Undercover Angels

My eyes flew open as my cell phone went off across the room. It was Rose, who was helping Jodie load boxes and bins into the garage. She reminded me I need to start calling apartment buildings as soon as Lauren leaves. There's no guarantee Jodie will be able to convince the new owner to keep me on. I never meant to stay here for longer than two to five years anyway, even if Dad lived. This was intended to be a stopgap measure to get me out of Manor. 

I also understand why Jodie can't keep the house. She's explained it a hundred times. I'm guessing some of the neighbors gave her a hard time about selling. I know it's too big and expensive for two people to keep up with. It wasn't meant for two people. It was meant for large families, like most of the others in this neighborhood.

Cheered myself up with reading and writing in my journal for an hour before joining Lauren for Body Language. This time, Jeff Cohen got the smart girl who got the last-minute tie-breaking puzzle. They just missed the bonus round by one word, though. 

We headed out shortly after that. Called for Uber again, since it worked out well going to Cherry Hill last week. This time, the lady drove a blue car and played this really neat gospel music with a tropical calypso beat. We enjoyed her songs all the way to the Market Place.

She let us off at Land's End. We both made good finds here. I finally picked up two long-sleeved t-shirts in turquoise and burgundy, with the turquoise one on sale. She got shirts for work.

Since we know how busy Chick Fil' A gets and there's apparently no branches near Lauren, we strolled down there next. They're still outdoor seating only. People line up at the counter, and they either take your order there, or a manager takes it with an iPad. Maybe it was just as well. The weather was too nice to eat inside, anyway. We both had frozen lemonades and waffle fries. She had a Spicy Chicken Cutlet; I settled for a simple Grilled Chicken. We enjoyed the sunny day and cool winds at the heavy black metal tables on their side patio.

We were in and out of stores for the next couple of hours. Saw nothing we needed in the Christmas Tree Shoppe or TJ Maxx. I picked up Voltron: The Complete Series from Best Buy and a card to say "hi" to Mom from Hallmark. She bought a few more work shirts and clothes for the pool that would dry fast from Nordstrom Rack. I might see if I can check out Barnes and Noble further later in the fall. Talbots and J.Jill were way too expensive for our budgets. 

Caught the bus in front of Hallmark on Route 70; it was only a few minutes late, not bad for the start of rush hour. No problems on the road here, either, no traffic anywhere. We pulled up at Mulligan's Bar on the White Horse Pike around 4; stopped at WaWa on the way home for a Pepsi Cherry Zero and a Double Mocha cappuccino drink. 

The moment we got home, we changed into bathing suits and outfits and hit the pool. It was chillier than yesterday, but not so much that we couldn't slide in and relax. I have to admit, the pool's been a godsend on this trip. Like I said to Lauren, it's infinitely better to relax in the pool than it was sitting in the Manor Avenue apartment listening to Charlie yell at the dogs. 

After the chilly wind finally blew us inside, we changed into dry clothes. I made my Italian Stove-Top Casserole while we watched Match Game '74. The first one had jokes about what Martians from a deli would invade in as little Jackie Joseph showed off her flowered outfit and headpiece. Ever-laughing Kaye Stevens, Bert Convy of Tattletales, and Cuban blonde Louisa Moritz joined in for the second.

Dinner was ready by the time of Match Game PM. Bernie Koppel, Betty White, and Lee Merriweather join in for the last nighttime episode with the original set. Despite his grumpy mood, Richard Dawson still helped the contestant with "__ Sitter" on the Head-to-Head.

Sale of the Century started off a bit closer than it had been, but a lady pool shark pulled ahead early-on. Her reluctance to purchase Instant Bargains paid off when she blew everyone away at the Speed Round. It netted her and her husband a gift certificate for a leather wardrobe on the Match the Prizes board.

Finished off the night online with hour dramas, beginning with The Love Boat. Gopher and a sci-fi-loving passenger (Tom Smothers) are convinced a seemingly quiet librarian (Helen Reddy) is an "Out of This World" alien, but Issac knows better. A model (Pamela Sue Anderson) who wants peace and quiet learns a lesson from a young man (Barry Van Dyke) when her claims that she's married "Boomerangs" back...and it turns out neither of them are what they claim. "The Captain's Triangle" has him trying to convince the bored wife (Sue Anne Langdon) of a retired captain friend of his (Monty Markham) to stay together, even when she throws herself at him. 

Charlie's Angels also encounter supposed extraterrestrials in the second season episode "Unidentified Flying Angels." A young woman turns up at their headquarters claiming her aunt went missing after attending a meeting where she saw a real UFO. Sabrina passes herself off as a reporter from New York, Bosley as a rich husband and Kris as his ditzy trophy wife, and Kelly as an alien to get to the bottom of this sci-fi mystery. 

Games People Play

After I barely slept at all on Friday night, I desperately needed to sleep in. Didn't get up until almost 11; it was closer to noon before I finally got to making us Banana Pancakes. We watched more Perfect Strangers as we ate. Balki and Larry are "Piano Movers" when Balki talks his cousin into pushing a piano up 10 flights of steps to their friend Lydia's (Belita Moreno) apartment. Not only is Larry concerned about his bad back, but it seems that the piano keeps following them...

We played two games of Othello after the show ended. I found this pristine 1977 edition of the checkers-style strategy game in the pile Jodie intended for Veterans of America back in the winter. I figured Lauren and my nephews would appreciate it more and traded it for a few piles of my own donations. You have black and white chips, and have to place your chip so it turns over the chip to the other color. To my surprise, since I don't usually do very well with checkers and chess, I won both games. Lauren did help me during the first one...but I won the second one, too. 

Went out for a stroll after we finished. We were originally going to check out a small block party at a church on West Collings, a block from the business district. Turns out they were really small. They had a bounce house, a few games for the kids, a couple of food tables, and not much else. We decided there's better food elsewhere and moved on.

Ended up at Phillies Phatties on West Clinton. Shared a medium half-pepperoni, half-mushroom pizza and Pepsis (mango for me, regular for her) for lunch while watching the second half of the Eagles-49ers game. The Eagles were down 7 to 3 when we came in. The 49ers hit two touchdowns, but the Eagles were just starting to catch up when we loaded the remaining pizza into a bag. (The Eagles eventually lost 17-11, but that's a lot better than many of their games last year, and against a really good team.)

Finally decided we were too full for fancy puddings from the Puddin' Palace and strolled back to my place. At least it was a nice day for walking around. Yesterday's slight humidity was replaced by blue skies, warm winds, and dry temperatures. There couldn't have been a more perfect day in mid-September. 

Since Rose and her tribe were in the pool and we wanted peace and quiet, we played Pokemon Yahtzee Jr. first. This is a basic version of Yahtzee with Pokemon characters instead of numbers. We played for over an hour; I just barely beat Lauren, though it was close. 

Got our swim around 5. The water was a tiny bit warmer than yesterday, and even more relaxing. Lauren enjoyed it so much, she slid in and reclined on the pool steps in her clothes. Jodie came around to say "hi" and that she's putting the house officially on the market Tuesday. We'll have to clean up the apartment then. (Considering I cleaned it last Tuesday, that will basically involve me making my bed and putting away dishes and Lauren picking up her things, which she'll have to do anyway because she goes home Wednesday.)

When it got too cold for us to be lounging in water, I went right into the shower. After I finished, we played a long game of Scrabble. She won this one, but she also kept coming up with longer words. I kept ending up with lots of vowels and no consonants (and a lot of Ys). 

Showed Lauren two Match Game episodes while we played. Since we saw an episode involving a riot over an answer in 1974, I showed Lauren an even more infamous incident involving the producer not matching close answers in 1977. In this case, "school" didn't match "finishing school" after it matched "college." Richard Dawson and Debralee Scott were furious, and even Gene Rayburn couldn't keep order. Richard was far happier during a 1975 PM episode where he and Gene made a bet as to whether his "Color TV" answer would be under "Admiral __" on the Audience Match.

Finished the night on YouTube honoring producer Bob Stewart. He originally created Password and The Price Is Right for Goodson-Todman, but got tired them taking all the credit. After they rejected his latest idea for a show involving celebrities giving clues to categories, he left the company to form his own. 

That idea eventually became the Pyramid franchise, by far his most enduring hit as a solo producer. It started as The $10,000 Pyramid on CBS in 1973. It moved to ABC in 1974 for another five years, becoming The $20,000 Pyramid in 1976. CBS revived it as The New $25,000 Pyramid in 1982. I fondly remember watching the CBS version and The $100,000 Pyramid in syndication in the mid-80's. Went with episodes of 10,000 from 1973 featuring Ed Asner and Sandy Duncan and 20,000 from 1978 with Nancy Lane and Michael McKean. Dick Clark is the host of both versions.

One of Stewart's earliest shows as a solo producer was Personality from 1969. It's basically "solo Tattletales." Three celebrities - Jack Cassidy, Joan Rivers, and Flip Wilson in the surviving episode currently on YouTube - try to guess the answers to what the others will say in a pre-recorded interview. They guess how the celebrity responded to a series of questions about the celebrity in the second segment. In the third, they all have to guess how a celebrity guest answered the questions. This one is especially funny because Shirley Jones was the guest...and she and Cassidy were married at the time.  Larry Blyden is the amiable host.

Bill Cullen hosted Three On a Match, the second of six shows he did for his good friend Stewart. All of the episodes currently on YouTube are of the second format, where the big Match Board has images on it and can allow the contestants to win prizes. We also get to see The Big Match, a mini-game giving contestants a chance to win extra money by matching two halves of a dollar bill. Geoff Edwards makes a cameo appearance towards the end of the show to plug his own program, Jackpot. 

Cullen also hosted Chain Reaction in 1980, which would be his last with Stewart. Here, four celebrities and two contestants call out letters to form words that connect to other words. The first to finish the connection wins. The bonus round would be altered several times during the course of the show's short run; I believe this episode has the second version, with the slightly increased earnings. 

Apparently, Stewart still had Chain Reaction and its "Instant Reaction" bonus round on the brain. Three years later, he debuted Go, a show based around that concept. Here, it's two celebrities (Lynn Redgrave and Richard Gilliland) with four contestants. It's kind of a cross between Pyramid and those "pass the gossip" line games. Four of the team members give clues to a word; the contestant guesses it, rings a bell, and moves on to the next word. It was actually kind of fun, and it's too bad it didn't last longer. Former weatherman Kevin O'Connell was out of his element as the host.

Stewart's last original solo show before his retirement was Double Talk from 1986. Supposedly a revival of another short-lived show of his Shoot for the Stars, it's more-or-less Pyramid crossed with the fill-in-the-blooper of Whew! Celebrities help their contestants help figure out what phrases some similar words represent. The final round is almost a total Pyramid imitation that had the contestant filling in blanks written on "Double Talk" boards.  A bad time slot coupled with ABC's desire to get away from game shows doomed this one; smarmy actor Harry Polic III was hardly the right host to drum up excitement for any of this.

Climb to the top of the Pyramid with the solo creations of one of the most beloved game show producers of all time! (Look for the original commercials on Chain Reaction and Three On a Match.)

Personality (1969)

The $10,000 Pyramid (1973)

Three On a Match (1974)

The $20,000 Pyramid (1978)

Chain Reaction (1980)

Go (1983)

Double Talk (1986)

All Summer Long

I didn't sleep well last night. The stomach and chest pains I had a few weeks ago returned. I did feel well enough for a quick breakfast and to throw on a Perfect Strangers episode while we got ready to head out. Larry says "Everybody In the Pool" when Balki keeps picking winners on the newspaper's football pool. Turns out Balki's too good. He picks losers when his co-workers get upset...but then has to save Larry's bacon after he puts Balki's guesses in with a bookie.

Headed out around 11. Thanks to my sleepless night, this was later than I'd planned, but we still did make it for the last half-hour of the farm market. Despite the late day, it was still very busy with people and their dogs picking produce for football parties and fall dinners. Saw pumpkins and winter squash for the first time this season. Opted for vegetables that were easier to carry in my cart - zucchini, corn, red lettuce, a yellow tomato, and an onion. 

We had brunch at Tortilla Press, the Mexican fusion restaurant on Haddon Avenue a block from where the farm market's held. They'd only been open for an hour at that point and weren't overwhelmingly busy. Lauren had a steak and avocado quesadilla; I went with "Pan Perdita," aka French toast with a mixed berry sauce. Yum! Perfectly sweet and just spiced enough, and the berries were amazing...and more to the point, not too harsh on my stomach. Our meals vanished pretty quickly, even Lauren's.

We were in and out of stores for the next hour. I showed Lauren Clutter, where I bought those little angel ornaments for her and Amanda last November. We looked at gift shop Occasionette, Ida's Book Shop, and toy store Extraordinary Ed, but found nothing of interest. 

I did much better at Innergroove Records, even with it being crowded in the tiny store. Managed to dig out:

Original casts of Raisin (1973 Broadway version of A Raisin In the Sun) and Mr. President

Soundtrack album for 1967 TV musical On the Flip Side

WFIL History of Rock Part III

Lauren and I came to the conclusion that what I felt last night and a couple of weeks ago was a rather nasty bout with acid reflux. We stopped at CVS on the way home to find a way to deal with it. I finally picked up a bottle of generic Maalox and a ginger ale; she got a Pepsi Zero. 

After we got home and I took my medicine, we threw on an episode of Hogan's Heroes while getting our laundry together. "Bombsight" has Hogan trying to figure out how he can sabotage the new German bombs when Klink caught Newkirk trying to get the plans out of the safe. It's up to him to keep Klink and London happy...and make sure his resident thief doesn't get into worse trouble.

Check my schedule for next week really fast, too. Ugh. Eight and a half hours the first two days, one of them late, next Saturday early. I'm  not looking forward to going back at all. 

Cheered up with that trip to the laundromat. Lauren had clothes to wash, and it wouldn't hurt me to get mine done, either. They were too busy to hang around, and we ended up with the longer washing machines anyway. This was the perfect time to finally check out Comicrypt. She looked for new Batman stories; I settled for petting the kitties who wandered among the stacks. 

The new pretzel shop two doors down from Comicrypt is finally open. (It was supposed to open back in late June-early July.) Lauren's not a pretzel fan, but I got to try their twist pretzels. Nothing special, but warm and tasty anyway. We enjoyed the pretzel and cans of Orange Crush and ginger ale outside on the concrete curb, enjoying the warm sunshine.

Put our clothes away when we got home, then hit the pool. I was surprised no one was there. Jodie was inside; all of the kids must have been at sports or cheerleading. The water was a bit colder than the other day. I swam for a bit, then Lauren and I kicked and splashed our legs around. 

When we got back in, I changed into dry clothes and made Eggplant Parmesan while introducing her to the current version of Muppet Babies. "Scooter MVP" gets upset when  he loses every sport he plays. His twin sister Skeeter doesn't want him to give up, so she has the Babies lose for him. Now he thinks he's a great athlete, just as big Sweetums comes in with his wild Marshmallow Kickball game. "Rizzo for Mayor" has the rat making all kinds of wild promises during his campaign against Summer. Like many politicians, he's not so good at making those promises come true when he's actually in office.

Returned to Hogan's as we enjoyed our meal. Klink needs a lot more than "The Big Picture" when he's blackmailed by Gestopo officer. Hogan and Newkirk have to get those pictures back, or Klink will keep taking the money to pay the blackmail out of the camp's budget.

Balki and Larry are "Disorderly Orderlies" in Perfect Strangers when Larry agrees to volunteer in a hospital with his eager cousin. He's really after an interview with a football star who was brought in after he damaged his knee. He's desperate to get a hold of the guy, but Balki knows the best way to make a friend...and get what you want...is to be a friend.

Finished the night online with the original version of the truly bizarre British animated spy caper Freddie as F.R.O.7. I go further into this odd action flop at my Musical Dreams Reviews Blog.

Animation Celebration Saturday - Freddie as F.R.O.7

Happy Together

I rolled out of bed at 8:30, but read for a while before going into the living room/kitchen at 10. Lauren was up by that point as well. Threw on Body Language while I had apple muffins for breakfast and she put on her shoes and socks. Jeff Cohen from The Goonies and Malcom Jamal-Warner from The Cosby Show lead their teen contestants through guessing puzzles. Warner's correctly guessed the last puzzle and made it to the bonus round.

We headed out shortly after the show ended. Our first stop was, briefly, the Oaklyn Library. I told the librarians I'd bring Lauren around to say "hi." We did that, and she chose a couple of comic books leftover from Free Comics Day.

Our next stop was supposed to be Comicrypt on the White Horse Pike, but they don't open until noon. We trooped over the train bridge hill and into Audubon to check out the used music store Abbie Road instead. Bob, the kindly older owner, was happy to see both of us. We've bought a ton of music from him over the years. Lauren found a Monkees CD set with a previously-rare song and something for her dad.

By that point, it was past noon, and while not as killer hot as for much of the summer, it was still fairly warm, sunny, and quite humid. We ended up at Tu Se Bella's for some of the best pizza in the area. Lauren had a slice of mushroom, a slice of broccoli and shrimp, and a bottle of Pepsi. I had the mushroom, a slice of spinach, tomato, and shrimp, and a bottle of Mountain Dew. They were surprisingly dead for lunch time and a day when many schools had off for Jewish holidays. We enjoyed our meal in peace.

Was in and out of a couple store across the parking lot next. I picked up a cute orange blouse with white stars at Ross; Lauren bought a blouse, a sweater vest, and ginger candy. Neither of us bought anything at Marshalls. She bought more blouses at Goodwill. I picked up CDs and a book of fairy tales. 

Between Goodwill and Abbie Road, I ended up with:

Soundtracks for Star! and Rocky Horror Picture Show on record (Star! was still in its original plastic!)

Original cast CDs for Smokey Joe's Cafe, the Patti LuPone 2008 revival of Gypsy, and the Broadway version of Victor/Victoria

Bob Hope & Friends, 2-disc collection of songs, likely from radio broadcasts, featuring Hope and stars of the era (including Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.) 

Nipper's Greatest Hits of the 60's, Vol. 1

Stopped at the Acme after Goodwill to pick up snacks. I bought two boxes of Kashi granola bars. She got Nature's Valley granola bars and Special K bars. Found a bag of Garden of Eatin' yellow tortilla chips on sale with an online coupon. We both picked up cans of Bubly for the way home. She had blackberry-raspberry, I had cherry. (And no wonder I easily got this week off. The store was quiet when we arrived, though the carts that the afternoon bagger - who had to work in the morning today because we have no one else - gathered indicated it was busier earlier.)

Walked home after that. Made our way down Nicholson Road to Atlantic, which is a little bit closer to Hillcrest than the Black Horse Pike ramp. Ran into Rose and the kids at the pool. Rose said she took those two bags of items I put in the garage to Goodwill...and was surprised it was only two small bags. Jodie apparently made it sound like a lot more. I got rid of most of my donations last year and when Jodie gave the bags of Dad's things to Veterans of America in the spring. 

Hitting the pool sounded like a great idea to me. We relaxed for an hour with Match Game '77 while I changed into my bathing suit. Lauren doesn't swim, but she did stick her legs in the shallow end. I did swim, and it felt wonderful. It's a little cool, but not freezing, and was wonderful once I got used to it. At one point, we both lay back on the water and the side of the pool, enjoying the cool water and warm sun.

Returned to Match Game '76 while I made black bean dip to go with those tortilla chips for dinner. The first episode had all of the panelists creating their own puppets when a contestant speaks her answers through her own sock puppet. The second introduced George, a sweet, smiling fellow with glasses who became one of their big all-time winners, and just a darn nice guy. 

The dip was ready by the time of Match Game PM. We crunched as Gary Crosby joined Mary Wickes, Fannie Flagg, Gene, and the regulars to figure out "Leave It to __" in the Audience Match. (Oh, and the dip came out great, despite my realizing my onion went bad and not having picante sauce. Tasted just as good with red peppers and vegetable stock with a lot of spices.)

Turned some of those farm-fresh apples into delicious applesauce while Sale of the Century was on. It was between the ladies today. The man won two Fame Games, but didn't get close on the questions. He did better on the Speed Round, but the champ just pushed through. She picked up a lovely pocket watch on the Match the Prizes board.

Finished the night online with Magnum PI at The Roku Channel. A kahuna - Hawaiian shaman - places "The Curse on the King Kamehameha Club" that his friend Orville (Larry Manetti) is involved with. When one young surfer drops dead in the water right before a big race, It doesn't help that Orville suddenly gets sick, too, or that a young female reporter is pushing the curse as a major story. Magnum begins to wonder if the curse is true, or if someone else wants the club to close. 

Dolls and Sisters

Started off a cloudy morning with scrambled eggs and tomatoes for breakfast and Blockbusters. A sweet teacher beat all comers, easily defeating a sister pair in the first half and holding her own against two sisters-in-law in the second. In between, she only missed one question on the Gold Run and won the money in record time. 

Dressed the dolls for September and back to school after I did the dishes. Molly wear's the original blue and white Kit's School Outfit and oxfords. I love Samantha in her current meet outfit, the pink Swiss-dotted dress with the big lace collar, burgundy velvet sash, and black strap shoes. Added the straw boater from her Hair-Styling Kit to complete the look. Ariel wears the pale blue Swiss lace mini-dress she came in with the crocheted vest and Springfield Collection espadrilles. Whitney is the picture of a nifty 50's girl in the purple and pink gingham Sweet Memories Our Generation Retro dress and magenta shrug. Felicity's in her lavender Traveling Gown (also known as her second meet outfit). Jessa's a lot simpler in a pair of jean shorts from a craft show, the magenta t-shirt from an early AG modern meet outfit, and striped socks and turquoise and white sneakers from a later "meet" outfit. Josefina wears her orange and red-striped Summer Dress with the ruffles on the bottom. 

Switched to Match Game '75 while having a quick Banana-Coffee Smoothie for lunch. Host Gene Rayburn jumped off the pedestal he enters in the opening, making it look like he would be making a far less smooth landing! Bond girl Lana Wood and goofy comic Avery Schreiber had a far less scary time helping a lovely contestant with "Mel ___" in the Audience Match. This is another one where everyone got really into celebrating a win, too, as Gene grabbed Lana for a smooch! Loved Joyce Bulifant's answer to who could fill a hot air balloon, too.

Headed out to run errands even before the show ended. First stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library; I had a book overdue. Went with the next Maisie Dobbs book after the one Linda Young gave me for Christmas, The American Agent. 

Strolled down the White Horse Pike, enjoying weather that was cloudy and humid, but also much cooler than it has been, barely in the 80's. Wanted cheaper chocolate chips at Dollar General. Grabbed lemon extract and trash bags, too. 

I put everything away when I got home, then made the bed while Hogan's Heroes went on in the background. Carter creates "The Purchasing Plan" when London demands that Hogan and his guys keep ammunition crucial to the German underground at the camp. Seems Stalag 13 is low on funds...and Carter's ideas may make Klink and Hogan happy.

Jessa arrived with her fluffy black dog Midnight in tow at 2:30. We had no idea where we wanted to go for lunch. After spending ten minutes driving around the area, trying to figure out what to do, we ended up at Sonic to eat in the car. And of course, it turns out they're only doing drive-in at the moment. We ordered a chili dog for her and a burger for me and ate them on the porch at home instead.

Turns out there's a reason I haven't seen much of Jessa recently. She apparently took a second job (though she wouldn't say what). Jodie apparently told her she'd already put the house on the market, which is why she called me. No, it isn't going up until the 14th.

There was a crowd in the pool when we finished eating. Jessa chatted with Rose, while I joined Reilly, Chloe, Finley, and Khai in the pool. Cider, Rose's big pup, chased Midnight for a while before he and Jessa headed out. I enjoyed floating on the warm water, while the kids pretended to be cats and dogs and splashed each other. 

When they got bored with swimming, they dashed down the block to see what our neighbors were up to. Sandy and her kids and some kids in the neighborhood were having mini-races on bikes and motorized scooters. One of the dads helped a little girl riding a tricycle attempt to keep up with the other two. We cheered them on briefly before I went back inside to dry off.

Worked on writing for a while after I changed into dry clothes. The Mock Turtle (Avery Schreiber) is a weepy creature who sobs about taking classes under the sea and being a real turtle. Brett's amused that he's so into it; her sons would rather play on the beach.

Did laundry between paragraphs. Rose and the next-door neighbors confirmed that Jodie is out of town again, likely until at least Friday. I took advantage of this to not only get my regular load done, but wash blankets as well. She didn't tell me she was leaving, let alone not to go on her side of the house.

Finished the night making a Rosemary-Lemon Cake while watching Three Little Girls In Blue. I go further into this tale of three sisters looking to catch wealthy husbands in turn of the 20th century Atlantic City at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Three Little Girls In Blue

Hot Day at Home

Started off a sunny, bright morning with breakfast and To Tell the Truth. Jean-Louis was one of the great costume designers of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He created the famous slinky dress and gloves worn by Rita Hayworth in Gilda, among others. Peggy Cass and Bert Convy dropped out of the voting; they'd both worked with him. Bill Cullen and I said #1; Kitty Carlisle went with #2. Turns out the well-dressed lady was right. They had more luck with an older woman who started the Gray Panthers organization to help with the rights of older people.

What's My Line didn't do as well with their first contestant. No one came close to guessing that a pretty young woman in a miniskirt was a union carpenter. They did better demonstrating their skills with a hammer and nails. Turns out Jim Backus is great at hammering. He and Arlene Francis weren't as fast as Soupy Sales and Melba Moore, but theirs were straighter. Moore proved to be a whiz at the guess-the-occupations mini-game, getting them all right on the first try. The didn't do much better with a guy who sold touchdown poles for football fields, but Soupy Sales hit that the Mystery Guest was football star and actor Jim Brown on his first try.

I was making the bed when I saw the photographer arrive with their equipment. I settled down to read for a while as I waited for them to take photos of my side of the house. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. I heard them inside, but they never came to the apartment. After an hour, I gave up on waiting and went for a walk, leaving them taking pictures of the pool.

My first stop was the library...but as it turns out, they're only open on Monday evenings and Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Needed to use the bathroom, so I went to Dunkin' Donuts next. Since I was there, I treated myself to my favorite toasted coconut donut. Strolled a few blocks down to Dollar General for sponges, a box of raspberry fig newtons, cheese and tortilla chips for dinner, and a "Lymonade" Sprite.

Put on Hogan's Heroes when I got in. Russian spy Marya (Nita Talbot) has told a German general quite a bit about Hogan's suspected activities, enough to make  him suspicious. He takes Hogan as "The Hostage" and keeps him in an oil refinery...one that the boys were ordered to blow to smithereens. 

Switched to Match Game '75 while having a smoothie for lunch. Goofy comic Avery Schriber and future TV villainess Joan Collins took part in one of the funniest episodes of that year. Charles gave the answer "bisexual" on the Audience Match "Bi __," and looked quite satisfied when it came in second. Later, Gene climbs over the audience to attack the camera when it won't do what he wants it to do.

Heard Jodie in her place and called her to find out where the photographer went. Turns out, first of all, she never intended to photograph my side of the house, only the main house and pool. Second, the house will absolutely be going on the market September 14th...so now I really need to find a place to live.

I was so worn out, I took a nap after finishing the dishes. I had no other plans for today, and it was still too hot to do anything else outside. Despite the noise from the kids playing next-door, I went down at quarter of 1 and slept until almost 3.

Went outside for a short but refreshing dip in the pool after my nap. To my surprise, no one else was around, not even Jodie. I had the pool all to myself. I swam lazily back and forth, occasionally floating on my back or stretching by the steps on the shallow end. Dried off on a patio chair, enjoying the warm but dry sunlight.

Went on the computer to look around for realtors and apartments after my swim. The realtor down the street on West Clinton didn't have the best reviews, but the ones in Collingswood and Haddonfield did. No luck with an apartment, though. Some sites said buildings were unavailable; others said "ask for availability." 

Worked on writing for a while after that. The Queen suggests that Duchess Marcia and Bill the White Rabbit take Brett and her boys to see the Mock Turtle, a wise (if anguish-prone) creature. Meanwhile, Richard's hoping to get his men out of the dungeon...but that means the tarts are unguarded...

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Made nachos with cheese, green peppers, onions, and tomatoes while watching Match Game '76. Match Game PM got a bit wilder at David Doyle tried to help a young man win money with "__ Stadium" on the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night after a shower with The Love Parade on Watch TCM. I go further into this sexy operetta that was the film debut of Jeanette MacDonald the movie that made Maurice Chevalier an international star at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

The Love Parade

We are Family

Started off the morning with breakfast and the soundtrack from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. My family loved this movie so much in the 80's, it was the first feature-length movie we rented on video after Dad bought a VCR. My favorite song's always been "I've Got a Golden Ticket," Charlie and Grandpa Joe's number when they celebrate finding the all-important gold paper.

Hurried out to work after that. Work was very busy and very tiring. Cashiering takes a lot out of me. I never know what to say to people, even when they say I'm doing fine. My register suddenly stopped ringing items two hours before I finished, too. It wouldn't even weigh produce. I moved to another register after I finished one order. Thank heavens it died by 3:30, allowing me to hurry off with no relief.

Took the long way home down Nicholson Road. The weather was too beautiful not to. Sun warmed my back as I made my way around the traffic near the opening of the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center, but the air wasn't smothering, nor was it burning hot. It was the right kind of hot for mid-August. Recent storms really helped the plant life here. Gardens abound with late summer flowers; emerald green leaves waved in the breezes.

Arrived home to a full driveway and a fuller pool. Our cousin Amber - the daughter of Uncle Ken's son Mark - and her pre-teen daughters Ella and Lilly and toddler son Timmy joined Jodie and Rose and her tribe. My next-door neighbor brought around her new Great Dane puppy later, to the delight of the kids who ran out of the pool to pet him. I changed into my bathing suit, then played "mama and baby dolphin" with Finley for a while. By the time I got out, the older kids jumped in. I relaxed on lawn chairs and laughed at their antics.

Tried writing when I got in, but I was too tired. Opted for another cast album while I ate leftovers for dinner and made Cinnamon Roll Cake instead. Carnival! is the full musical stage version of the sweetly whimsical semi-musical film Lili. The story remains the same - a waif (Anna Maria Albergheti) is taken in by the circus when she interacts with the puppet show, thinking they're real. The bitter puppeteer Paul (Jerry Orbach) loves her but doesn't know how to say it, but Lili has a crush on the handsome magician Marco (James Mitchell). Charming and gentle, and a huge favorite of mine. I'm especially fond of Lili's "Beautiful Candy" and "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" with the puppets and Paul's ballads, "She's My Love" and "I've Got to Find a Reason."

Finished the night on YouTube, watching flop game shows in honor of Whew! debuting on Buzzr next month. I've featured Whew! a few times on this blog. It's about as peculiar of a game show as you can get, and probably one of the most complicated games out there. One player has to figure out what's the wrong word in a statement. If they get it right, they charge on to the next level. The other player can place blocks on a question to hold them back for a few seconds. If they win, they run "The Gauntlet," answering more questions listed on 10 "villain" figures designed by Hanna-Barbara. It's as strange as it sounds, but a heck of a lot of fun to watch.

I discussed the 1983 Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour when the owner of the Match Game Productions channel started posting the episodes two weeks ago. The show was a surprise hit for Buzzr despite its hour run time and notorious reputation. The celebrities are frequently from NBC shows of the early 80's no one heard of then, let alone now. Jon Bauman is a hilarious panelist, but he has neither the drive nor the authority to keep the celebrities in line during Hollywood Squares. And truth be told, the shows are two entirely different beasts and really don't work together. That said, the Match Game half is still funny, and we do get a showcase for comedians like Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall, and Howie Mandel who appeared on no other version of either show.

Hollywood Connection from 1977 has similar problems. It's a pretty obvious Match Game clone, right down to the orange set and drunk celebrities answering innuendo-laden questions. Amiable Jim Lange is a fine host, but he lacks Gene Rayburn's charisma and hammy acting ability. 

Most short-lived game shows from the 50's and 60's were erased...but we do have an episode of Missing Links. A distinguished person reads a story with a blank at the end. Three celebrities have to guess the blank. No wonder it didn't last. It's deadly dull. Dick Clark tries to jazz up the proceedings. 

Couch Potatoes is a syndicated variation on Remote Control from 1989. Same idea - people guess TV trivia in someone's basement - but this time, it's male vs female teams rather than three separate contestants. We also occasionally get a guest who explains a question. Marc Summers handles the far less messy proceedings.

The most recent show I covered is 1 Vs 100. Bob Saget hosted the original 2008 network version of this Who Wants to Be a Millionaire clone. In this case, the contestant isn't going up against just tough questions. They also have to deal with 100 experts answering the same question. If they can stump so many experts, they win money. Slow-moving but suspenseful, I can understand why Game Show Network attempted a short-lived revival a few years later. 

While you wait for the arrival of Whew!, check out more of the most unusual flop games to ever grace the small screen. (Missing Links comes with its original commercials; Hollywood Connection has the commercials from its Game Show Network run. And warning about Missing Links - the copy is in terrible shape, complete with numbers running on the bottom. Considering the show's age, we're lucky to have it at all.)

Missing Links (1964)

Hollywood Connection (1977)

Whew! (1979)

Whew! (1979)

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1983)

Couch Potatoes (1989)

1 Vs 100 (2008)

Harvest for My Dad

Began a beautiful morning with breakfast and Hogan's Heroes. Hogan's saying "Don't Forget to Write" when Klink accidentally volunteers to join a major combat zone. It'll take all of Hogan's persuasive abilities to keep him right where he is, and make sure he and his men don't lose their pushover Kommendant.

Switched to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood while making the bed and doing the dishes. "Good Morning, Daniel" and "Good Night, Daniel" show us Dan's routines for getting up and starting a new day and going to bed. In both cases, he'd rather be playing than sleeping or getting ready for school, but his parents make sure he remembers what he has to do. 

Headed out after the episode ended, waving to Jodie, Rose, and a few neighbors setting up for the party on the way. I wanted to at least get to the farm market today. I work too early to get there next week. They were busier than ever with people buying produce for their own barbecues and big summer get-togethers. Ducked around people long enough to buy peaches, a lavender striped eggplant, blackberries, blueberries, cherry tomatoes in many colors, red lettuce, and tiny purple plums. 

Rode there and back across Newton Lake Park. I couldn't believe how gorgeous it was. No wonder the park teemed with joggers, dog walkers, people out for strolls, and kids riding bikes. It was as perfect a day in late July as one could wish. Sunshine glittered on the bottle-green waters of the lake, warming but not smothering noses and shoulders. A soft breeze rippled across the lake, and there wasn't a hint of humidity.

Told Rose I'd watch Finley when I got in. She briefly helped me put away my finds while watching DC Super Hero Girls. Diana Prince steals the "#SirensConch" so she can sing in Jessica's charity talent show. She can't handle that there's something she isn't good at - she has a terrible voice. The shell does give her a wonderful voice, but it also attracts a species of cockroach Jessica's trying to protect. Diana uses her real voice to get rid of them and finally admits that there are things she's not good at...yet.

Put on the newest Muppet Babies episode after Finley left with her family to get dressed for the party.  Piggy and Summer hold a royal ball for all the kids. Gonzo wants to go as a princess, but the girls insist that he join the guys and be a knight. Rizzo the Fairy Rat-father helps him become "Gonzo-rella" in a beautiful gown and glass sneakers. Gonzo shows the kids that gender identity isn't set in stone and some traditions are made to be changed. Summer loves the wind-up car she and her grandfather made, until Gonzo arrives in his fancy pickle car. "Summer's Car Trouble" has her embarrassed to admit the car is hers, sending the kids off on a wild chase to find the owner.

Switched to Match Game as I dusted my bedroom, vacuumed, and tidied up around the apartment. Started on YouTube with my favorite PM episode, #17 from 1975. This is the one where Richard Dawson answered the "Admiral __" Audience Match with "Admiral Color Television" and Gene didn't believe it would be up there. There's some great sniping between Brett Somers and Betty White in this episode, too. 

As I finished the second episode (which was one I watched earlier in the week), I heard voices on the front lawn. Changed into a good skirt and my new sandals, grabbed my purse and keys, and headed outside. Tons of people in Army dress uniforms or colorful summer outfits milled around the lawn or the newly-laid driveway. I wandered around, saying "hi" to a few people, but mainly chatting with Reilly and Khai and eating shrimp, bruchetta, and skewers made with fresh basil, grape tomatoes, and tiny marinated mozzarella balls. 

The ceremony for Dad's "celebration of life" began around quarter after 2. Jodie and Rose set up white folding chairs and chairs from the porch in front of the steps earlier. A priest got a little too religious talking about Dad being in another place. I preferred hearing his long-time buddies from as far back as childhood reminisce about his time as Wildwood's youngest lifeguard in the 60's, or how he got Uncle Ken to help him sneak beer to his underage buddies earlier in the decade, or how he and his best friend drove-cross country in an old van during 1968, or him volunteering for scouting duty during Vietnam and earning a Bronze Star. Two Army soldiers even gave Khai a folded flag in honor of his grandfather. (I heard the poor kid say he was so nervous during that!)

I dashed to my apartment after they finished speaking. I couldn't help it. I held my American Girl doll Jess and cried and cried. I cried because the little girl in me wanted her daddies, and her daddies were gone. I miss my daddies. I wish I'd really known them. I just sat there and held her, crying onto her little soft shoulder. 

As soon as the ceremony ended, every kid there changed into bathing suits and jumped into the pool. I wasn't about to show off my body to people I didn't know, but I did eat my lunch out there. The adults had sautéed chicken in lemon sauce, ravioli in vodka sauce, pasta salad, green salad, green beans and almonds, sausage, rolls, and grilled vegetables. (Had a little of everything but the pasta salad - I don't like olives - and the sausage that gives me heartburn.) Someone set up a smaller spread for the kids in the pool area with chicken fingers, juice boxes, and fries. Reilly, Chloe, Mary, Savannah, and I enjoyed a "girl's lunch" and chatted over our meals. (And Chloe was right - those fries were perfect and really addictive!) 

Wandered among the guests for a little while after I ate, but talking to people proved to be difficult. I hadn't seen most of those people since I was a toddler in some cases. I barely remembered their names, much less their faces. Many of them wanted to see me, but I had no idea what to say to them. It was much easier when the desserts came out. I grabbed a mini cannoli, lemon square wedges, three cookies, and a mini carrot cupcake and ate those instead.

Fled to my apartment after I finished dessert. I just couldn't handle all the small talk anymore. Worked on writing instead. Bill (Daily) the White Rabbit brings around strawberry tarts. These are very special tarts, baked by the King of Hearts for the Queen with love. (Betty White couldn't bake in real-life.) They're only for royalty and guests. The Knave (producer and judge Ira Skutch) drools over them, while Sir Richard offers to protect them for Queen Betty so no one will get their hands on them.

Rose called me as I finished up for the day. She, Jodie, and the other neighborhood moms were cleaning up the food and deciding who got what. I was able to slide huge containers of grilled veggies, green beans, chicken in lemon sauce, ravioli, and all of the remaining green salad into my refrigerator. 

Finished the night with Dimples as I had a snack and got organized. I go further into this Shirley Temple melodrama set in pre-Civil War New York at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Family Fun Saturday - Dimples

One Family Summer

I'm so tired, I didn't get up until past 10:30. Watched Hogan's Heroes when I did finally get going. While leading a group of German underground members through a tunnel, Kinch discovers one of the pipes burst. Unfortunately, Klink and the Germans find out when hey try to repair it. Hogan convinces them they have "Hogan Springs," the purest mineral spring in Germany. Klink starts a mineral spa while the others figure out how to get the underground members out.

Switched to Match Game '79 while making Blueberry Pancakes for breakfast. Paul Williams endures a couple of short jokes while Debralee Scott helps a contestant with "Very ___" in the Head-to-Head and the others try to figure out what a Texan puts in his drink instead of a cherry. Debralee gets to help out again, this time with "__ Talks," in the next episode.

Went out to the pool for a swim around 1. Picked up a new bathing suit in that Lands End order a few days ago, bright yellow with a very pretty green and pink hibiscus print, and wanted to test it. To my surprise, I wasn't the only one there. Rose, Finley, and Khai happily splashed each other as I strolled in. They helped me climb on their new rainbow-colored raft, and I curled up and relaxed while Finley and Rose played sea monster. 

I stayed in the pool and worked on a few laps even after Rose took the kids home for lunch. It was much too nice to go inside right away. While it was warm and breezy, it wasn't nearly as hot as last week. The humidity dropped considerably overnight, too. 

Changed when I got inside, then put on One Crazy Summer while making popcorn and a Banana-Peach Smoothie for lunch. Hoops McCann (John Cusack) hopes to learn about love on vacation at Nantucket Island in order to write an animated love story for his entry into art school. He gets a lesson in a hurry when he and his buddies George (Joel Murphy), unalike twins Egg (Bobcat Goldthwait) and Clay (Tom Villard), and Ack Ack (Curtis Armstrong) help Cassandra Eldridge (Demi Moore) earn enough money to buy her grandfather's home from nasty rich restaurateur Aguilla Beckersteade (Mark Metcalf). Vindictive Beckersteade buys it anyway, forcing the kids to join the Nantucket Regatta in the hope of winning the trophy from Beckersteade's spoiled son Teddy (Matt Mulhern). 

Wacky comedy shows off some very strange gags in its cliched story, from Hoops' increasingly depressing cartoons to Egg getting stuck in a Godzilla costume and what engine they use to upgrade their boat. Weird but fun if you love Cusack, "Savage" Steve Holland's other movie, or the slobs-vs-snobs comedies of the 1980's.

Switched to Tattletales while cleaning the bathroom. Songwriter Sammy Cahn and his wife Tita were the big winners today, just barely over Gary and Barbara Crosby and comedian Milt Kamen and his wife Margot. Vacuumed, Swiftered, and did the windows during Press Your Luck. It started out the same as Friday, with everyone winning something and no Whammies in the first round. They came out a lot more in the second; one of the guys just barely beat the lady with a pool table, among other things. 

Started writing as I heard voices outside. Rose and her family returned; this time, her husband Craig swam with the kids while she chatted with Jodie and Jessa. Jessa's dog Midnight and Rose and Craig's puppy Cider chased each other and played together. Jodie invited me out to dinner at Benihana, a popular Japanese restaurant in Cherry Hill, after work on Wednesday in honor of Dad's birthday. Apparently, Daddy loved Benihana. 

Chatted with Jessa after Rose and her tribe went home to have tacos for dinner. Jessa suggested turning my blog reviews and reviews on my other blog into actual books. It's a legitimately good idea, and something I may consider. 

Finally got some writing in after she and Midnight left. Brett grows increasingly frustrated as the game continues. Betty keeps sending everyone to the dungeon or to have their heads chopped off. It's finally down to Betty, Allen, Brett, her boys, Richard, and his boys, and Richard's more interested in trying to get the Queen and King to listen to him than in the game.

Broke for dinner at 7. Made chicken stir fry while watching Match Game PM. The show opens with Gene deciding to take a nap before he enters. Later, he scolds Brett for stopping him while trying to figure out what cows give at the North Pole. Marcia Wallace has to help a very pretty contestant figure out "Gas & __" in the end.

The champ started strong in Sale of the Century, picking up two out of three Instant Bargains. They proved to be her undoing. The one man jumped ahead of her in the Speed Round. He claimed to love traveling and was thrilled to get the cruise on the Mexican Riviera he really wanted on the Match the Prizes board.

Finished the night online with the second film version of one of my favorite books The Prisoner of Zenda at TCM's on demand website. Stewart Granger is Rudolf Rassendyl, the ordinary British man who takes over for the King of Ruritania (Granger) when he's kidnapped by his dastardly brother Michael (Robert Douglas). As pretty as the Technicolor is, this version is mostly overshadowed by the 1922 silent and 1937 sound versions...except for Deborah Kerr as a ravishing Princess Flavia and James Mason as a perfectly roguish Rupert of Hentzau. See the 1937 version first...or better yet, buy the book or read it online. 

Where Do I Go From Here?

Badly needed to sleep in today after the long couple of weeks I had! When I finally got rolling, I had a fried egg and tomato sandwich for breakfast while watching She-Ra. Picked up from where the set I found at the yard sale left off with "The Stone In the Sword" from the first season. When the stone in Princess Adora's sword cracks, she can't transform into She-Ra or rescue Bow from the Horde. She goes on a journey through magical caverns to repair it. 

Switched to Match Game '79 while making my grocery list and doing the dishes. In the first episode, the contestant is so thrilled when Elaine Joyce matches her unusual answer, both women jump all over the stage...and then Gary Burghoff leaps out and dances with the contestant, and everyone else jumps all over the place! Bill Daily nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to figure out an answer to the first question in the second show. 

Headed out towards the end of the second episode. Didn't really need a ton of groceries this week - I ate out of the fridge a lot, when Jodie wasn't giving me food - but I did need a few things that were on a good sale. Had online coupons for riced frozen veggies, sorbet and plant milk ice cream pints (went with passion fruit sorbet and coconut milk ice cream), peanut butter, and oatmeal. Found a small container of shrimp in the seafood section for dinner tomorrow. Restocked yogurt, cereal, milk, bananas, and hair elastics (my current ones won't hold my hair and keep sagging). 

Also found Clearly Canadian on a good sale. I used to love Clearly Canadian in the early-mid 90's. Bought it all the time from the Eckard's on Bayshore Road as I'd ride to and from the Villas Library. Too bad they're so expensive...because the tart cranberry flavor tastes as good and sparkling as I remember. 

Not nearly as happy with my schedule next week. Two days off (one for counseling) and my cashiering days are normal six hour shifts...but I have three 8 and 1/2 hour bagging days, two in a row. One of the baggers went on vacation, and a lot of people are on non-virus-related health leaves right now, or they've quit. Like everyone else who isn't an at-home job, we're just short on help. 

Put everything away when I got home, then made a Banana-Berry Smoothie while watching more She-Ra. Madame Razz explains how She-Ra came to acquire her famous home "The Crystal Castle," aka the huge pearly pink castle playset every girl in the mid-80's coveted (including us). Hoping to keep Hordak from destroying Queen Angella's home Castle Bright Moon, she befriended a group of trolls who were wary of humans to learn the secrets of the castle's magic. 

Headed out to get the laundry done after I cleaned up from lunch. It wasn't a huge load, but there were a few things I really needed to get done, including a sheet and work clothes. Sat outside and worked on story notes while my clothes were in the washer. It's still sunny, hot, and sticky humid here, but the laundromat was so busy, every chair was taken. Strolled to WaWa after I put everything in the drier for a Chips Ahoy Chocolate Smoothie (basically, Chips Ahoy bits and chocolate syrup in a smoothie - very tasty). 

Rose called while I wrote outside. Did I want to join them in the pool after I got home? Sure! As soon as I rolled in, I put the sheet back on, made the bed, then wriggled into my bathing suit and hurried out to the pool. Rose and her tribe and Reilly and her mother were already there. Jodie and her Aunt Colleen came out later to say "hi." A friend of Khai's came around later (and got into an argument with Rose over whether he could eat Doritos - apparently, he has a food allergy, and Rose wasn't sure). 

The pool water was amazingly warm, like stepping into the shower. Finley probably didn't even notice. She swam from one end of the pool to the other with me and her mother, climbing on my back and laughing when I dunked her under the waves. She's fearless in the pool, probably because she wants to keep up with the other kids. The older kids, for their part, think she's funny. The girls in particular treat her like their little sister and have no trouble playing with her and swimming with her. 

We broke up around 5 so Rose could take us home to make dinner. I dashed into my place to changed into regular clothes and finish putting away the laundry. Ran Match Game '74 as I worked. Janet Finn, who became one of the most popular and winningest contestants of the entire 70's-80's run, made her debut towards the middle of this episode. We got some jokes about whom the Three Musketeers would kiss when her initial audience match was "The Three __." Finley and Reilly came to pick me up...and it was a bit hard to shoo them away from the dolls and stuffed animals!

When we pulled into Rose's house, Finley showed me her room. Or what I could see of it under the intricate layers of toys, dolls, stuffed animals, hand-knitted blankets and sweaters, tap shoes, play food, and Disney Princess costume jewelry and ball gowns spread all over the floor. We were able to find her nifty play kitchen and see how she could open her "oven" and "refrigerator" and take care of her two little baby dolls with her doctor set. 

Rose's original plan was to use the grill for dinner, but she apparently ran out of propane. We had baked turkey tenderloin, green beans, and roasted potatoes for dinner. Yum! I loved it. The turkey tenderloin came out moist and flavorful. Rose thought she overcooked the green beans, but they tasted fine to me. Even the kids ate enough of it. 

After dinner, we looked at all the photos Jodie gave me a few months ago. Rose wants to scan ones she doesn't already have copies of, and I need to start scanning photos, too, now that I have a scanner. We showed Khai pictures of us goofing off in what's now Jodie's pool in the 1980's and feeding ducks on the bottom of the hill in her backyard where the dock now is. Finley got to see us at Disney World in 1986 and 1990, and all the photos we took in front of the giant alligator statues at the hotel we stayed at in Kissimee in 1986. They got to see the pool table and the organ Uncle Ken had in the den in the 80's and early 90's, and Rose and I with Mom visiting Dad-Bruce in Ft. Lauderdale in the early 80's. 

(Research later in the evening revealed that the Gator Motel is still there, though no word if the alligator statue survives.)

Rose also told me around this point that she lost her job as a lawyer for Camden County in March. Apparently, it was a thankless job, and not one she was entirely unhappy to let go of. While she and Craig considered remodeling their house, they came to the conclusion that it's really too small for their family. The kids want a larger backyard, and Rose wants a bigger kitchen and more room to breathe. They're thinking of moving to Hammonton, one of the small cozy suburban-style towns just outside of Atlantic City. Rose offered to find a house that either came with an attached apartment for me, or room to build one.

I have mixed feelings on that. On one hand, I've also put serious consideration into leaving the area over the past five or six years or so, since before the Manor Avenue house changed hands. As nice as my neighbors are, I never really fit in here. I'm tired of being a fifth wheel wherever I go and having no one in the area I can talk to. Even if Dad had lived, I never intended to stay at the attached apartment for more than two or three years at most while I figured out what to do next. 

I've had no luck finding apartments for rent I can afford here, either. That's the other reason I didn't move sooner. Most of the apartment buildings are situated on busy main roads or next to gas stations or car shops and often are not in the best condition. Attached apartments are not only getting expensive, they usually prefer people they know...and I don't know many people.

Trouble is...I don't know what to do next. I want to remain independent, and my needs are different than Rose's. I'm looking for people I can talk culture and do projects with, not good school districts and giant backyards. I'd rather find something near them but not next to them. I do like Rose's idea of the Atlantic City suburb area. Close enough to family and the Shore that it won't take long to see them, far enough away for the prices to be slightly more reasonable. Plus, I still know the area relatively well from going to college at Stockton and taking the train to AC. 

I also need to get away from the Acme. I'm going crazy there. I'm tired of dealing with customers, coworkers who have nothing in common with me, and the revolving door of managers. There's no chance for advancement, or doing anything besides the same thing I've done for 20 years. The only things keeping me from quitting tomorrow are my need for cheap health insurance and my fear of talking about myself. I'm still not sure how to promote myself or my writing. I don't really know myself well at all. I know what I like, but not what my values are, or what I need for my wellbeing. I'm not sure what I want or need anymore. 

Rose had one last project she wanted to do with the kids before I left. Evidently, they read either online or in a book on science projects that Mentos dropped into a bottle of soda will make fizzy liquid shoot high into the air! We stood back as the kids dropped mint candy into plastic liters of Pepsi on their front driveway. It did fizz and shoot up...a little, but not very high. Rose came to the conclusion that the bottles were too warm. They would try again after the bottles chilled. She and Finley dropped me at home shortly after.

Finished the night on The Roku Channel with The A-Team. It's a "Bad Time at the Border" when B.A encounters a little Mexican girl at a local baseball field and becomes attached to her. Turns out she fled from a truck carrying illegal immigrants into the country to be used in a slavery ring and wants to return to her mother, who is deathly ill at the compound where they keep the Mexicans. When they capture Hannibal as well, the others spring to the ready to rescue them. 

Star Spangled Woman

Kicked off a sunny 4th with material from Colliers Harvest of Holidays. The long piece is from the Laura Ingalls Wilder novel Little Town On the Prairie. Pa takes Laura and Mary into the newly-built village for their 4th of July celebration. The girls enjoy fresh lemonade from a barrel, get fireworks from an enterprising local politician, and watch an exciting horse race their friend Alonzo takes part in. Other material includes several patriotic poems or poetry about fireworks and The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. Threw in the final chapter from my book Summer In America about 4th of July celebrations across the US and how they inaugurate "America's childhood." 

Barely had time for two quick cartoon shorts while I ate breakfast. "Patriotic Popeye" tries to keep his nephews from setting off fireworks, but they keep finding ways around his rules. They finally get the hint when a huge rocket carries them off and they have to rescue him. Donald Duck wants to impress Daisy with his big night-time picnic to watch the fireworks in "Donald's Failed Fourth," but first the chairs, then the blanket won't cooperate.

Rushed straight off to work after Donald ended. It wasn't busy when I arrived, but the crowds picked up around noon as the parades ended and the picnics began. Other than a few customers who misinterpreted the big 12-pack soda sale this week, there were no real problems. Thankfully, it finally slowed down just in time for me to close down and leave without a relief. 

Dark clouds gathered, even as I raced them home. By the time I got to the pool in my bathing suit, it began to shower heavily. No matter. If I was going to be wet, I'd go all the way. It was just water, no thunder or lightning. Finley, Chloe, Riley, and I happily swam and splashed in a downpour while their parents huddled under a meager tent and tried to stay dry. 

The rain just slowed as Craig came out and announced the barbecue was ready. Jodie, Craig, and Rose prepared a pretty darn decent feast. I had a burger, Caesar salad, potato salad, fruit salad, a mini-cupcake, and spinach dip with pita chips one of the neighbors brought. There was also spicy sausage, hot dogs, and baked beans. (I never was a fan of baked beans, and sausages give me heartburn.)

After the girls and I ate, we played with Chloe's collection of those new "pop-em" things the kids love. They're basically thicker versions of the plastic wrap that people love to twist and make noise with, often made in goofy shapes and bright colors. The girls love them, and I can understand their enthusiasm. They are kind of fun, and almost therapeutic to mess around with.

When the girls got bored with those, I offered to show them around my apartment. The older girls really loved my American Girl dolls. They seemed to be especially fond of Molly, admiring her camp uniform and playing with her glasses and shoulder bag.

We eventually decided to jump back in the pool...literally, given the kids and I all showed off our goofy dives! Khai dragged himself away from his smartphone games long enough to join us. I swam with Finley from one end of the pool to the other, then floated in the inner tube while the kids played games and chased each other. 

The party broke up around 6:30 so the families could get ready for the fireworks. I went back in my place, changed into dry clothes, and worked on writing. Greg (Morris) the Diamond Card has initiated a "Mission: Impossible" to paint the Queen's white roses red, before they get into more trouble. Brett's not sure helping is a good idea, but the boys figure it couldn't hurt...

Broke at 8 to head out for the fireworks. The weather had turned absolutely gorgeous for a walk. The sun emerged, the sky was blue, and it was pleasantly cool and breezy, especially for July. Stopped at Dollar General first. I wanted Dew S.A again, but they were out. Went with a Baja Blast instead. There was only one other guy in line, and I got in and out as fast as I could.

Crossed the street when I could get between cars and strolled down to CVS. They're directly across from Newton Lake Park...and have perfect sightlines for the fireworks. A lot of folks from Oaklyn, Camden, and the near-by towns watch them there. It was a real carnival atmosphere in their small parking lot, with kids turning cartwheels and taking selfies and parents chatting on lawn chairs or the backs of trucks. 

Hung out briefly by the concrete bridge over the river to admire the pink and lavender sunset before returning to the parking lot. Joined Riley and her parents on the curb in front of the CVS building. Chloe and her parents and Jodie came around later, shortly before the fireworks began. (Rose and her family opted to watch the show from their house.) 

The fireworks are always gorgeous in Collingswood. They get real professionals to do them, and they're twice as long and elaborate as any of the other local towns besides the big Philly show. I loved the purple one with the gold ring that resembled Saturn, the pretty red hearts, and the big gold sparkly ones that faded in all kinds of crazy lines.

Jodie insisted on everyone staying together on the walk home to avoid the crowds and traffic. I tried twice to tell her I've walked home alone on the 4th with no trouble besides dodging traffic every year and I'm an adult and don't need hand-holding, but she was just too worried about the cars all over the place. Once we got away from the crowds and closer to Hillcrest, I walked faster, going past Jodie and the kids and their moms. 

Enjoyed the peace and quiet as I headed down the street. Walking back from the fireworks is almost my favorite part of the Fourth. Most people are on their way back from the show or out of town. It was so cool, most houses didn't even have the tell-tale hum of air conditioners vibrating from their windows. 

After I joined the live chat at the Match Game '91 premiere, I stayed on YouTube to finish the night with vintage parades. Having enjoyed the 1988 Walt Disney World 4th of July Spectacular last year, I did the next two years tonight. The 1989 version was hosted by Willard Scott and that year's Miss America. The actual parade only filled the first hour. The second half showcased musical numbers by the Temptations and that year's newest boy band sensation, New Kids on the Block, along with the Main Street Electrical Parade. Carol Channing and Minnie Mouse came together rather bizarrely for the big patriotic dance routine at Cinderella's Castle in the finale. The Mouseketeers reprised their Typhoon Lagoon number from the Easter parade.

The 1990 show ditched the parade and hosts all together to focus on the musical numbers. Downtown Julie Brown from MTV introduced New Kids on the Block again, this time joined at Pleasure Island by Jermaine Jackson. Gladys Knight and the Pips performed a medley of their greatest hits at the then-newest Disney hotel, the elegant Dolphin Inn. The Mouseketeers brought back a wave of memories with their music video for "Every Little Step," which I fondly remember seeing frequently both on The Disney Channel and The Mickey Mouse Club. 

Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee Gifford joined Minnie and the Disney gang for the Castle number this time, with Minnie leading sailors in "Bloody Mary" from South Pacific and "Anchors Aweigh," Kathy going country with the Country Bears, and the Disney gang reciting the first lines of The Declaration of Independence. 

And here's hoping you had an equally fun 4th of July, whether you spent it at home or out and about with your own friends and family!

A Breezy Day In the Neighborhood

Began another beautiful morning with breakfast and Hogan's Heroes. Season 2 kicks off with "Hogan Gives a Birthday Party." Hogan and the boys intend to use a stolen German plane to bomb an oil refinery. Things go sideways when not only are they visited by a particularly obnoxious German general, but he's the one who shot Hogan down. He claims to know every move he makes...but maybe the last thing he's expecting is for his men to be incredibly loyal to him.

Switched to Blockbusters while doing the dishes. They're back around to the episodes with the mother-daughter team who decimated all comers. They made short work of the handsome fellow in the first few rounds, then the mother breezed through the Gold Run without missing a single question. They were mid-way doing the same to a woman when the show ended.

Listened to one of my K-Tel albums while getting organized before heading out for the first errand of the day. Decided to do my grocery shopping today instead of after work tomorrow and avoid rush-hour traffic. Took advantage of many sales and online coupons to pick up cherries, eggs, bananas, ice cream, zucchini, and peaches. Bought cherry-flavored dried cranberries for a recipe later. Restocked whole wheat flour, yogurt, brown sugar, milk, blueberries, and ground turkey. And no wonder I had today off. They were dead the entire time I was there, with no line at the express lane. 

When I got home, I did another second season Hogan's episode while putting everything away, and then as I made a Summer Berry-Banana Smoothie for lunch. Klink is the one in trouble when Burkhalter catches him plotting to take over and threatens him with the firing squad. Hogan and the boys become "The Schultz Brigade" to keep Klink from getting into worse trouble.

Went right back out after the episode ended. The laundry needed to be done. It must have been busy earlier; I barely got the last small front washer with the short time. Went to Family Dollar for mandarin oranges, pads, and a Baja Blast while the washer was going, but it didn't take long. Spent the rest of the time inside and out, working on story notes. It was too nice to stay inside for long! For now, at least, it remains sunny, breezy, and dry, if a tad hotter than yesterday, into the lower 80's. 

Heard giggling from the pool when I got home. As soon as I put the laundry away, I changed into my bathing suit and joined them. Rose and two of the neighborhood moms watched over Khai, Finley, Khai's friend Chloe, and another girl as they swam on noodles and ducked to the bottom to retrieve mermaid and squirting turtle toys. I first relaxed on a huge black and blue inner tube, then joined Finley and the girls to play with the turtles. Jodie brought out enormous crullers from McMillan's Bakery in Westmont for a treat.

(Oh, and it sounds like Jodie's trying to get work on repaving the driveway started Monday. Oaklyn's apparently giving her the devil of a time about it, including needing surveys and permits.)

After I got in and changed into dry clothes, I worked on writing. Everyone is happily dancing and singing again when Brett hears the pounding of horse hooves. Richard, his boys, and the Card Guards pull out their swords to protect the others, but Charles and Orson continue drinking their tea, and Gary the Doormouse passes out all together. 

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Made turkey burgers, pasta, and baked zucchini fries while watching Match Game '76. Gene's glad to have his door repaired after he broke through it during the start of the previous episode, and he's even happier when a pretty contestant breaks a tie and turns to Richard for "__ Polo." Brett was even more nervous when she had to help a contestant win 20,000 with "__ Do You Do" on Match Game PM.

Pulled Lemon Cherry-Cranberry Cookies out of the oven while Sale of the Century ran. We had another close game, with everyone buying or winning something and no one really that ahead of anyone else. The champ didn't pull ahead until a stellar Speed Round. She once again decided she didn't want the camper and would come back tomorrow. 

Finished the night online after a shower with Charlie's Angels. Kelly and Kris are "Marathon Angels" in the third season when two runners in an all-woman marathon go missing hours before the big race. While they follow their replacements, Sabrina and Bosley follow the girls and call Charlie to ask about a sheikh's daughter who is also running in the race. 

Sophia on The Golden Girls is also competing in a race, in this case a local walk-a-thon. While she enters the 80 and over race, the others babysit for the children of the competitors. They're more than a little concerned when the father of the smallest baby girl doesn't come back for her. Blanche, who never got along well with her own children, is almost-hoping for another chance to prove she can be a good mother in "And Then There Was One."

Sports of another kind figure into the first season Designing Women episode "Grand Slam, Thank You Ma'am." Suzanne is furious when she finds out her baseball star ex-husband Jack claims to have made love with his fans behind her back in his latest book. She storms into the locker rooms to get revenge, only to learn he may have embellished the truth a tad for the publisher. 

Day In the Sunshine

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and Hogan's Heroes. The boys are supposed to execute "Operation: Briefcase" in the second season when a courier brings them an explosives-laden briefcase. The courier doesn't survive, but Hogan and the guys do what they can to get the case to a German officer who intends to take Hitler down.

Hurried off to work shortly after the episode ended. As it turned out, I didn't need to rush. We were just as dead today as we were yesterday, maybe even more. I was originally supposed to go on the register after the first two hours and let the head bagger take over. They had me in a register for all of 10 minutes around 1:30. After that, it just wasn't necessary. I spent almost the entire day outside, pushing carts and enjoying the sunny, breezy upper 70-degree weather. 

It was so nice, I took the long way home after work, despite the rush hour traffic. Everything is so green now. Lillies are out, creamy callas and flaming tigers that line the roads and wave in the breeze. Leaves are big and fat, though the grass seems to be getting a bit crunchy again.

Jodie waved me over to the pool after I pulled in. Rose and her kids, Jessa and Midnight, and a couple of neighbors were visiting. Jodie bought them pizza. I had two slices of mushroom and a slice of cheese as Rose dragged her kids out to take them home. After they left, Jessa and I stuck our feet in the warm water while Midnight sniffed around us and Jodie chatted with her friends. Another mom and her daughter arrived for a swim as we headed out.

(Jodie revealed that the driveway was originally supposed to be repaired on Monday, but she's having a hard time with the permits. She also has neighbors staying with her while they're also having their floors repaired, and she's sleeping in the den because the floor in the kitchen and living room is taking longer than planned to finish.)

Changed and went into writing after I got inside. Gary (Burghoff) the Doormouse tries to tell a stories about three sisters who lived in a molasses well, but the boys don't get it. Brett opts for another song with Charles and stuffing Gary in the tea pot instead. Richard tries to convince Charles and Orson to help him with the Red King, but they're more interested in tea and songs.

(Oh, and the full-series set for WKRP In Cincinatti showed up today, thankfully way ahead of schedule. As it turns out, the individual seasons are included in their own cases, rather than in one large case. I just got rid of the box they came in.)

Broke at 6:30 for Match Game '76. Charles comes in for ribbing when he takes off his shoes (to Brett's displeasure), revealing his large (and very flat) feet. Towards the end of the show, after someone misses a close-up, Gene reveals that one of the "camera men" is actually a camera woman. (And I love that there were camera women working on this show.)

Lay down for a rest as Match Game PM began. Jon "Bowser" Bauman, Betty White, Gary Crosby, and Laurie Macaffery of Happy Days joined in for this 1979 episode. Gene and Betty do their idea of stripping when a contestant says she's fascinated by the human body. Poor Laurie has more trouble with the Head-to-Head question "__ or Bust."

We had three new contestants on Sale of the Century. It was a very close game for the second day in a row. The Speed Round was so close, one of the women and the guy ended up in a tie. She came through in the end and decided to return for another day.

Finished off the night online with Hollywood Canteen. I go further into this 1944 showcase for the famous Los Angeles nightclub for servicemen at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Hollywood Canteen

Celebration

Kicked off the morning with breakfast and Body Language. Came in for the second half of the episode, just as Betty White's contestant won. White's normally a great game show player, but unfortunately, they ended up being disqualified from the bonus round due to using props. 

They had slightly more luck on Blockbusters. The young woman and uncle/nephew pair went back and forth the entire episode. One would get a round, then the pair did. It took so long and moved so slowly, they never did get to the Gold Run in this episode. 

Switched to DVD for Hogan's Heroes while doing the dishes, making the bed, and doing things around the apartment. Started with the first season episode "The Flight of the Valkyre," or tried to. The first appearance of annoying British officer Colonel Crittendon (Bernard Fox) must have gotten scratched when it popped out of the case. The episode kept breaking up on me. 

Moved on to "The Late Inspector General," which worked fine. Colonel Klink is thrilled when he gets a promotion to run all the prisoner of war camps in Germany. The guys most definitely are not. After all, they might not be able to con another general. The five do everything they can to make Klink look bad in the eyes of his superiors. (Or at least worst than he usually does.)

(Incidentally, I intend to buy more slim DVD cases during the Amazon Prime Day sales this weekend. The huge clear cases used for full-series sets like Heroes and the one I have coming next month, WKRP In Cincinatti, don't seem to hold the discs very well. They tend to fall out when you open them.) 

Went into Match Game '76 while getting organized. Loretta Swit of MASH made her first appearance on the show since 1974, prompting a welcome kiss from Gene. Meanwhile, Betty White was of course the only one who answered "dog" to a question about whom the farmer married, Richard Dawson helps out a funny older lady (whose orange outfit matched the set) with the Head-to-Head, and big George Kennedy had a rare miss on a question.

Headed out after the episode ended. Though the laundromat was busy, I still needed to get my small load done. Strolled down to Family Dollar while it tumbled in the washer. They had the cans of mandarin oranges I wanted, but not much suntan lotion. I'll have to get that at the Acme tomorrow. Worked on story notes while everything was in the dryer.

Ran more Hogan's Heroes while I put the laundry away. Hogan and the guys learn the hard way that there's "One In Every Crowd" when American prisoner Jack Williams offers to exchange information for his freedom. They pin their latest act of sabotage on him to get the Germans to arrest him for good.

It was too nice for me to stay inside for long. The sun shined brightly, the sky was a brilliant blue, and while it was a bit warmer, it remained breezy and dry. Besides, I felt like celebrating. I survived two crazy work weeks, and the local kids just had their last day of school for the summer. Bought a slice of cheese and a slice of broccoli-tomato-ricotta from Phillies Phatties and ate it on the patio, watching girls chatter about the end of the school year and their friends and getting together later.

The Puddin' Palace replaced The Square Meal in the business district on West Clinton Avenue a few weeks ago. I've been wanting to try them, but I haven't had the time, and they sold out last weekend. The Square Meal's semi-rustic mis-matched tables and chairs were replaced by a clean white-and-silver wood-and-metal look. 

As you can guess, pudding is on the menu, every kind of pudding possible, from Sweet Cream to Red Velvet and Strawberry. I treated myself to one of the "deluxe" cups of Strawberry Shortcake, which I ate at their new metal picnic benches. Vanilla pudding with real strawberry slices mixed with strawberry crumble over strawberry-white cake. Yum! Too decadent to have all the time, but as a special treat, it was amazing. Creamy, rich, smooth, sweet. 

Went home after that and into the pool. That's something else I've wanted to do, but haven't had the chance due to work. I was hoping to get it to myself, but a couple of neighbors and their daughters were there. I still swam for a half-hour, enjoying the relaxing warm waters.

Press Your Luck was on when I got in and dried off. The first half was surprisingly quiet, with everyone winning money and only one Whammy. Things picked up considerably in the second half. The two women both hit Whammies hard, leaving the one guy to pick up a trip to the Grand Canyon and a ton of money.

Worked on writing for a while after that. Brett's annoyed initially when Charles the Mad Hatter insults her hair. She starts to enjoy herself more after a few blackberry cordials and watching Charles and Orson the March Hare explain why it's not a good idea to put butter in a watch, even if you are friends with time.

Broke for a quick smoothie dinner at 6:30. Betty White, Mary Ann Mobley, and Dick Gautier joined Gene and the regulars for the evening Match Game '76. While they all make jokes about where egg landed on when Humpty Dumpty had an affair, Brett and Betty exchange witticisms, and everyone admires a contestant's massive Afro.

Gary Burghoff took Charles' place on Match Game PM tonight. He and Vega$ hunk Bart Braverman make jokes about what a geisha girl wears when she walks on your back and where George has a giant thumb. Meanwhile, Bill Daily is more nervous than usual when he has to help the contestant win $10,000 with "__ Rub." 

Sale of the Century finished their Varsity Week with an all-around swimmer and diver, another volleyball player, and a runner. This time, the swimmer bought both Instant Bargains and won the Speed Round hands-down. He had more trouble with the Bonus Round...but he did hit the right number to win the tournament and get the jeep and a trip to Seoul, South Korea for the 1988 Summer Olympics. 

Finished the night online with Pee Wee's Big Adventure at Tubi. Pee Wee (Paul Reubens) loves his amazing, tricked-out red bike more than anything else, including his girlfriend Dottie (EG Daily). When a spoiled neighbor (Mark Holton) steals his bike, then sells it, he tracks it down from the Alamo to the real Warner Bros Studio in Culver City. He meets a lot of crazy, kooky, and even kind folks on his journey, people who remind him to follow his dream no matter what, even if it's just getting back his most treasured possession.

God, this movie is weird. You can tell it was the first big-screen assignment for Tim Burton. My sisters and I loved it when it turned up frequently on cable in the mid-late 80's. Nowadays, it's a bit much for me to really love, but there's enough I liked that I'm glad I saw it again, including Rubens' and Daily's pitch-perfect performances. If you're down with Reubens' style of child-like lunacy and Burton's grotesque in-your-face madness, you might still find a lot to enjoy here.

Went to The Love Boat on Paramount Plus for a trip on calmer waters. Kleptomaniac Maggie (Joan Van Ark) falls for a handsome psychiatrist (Stephan Keep), but can't figure out why he avoids her after they have a wonderful night together in "She Stole His Heart." "The Return of the Captain's Ne'r Do Well Brother" brings back Steubing's charming brother Marshall (Gavin McLeod) who is set to marry a silver heiress (Arlene Dahl), if his old flame (Zsa Zsa Gabor) doesn't get in the way. It's "Swag and Mag" when a tough-guy TV star (Ron Ely) tries to impress his agent (Erin Gray) and Vicki by taking on a belligerent passenger (William Boyett). 

Jumped all the way back to the first season for a "Family Reunion." A wife (Dori Brenner) traveling with her camera-obsessed husband (Robert Hayes) is crushed to discover her adored father (Bob Crane), who was believed lost at sea, is really a perpetually drunk scoundrel of a ship steward. Honeymooners (John Rubenstein and Kathy Bates) find their trip "Too Hot to Handle" when everything that can go wrong, does. A supermarket assistant manager (Bruce Solomon) finds himself in a "Cinderella Story" with the help of the crew when they pass him and his wife (Judy Luciano) off as rich advertising executives. 

Dolls on a Sunny Day

Began a sunny morning with breakfast and Blockbusters. Came in just as the mother half of a mother-daughter team tried to figure out the Gold Run. She got half the questions right, but couldn't connect one side to the other. They had more luck with a lady in the regular round when the show ended.

Switched to the Watch TCM on demand site for Hollywood Party as I cleaned up from breakfast. I go further into this bizarre vehicle for Jimmy Durante, Mickey Mouse, and most of the comedians at MGM in the early 30's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Cult Flops - Hollywood Party (1934)

Put on Match Game '76 as I got organized and did a few things around the apartment. Things didn't begin well, as normally on-the-ball Richard had trouble with "Bend ___" in the Head-to-Head. They improved later, as Brett sympathized with Ugly Edna and the others came up with some very interesting (and topical) responses to "Women's __," including jokes about Vincent Price and The Fly. 

Heard familiar voices in the main house as the second episode came on. Rose and Jodie were discussing Dad's "celebration of life" party, aka the post-funeral party we weren't able to have last year. From what they're saying, it's going to be held here on July 31st, and it'll be pretty big, with a guest list that includes most of the members of his graduating high school class and many neighbors. Jodie's having it catered by Anthony's, the restaurant where Rose's husband Craig works, and is trying to figure out where she can rent tents and find bartenders. 

And...they're aware that I have no idea what I'm doing next. Rose suggested looking into smaller apartment buildings in the area. I really haven't had much luck with finding apartments on my own. The one I'm currently in and the one on Manor Avenue were recommended to me by family members and their friends, all of whom have since passed on. The only apartment I ever got on my own was the one in Wildwood with the roaches and the ancient heater and old appliances. At any rate, they did say it'll likely be closer to September before Jodie's able to sell the house and I'll really have to go anywhere.

After Rose left, I headed out to run errands at Dollar General. It was a really gorgeous day for a walk. The sun was out, the breeze felt lovely and cool, and it was hot again, but not humid like yesterday. The grass and gardens are still really dry, though. We're going to need more rain than even the storms we had last night to make things better.

Dollar General was fairly busy around 1 with people picking up a few things as they returned from lunch. I was mainly there for a new thermometer. The old one took batteries I can't find, and the one I bought after that didn't work. Decided I'd try something and bought fixings to make Key Lime Pie, including cream cheese and a graham cracker crust.

Put on Doc McStuffins when I got home. After the whopper of a thunder storm we had last night, I thought "The Big Storm" was appropriate. Doc evacuates her toys to her bedroom, but Chilly and Hallie fall out and get lost. They survive the storm drawing pictures Doc's playhouse clinic, and by staying together. "Spritzy Mitzi" is a hip octopus sprinkler who loves being the life of the water party. She ignores Stuffy's insistence that Doc checks out a pebble stuck in one of her legs...until the pebble breaks the rubber, and she gets a leak.

Dressed the dolls for warmer June weather after the cartoon ended. Molly's Birthday Pinafore with the ruffled rickrack-trimmed sleeves is more appropriate for summer than spring. Josefina is in her Weaving Outfit. Ariel gets (Ivy's) Rainbow Romper and Springfield Collection denim sneakers. Felicity wears a white gown with blue cabbage roses I found at a booth in the Deptford Mall a decade ago. Whitney's in a white early 60's-style tea dress with purple roses and a bubble skirt. Samantha's quite daring in her second Biking Outfit with the tight embroidered Swiss lace blouse and aqua flannel knickers. Jessa wears her white flamingo-trimmed hoodie from a Collingswood art show with the green shorts from the American Girl Girl Scout uniform.

Rose texted me while I worked on the dolls and said she and the kids were at the pool. Stuck my legs in with them for about a half-hour. She pretty much confirmed what she said with Jodie earlier. She also recommended I look into smaller, better-maintained apartment buildings, rather than trying to find another apartment attached to a house whose owners may be more likely to raise my rent or push me out if they change their minds about renting. 

After they left, I worked on writing for a while. Was going to have Brett encounter the Cheshire Cat, but I changed it to her running into Bill (Daily) the White Rabbit. He calls Brett "Carol" (the name of Bob Newhart's receptionist on The Bob Newhart Show) and demands she bring his gloves and fan, so he can start out to the Queen (Betty White) and King (Allen Ludden) of Hearts' croquet game.

Broke for dinner at 6:30. Had ham and sautéed spinach and mushrooms while watching more Match Game '76. Earl, the gentleman behind the Audience Match board, seemed to have a bit of a crush on the pretty new champ today, actively rooting for her. Meanwhile, we get a fairly racy answer on what the Bionic Woman has lubricated. 

Match Game PM came on as I put together cream cheese, Cool Whip, sugar, lime juice, almond milk, and vanilla pudding to make my own version of Key Lime Pie. Bill Cullen returned with Fannie Flagg and Debralee Scott to admire the massive mustache on a bachelor contestant and see Richard drool over a pretty young traveling saleswoman. 

Sale of the Century continues their Christmas week festivities and the close games. Once again, no one got terribly far ahead of anywhere else until the champ burst ahead in the Speed Round. She took the Bonus Round without even the bobbles she made last night.

Finished the night online with two classic TV episodes on The Roku Channel. "Emily By Hart" on Hart to Hart has Johnathan and Jennifer going on a romantic weekend getaway up the California coast. The romance sours quickly when Jen learns that a young reporter she once mentored died while doing an article investigating the crop dusting business her fiancée worked for.

In I Dream of Jeannie, Jeannie's even less happy when Tony is called out to do work for NASA on their third anniversary. He has to bring a can of film to a general in Washington, but Jeannie sees him with a girl and thinks he's on a date with someone else. She switches the film...but that only serves to cause her master worse trouble.