Dolls On a Hot Summer Day

Began the morning with breakfast and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. I grew up on the original version of this show, which was one of the hottest things going during my own pre-school years. In honor of the new movie in theaters, and since the entire series is now on Tubi, I thought I'd check it out starting with "Diamond Ray of Disappearance." Skeletor finds a diamond that can make anyone who looks at it vanish into another dimension. His goofy men lure Teela and her guards away from the castle so Skeletor can make the king, queen, Sorceress, and Teela's father Man-at-Arms vanish. Prince Adam, who turns into He-Man thanks to a powerful sword, goes to Castle Grayskull to figure out how to save them.

Headed out after the cartoon ended. I had errands to run, starting with dropping two books at the kiosk down the street. After that, I rode to the Collingswood PNC to get money. I was originally going to use the outside ATM, but a card pulled up. I ended up inside. 

Had brunch at a busy Sabrina's Cafe. Thought I'd try their 1776 Matcha Almond Pancake Stack. Turns out this was two enormous plate-sized pancakes smothered with matcha cream, white chocolate drizzle, whipped topping, almonds, blackberries, and strawberries. Tasty, and I ate most of it...but also way too much cream and drizzle. They always overdo the sauce on their specials. The hibiscus iced tea didn't taste like much besides sugar. 

Strolled down Haddon Avenue next. I was hoping Grooveground finally opened. It hasn't. It's been closed for remodeling since last spring. I did see the door at Collingswood Music open. I wasn't planning on visiting them next week when I'm on vacation. They don't sell CDs, only vinyl, and Lauren can't take records home in her luggage. For a spur-of-the-moment trip, I did really, really well. I dug five albums out of the 2 dollar bin and found a soundtrack and two kids' albums, one of them fairly unique.

Artie Shaw and His Orchestra - Frensesi: Artie Shaw's Greatest Hits

Songs from The Jungle Book and Other Jungle Favorites

The soundtrack from the 1988 Bette Midler melodrama Beaches

The Jack Sheldon Quintet - Hollywood Heroes

Radio Active, a K-Tel collection from 1982

Lena Horne - The Exciting Lena Horne

A Musical Soundtrack to America On Parade is by far my best find today. It's a gorgeous picture disc version with the music from "America On Parade," the Bicentennial parade for Disneyland and Walt Disney World. I suspect this may only have been sold in the parks, and probably only in 1975-1976. Here's the link to a page from Yesterland that goes into further detail on "America On Parade" and the doll-like figures seen on the picture disc.

Yesterland: America On Parade

Incidentally, the weather wasn't bad today. It was hot, sunny, and windless, but not hot or as humid to the degree it's supposed to be starting tomorrow. Even so, I was still sweating bullets when I got home, to the point where I needed to towel myself off.

Dressed the dolls for July and Independence Day next. Samantha is in her Middy Dress, tam, and black and white boots. Josefina wears her Indigo Skirt and Camisa. Whitney is ready to dance in Oaklyn's 4th of July Parade in the white American Girl dance dress with the red and blue sequins and ruffled sleeves. She's borrowing Molly's tap shoes. The ones that came with the dress fell apart. Kit wears her original Reporter Dress with the red, blue, and yellow flowers and red shoes with the white stitching. 

Molly's ready for outdoor fun in her Camp Gowanigan uniform and saddle shoes. Ariel celebrates the Bicentennial in the patchwork red, white, and blue peasant blouse Lauren sent a while back and red satin shorts from Julie's original Roller Skating outfit. Felicity is airy and cool in her white Summer Gown with the wide blue and pink flowered sash. Jessa's red t-shirt, shortalls, and splotchy high top sneakers are a bit simpler. Barbara Jean is the only one old enough to pull off the pink, white, and blue terrycloth romper with the brief tube top. 

Listened to records while I worked. Jo Anne Castle and Her Ragtime Piano is actually a combination of two earlier Castle albums, Tiger Rag and Lawrence Welk's Ragtime Gal. Ironically, Tiger Rag has the actual ragtime, including the title song, "Dill Pickle Rag," and "I Want a Girl." Ragtime Gal features slightly newer numbers like "Goofus," "Canadian Sunset," and "Humoresque."

Raggedy Ann & Andy Birthday Party starts out a bit like the odd movie Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. Ann, Andy, and the dolls in the playroom see Marcella having a birthday party in the garden. The Camel With the Wrinkled Knees doesn't know when his birthday is. As in the film, he wanders outside and dreams of his friends giving him a party. When Ann follows him and finds out, she encourages the others to give him the party he so badly desires. 

Despite the title and being put out by Disney itself, Songs from The Jungle Book is actually covers of songs from that film. The Beatles-esque "Bare Necessities" and goofy comic "I Want to Be Like You" aren't bad, but the real stand-outs are the lesser-known material. "That's What Friends are For," a number for a pack of Beatles-imitating vultures in the movie, becomes a charming and adorable Beach Party-esque chorus routine here. The brief "My Own Home" is slower and almost slinky, performed by a smoky-voiced lady who sounds a bit like Julie London. The "other jungle favorites" are a slightly re-written "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" and a really cute "Civilization," with a deep voices singing the "I don't want to leave the jungle"part who sounds a bit like Larry Hooper from Lawrence Welk.

Artie Shaw had his biggest hits in the late 30's and 40's, and that's reflected in Frensni: Artie Shaw's Greatest Hits. His biggest was the title song, but there were others that are still associated with him and his orchestra. He seemed to favor slower, more romantic or robust songs like "Indian Love Call," "Softly As In a Morning Sunrise," "Nightmare," and "Begin the Beguine."

Switched to The Time of Their Lives after I finished with the dolls and got everything put away. Poor tinker Horatio Primm (Lou Costello) wants to buy his sweetheart Nora (Ann Gillis) out of indentured servitude. He even has a letter from General Washington claiming he can get more work. Meanwhile, Tom Danbury (Jess Barker) is engaged to lovely Melody Allen (Marjorie Reynolds), but she overhears him plotting with Benedict Arnold against Washington. She and Horatio ride off to warn Washington, but the American soldiers turn up and, thinking they're the traitors, kill them, dump their bodies in a well, and curse them to never leave the house's grounds. 

Almost two centuries later, Melody and Horatio are still ghosts in the house when they realize how the place has changed. It's been rebuilt, with all the original furniture returned. The new owner is playwright Sheldon Gage (John Shelton), his fiancee June Prescott (Lynn Baggett) and her very sarcastic Aunt Millie (Binnie Barnes). They're eventually joined by Sheldon's therapist, Dr. Ralph Greenway (Bud Abbott)...who happens to be the ancestor of Cuthbert Greenway, the man who had been his rival for Nora. Melody and Horatio are more than happy to drive Greenway crazy, until Sheldon's housekeeper Emily (Gale Sondergaard) holds a seance, and they finally figure out a way to find the proof that they aren't traitors and get their unearthly rewards.

This was...surprisingly sweet, even touching in spots. On one hand, it's not your typical vehicle for these two. They do appear together a few times, but don't really do any routines. Apparently, they'd been having problems at this point. On the other hand, it may be not only their most unique vehicle, but one of the most unique classic comedies I've ever seen. Reynolds makes a spirited Melody, Barnes has more fun than she should as the sarcastic aunt, and the special effects are pretty decent even now. If you like Abbott and Costello and are willing to go down a different path with them, try this one on for size. 

Put on Match Game '75 after I had a quick and small dinner. They're now on the week with Bert Convy, Joyce Bulifant, and a pregnant - and rather testy - Jo Ann Pflug. The end of the week featured one of the most infamous Audience Match answers of the entire run. Richard Dawson, pressed to come up with something for "Trench __," blurted out "trench hand." He joked about getting "trench hand" for the rest of the episode, and there would be references to it again throughout the years. 

Finished the night after a shower with more of The Swamp Fox. "A Woman's Courage" switches the focus almost entirely to Francis Marion's sweetheart Mary Videux. She boards a prison ship filled with rebel prisoners coming from Charleston, including the captain who was captured there. She poses as the sister of four of them, then helps them all escape. Francis, who is considering turning in his commission if he can't get more men, is more than happy for the help. 

Celebrating Games

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What's My Line (1965)

Concentration (1976)

Match Game (1978)

Family Feud (1981)

Password Plus (1982)

Child's Play (1983)

Trivia Trap (1984)

Let's Make a Deal (1986)

Super Password (1987)

The Price Is Right (1988) 

Angels In the Sunshine

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel's Babysitter" is Prince Tuesday, who keeps an eye on him when his parents go out for the night. Dan is worried, then upset when Tigey goes missing. Prince Tuesday plays jungle with him, helps him find his favorite stuffed toy, and reminds him that no matter how long they're gone, grown ups come back. Likewise, "Daniel Goes to School," but is worried when his father has to head across the street to the Clock Factory. He assures him that he'll pick him up at the end of the day. Good thing he has lots of fun ways to play with his friends to distract him.

It was so late by the time I got downstairs, I called Uber. They came in 11 minutes, but I called so late that I was late to work. That was the only trouble I had with Uber today. I almost missed the one going to Thomas Sharp, but they did arrive in 9 minutes. I was so tired by the time I finished at Thomas Sharp, I called for a ride home...and was glad I did when the driver arrived in less than 2 minutes.

I started off in the floral department for the first hour, helping the manager rearrange glass globes filled with water, bright-colored roses with glitter on them, and fabric butterflies. They pulled me by 10 AM. Turns out there had been a mistake. The head bagger was supposed to work in the floral department. I was disappointed, and it didn't help that we were busy and I had a hard time keeping up with the carts at first. 

Not thrilled with my schedule, either. Once again, I work an extra weekday because the head bagger will be cashiering or helping the floral department manager. This time, in addition to Wednesday, I work Friday. I'm also going to be working early all week. The Sunday morning bagger took the day off again. 

Soon as I finished, I changed into regular clothes, bought a Hint apple water on clearance, and headed out. Stopped at WaWa for money first, then headed two blocks down the Black Horse Pike to the Black Horse Diner for lunch. Like I told the man who seated me, pancakes were calling my name. And their pancakes were enormous, the size of the plate, and tasty and fluffy. Good thing I only asked for two! I also had scrambled eggs, pineapple juice, and iced tea. I enjoyed my lunch and listened to the chatter of the mostly elderly people around me.

I got to the Thomas Sharp School very early. The kids were still running around on the blacktop. Some of them even waved to me and said "hi" as I got organized. I ended up going for a walk down to the train tracks to avoid distracting them. It was too nice to hang out anyway. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was sunny, breezy, and wonderfully warm, not too hot or cold. Gardens are bursting into bloom now. I even saw the first roses of the year. You'd never know we had such a rough winter by looking at how beautiful the greenery is.

I'm glad I signed in early. We had 24 kids today, 7 at my table. My group went to the bathrooms first, so we were pretty much in and out. Once again, it was after lunch when they got crazy. Two girls hid under a table and refused to get out. They're not supposed to be under the tables at all. Others ripped the paper taped down for stenciling. 

I was just glad we got them on the playground early again. It was too nice for them to be in the cafeteria anyway, especially after they spent most of the winter inside. They chased each other with a big fuzzy spider toy (that got thrown over the fence and a teacher had to retrieve) until there were few enough that they could get on the swings. I gave the kids pushes, even the ones who were capable of swinging on their own, and made sure everyone got a turn. The others danced to "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "I Like to Move It," "I'm Still Standing," "Dance With Me," the themes from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bluey, and PJ Masks, and songs from The Lion King, Moana, Moana 2, Trolls, and KPop Demon Hunters. One of the older girls joined us later to toss a basketball with the kids. They were down to 2 younger kids and 5 older ones when I finished.

Put on The Price Is Right when I got home. I came in just in time to see a lady miss "One Away" by one number. The gentleman after her did a bit better, but the lady was the one who won the big wheel. This was a rare episode with two themed Showcases. One was "Discovering the World"...Disney World, that is, with tickets to Walt Disney World in Orlando and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. The other one was themed around things people needed to get on track after being lost or injured. This included a jukebox and a sailboat. The lady with the trip package overbid. The other lady got her boat and some great music.

Let it continue into Match Game '91 while I ate dinner. They finished out the Soupy Sales week with Sally Struthers announcing that she was going to be doing a voice on the new ABC puppet sitcom Dinosaurs. (Incidentally, Sally was the voice of the younger sister Charlene.) They jumped around a lot after that, finally settling on a week with Tom Parks of Not Necessarily the News and Dana Fleming stuck between whiny Charles Nelson Reilly and Brad Garrett and his goofy impressions.

Finally finished out Charlie's Angels after Match Game ended. In "One Love, Two Angels," Kelly's shocked that she could be a millionaire's daughter when the owner of a hotel fortune (Ray Milland) is convinced she's the child he lost years before. His greedy nephew (Robert Reed) has his own reasons for wanting Kelly to be the real deal. Kelly, however, is not convinced. She insists that lawyer Bill Cord (Patrick Duffy) check and reject his research. Things get messy when first the millionaire is poisoned, and then Bill dies mysteriously after having fallen for Kelly and Kris. The two women have to settle their differences in order to find what Bill learned that ended up killing him.

And I believe that's the last episode I hadn't watched. For all the camp, this is still a fun show. The first two seasons in particular are a little darker than I remember from catching this occasionally in re-runs during my childhood. I know everyone remembers Farrah Fawcett and the ladies'...assets, but to be honest, the show got more interesting after she left. I thought the second season was the best as they navigated Kris' arrival. The scripts were better, too. They started to get goofier in season three. While Shelly Hack and Tanya Roberts weren't horrible as Kate Jackson's replacements, the magic wasn't really there with either of them. Weird scripts in the last season (including that male bodybuilder episode) didn't help. 

If you love the show, check out the first three seasons to get a better idea of the set-up and situations. The remaining two seasons with Tiffany and Julie are more for major fans of this or other 70's crime capers. 

Fairy Tales for Children

Got a quick and late start today with breakfast and Paw Patrol. The "Pups Save a Frozen Flounder" when Cap'n Turbot's boat the Flounder is frozen solid in the Antarctic and winds up stranded. They have to cut it free, then navigate it around floating icebergs to safety. No one on Adventure Bay Beach can figure out what the strange swimming creature with the horn is. After some research, the "Pups Save a Narwhal" when it turns out the tusked whale is lost and looking for its family.

Worked on Legendary Tales of WENN while listening to the second disc of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol 2. I had no idea he recorded versions of "The Mighty Quinn" or "All Along the Watchtower." I preferred quieter pieces like "If Not for You," "I Shall Be Released," and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." 

After Bob Dylan ended, I hurried out for a quick walk. I needed to get money from the ATM machines at WaWa. I grabbed a turkey bacon wrap and a tasty, sweet pineapple matcha smoothie, too. Not to mention, it was just plain too nice to sit inside all day. I didn't have the time for grocery shopping, but I could get this in. The sun was shining, there wasn't the hint of a breeze, and it was warm, in the lower 50's. The vast majority of the snow that impeded my progress on the White Horse Pike Monday had vanished. Family Dollar's parking lot was clear.

I ate quickly at home, then did a few chores before calling Uber. Unfortunately, I ran into the same trouble that I did yesterday...and this time, the weather wasn't the problem. Like I said, it was gorgeous today, the nicest it's been in a month and a half. The driver still didn't come for 15 minutes, and I was still five minutes late to the Thomas Sharp School.

And they did need the help today. There were about 20 kids, not that many, but more than yesterday. The ones that were there were rowdy, too. I had to talk to them about staring at each other in the bathrooms instead of actually going to the bathroom again. One of the girls tried to help her smaller friend, which was sweet of her, but I could handle it. I did better reading books to the kids sitting at the table with the books after lunch. 

They had some kind of after-school club going on in the library, so it was fairly late before we moved the younger kids there. I drew Lady Betty dreaming of Sir Scott and Maid Maple confronting the hypnotized Wizard Victor from my Legendary Tales of WENN fanfic, which fascinated the kids who would watch me draw and ask about the story. The head teacher did have to handle an older boy who got upset because he couldn't go out with the older kids, but she put on "Ghostbusters," "Pink Pony Club," and songs from KPop Demon Hunters and Moana when she got in.  

I decided when I finished that I wasn't waiting for the prices on Uber to go down again. I just walked home. On one hand, I did need to stop at the CVS on the border of West Collingswood and Oaklyn anyway. They're the only place I can find the brushes for my electric toothbrush. On the other hand, my bad knee was sore as heck when I got home. I put it under a heating pad right away.

Went straight into Match Game Syndicated when I got in. Most of the episodes finished out that week with Fred Travelena and his one-man White House and Elaine Joyce. The last one moved on to Vega$ week with Phyllis Davis and Bart Braverman sitting next to each other on the lower tier.

Oh, and I got my schedule at this point. In good news, more hours. In bad news, two 9 to 1 days in a row on Thursday and Friday means two double shifts that'll be hard on my knees in a row...and I somehow got an 8 1/2 hour shift next Friday. I do have three days off of the Acme, from Monday through Wednesday, but then I work three days in a row, two of them along with the school. I would give anything for consistent hours at both of my jobs!

Worked on Legendary Tales of WENN after dinner. Maid Maple LaMarsh and her wood pipe make all of the snakes dance. Betty uses her sentient "Heart Quill" as a flashlight to scare the snakes off. Hilary grabs one to ask what's going on. He only tells her that they were supposed to capture Hilary and bring her to the Snake King Pruitt. Mr. Eldridge appears, telling the ladies that Pruitt has taken over Pittsburghia. Sir Scott Sherwood and his powerful North Star Sword are gone, King Jeffery isn't what he was, and Lord Victor Comstock, the kingdom's trusted wizard, opened the gates and let Pruitt in. The ladies leap on their colorful mounts (Hilary has the alicorn, of course) and rush off to WENN Castle to make sure everything is all right.

Finished the night with more Shirley Temple Storybook Theater. "The Princess and the Goblins" is a retelling of that popular children's book. The Princess Irene (Temple) is a young woman here, though, rather than a child, but she's still not allowed outside of the castle. Her guy friend Curdie is in love with her, and he manages to save her from the Trolls who have never forgiven her father for banishing them. She in turn saves him when they capture him and try to keep him from telling her what's going on...and she saves herself later when the whiny son of the trolls (Arte Johnson) insists she's to be his bride.

I never heard of "The Magic Fishbone" until I found it in a fairy tale collection a few years ago. It's not hard to tell Charles Dickens wrote this story of a very poor king (Rex Evans) who gains a magic fishbone from an eccentric fairy (Estelle Winwood). The king works for a grouchy, miserly boss (Leo G. Carroll) who sounds like Scrooge...and acts like him too when he fires the King. The King wants to use the Fishbone, but his beloved daughter (Lisa Evans) keeps encouraging him to wait. As it turns out, the family is pretty good at making its own luck...but of course, the fairy lends a hand or two as well, including bringing back a handsome suitor for the daughter. 

Sporting Games

Started off the morning with breakfast and Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers. Bugs is annoyed that an Elmer-like cupid is trying to pair off the Toons. He shows him sequences from various shorts to prove he's much better at it than some Cupid.

Headed out for a walk to WaWa after the Toons ended. I needed rent money and wanted to use up some of those gift cards from Christmas I still have on lunch. I ended up walking in the street a lot. The sidewalks were mostly clear...from homes and businesses that are frequently used. Some sidewalks on the White Horse Pike haven't been shoveled. Snow and ice scraped against the edge of the street often made it hard to get on the sidewalk. I had to drop off three books in the kiosk on Johnson Avenue, so I just dodged ice on the street until I turned and crossed the White Horse Pike to WaWa.

WaWa was surprisingly not that busy at quarter of 1. I ended up with a chicken cheese steak junior hoagie on a whole wheat roll, broccoli-cheddar soup, a peppermint mocha hot chocolate, and a soft pretzel. The hot chocolate was more sweet than it was minty or chocolaty. The chicken cheese steak was tasty. I'd added spinach and tomato for more vitamins. Neither the lines for the register nor the ATM machine were all that long.

I was almost home when I stepped wrong on a crack on a driveway and bent my bad knee back. Owwww, that hurt! I let out a long yell when I did that. Thankfully, it didn't hurt so much that I couldn't walk the rest of the way home, but I did need to put it up and put a heating pad on it when I got in.

Watched Remember WENN when I was home and having lunch. Hilary is "Courting Disaster" when Jeff's supercilious lawyer Drake Stanley (Andrew Seear) claims he wants $100,000 in damages. Scott acts as her lawyer and Mr. Eldridge takes the stand on the WENN court program Tell It to the Judge. Betty, Maple, and Gertie trick Stanley into appearing on the show, then manage to ring up Jeff to get his side of things.

The cast is thrilled in "And How!" when they're chosen to broadcast an episode of the network western The Strange Loner. The show's notorious playboy star is leaving to appear in films and turns up at the station drunk and unconscious right before it's supposed to begin. All of the men argue over his role, while Betty talks to Joseph Grayhawk (real-life Native American activist Russell Means), who is the voice of the Strange Loner's sidekick. Eugenia's more interested in her food discovery from Italy - pizza!

Called Uber soon as the show ended. Thankfully, no trouble there again. In fact, while still not where it should be at this time of year, it was much warmer than it has been in the last week and a half, sunny and breezy but not blustery. I got the first in 10 minutes, but had called early. The one going home came in 7 minutes. Got me there on time in less than 5 minutes.

The kids honestly could have been worse. They did get rowdy at the bathrooms, and the custodian scolded them a bit for blocking the door to the boiler. (Which is rather important at this time of year, especially in a 120-year-old building.) We also had a new kid, who was thankfully pretty quiet and not any trouble. After snack time, one little girl brought me an old 101 Dalmatians book from what had been a book-and-cassette...and then, another brought me another book. So many wanted to sit on my lap (and my sore knee) and see the pictures, I stood up and read it to them instead. 

I did have to separate a girl and a boy when we were in the library. The girl kept shoving her chair too close to her guy friend, and she has the habit of drawing on other people's artwork. She threw a fit when I told her he wanted space. Thankfully, the head teacher brought in the speaker at that point, and she joined the kids dancing to "Pink Pony Club" and the soundtracks from Lilo and Stitch and Trolls while I colored with the boys. They really loved the artwork I did of my (hopefully) upcoming superhero based Remember WENN fanfic Captain Victor, Man of Power, depicting Victor, Jeff, Ceila, and Grace Cavendish in superhero and villain costumes.

Took a shower when I got home, grabbed dinner, and put on Match Game Syndicated. Gary Collins, Susan Richardson, Richard Paul, and Joyce Bulifant finished out their week in these episodes. Joyce had a tendency to ramble on about her answers. At one point, she talked for so long, all of the panelists got up and left! She ended up in (mock, I hope) tears.

Finished the night with sports game shows in honor of the Super Bowl next Sunday and the Winter Olympics on Friday. The granddaddy of all sports-based quiz shows is Sports Challenge from the 70's. This is what it says on the tin, a long-running syndicated sports quiz show that pit two then-popular teams against each other. It's a battle of football titans from opposite ends of the US as the New York Giants take on the Los Angeles Rams in the episode I have here.

ESPN isn't the only network that runs sports-based quiz shows. Baseball IQ from the MLB Network pit coaches and players against each other in a test to see who knew more baseball trivia. This tournament-style show only ran a month in January-February 2012, making me wonder if it was just intended to be filler programming during the off season.

Bowling was at its zenith of popularity in the 60's and 70's when Jackpot Bowling debuted on syndication in 1961. Host Milton Berle's jokes fit rather awkwardly between rounds of semi-pro players competing for a $30,000 pot. Berle had more fun introducing the celebrity who bowled for charity between games. British bombshell Diana Dors was the celeb donning bowling shoes in this episode. Keep a close watch out for her then-husband Richard (then "Dickie") Dawson in the audience. 

Baywatch was the most-watched show in the world when Sandblast debuted on MTV in 1994. Two couples compete in a series of beach-based mini games and obstacle courses to see who is top dog of Disney World's water parks. I can see why this ran for two years. The games are honestly a lot of fun, and the energy is electric. Swimmer Summer Saunders was the host in this episode.

50 Grand Slam was a unique stunt show/quiz show hybrid from 1976. Eight contestants competed on the show, two at a time, and were matched up based on their expertise in a certain category. One contestant would be asked questions while the other was in an isolation booth. Whomever answered more questions correctly usually had the option of taking the money or facing an opponent in the next episode. Although we don't see it here, some episodes had a sports theme or a game played. We have the finale here, one of only three episodes known to exist.

ESPN didn't just do sport quizzes. They occasionally had the sports personalities playing stunts, too, as in Battle of the Gridiron Stars from 2005. Football stars of the mid-2000s went up against each other in games based around other sports besides their usual one. If you remember football in that time period like I do, it's actually kind of fun to watch these big guys attempt tug-of-war or dodgeball.

Celebrate guts and glory in all their forms with these delightfully sporting games!

Jackpot Bowling (1961)

Sports Challenge (1972)

50 Grand Slam Finale (1976)

Sandblast (1994)

Battle of the Gridiron Stars (2005)

Baseball IQ (2012) 

Home Front Angels

Began the morning with breakfast and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Daniel Does It Himself" when he has to wait in bed before he goes outside and plays in the snow. He makes a snowman all on his own when he does finally get out. Wish some of my kids had the gumption he shows when "Daniel Learns to Swing." He doesn't want Jodi's Nana to push him, but he's having trouble with the momentum, so Nana points out what Jodi's doing. When they get inside, Jodi's mom teaches them to make the twins' new beds.

Switched to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as I got organized. "Mickey's Choo Choo Express" will Professor Ludvig Von Drake's never-melting snow from Mistletoe Mountain, but first, Mickey and his pals have to find the parts of the train and put them together. They then need to find the track and the way up the mountain to the Professor.

Checked my schedule at this point. I'm not happy at all. Though I only work four hours, I work Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. With school starting Monday, that means two days where I'll be rushing. On the other hand, I have the rest of the week off after Wednesday, including a rare and surprising Saturday.

It was too late by the time I got moving for grocery shopping. I'll do that tomorrow. I did still need to hit the ATM machine, so I went for a walk down to WaWa. I picked up a grilled chicken sandwich and soft pretzel for lunch with those gift cards from the kids, along with a sweet but very cinnamon-y Snickerdoodle Smoothie. It remains chilly here, cloudy and windy, but not to the degree of yesterday.

When I got in, I had lunch while watching Remember WENN. In "World of Tomorrow," station manager Scott Sherwood is excited for the small-time station's big Wizard of Oz-inspired show at the end of the 1939 New York World's Fair. Writer Betty Roberts, who has to come up with this epic and actually get their star-struck cast to perform it, isn't as sure. Diva actress Hilary Booth is more upset that her husband Jeff Singer was called to broadcast in war-torn London by their former manager Victor Comstock. For all his seeming disinterest, it's Scott who finally puts Jeff and his touching speech in London on the air to finish the show...before the broadcast dissolves into static...

After lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon taking down most of the Christmas decorations. I got all the stuffed animals and everything in the bedroom but the big fabric ribbons. The bears I keep out year-round went back on the bed. The Christmas bears and stuffed animals and their clothes went in the felt Santa Bag. Took down the tree, it's ornaments, the tinsel garland and lights. The front door wreath and vintage cut-out cardboard Santa go in the box with the tree because they don't fit anywhere else. The things for the bedroom went in the Christmas popcorn tin I got from a friend a few years ago. The only things left are the miscellaneous items that go out first - the fabric ribbons, the crocheted coasters, the poinsettia place mats, the nativity, the magnets. 

The staff of WENN aren't the only ones dealing with the realities of World War II. Molly: An American Girl On the Home Front (Maya Ritter) is living in a normal Chicago suburb in 1944 with her parents Helen (Molly Ringwauld) and Dr. James (David Aaron Baker) McIntire and her older siblings Jill (Genevieve Farrell) and Ricky (Andrew Chalmers). Molly loves tap dancing (even if she isn't the best) and speculating with her best friends Linda (Samantha Somer Wilson) and Susan (Hannah Fleming) about what their pretty, glamorous teacher Miss Campbell's (Sarah Mannien) wedding will be like. 

The bottom drops out of Molly's world when Dr. McIntire enlists to take care of troops in war-torn London. Her mother gets a job at an aircraft manufacturing plant, which brings in fussy Mrs. Gilford (Sarah Orenstein) and her rules and turnips from her garden. Her favorite Aunt Eleanor (Amy Stewart) joined the WASPs as a pilot. Then sweet, shy Emily Bennett (Tory Green), an English refugee, comes to stay with Molly's family. Molly assumes she's wealthy, titled, and stuck-up, but she's really scared and lonely. Molly learns a lot from London native Emily about how the war really effects people, When Mrs. Gilford and Miss Campbell lose people who are close to them and Dr. McIntire goes missing, Molly begins to realize just how hard wartime is, and why we all have to make sacrifices to achieve our goals. 

A lot of American Girl fans like this movie better than most of Molly's core books, claiming Molly is more sympathetic, Emily is more than a one-note character who was there to argue with Molly, and it expands more on the characters. On one hand, I miss a lot of charming incidents from the books that made them so funny, like Molly's Halloween war with Ricky, Molly and her friends making a quilt for the soldiers, and their entire trip to summer camp. And I really wish they'd done a lot more with the Aunt Eleanor subplot. She's brought up for one scene and vanishes after that. 

On the other hand...yeah, I can see their point. For one thing, Ritter's Molly is heartbreaking and hilarious, especially when she's trying so hard to learn those dance steps. The scene where Emily has a nightmare and Molly talks to her and comforts her is more touching and effective than anything in the birthday book, as is the scene during the air raid where Dr. McIntire finally gets the courage to tell everyone he's going overseas. Getting to know her dad before he leaves is a major plus. In the books, he only really appears in the last few paragraphs of Changes for Molly, one of her mysteries, and her Route 66 book. Here, we can see their close relationship and understand why she misses him like she does.

If you have a daughter with a Molly doll or is a fan of mid-20th century history or a tap-dance queen, you'll definitely want to share Molly's wartime journey with her. 

Switched to The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club as I worked on taking down the tree, and later as I vacuumed the fake needles on the floor. Lord Peter Wimsey (Ian Carmichael) is asked to investigate the death of 90-year-old General Fentiman (Ralph Truman), who passed on at the Bellona Club, a club for veterans. Thing is, no one seems to be sure of the time he died even Dr. Pemberty (Donald Pickering), who checked his body. He was just found with his heart stopped. His sister Lady Dormer died earlier in the day. Their estate is to be divided among her companion Ann Dorland (Anna Cropper) and his grandsons Robert (Terrance Alexander) and George (John Quentin) Fentiman. George has been having trouble with hallucinations and keeping a job ever since he came home from World War I shell shocked, and his wife Sheila (Vivien Heilbron) is worried. Ann refuses to talk to anyone, especially after it's discovered she knows a lot about poisons. Wimsey does manage to work out the time, via everyone stopping for 2 minutes of silence on Armstice Day, but he has a harder time with this motley crew with their vast array of motives.

Carmichael is a wonderful, inquisitive Wimsey in this charming BBC adaptation from the 70's. There's some great costumes for the BBC in this time period that really capture the flavor of the early 20's. I might have to look for the rest of these if they're as much fun as this.

Switched to a more modern sleuthing group as I finally sat down for dinner. Charlie's Angels are shocked when three women who look just like them rob a sports arena. The real Charlie lets them stay at another gentleman's club while they try to figure out who is impersonating him and them and what these "Counterfeit Angels" are really after. 

Finished the night earlier in the 70's with my Super Hits of the 70's: Have a Nice Day Vol 4 CD that I found the other day. This one goes way far back, right to the beginning of the 70's, when hard rock, soul, R&B, and bubblegum pop ruled the airwaves. Hits from that era that are still fairly well-known nowadays include "Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson, "Mr. Bojangles" by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, "Put Your Hand In the Hand" by Ocean, and "Stay Awhile" by the Bells. 

Outrunning the Storms

Got a quick start today with breakfast and What's New, Scooby Doo? Fred enters the Mystery Machine into an off-road race vehicle in "The Fast and the Wormious" to join a Mexican off-road rally race. This might be one of the weirdest episodes of the entire series. The drivers are all attacked by a massive worm that damages their vehicles. Fred and the others have to figure out what's going on here, dodge an annoying geek with a crush on Velma, and get to the end of the race before everyone else!

Headed out after the cartoon ended. I had errands to run in Collingswood, starting a quick walk to PNC Bank after I locked my bike at the rack behind the senior center. I did have to wait a minute to use the indoor machine, but once it was free, I went in, got my money, and went out.

Stopped at Sabrina's Cafe for lunch next. They were busy, but I did manage to get a table near the bathrooms. My original thought was eggs, but their Key Lime Pie Pancakes sounded too good to miss...and they were. The thick lime custard topping and graham cracker crumble were absolutely amazing, even if the pancakes themselves were a bit dry. I washed it down with sweet Matcha Lemonade.

Collingswood Music is one of the few stores in town open on Mondays, so I went there next. Two pre-teen boys were discussing guitar lessons with the owner when I arrived. I didn't do nearly as well there as I have in the past, only coming up with: 

Olivia Newton-John - Have You Never Been Mellow?

Swing Concert: Carnegie Hall Concerts 1938/39 (Apparently a collection of the Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Kansas City Six concerts recorded at the famous venue around this time.) 

Went back up Haddon Avenue, first for a quick stop at Haddon Culinary. It looked like they were selling fruit from the Farm Market. $8.99 was a bit steep for cherries and strawberries, but I did get blueberries along with a Coke Zero. Peeked around at the Collingswood Library, but saw nothing of interest and just ended up using the bathroom.

It had been hot, sunny, and killer humid again when I left for Collingswood. Heavier clouds began to gather as I rode through Newton Lake Park and up the White Horse Pike to Dollar General. I didn't like the look of the weather and limited my stop there to grabbing a card and a bag for Finley's birthday. It was thundering even as I jumped on my bike. The rain finally started about 20 minutes after I got in, and it would rain off and on, sometimes complete with thunder, for the rest of the day. 

After I got in, I took the laundry downstairs, then put on Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde while vacuuming, Swiftering, and dusting. Slim (Abbott) and Tubby (Costello) learn a lot more about English detective methods than they could have imagined when the two cops are in London during a series of horrific murders. Kicked off the force after they were unable to stop a women's suffragette rally from descending into chaos, they become determined to capture this fiend. 

Turns out it's the brilliant Dr. Jekyll (Boris Karloff) whose formula has turned him into the monstrous Mr. Hyde (Eddie Parker) who is committing the murders. He's in love with dancer Vicky Edwards (Helen Westcott), but when she falls for journalist Bruce Adams (Craig Stevens), Mr. Hyde goes after him. Tubby discovers the truth, but he keeps turning into animals and monsters after taking one of Jekyll's potions. He and Slim have to race against time to save their friends and prove that this monster is the one causing all of the mayhem.

Yeah, not the most accurate retelling of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but definitely one of the most fun. Despite it being set in London, almost no one has an accent. This is meant to be pure goofiness. There's some surprisingly decent special effects on this one for the time, especially when Lou turns into a mouse or a monster. Definitely recommended for fans of Abbott and Costello or comic mysteries.

Put the laundry in the dryer, then switched to Mystery at the Wax Museum while finishing the dusting and wiping down the window. Sculptor Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill) may love his highly detailed work in wax for his London museum, but his partner Joe Worth (Edwin Maxwell) just wants to burn the place down for the insurance. Igor goes up with it, turning up twelve years later in New York at another wax museum. Now he's hired sculptors to recreate his masterpieces. Reporter Florence Dempsey (Glenda Farrell) smells a story, especially after a girl turns up dead and her boyfriend is questioned. With her editor Jim (Frank McHugh) demanding a sensational story, she and sculptor Ralph Burton (Allen Vincent) set out to find the truth about Ivan's incredible works...and what's under the wax.

Who knew the frothy pastels of Two-Strip Technicolor could get this scary? This would be one of the last movies done in this format, and it somehow makes Igor's creations even more sinister. I believe I have the re-release from 2020, and the print is honestly pretty good, without too much wear or tear. Farrell tears into her role as the mouthy reporter, and Atwill makes a suitably chilling mad sculptor. Highly recommended for 30's horror fans, or those who don't think Technicolor can be spooky.

Reluctantly finished off Remember WENN while finishing the cleaning and settling down to write. "At Cross Purposes" kicks off when Jeff turns up at the station in a dress for his role in Charley's Aunt. He's not the only one who ends up in a dress when a process server appears at WENN with marriage papers from Pavla Nemcova...but Scott and Maple are convinced he's after them and end up cross-dressing, too. (Incidentally, the dress works fine on lanky Hugh O'Gorman. On big, bear-like Kevin O'Rourke...not so much.) The episode ends with newsgirl Betty announcing that it's December 7th...and America is now at war.

"All Noisy On the Pittsburgh Front" brings Victor back, happily declaring that he's now running a station for military personnel in addition to WENN. All of the male staff members attempt to join the military...but the only one who actually can is Scott. He and Victor finally put Betty on the spot regarding which one she loves more. Meanwhile, the others deal with a loony (J.K Simmons) who thinks he's Captain Amazon, Eugenia proposes to Mr. Foley, and Hilary claims she's married to someone else.

And that's...it. I'm still salty to this day about AMC's poor treatment of this show. While I am glad that they're now at least acknowledging its existence and putting it on their website and elsewhere, they shouldn't have interfered with the 4th season or cut it off like they did to begin with. This is one of the best sitcoms made in the late 90s. It feels more like something HBO made over a decade later. It deserves far better than it ever got, and thank heavens it can now be seen by the much wider audience it deserves.

In fact, I'm not ready to let this show go yet. Not this time. I'll let it go for the rest of the week, but I might start over with "On the Air" next Monday after we get past the 4th of July weekend. Besides, I'm writing fanfiction again. I missed this show too much to stop now.

Switched to Match Game Syndicated after dinner and bringing the laundry upstairs. For some reason, Buzzr jumped way into the syndicated shows here. The first one featured a handsome young contestant who gave Marcia Wallace a kiss and danced with her for helping him with the Audience Match, to her surprise and delight! The second featured a funny older British lady who wrote dirty limericks, but couldn't really figure out the game very well.

Worked on writing while Match Game was on and afterwards. Hilary, Maple, and Betty dream themselves into the rose garden surrounding the mansion at night..but it's summer rather than winter, and they're all dressed in early 30's splendor, complete with a yellow rose-print dress for Hilary. Jeff turns up first, in his tux from "From the Pen of Gertrude Reece" and "Pratfall"...but he's not waiting tables now. He warns Hilary to look beyond appearances, and tells her he's still in her heart. 

He's flanked by two shadowy figures, one larger and wearing a white tux (Scott always did look gorgeous in his white tuxedo from "Pen of Gertrude Reece" and "Pratfall"), the other taller and wearing a simpler black tux (I don't think Victor ever got the chance to dress up, even in "Pen of Gertrude Reece"). The ladies duck into the shadows, only to find that the men can neither speak, nor leave the darkness. Maple still tells the taller guy she likes him, while Betty ends up in the strong arms of the other.  

Pavla turns up as the wind blows, leaving withered roses in her wake. She's flanked by shadowy creatures resembling the Troll who immediately grab Betty back. Her shadowed suitor angrily attacks the creatures, only to be punched in the stomach and held down. Maple tries to defend the taller one, but he's captured too when she runs over to help Betty. Hilary does manage to scratch Pavla before the creatures knock her out. Jeff's screaming to look past appearances and the roaring wind are the last things she hears before she passes out.

Finished the night with the Fairie Tale Theatre "Beauty and the Beast." Klaus Kinski is an unlikely Beast, but Susan Sarandon is a glowing Beauty in this retelling of the 1946 French film. The sequences at Beauty's home are shot on film, the only ones in the show to be so. Look for Anjelica Huston as one of Beauty's spoiled sisters. 

Big Time Harvest

Began the morning with breakfast before hurrying off to the Collingswood Farm Market. It was supposed to storm all day, but it was merely cloudy, cool, and windy when I rode my bike to PNC Bank. I needed money for the farm market and the rent. The main building was closed, but the lobby was opened, so I was able to use the inside ATM.

I must not have been the only one who wanted to take advantage of the decent weather while Mother Nature continued to be generous. The farm market was mobbed when I arrived. People were buying first-of-the-year tomatoes, peas, and cucumbers for their weekend barbecues and birthday parties. Disappointingly, I saw no strawberries. I just bought apples and an apple cider doughnut from Springfield Farms in Cherry Hill.

Rushed home for a quick lunch and Big Time Movie. I go further into this hilarious spoof of spy capers and Beatles films featuring Nickelodeon's boy band Big Time Rush at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Family Fun Saturday - Big Time Movie

The weather still looked iffy at quarter of 1, so I called Uber for a ride to work just in case it actually rained. No trouble there. The driver going to work arrived in 7 minutes; the one going home came in 6. No traffic either way.

It did rain briefly twice when I was outside with the carts, once somewhat heavily...but they both proved to be short-lived. It mostly continued to be cloudy and windy all afternoon. We were super busy when I arrived. They kept putting the head bagger in registers, which meant I had to sweep and do the carts. Once she took over sweeping and the inside chores, I focused on the carts. By the time I finished, it had quieted down considerably, and the carts weren't vanishing nearly as fast. No trouble whatsoever. 

Oh, and I got my schedule at work, too. Yes, I got my vacation week. I didn't think there would be trouble getting it. Beginning of the month shoppers aside, the Acme won't pick up until we hit high school graduations and Father's Day weekend. 

Finished Big Time Movie when I got home, then moved to YouTube for the Loretta Swit Match Game marathon. She was one of the earliest semi-regulars, appearing fairly frequently during 1973 and early '74 and more sporadically through 1980. She started out early in '73, when the questions were still pretty simple and the audiences a bit more subdued, on the week that also introduced Kaye Ballard and Mary Ann Mobley. 

She was one of the few panelists who had the honor of sitting in all three seats. She could occasionally be found in Brett's character actress seat during 1973. From late '73 onward, she switched between the 4th and 6th seats, doing equally well in both places. She was in the 6th seat during the memorable week with "Mama" Cass Elliot in mid '73, one of only two rock stars to appear on the show, and ended up spending that week listening to Brett and Jack Klugman argue over her head.

She did better later in the series. She dodged Kaye Stevens of the noisy giggles and gentle football player Rosy Greer during a week in 1974. 1975 brought in a charming older lady with a delightful laugh who didn't do very well with her question, but was a lot of fun to watch. She saw Scoey Mitchill complain about Fannie Flagg not matching the contestants in the syndicated era. (Not that Scoey was one to talk. I can count the times he matched on one hand.) She was there during the only week for adorable hostess and dancer Ruta Lee, and to hear Charles' heartfelt dedication to Betty Grable, who passed away shortly before Match Game began. 

Loretta figured into some memorable nighttime episodes, too. The best was definitely the one with the sweet little old man who claimed he was an amateur humorist, looked like Wally Cox, and called himself "Tiger." The panelists were charmed, and the young woman contestant next to him thought he was so cute, she claimed they were engaged. 

Celebrate the life of the best nurse on the 4077th with this charming marathon! And come back tomorrow for Swit's other game show appearances, including on the $10,000 and $20,000 Pyramids and Password Plus.

Match Game Saturday Classics - In Loving Memory of Loretta Swit: A Tribute

There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

Began the morning with breakfast and Alice's Wonderland Bakery. "Fergie Suits Up" to fulfill his dream of one day becoming a Card Guard by joining the Card Guard Academy. He trips up the games to protect Rosa at every turn...until Rosa is in real danger, and he's the only one who can save her. "Look Who's Knocking?" The talking Door Knob, who delivers the kids to various places in Wonderland, but never gets to join in the fun. Alice and the others finally realize that they're leaving him out and have a special party just for him.

Headed to work after the cartoon ended. No trouble here. It's the middle of the week and the last day of the month. Not to mention, the weather was stunning, sunny, breezy, cloudless, and warm, into the lower 80's. Even when I had to return cold items, I didn't fall behind on anything. I was in and out with no problems whatsoever.

It was so gorgeous, I went home after work, changed, went briefly online, and went right back out again on the bike. I was originally going to take out money for the rent and to hit the Mt. Laurel Library Book Sale tomorrow, but decided to do it today instead. Got the money at WaWa, along with a soft pretzel and a sweet and tasty mocha mint smoothie.

Spent the rest of the afternoon moving the remaining CDs to the holders I bought at 2nd Avenue Thrift yesterday while watching the episodes I hadn't gotten to yet on the Tomorrowland Walt Disney Treasures set. My favorite episode on the set was Mars and Beyond. Walt and his animators really got creative with the wild designs imagining what life would be like other planets. Love the lady who eventually saves herself from them in a hilarious spoof of typical pulp science fiction. 

The episodes on the second disc were less interesting. The short Eyes In Outer Space goes into details about satellites, what they do, and how they can help us track the weather. Our Friend the Atom features some unique abstract animation and a story involving an uncontrollable genie to show how nuclear energy was considered a viable source of clean fuel in 1957. Having seen the Defunctland episode on the original futuristic city version of EPCOT, I find it hard to be as enthusiastic for the last film Walt Disney would appear on in his lifetime. It sounds more impractical and nearly dystopian than actually viable. 

I wasn't expecting to enjoy the material on this set as much as I did. Mars and Beyond in particular features some of the most imaginative animation Disney ever did. Even if you're like me and you don't think you'll be into the subject matter, give this one a chance. It might surprise you. (It also helps that this is one of the less-expensive Treasures sets online. Copies can be found on eBay for as little as $15 with shipping.)

Had dinner while watching Press Your Luck, and then Match Game '78. Helaine Lembeck of Welcome Back Kotter and Betty White join the fun when a short stagehand gives Gene an old-fashioned microphone, of the kind they used in radio during the 30's and 40's. Gene does try to use it, but it's a bit hard to talk into for a guy who is constantly moving around.

Finished the night at Tubi with The Secret of Moonacre. In the 1870's, Maria Merriweather (Dakota Blue Richards) and her governess Miss Heliotrope (Juliet Stevenson) travel to the crumbling Moonacre Manor to live with Maria's uncle Sir Benjamin Merriweather (Ioan Gruffudd). Her father left her nothing but a book detailing how the Moon Princess (Natascha McElhone) gave her fiance (Gruffudd) pearls that reveal people's true natures. Unfortunately, it revealed him and the head of the near-by clan the de Noirs (Tim Curry) to be greedy and selfish. The Moon Princess hid the pearls and cursed the valley to be plunged into an eternal darkness by the 5,000th moon rise. 

Sir Benjamin continuously tells Maria not to go into the woods around the manor, but she's drawn there anyway. She's twice nearly harmed by bandits, who turn out to be Coeur de Noir (Curry) and his son Robin (Augustus Prew). His beautiful daughter Loveday (McElhone) was once betrothed to Sir Benjamin, but he turned her away when he realized she was a de Noir. 

Sir Benjamin's eccentric chef Marmaduke (Andy Linden tells Maria she's the next Moon Princess. Loveday admits she was the previous one, but couldn't get Sir Benjamin to get past his stubbornness and bring together their families. Maria is now determined to find the pearls, end the curse, and prove to everyone the trouble that greed, anger, and pride can cause. 

This doesn't seem to be terribly well-regarded, but I found it to be attractive and charming. The stiff dialogue and some so-so special effects are set off by the enjoyable story and some decent performances, especially from Dakota Blue Richards as intelligent and strong-willed Maria. Worth checking out if you're a fantasy fan or have late elementary school or pre-teen kids who are. 

No April Foolin'

Began the morning with breakfast and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The "Equestria Games" finally begin as Spike and the delegates from Ponyville take part in the festivities. Spike gets stage fright when called on to light the torch. Twilight uses her magic to do it for him, leading him to believe he can light it with his mind. He tries to help in other ways when he learns otherwise, but just ends up embarrassed. It takes a major calamity that only he can stop to make him see just how valuable a member of the team he is.

Threw on Press Your Luck while getting organized. I came in during the second half of the episode. The one lady accidentally passed her seven turns over to the guy next to her, forgetting he already had over $10,000. She thought she made a mistake...but a Whammy wiped him out. She would earn enough money to make it to the next show. She did well enough in the first round, but another guy did better and was leading when I left.

Started with a stroll to Dollar General. I mainly needed cough drops and tissues. I've used up a ton of both lately, thanks to my allergies. I got the only sugar-free bag of cough drops they had, along with two boxes of tissues, more Propel-type drink mixes, and a card for my nephew Khai's birthday later this month. 

Headed down the White Horse Pike to WaWa next. I was mainly there to use the ATM machine and get the rent. Treated myself to a pretzel and a strawberry cheesecake smoothie. Yum. The smoothie was really good. It didn't taste like cheesecake, but it sure tasted like strawberries. I suspect WaWa likely used real ones. 

The other reason I went for a walk was simply to enjoy the gorgeous weather. Though it was windy, it also wasn't that cold for early April, probably in the upper 50's-lower 60's, and sunny and bright as can be. Though most people haven't put up their Easter decorations yet, their gardens are bursting with new green grass, brilliant yellow and white daffodils, and deep purple violets. The trees are blossoming now too, wide carpets of pink, white, and purple.

Had lunch, then vacuumed and dusted my rooms while watching Night at the Opera. I go further into this classic Marx Brothers movie for April Fool's Day at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Happy April Fool' Day! - A Night at the Opera

Switched to the Peanuts baseball specials in honor of the just-started season while I put up the Easter decorations. Charlie Brown's All-Stars are ready to quit, but Chuck manages to entice them with the promise of new uniforms. Unfortunately, the offer is withdrawn when the businessman discovers that the team features four girls and a dog. After Linus and Schroeder scold the girls for their nasty behavior towards Chuck, they find a way to show how much they appreciate him. 

It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown is an almost identical story, but this time, the kids just have to win a game to get their uniforms. Frieda's little brother Leland insists on joining the big kids, despite being far younger than them. He ends up being the hero of the game when he's too small for the pitcher to really aim at and literally stumbles around the bases.

Went downstairs after the cartoon ended to make muffins for work this week. I've made Orange-Chocolate Chip Muffins from The Hershey's 1934 Cookbook before. They're another recipe that hasn't failed me yet. I overcooked them slightly, but they still tasted wonderful. I added fresh-squeezed orange juice from the one I zested to give them even more flavor.

Watched Match Game Syndicated as I baked and ate dinner. The first two hours finished out the week with Fred Grandy, Gary Crosby, Marjorie Wallace, and a noisy audience full of college students. The last hour moved to the first week Brett was away appearing in a play. Bubbly Betty Kennedy took her place and Phyllis Diller took over her crusty wisecracks. McLean Stevenson demonstrated why he'd permanently take over the third seat in the next season.

Finished the night working on my review with more recent record and CD finds. I had no idea what Dr. Blizzard's Original Savannah Band was before I ran across this, but I loved the colorful cover depicting the big band era of the 1940's. Apparently, they were a disco group with a big-band sound, not unlike some of Donna Summer's earlier work. "Cherchez La Femme," "Hard Times," and "Sour and Sweet/Lemon In the Honey" in particular leaned on the big-band side of things.

 

I was a kid when The Kinks made their comeback in the late 70's-early 80's. "Come Dancing" was one of my favorite songs from my early childhood. I may not have known what a "palley" was, but I figured it was like the dance halls and soda shops I saw in movies set in the 40's and 50's and heard about in my parents' stories of their childhoods. Come Dancing With the Kinks features this and more songs from that comeback, including "A Rock and Roll Fantasy," "Low Budget," and "Father Christmas."

Everything Under One Roof

Began the morning with breakfast and The Scooby Doo Show. The gang is told "Don't Go Near the Fortress of Fear" during a fishing trip to Puerto Rico. Shaggy and Scooby first encounter the ghost of conquistador General Juan Carlos when they visit an old fort, but they try to hide it from the others to avoid having to chase ghosts. Mystery Inc can't stay away from a ghost story for long, though, especially when it seems treasures have gone missing from a local museum and someone  has been randomly setting off a cannon on the fort.

After breakfast, I went downstairs to start sorting through all of those boxes. I was in the basement for about an hour when I realized I'd need somewhere to put everything besides a cardboard box. I don't trust cardboard boxes in a basement. Some smaller things would fit in the dresser drawers and I already had a bin for the pans, but that one bin wouldn't hold everything. I finally grabbed my umbrella and headed out to run errands, ignoring the cloudy day and light showers.

Stopped at WaWa first. I needed money from the ATM machine. Since I was there, I treated myself to a Green Pineapple Smoothie. Oh, yum. Matcha, pineapple, and other tropical fruit. Earthy, fruity, and very green. I'll have to get that again sometime. 

Family Dollar is closer to WaWa than Dollar General. I grabbed the three largest bins they had, plus a smaller narrow rolling bin for the glasses and mugs I wouldn't be using upstairs. Cost me a bundle, but I did get them. Stopped at A&A Pretzels for lunch. They didn't have the regular cheesesteak-stuffed pretzel, but their gluten-free turned out to be even better (and more stuffed) than the originals. Grabbed two regular pretzels as well.

Had lunch upstairs while watching PAW Patrol. "The Pups Save a Snowboarding Competition" when they first help husky miss Everest clear the course during a snowstorm, then rescue the Kitten Catastrophe crew after they go off-course. Cap'n Turnbot and Mayor Goodway are horrified when a cat and her pet chicken Chickaletta get trapped in his computerized diving bell. "The Pups Save the Diving Bell" after they finally get the two to decide if saving the bell or the animals is more important.

Spent the next three hours going through everything in the boxes. Most of it did stay downstairs. In fact, I ended up transferring the box of dishes and bowls and bag of kitchen towels from my closet to the third bin. There were a few things that were moved to my rooms, including my Garfield McDonald's glasses, my old Donald Duck Melody Time jelly jar glass, and my favorite brick-red mug with the pretty gold and brown flower print. I can use that retro strawberry-print colander to hold fruit again, too. (Alas, a few things didn't survive the multiple moves. My Three Caballeros jelly jar glass was the only one that broke, and a big piece broke off the lid of my mini-crock pot.) Cleared out a bunch of old tea bags, spices, and sugar sprinkles, too, and moved the remaining ones into tins or the metal shelves upstairs. 

I was so worn out from running up and down stairs all afternoon, all I was up to after I finished was watching Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story. I go further into the harrowing tale of an R&B diva who survives drug addiction and domestic abuse to make a comeback in the 2000's at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Musicals On TV - Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story

Switched to Match Game Syndicated while eating dinner. They're now on the week with Randi Oakes, one of three cast members of the police procedural show CHIPs to appear on Match Game. David Doyle has far less luck with the Head-to-Head for pretty much the whole week.

Finished the night with The Best of Stevie Nicks: Time Space on CD while I worked on my Love Under New Management review. Though I've heard Nicks in one way or another all my life, I didn't recognize a lot of these songs. There are some pretty big hits here, though, including "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," "Talk to Me," "Edge of Seventeen," and "Leather and Lace." 

Adventures On the Air

Began the morning with breakfast and Care Bears Family. Grams tells Hugs the story of "The Most Ancient Gift" to assure the boy cub that he doesn't need a fancy present for his sister. King Champ wanted to bring a priceless necklace to seal his alliance with King Brave Heart, but Beastly and Shreeky try to steal it and break their truce. Champ finally learns that it's not the price of the gift that matters, it's the love behind it when he ends up giving something very special to him. Bright Heart gets into "Ski Trouble" when he goes skiing alone, rather than wait for Champ, and Beastly and Shreeky go after him. 

Headed out to run errands on the bike after that. My first stop was PNC Bank to take out money. Went inside, used the ATM machine, went back out with no trouble.

Headed down to Westmont to check out a few stores next. Most of the Valentine's Day decorations they had at Westmont Party were cardboard hangings I really can't use right now. Had more luck at Samaritan Thrift. Picked up a sage-green mock turtleneck, a birthday card for my stepsister Jessa (whose birthday is next week), and the book The Kitchen Front, about four women competing for a co-hosting spot on a BBC radio cooking show in World War II England. 

Despite nearly an hour's worth of searching, I didn't do nearly as well across the street at Phidelity Records. I only came up with The Best of Manhattan Transfer and the original cast album for The Pajama Game. At least they were two dollars and one dollar respectively.

Headed down Haddon Avenue, dodging early rush hour traffic as I made my way to Sprouts. They were having good sales on Hint flavored water (two bottles for a dollar!) and bags of huge, sweet tangerines. Kind granola bars were buy one, get one 50 percent off. Got more Zevia soda (only three this time, as they weren't on sale) and decided I wanted to try their lemon coconut cookies. 

Made one last stop at the pretzel shop on the White Horse Pike for lunch. Once again, I went in, bought an "original" pepperoni-stuffed pretzel and a regular pretzel, and headed out.

Had lunch while finishing out the WKRP In Cincinnati disc. Andy's attempt to land the Vicky Von Vichy advertising account at the "Hotel Ocean View" gets hotter than he originally planned when he can't get the projector used for his speech to work, Herb discovers that Vicky's assistant is not what she seems, and Arthur wonders if their bartender is actually the Dayton Poisoner. 

Herb's not thrilled about jury duty, but Andy convinces him to do it while he tries to finally get some of their accounts to actually pay them. He assigns Venus to take his role as program director. The trio all learn how hard it is to walk "A Mile In My Shoes" when Herb takes charge of the jury and finds out how hard it is to be a leader, Andy either can't get their small-time accounts to pay or is conned out of it, and Venus ends up programming nothing but R&B hits. 

Since I did "Bah Humbug!" at Christmas, I skipped to another winter episode, "Baby It's Cold Inside." Johnny Fever's idea of warming up when the heat's out at the station is to down a fifth of whiskey. He ends up sharing it with Jennifer, and Mama Carlson gets more than her share...which makes both more than a little frisky.

Did some job hunting for a while, then worked on writing. Joyce attempts to run across the poppy field, but the scent is too overpowering. She finally passes out...and vaguely hear Richard and Charles attempt to lift her, then the lion, before calling for help.

Broke for dinner and Match Game '79 at 7 PM. Charles is so confident that his answer to "Seeing __" will be at the top of the Audience Match, he stands in front of the board when it's being revealed. Later, Scoey gets upset that Fannie will give a goofy answer when the contestant sorely needs the match. (For the record, she didn't. And considering I can count the amount of times Scoey matched on one hand - including this episode - he's hardly one to talk.) Brett tries to defuse the situation with a stripping routine.

Finished the night with music on Hoopla. The collections of lesser-known material from musicals and albums performed by stage stars Veresae Sarabande released on CD in the 90's seem to have migrated there. I started with Michelle Nicastro's Toonful, a collections of songs from various animated musicals. Most of them were well-known standards from Disney animated films. The reason I rented this one was for "Betty Boop," a hilarious number about the famous 30's cartoon cutie that I've never heard anywhere else. There was also a very cute medley of songs from vintage TV cartoons, including Casper the Friendly Ghost, The Flintstones, Magilla Gorilla, and Mighty Mouse.

I've had the CD version of Unsung Musicals II for almost 20 years. I originally found it at a CD store in Ocean City, and it remains my favorite of the Unsung Musicals series. The adorable "Everything In the World I Love" from a failed musical version of The Yearling and the ballad "Smashing New York Times," on most performers' desire for good reviews, from the one-night disaster A Broadway Musical are my favorites here. Other good ones include "Beyond My Wildest Dreams" from the short-lived magic show Merlin, the hilarious "That Man Is Doing His Worst to Make Good" from an even shorter-lived stage version of Carnival In Flanders, "The Memory of Tonight" from a stage musical Arthur that has yet to play the US, and the lovely title song of Roadside. 

Dolls and Parades

Started off a cold, clear morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. "Mickey Saves Santa" when he and Donald travel to the top of Mistletoe Mountain to help him fix his sleigh when it gets stuck. Donald just wants Santa to see his Christmas list, but Mrs. Claus has to constantly remind him to "be nice!"

Karen picked me up right at 10. We did apply to a sheet metal office in Camden and a construction company office in West Berlin. I still wish I knew what I wanted to do. None of this sounds all that exciting. I want to write, but I don't know how I can write, have health insurance, and make enough money to buy a condo or a mobile home. At least Karen was nice enough to swing by the PNC in Collingswood and let me take out rent money. 

When I got home, I relaxed while watching the 2018 Muppet Babies. Bunsen and Beaker create the Elfbot to help the Babies make a paper wreath for Statler and Waldorf, but they get so caught up making gifts for themselves, they forget to give presents to others. "It's a Wonderful Elfbot" when they remember how good it is to give and receive. "A Merry Litter Christmas" has Bunsen sending piles of unwanted shrimp-flavored milk into space to get rid of it. It ends up landing on Planet Gonzo, where the kids have to help clean up the mess.

Switched to Match Game '77 while I ate lunch. The first episode begins with Richard helping out with "Secretary of __" in the Head-to-Head. Gene's more interested in drooling over the female contestant. The next one gives us more of a lovely contestant with super-long, shiny dark hair.

Let it run into Tattletales. I'd seen the week before, when I watched it on YouTube, but it's hilarious. Bill Anderson and his then-wife Becky, Betty White and Allen Ludden, and Patrick Duffy and his wife Carolyn were the couples. Betty and Allen usually played fairly well and knew each other like no one else. They ended up tying in the first episode with Bill and Becky. They stuck around for the second episode, joined by Jamie Farr and his sweet wife Joy and Eddie Mekka and his then-girlfriend Shirley. This time, Eddie and Shirley were the ones who came out on top - Betty and Allen only got one right.

Dressed the dolls for the holidays after the episode ended. Barbara Jean is in the purple paisley dress with the lilac velvet ribbon and white medieval-style sleeves that was Julie's previous Christmas dress; she wears it with the bead-trimmed heels from the flapper costume. Samantha's lace headband with the flower matches surprisingly well. Ariel wears Julie's original wine red crushed velvet jumper and ruffled blouse, but with more child-appropriate white tights and black velvet shoes. Jessa honors her heritage in the original Chinese New Year's outfit from the late 90's and black mules borrowed from Josefina.

Kit is in her original red Christmas dress with the white triangular collar; she wears it with her white t-straps. Molly is in her Evergreen Christmas Dress and black strap shoes she borrowed from Samantha. Whitney gets to wear the cute holiday print apron I found at the shop in Marlton over her dark blue and silver Snowflake Gown with black stockings, blue-violet flats, and a black Springfield Collection shrug. Felicity is ready to dance in her blue Christmas ball gown and the choker she borrowed from Josefina. Josefina is pretty as a Mexican princess in her yellow striped dress, pantalettes, and mantilla. Samantha sports her Cranberry Christmas Dress; the red shoes from her Special Day Dress match perfectly.

Dressed the Cabbage Patch dolls, too. Dulcie, who loves frills, gets a fancy cream-colored Build-a-Bear dress trimmed with gold sequins and white and gold tulle. Carrie does not love frills, but she still looks cute in the candy cane-print flannel dress with the bow on the collar that's an actual little girl outfit I found at an antique shop years ago.

Listened to Christmas albums while I worked, starting with Turned On Christmas. Same deal as all the other Hooked On/Turned On albums. We have medleys of beloved Christmas songs, or even just songs that sort of randomly have to do with the holidays. There's a whole medley devoted to songs about toys, or things that sound like toys, like "Baby Elephant Walk" or "Mickey Mouse March." Not the most necessary thing in the world, but it does make nice background music during December.

Julie Andrews sings on Firestone Presents Your Favorite Christmas Music Vol. 4. She gets the sole new song, "The Bells of Christmas," as the finale. Vic Damone also gets "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Otherwise, the songs are more traditional, like "Masters In the Hall" or "Angels We Have Heard On High" and are mostly performed by Dorothy Kirsten or James McCracken.

The Life Treasury of Christmas is all choral music. It's supposed to accompany the book of the same name, which I've never heard of. A few of these songs are pretty new to me, too, notably "Rocking Carol," "The Golden Carol of the Three Wise Men," and "The Boar's Head Carol." 

Worked on writing after I put all the dolls' things away. The woman whom Cora discovers in the woods is Florrie, a kindly old witch. She had once been the real King Stephen's nurse, then his advisor. She takes Cora to her home in the woods and gives her a ball of yarn that will unravel and lead to wherever she wants to go and a basket of goodies for herself and to befriend the abused animals and objects in Harron's fortress.

Headed out around 6 PM. I wanted to have dinner before Oaklyn's Christmas parade and tree lighting. Opted for pizza at Phillies Phatties. Had a slice of cheese, a slice of chicken ranch bacon, and a can of Diet Pepsi. Yum! The chicken was especially tasty, just the right blend of salty-tangy flavors. Got there just ahead of the crowd, too. A family with young kids who couldn't decide what they wanted turned up just as I got my pizza slices.

Went a few doors down to Common Grounds Coffee House for a hot drink and dessert. Picked up a nice and rich hot chocolate and a small chocolate cake pop. Unlike Phillies Phatties, they were quiet, with only one person snuggling in a chair while enjoying a latte.

Limped back up West Clinton to the City Hall and fire house parking lot for the parade. The Oaklyn Civic Association gave away free hot chocolate, coffee, donuts, and candy canes. The hot chocolate was too thin and sweet, not very good. I did have a blueberry cake donut while listening to a group of pre-teen girls from the Oaklyn School sing carols next to the tree, on the side of City Hall.

For a change, the parade was actually on time. Oaklyn's parade is mostly fire trucks wrapped with lights, but some of them do get a little creative. One huge float festooned with outdoor sculptures and inflatables shot bubble "snow" into the air. Another truck was topped with a wooden sleigh pulled by painted dalmatians. Others blasted "All I Want for Christmas Is You." 

I joined everyone around the tree just as Santa disembarked from the last decorated truck. He presided over the tree lighting as the volunteer of the year pushed the button that sent light flooding across West Clinton and the White Horse Pike. Not having children who wanted to see Santa, I went straight home soon as the tree was lit.

Took a shower, then finished watching Tales of Hoffman, which I began earlier in the afternoon. I go further into Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's gorgeous opera anthology at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Tales of Hoffman (1951)

Fantasy In the Summer Wind

Started off a late morning with breakfast and Charlie & Lola. Lola tells Charlie "I am Really, Really, Really Concentrating" when she joins the Egg Race in their school field day. She practices hard to make sure her egg stays on the spoon. Charlie and Marv join the three-legged race, while Lotta runs the Obstacle Course. Lola does her best, but even if she doesn't win, she still has a surprise at the end.

Switched to Match Game '77 as I looked something up online. Anson Williams and Mary Ann Mobley joined in to see Rich wearing glasses with springy eyes in the opening. The second episode had Brett give the obvious answer to "__ Gin" in the Audience Match. Fannie also mentioned she was shooting Grease (she had a cameo as the nurse in the Rydell High office whose castor oil was missing), and there was Richard's less-obvious answer to "Olivia __." 

Let Tattletales run while I finished cleaning my rooms. They skipped waaaay ahead to mid-1977, as Betty White and Allen Ludden are joined by Eddie Mekka and his then-girlfriend Shirley Kirkes and Jamie Farr and his wife Joy. Although Betty and Allen played well enough, they missed one question in each episode that lost them the game. Jamie and his pretty and sweet wife Joy got it both times.

Had lunch while watching Garfield and Friends on Tubi. Jon's third cousin left Garfield a priceless gem, one often joked about on the show. His partner thinks it should be his. Garfield doesn't believe in "The Curse of the Klopman Diamond," until strange things start happening to him. The crew at U.S Acres are cleaning up the farm, and they think that also means Orson's waller. Orson explains why it's "Mud Sweet Mud" to him. "Rainy Day Dreams" may help Odie and Garfield get through a boring afternoon, but they also get in the way of Jon and his date, until Garfield inadvertently reveals what she's really after.

Headed out after lunch to run a few errands. First stop was the Collingswood PNC Bank for money and rent. There was a long line at the drive-through blocking the outdoor ATMs, so I had to use the inside one. And even then, I still had to wait for a lady to finish. 

Made my way down Cuthbert to the Haddon Township Library next. I'd love to find some books on figuring out who you are. I wish I knew myself better. I saw books on job hunting, but I'll never find a job if I can't figure out what I value and what I really want. I left with nothing.

My next stop was originally going to be the Westmont Farm Market on a side street off Haddon Avenue. They used to have it every Wednesday evening, but...when I arrived, the street was empty. All I saw was cars. I rode around for nearly 20 minutes, wondering if I missed it. Didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I was so disappointed! The Haddon Township community website said they still had it. They were the only farm market on weekdays. I won't have time this weekend. I did treat myself to a sugar cookie at MacMillan's Bakery and a Propel at WaWa, but I never saw any farm markets. 

The traffic was so bad by 5 PM, I went home via Newton Lake Park. They weren't as busy. A gaggle of Canadian geese ran from me and from an oncoming car. Saw a few joggers on the path and a couple of kids riding home, but no one else. I took the shortcut over the hill and through the woods past the Haddon Township Environmental and Historical Society building. At least the day remained cloudy and cool, if extremely humid. 

Worked on writing when I got in. Joyce throws corn cobs to scare off the crows who peck at Charles. Rover growls to get rid of them. Charles laments that he can't get rid of them himself. He's not scary enough. He doesn't have enough brains left to scare them.

Broke at 7 PM for Match Game '79. Bart Braverman gets to help with "__ of Salt" in the Head-to-Head in the first episode. Barbara Rhodes discusses her upcoming show Mr. Dooley...which was later renamed Mr. Dugan before it was yanked from the schedule and never aired. In the second episode, Charles wins the Head-to-Head question holder, and Fannie and Gene discuss the Love Boat episode they did together. 

Finished the night with Jim Henson's The Storyteller. I'm surprised I missed this as a kid in 1987. I've always loved fairy tales. A strange little man (John Hurt) and his dog (Brian Henson) tell lesser-known fairy tales from Europe before the fire. "The Three Ravens" is basically a variation on "The Six Swans." A wicked witch curses three princes into ravens. Their sister can't speak for three years in order to release them. She does manage to marry a handsome prince in the interim, but even then, the witch causes trouble when she steals her children. 

"The True Bride" is the German "True Bride" crossed with the Norwegian "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." A young girl who is the servant to a troll gets help with his impossible tasks from a lion. After the lion builds her a castle, the troll falls through a door to his death. The girl intends to make the handsome gardener her prince, but the troll's daughter drugs him to forget her. She has to rescue him from the Troll's potions and scheming.

"Sapsorrow" is "Donkeyskin" under another name and crossed with "Cinderella." The princess who is forced to marry her father has two nasty sisters, she wears many different animal furs instead of just a donkey skin, and the prince calls the girls of the kingdom to see whose foot fits a beaded slipper rather than a glass one. She also dances with the prince for three nights, in dresses of moonlight, starlight, and sunlight. 

While it's obviously lower budget than the Jim Henson fantasy movies like Labyrinth, that does allow for some creative effect work. Some of it looks better than others. I thought the ravens moved much better than the lion in "True Bride," for instance. There's a few stars or stars-to-be among the royalty as well, including Joely Richardson as the unfortunate princess in "The Three Ravens," Sean Bean as the True Bride's wayward prince, Alison Doody as Sapsorrow, and Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as her silly sisters.

Overall, I enjoyed it and really wish Henson had been able to do more than two seasons. I'll absolutely check out the remaining episodes and the next season based around Greek mythology, too. 

Bob Barker appeared in one of the funniest weeks of late 1975. He and Arlene Francis saw Carol Bartos become the top winner on Match Game at that point. Carol was good friends with the previous big winner Janet Finn, and even brought a corner of her winning blue card for good luck. It sure worked. Carol just kept winning, even Gene found a hammer in his pocket and Bob tried selling it to the audience.

Bob Barker Tribute - Match Game '75 & PM

Under the Haze

Started off a hazy morning with breakfast and more of The Pink Panther Show. "G.I Pink" finds himself in the Army without a clue. His harried sergeant wishes he'd just stayed home. The Inspector is "Carte Blanched" when he turns an ordinary shopping cart into a means of transportation. It's a "Pinkadilly Circus" when a gentleman rescues Pink, and Pink helps him with his demanding wife and daughter.

Switched to Match Game '77 as I made my grocery list and got organized. Polly Holiday of Alice marked her only appearance on the show in these episodes. In the first one, Polly's microphone flops over and dies. Richard and Gene give it a funeral, complete with "Taps." Richard claims to have resurrected it in the second.

Checked the Acme's website for my schedule at this point. In good news, a perfectly normal 1 to 7 shift on the 4th of July. I'll miss the barbecues, but I'll get to see Oaklyn's town parade and the Collingswood fireworks. Unfortunately, I have two seven-hour days leading up to that, one early, that I'm not looking forward to at all. Wednesday and next Friday off. 

Headed out after that for a bike ride. I considered taking a long Uber trip to Second Time Used Books in Mount Laurel Township. It would have cost me more than $30 for a one-way ride. That was too much. Opted to run errands in the area instead, starting with lunch at the Westmont Diner. Had a "Power Omelet," aka egg whites with Swiss cheese and vegetables, cheese grits, and whole grain toast. The omelet was yummy, with lots of veggies and a ton of cheese. The grits were way too bland with just the cheese sprinkled on top, and the toast was barely toasted. Still, I enjoyed my meal while listening to the mostly older couples chatter around me.

Made my way down Cuthbert to Haddon Avenue next. I missed Samaritan Thrift the last two times I was in Westmont. Finally caught them today, about 45 minutes before they closed. They were really busy, but I managed to make my way through the people long enough to buy a peachy-pink polo shirt with white trim, a pretty white shirt with lace trim, and a card for a friend whose birthday is next month. 

After I left the thrift shop, I went directly across the street to Primo's Water Ice. Surprisingly, they were not busy. I was able to quickly buy my medium sugar-free cherry cup. It didn't taste much like cherry, but it also didn't taste like it was sugar-free. Not bad. At least it cooled me off on a warm day and felt great on my still sore tooth.

Rode further down Haddon Avenue and into Haddonfield to check out the RAM Arcade. Lauren and I had such a great time here on Memorial Day Weekend, I thought I'd try them solo. I've always done well at Ms. Pac Man. I like that she moves much faster than her male counterpart. I actually got to level 7 (aka the pretzel level) before I finally ran out of lives. Rocked at the carnival shooting game, too. I made it to the bonus round twice. The other two pinball games were working, but the original Black Knight had fewer bumps and bells than the later Black Knight 2000 and was a lot harder to figure out. 

It was almost 4:30 by the time I went out again. Took the back roads in Haddonfield and Westmont to avoid rush hour traffic on my way to the Westmont Acme. Surprisingly, they were dead, despite it being almost 5 PM. Had no trouble picking up yogurt (I had an online coupon for two free Acme generic cups), snacking cheese, granola bars, two salads for lunch next week, individual packs of Propel Berry water mix, and Silk Coconut Milk (it cost the same as the smaller bottles for one three times that size).

Made one last stop in Collingswood to get money for the rent and the farm market tomorrow. It's a good thing the weather was pretty decent today, considering all the running around I did. Other than the continuing haze and smoky smell, it was sunny, breezy, and hot, into the lower 80's. It's still a little humid, but not to the degree of last week. 

It was so late by the time I got in, I barely had time for writing. Brett claims she's fine, but Betty knows better. For one thing, she's already drinking. For another, she's not with the others. She loves being the center of attention.

Broke for dinner at 7. Watched Match Game '79 as I ate. Things didn't start off well. Neither of the contestants got anything in the first round. Brett's more nervous when someone does make it to the bonus round and she has to do "Hotel __" in the Head-to-Head.

Moved to Hulu after a shower for MASH in honor of the holiday weekend. Hawkeye's feeling like a "Yankee Doodle Doctor" in the first season when a director turns up and insists on filming the 4077th at work. Everyone is excited at first...until it turns out to be a lot of propaganda mush that has nothing to do with what the war or their work is really like. After Hawkeye and Trapper ruin the first cut, the director quits, leaving the doctors to show everyone the real horrors of war (and Hawkeye's Groucho Marx impression). 

Finished at Buzzr for their Pick & Play marathon. Every Friday night during the summer, Buzzr will be running episodes that their viewers chose in the previous two weeks on their website. Yes, I was one of the ones who chose. I have to admit, it was really neat to see the first episode of the late 60's What's My Line with Wally Brunner. The rare first episode of the late 60's To Tell the Truth with that nifty psychedelic set was even cooler. I also got to see more of the Canadian late 80's word game Talk About and the Monty Hall version of Beat the Clock.