Weekend. I strolled around, taking in the food trucks specializing in Mac and cheese, lobster rolls, barbecue, Mexican food, or spring rolls stuffed with cheese steak meat, but couldn't decide what to eat. I eventually ended up at a quiet Common Grounds. The turkey, brie, and honey turnover wasn't bad. I didn't realize the iced hot chocolate was a coffee drink. I was thirsty and did end up drinking it all down, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Combated that with a nice, refreshing cream popcickle. I've seen the cart with the organic cream and popsicles here and the Collingwood Farm Market, but I never got the chance to try it until tonight. Oh yum. I went with cherry vanilla. Sweet, cherry - and very cold, which I badly needed after walking around in those crowds.

Put on Match Game Syndicated when I got home. Nighttime soap star Susan Howard joined David Doyle and Marcia Wallace here. Marcia points out that she's sharper than most usually gives her credit for when she's the only one to get an answer right.

Finished the night with three of my new record and CD finds and one I picked up last week. The big hits on Shut Down, Volume II are "Don't Worry, Baby," "Fun, Fun, Fun," and "The Warmth of the Sun." I liked the hilarious tracks that didn't involve music at all. "Denny's Drum" and "Cassius Love Vs. Sonny Wilson" are just presumably banter between the Beach Boys in the studio, and they're hilarious. We also get their admonishment to "Keep an Eye On Summer." 

It's the Girls is Bette Midler's 2014 tribute to girl groups. We mostly get famous girl vocalists from the 50's and 60's, with hits like "Be My Baby," "One Fine Day," and "Too Many Fish In the Sea." TLC's "Waterfalls" turns into an oddly tender ballad here, but the Boswell Sisters' "It's the Girl" remains a rollicking romp.

Vocal Encounters is Dave Brubeck's songs featuring singers and lyrics, including rare lyrics to "Take Five," performed by Carmen MacRae. MacRae also scores with "Travelin' Blues" and "It's a Raggy Waltz," while Tony Bennet gives us "That Old Black Magic" and Peter, Paul, and Mary the folk ballad "Because All Men are Brothers," based on Bach's "Passion" chorale. The lovely Louis Armstrong "Summer Song" also turns up on the Ballads CD collection. Most of these are more traditional instrumentals like "Stardust" and "Lost Waltz," but we also get "Weep No More."

Hot Day for a Fair

Began the day with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "Goofy's Sock Hunt" begins with everyone looking for Goofy's lost sock, but eventually spreads to include Minnie's bow, Donald's stuffed lion, and Mickey's barbecue apron. Pluto has spent the episode sneaking around in the background and mostly missing...and it turns out he's the one who knows where the lost things are.

Called Uber after the cartoon ended. Not only was it too hot for riding, but I didn't have the time. I'd barely have the time to have lunch before the summer program. No trouble here. It took 8 minutes for the morning driver to arrive; I got to work just in time. It took 4 minutes for the afternoon driver to come. No traffic or trouble coming or going.

No trouble at work, either. It's the end of a month without a lot going on besides the 4th of July. I did have to mop up a leaking meat cooler, but other than that, I was sweeping and pushing carts. No wonder we weren't busy. It was hot, sunny, and beastly humid. I saw heavy traffic going south. Most people were likely heading to the Shore or hiding in their pools or air conditioning.

Oh, and I got my schedule. Still more hours than usual. I work on Monday this time, and Saturday is 9 to 4. The head manager took a lot of time off this week. That'll help with my paycheck, but it'll also mean not a lot of time between my two jobs for a few days. 

When I got home, I changed quickly and ate lunch while watching What's New, Scooby Doo? "Simple Plan and the Invisible Man" is probably the most prominent of the episodes revolving around real-life celebrities of the early 2000's. In this case, Mystery Inc run across popular rock band of the time Simple Plan en route to their concert in Montreal. Their van has been run off the road by an invisible trickster who keeps sabotaging their rides...and then it does the same to the Mystery Machine when they give them a ride. The gang has to learn who did it when it seems like everyone around them...including annoying Gibby Norton, leftover from "The Fast and the Wormious"...has a motive.

Headed back out on my bike this time. The Oaklyn School isn't even a five-minute ride from me. I'll deal with the heat for less than five minutes. I got there just as the kids were sitting in a circle in the cafeteria, playing a game. Once again, I joined them for a snack, then helped clean the tables while they went back into the circle to calm down. I also found out why we were playing games indoors from the young ladies who joined me at the drawing table. Not only was it too hot to play outside, but Canadian geese had left too many droppings on the playground to be able to use it. I drew Eugenia and Foley and all of the princesses and their suitors from the "Four Dancing Princesses" I have planned, then joined some of the noisier boys to build secret bases and boats from Legos.

Oaklyn's Final Friday block party on West Clinton was in full swing by the time summer camp ended for the day. They didn't seem quite as boisterous as usual. There were fewer food trucks, making me wonder if some trucks and booths had been scared off by the hot weather. I was still able to walk around for a little while and buy two pretzels from the pretzel shop's booth. 

Went straight into Remember WENN when I got home. Hilary is having enough trouble dealing with Scott changing her soaps to focus on politics and constantly missing Jeff calling from London when Gertie says there's a woman in the Green Room who wants to meet her. To the horror of "Mr. and Mrs. Singer," it's Jeff's new wife Pavla Nemcova (Karen Travis), who gloats that she has married Jeff in Europe. The others reveal that she cares more about her career and staying in the US than Jeff...but Hilary's still deeply hurt.

Hilary's still feeling that hurt in "Nothing Up My Sleeve." This show was out during the tail-end of Seinfeld's phenomenal run and was probably one of the most-advertised of the entire series. Mentalist Allan Ballinger (Jason Alexander) charms Hilary with his tricks and confessions. Maple, however, remembers him from her burlesque days and worries that he may be tricking Hilary into admitting her deepest secret. Hilary's ready to take him down, but it turns out he's come to respect her too much to hurt her.

Worked on Hilary and the Beasts while the show was on. Hilary finds Betty and Bear (Scott) catching fish in a pond during a hot, sultry August afternoon. They're taking a break from reading lessons as Betty admits Bear has made significant progress. He can now read "Snow White and Rose Red" and most of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," though that "darkness" in his head continues to pain him badly when he does so. She thinks he'll be able to move on to actually writing stories. When he points out that he can't write or hold a pencil with bear paws, she says he can dictate it to her or may be able to use her typewriter. They're enjoying each other's company, to the point where they knock each other into the pond and end up on top of each other at one point.

Put on The Muppet Show next in honor of British jazz chanteuse Cleo Laine, who passed away today. Though Laine mostly sang with the Electric Mayhem (and introduced them by name), Fozzie was the real heart of this episode. He keeps trying to insert himself into every sketch to impress his mother in the audience, including taking Piggy's role in "Pigs In Space."

Moved to Match Game '76 during dinner. Soap ingenue Bennye Gatteys joined in for the first and only time this week, along with Bill Daily and Fannie Flagg. The real news, however, was Gene announcing Richard had gotten a gig in the fall, hosting a brand-new game show called Family Feud...

Finished the night at Paramount Plus with I Love Lucy. I'm not the only one finding her muse right now. "Lucy Writes a Play" for her woman's group and hopes Ricky will star. He's not interested, so Lucy moves the story of a Cuban tobacco-picker in love with a senorita to merry old England when she and Ethel talk Fred into it. Ricky suddenly changes his mind when he learns producers are in the audience, but no one told him about the change in settings. 

Poems, Prayers, and Promises

Got a quick start this morning with a call to Uber. They picked us up within 5 minutes. There was a little traffic in Cherry Hill, but nothing really horrible. We were at the Silver Diner within 20 minutes.

Lauren requested the Silver Diner, the chrome restaurant overlooking the Hillview Shopping Center in Cherry Hill. They make tasty diner basics using sustainable and organic ingredients. Lauren had a mint "no-jito," a ham and cheese omelette, a biscuit, and hash browns. I had blueberry pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon and a "dirty creamsicle soda," organic orange soda topped with oat milk foam. The creamsicle soda was incredible (and yes, even the oat foam worked), the pancakes fluffy, and the bacon mostly crisp, but the eggs were too bland. (Lauren also said that her omelette would have been pretty bland too without the ham and cheese.) 

We headed back across the slightly dilapidated and trash-strewn bridge over Route 38 and back to the Cherry Hill Mall after brunch. Squishmallows was having a buy one, get one sale on stuffed toys that were discontinued. I got an odd round unicorn for Finley and a sweet rainbow with a happy star over it for me. (The rainbow is Iris, for the Greek goddess of rainbows, and her little friend is Stella.) Did very well at FYE, picking up Wicked on DVD, a collection of Abbott and Costello's four horror-themed vehicles, and two CDs that were good prices: 

Taylor Swift - Fearless

John Denver - Definitive All-Time Greatest Hits (2-Disc)

We hit JC Penney next. I found a sleeveless nightgown in a pretty pink rose print on a decent sale. Lauren said she'd go back and look later. Neither of us found anything at Old Navy. I stopped at an ATM to get money for the school fair later, and at Nordstrom's eBar to make change. Had an iced tea this time. 

Left Lauren at this point, around 1:50. I really did need to get to the Thomas Sharp School. The Uber driver thankfully arrived in 4 minutes. He did encounter some traffic in Pennsauken, but not enough to make me late. In fact, I was fifteen minutes early. I walked around the block (and waved at the kids in the playground who recognized me) until it was time for work.

The kids were really restless today. They couldn't go on the playground because it was too hot, and they were setting up for the "Blacktop Bash" school fair. Once they started putting out the tables for the fair, that pretty much occupied the kids' minds. They kept jumping up off the cafeteria tables to check their progress. I read two Scooby Doo stories and Angelina and the Princess to distract them. 

No wonder they were so distracted. The Blacktop Bash was going strong when I got outside. There was a line half-way down the block to get in. I gave them my $6, then went to get dinner. In addition to games and a bounce house for the kids, tons of raffles, and a DJ playing kid-friendly pop hits, there were three food trucks and four food tables. I got a tasty, if messy and spicy, chicken burrito from the taco booth, along with two cookies and a cupcake from the baked goods booth. Lauren sat along the side fence behind the track and landscaping, eating her own tacos. We enjoyed our dinners as I laughed at the kids running around and even introduced Lauren to a few of the ones I knew. 

It may have been hot, but it was also sunny and breezy. We'd taken Uber enough. It was too nice to do anything but walk home. Stopped at CVS on the way to use the bathroom and get drinks.

I finished the night after we got in with Artists and Models. I go further into this hilarious musical comedy farce with Dean Martin as an artist and Jerry Lewis as a comic book nut at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Artists and Models (1955)

(Oh, and Lauren says she went back over the bridge after I left and got a few things at Kohl's and Target. She also explored Squishmallows, Macy's, and Old Navy again, but didn't have as much luck.) 

May Fair Harvest

Began the morning with breakfast and four Paramount Superman cartoons from World War II. Given the tenor of the comics at the time, it would have been more surprising if he hadn't fought the Axis. Superman goes up against "Japoteurs" who try to steal an experimental plane. He has to save the plane and Lois, who stowed away, as well. "The Eleventh Hour" is a mature short with gorgeous animation that has Superman committing sabotage in Japan, until the Japanese take Lois hostage. "Jungle Drums" has Superman and Lois foiling a Nazi plot to stir up natives in Africa and take down Naval ships. He rescues a lovely "Secret Agent" from the Nazi spies whose plots she's uncovered during an exciting finale on a damaged bridge.

Headed out quickly after "Secret Agent" ended. Every year on the Saturday before Memorial Day, Collingswood kicks off the summer season with a huge street fair spanning most of Haddon Avenue. The farm market is also folded into the May Fair for the week, though it closes before the rest of the fair. I grabbed strawberries (surprisingly cheap) and North Carolina blueberries before heading to Haddon Avenue.

My first stop was their massive car show. Rows and rows of shiny classic cars in jewel and pastel tones stretch for five blocks on the Camden end of Haddon Avenue. I saw a pretty pale peach Mustang, cherry red GTOs, a pale blue station wagon from the 50's, a lovely blue Mercury from the 40's, a rusty jalopy covered in skulls and spider webs, and a bright pink Chevrolet with fake food on the window that the little girls in my class would have loved. Took several shots for Lauren, including of an orange GTO and a metallic purple sports car. One of the newer vehicles was a bright scarlet truck from 1992 that looked like a newer version of the old Ford truck my stepfather owned in the mid-late 90's.

The other side of Haddon Avenue near Collingswood is given over a midway for young kids. There was a lovely little green Merry go round featuring pretty tan horses with pink and blue manes, a mini-Scrambler ride, and a Ferris Wheel with rainbow bucket seats. Most of the kids seemed to prefer the bounce houses, considering how long the lines were. I saw an inflatable circus tent, an Army-themed camouflage house guarded by an enormous officer, and a steep gray dragon's lair with a bright red inflatable dragon guarding the top of the long slides. There were so many kids waiting for the rides, I even ran into one of the boys from the after-school program brandishing a balloon sword.

The blocks in between them is given over to a big craft show. Though I admired hand-made clothes and jewelry, paintings from local artists, home-made pet treats and outfits, and beautifully carved signs and furniture, I was mainly interested in the hand-knitted and crocheted stuffed toys. I found an adorable gray striped tabby cat I named Stormy for me from one stuffed animal seller and a cute floppy one for Lauren from another seller.

Checked out two stores I don't often get a chance to explore. Odd Folks is a "curated" selection of new clothes, old books on art, fashion, and design, and small used pieces. Lovely shop, but expensive and limited. I didn't see anything I absolutely needed and moved on. 

Ellis Antiques is only open in the mid-afternoon afternoon on certain days. There were way too many people in there for me to explore their boxes of records, which sat on tables in the narrow halls. They kept bumping into me. They need to find a room for the records or at least move them where people going through them won't get into everyone else's way. I walked out with nothing.

Had lunch at Sabrina's Cafe, which was surprisingly not that busy. Everyone must have been at the fair by 1:30 or eating at one of the overpriced booths. I usually get pancakes there, but I wanted to buy a sweet treat later, so I went with a Farmhouse Omelet instead. Potatoes, vegetables, and goat cheese, with thick slices of multi-grain toast and crispy hash browns. Oh, yum. It was very tasty, and the omelet was just big enough to eat in one sitting.

There was one treat I couldn't leave the fair without. I don't often get to try funnel cake. I never even got to eat them at the boardwalk when I was a kid. Mom always said it was too fattening. It did cost me $10 from one of the booths...but it was also delicious. Big, crispy, and just sweet enough, dusted with tons of powdered sugar. 

The clouds that had lingered since yesterday briefly burst as I was eating my funnel cake. I hurried over to one of the dining tents with wide circular tables to finish out my treat and stay dry. After the rain finally died out, I hurried to my bike. I figured that was a sign that it was time to go home. Besides, the wind was getting worse. I was honestly glad for the clouds. It's usually hot as heck on the day of the May Fair, and there isn't much shade on Haddon Avenue. This may be the first May Fair I've ever been to where I didn't sweat to death.

Once I got home, I put sweet Stormy on a shelf, then watched Panama Hattie. I go further into this wartime vehicle for Ann Sothern and Red Skelton with Cole Porter music at my Musical Dreams Movie reviews blog.

Happy Memorial Day! - Panama Hattie

Worked on editing Once Upon a Time In the Land of WENN while the movie was on. Scott, Betty, and Scott's men successfully manage to steal a chest of gold from Pruitt by drugging him with cake...but Johnathan Arnold, aka King Victor, is suspicious, especially given he knows Betty isn't usually a thief. Betty manages to just avert a fight between the two disguised men over her and their magic.

She spends the next two months learning about healing magic from Mr. Eldridge and fencing from Scott. Betty still doesn't like the stealing, but she's otherwise starting to come around to the charming rogue. They also help rescue actor Mackie Bloom, who was passing through the woods with his cart, from the enormous armored pig-monsters the Hell Boars. Mackie's more than a little nervous when he gets a gander of Scott's demon form and Betty's magic, but they calm him down after Scott reverts to human and explain they don't intend to harm him.

Put on a couple of Looney Tunes shorts from World War II as I ate leftovers for dinner. The Toons came into their own during the war, as their brand of in-your-face humor was more in line with the tenor of the time than the more subtle comedy at Disney, thanks to wacky directors like anything-for-a-laugh Bob Clampett. He made three of the most famous wartime shorts, starting with "Super Rabbit." Bugs parodies the superhero craze of the time when a scientist turns him into a super-powered rodent. He goes after a cowboy and his horse who are trying to drive rabbits out of the desert. When push comes to shove, he ends up donning the uniform of a real hero - a Marines officer.

"Draftee Daffy" has the wackiest duck in California trying to outsmart the Little Man from the Draft Board. No matter where he goes, how many safes he locks him into, or how many times he blows him up, Daffy just can't escape this guy. He's not even safe from him six feet under.

My favorite wartime Looney Tunes and Bugs Bunny short is "Falling Hare." This may be the only short where Bugs ever encountered an antagonist who gives as good as they get. He catches a little gremlin sabotaging planes. The quick-witted fellow manages to dodge him at every turn...even when he sends the plane they're riding into a free fall...

Finished the night after a shower with today's Match Game marathon. McLean Stevenson started out on the show in late 1973 when he was still playing Henry Blake on MASH and quickly became one of the wildest semi-regulars. You never knew what he would do. On one episode, he embraced a contestant, only to protest that she stole his gold caps. On another from late 1973, he turned up shirtless except for a bow tie, claiming none of the other men would loan him clothes. When Gene gave him a jacket, he asked for another because the first was itchy. His most memorable appearance in 1974 had him first appear in the contestant's desk, then kiss Richard after the contestant won. When she won again, he chased Gene all around the studio!

That would be McLean's last appearance on the show until 1978. By that point, he'd left MASH and was trying desperately to get his own show. He was about to start in the religious-themed sitcom In the Beginning when he turned up again in 1978, but that barely lasted five episodes. (The closest he'd get to a hit after MASH was Hello Larry, a 1978 sitcom about an abrasive radio talk show host that lasted two years despite being notoriously bad.) 

McLean had far more luck taking over Richard Dawson's 5th "smart guy" seat during the syndicated run. Even there, he never could sit down for long. Protesting his wardrobe that mainly seemed to consist of primary-colored sweaters, Gene gave McLean one of his suits in one episode. Ted Lange had him turn up in a white suit and cowboy hat in another. It didn't take. McLean looked less like a fashion plate and more like he got lost on the way to the set of Dallas. As Brett pointed out several times during the episode with Gene's suit, McLean had no flair for fashion.

He did better hosting the show. The first time he got the chance to ask the questions was during the notorious "Sho Gun" incident. Charles and Gene's argument over the merits of the popular epic mini-series ended with Charles hitting Gene with his card. Gene collapsed onto ingenue Jonnelle Allen and answered the questions, while McLean eagerly and sarcastically took over hosting for the next two questions. He had so much fun, Gene let him do it again, this time with no attack necessary, a few weeks later. 

McLean was there for the very last episode of the syndicated run. He joined the others in teasing Charles about goofing around with the dummy who was used to test the color levels. Later on, one of the female contestants claimed she only came on the show to kiss him. Despite McLean insisting he had a cold, she got her wish...and they both got very into it! They did so well, Skip Stevenson ran over and kissed the other contestant. Brett cheekily pointed out that McLean had turned the color of his red sweater, while Betty White suggested they send all those colds to Richard Dawson.

Let's all salute one of the wackiest of the wacky panelists on Match Game with this truly loony marathon! 

Match Game Saturday Classics - Best of McLean Stevenson