Remembering In Wonderland

Awoke at 7 PM...and called out. There was one thing I wanted to do, but I mostly wanted to rest up for my 8 1/2 hour day tomorrow. Not to mention, my heel is still pretty sore. 

I started the day with breakfast and PAW Patrol. "Pups Save the Parrot" when Carlos' parrot Mateo runs away to the top of a temple. When they find his pet, they protect its nest from a hungry eagle. "Pups Save the Queen Bee" from the lighthouse after Cap'n Turnbot finds a hive in a lighthouse light. Skye helps to transport the hive to Farmer Al's bee farm.

Got my schedule before I left. While I do have fewer hours next week, including a normal 9 to 1 on Wednesday, that'll give me the chance to rest my heel. I'm less happy about another 8 and a 1/2 hour workday next Saturday. I dread tomorrow and next week. 

The one thing I wanted to do was go grocery shopping. I could have gone to one of the Acmes, but I decided to stick to my original plan for today. Called Uber to get me to Shop Rite in Cherry Hill. The Uber going there arrived in 10 minutes. The one going home came in 13 and cost a bundle, but it took me forever to find anyone willing to take me home at the start of rush hour. Other than running into traffic on Cuthbert Road going home, there was no trouble either way.

In fact, I heard from Cooper Hospital in the Uber going to Cherry Hill. They were able to get me in next Tuesday. It's at 9:30 AM, still pretty early, but it's also in Moorestown. I'll get to see the huge new hospital attached to the Moorestown Mall.

Shop Rite was really busy today...and seemed even more huge. They have so much stuff in there! I grabbed oatmeal cookies on sale and thought I'd try a small coconut cream pie in a plastic container. Restocked yogurt, blueberries, plums, granola, oat milk (it's really cheap there), and probiotic soda. Found heel pads for the backs of your shoes that I hope will help reduce friction on my sore heel. Grabbed PopCorners and a roast beef hoagie for lunch. (And I'm glad I called out of work. It was sunny, humid, and very hot today, without a shred of breeze. Pushing carts in that would not have been fun. It'll be bad enough tomorrow.)

Put everything away when I got home, then watched Remember WENN while I ate lunch. Most of the cast is excited when big-time Broadway producer Adrian Carr (Julian Glover) produces a nighttime version of their daytime soap Valiant Journey. Unfortunately, an accident with a microphone boom leaves Hilary thinking she's "Hilary Booth, Registered Nurse" right before the broadcast. Betty has to bring Hilary around without Carr finding out...and without the help of Victor Comstock, who is leaving to broadcast in war-torn London.

"Valentino Speaks" when director Ted E. Peck (Simon Jones) insists on the cast dubbing a lost Valentino film. He's so impressed with Jeff, he convinces him to finish the movie. Jeff thinks he's going to be a huge Hollywood star, but it turns out movie acting is a lot harder than it looks. (Incidentally, the "lost" Valentino movie seen here was Valentino's last film Son of the Sheik.)

"A Capitol Idea" introduces roguish con-man Scott Sherwood (Kevin O'Rourke), whom Victor apparently sent to replace him as head station manager. Scott begins by bringing so many sponsors into the shows, he basically invents informercials. Betty's furious, but the others are willing to go along with it, until they realize they'll be making nothing off their commissions from the sponsors and turn the tables.

Honestly, I had no idea what to watch after that. I put on the 1986 BBC miniseries version of Alice In Wonderland before switching to Match Game '76. No semi-regular did better in his first week than George Kennedy. He ended up being one of the show's best players, matching more often than not. Gene Rayburn would be happier if Betty White and Lee Merriweather left his pants legs and socks alone. 

Finished up with the rest of Alice. On one hand, I'm glad they went for a miniseries with this. It honestly works better with the episodic structure than a movie does. There's some flat but lovely sketchy backgrounds, especially when Alice is wandering around in the garden before meeting the Queen of Hearts. This is also a musical, with some dreamy, meandering songs. Not bad, but beware of the sometimes grotesque costumes, especially for the Queen of Hearts and Mock Turtle. 

All Around the Town

Began the morning with breakfast and Monchhichis. TooToo, the sweet white Monchhichi in the pink skirt, wants to help her friends more than anything, but her aid tends to end in disaster. Feeling unwanted, TooToo runs away to the Underground, joined by fast-talking Thumkii. She gets into "TooToo Trouble" when the others have to rescue her from wart hogs who make her their queen and sacrifice to a huge dragon-like creature.

It was so late by the time I got up, my schedule had been posted at the Acme's website. I am not happy at all. On one hand, far more hours...too many. My only day off is Wednesday, and I have an 8 1/2 hour day next Saturday! The head bagger must have gone on vacation. I didn't expect this. They just hired all of those new baggers, and they couldn't spread things out? What are they going to do when she finally gets to retiring? I have two jobs. I can't always be there. 

I wasn't in the best mood when I headed out to run errands. It was so late, I figured I'd just get lunch somewhere. Had pizza at Montegrillo, the narrow, brand-new restaurant in Collingswood. A slice of regular cheese, a slice of chicken and vegetables, and a bottle of water cost me $8. I enjoyed it in peace and quiet other than two pre-teen boys chatting quietly in the back.

Moved on to the bank next. I made too many transfers online and was hoping to get money out of my savings account, but...I can't on an ATM machine, there's no tellers at the Collingswood branch anymore, and I didn't really want to hike all the way down to Haddonfield. I'll get money on Monday.

I was mostly out to do this week's grocery shopping. The Westmont Acme was closer, so I went there first. They had buy one, get one free blueberries and dollar Chobani yogurt. Picked up two bagels for lunch this weekend and found inexpensive slices of strawberry cake roll for a special dessert tonight. Good sales on granola bars and Special K crisp bars, too. Restocked granola, soda, Swiss cheese, and tuna. Rode up to Sprouts after that for sugar cookies, oat milk, dried mango slices, plums, and more of those 99 cent containers of prebiotic dried berries and pineapple. Zevia diet soda was buy one, get one half-off. 

By the time I finished at Sprouts, it was starting to get busier. The Acme was relatively busy, too. It was almost 3:30, the start of rush hour. Not to mention, it was hot, sunny, and killer humid. I waved to the kids at the daycare program at the Westmont Plaza (including one from Thomas Sharp who cheerfully greeted me) and made my way home.

I was so tired when I got home, I managed to put most everything away, but passed out before I could put the container with the granola bars back. I did start to finally watch The Movies Begin. This Kino Lorber DVD covers some of the very first experiments with moving photography in the late 1890's (some of it quite racy and involving a lot of nudity), a lot of shots of everyday life at the turn of the 20th century, and two distinct early pioneering efforts, Georges Melies' iconic early sci-fi tale A Trip to the Moon and the influential western The Great Train Robbery.

Switched to Storybook International at Tubi while I got organized. "The Foolish Lad" is a cross between the series' earlier "Simpleton Peter" and the German tale "The Princess Who Never Laughed." George can never seem to figure out how to do things, but he always manages to come out on top anyway. He tries to sell butter to rocks and manages to find money under them. He tries to sell dairy to the river and rescues a wealthy man from drowning. He tries to sell sausages to a dog, then goes to the mayor in the hope that he'll make the dog pay. The mayor has his own worries about his melancholy daughter...but she's feeling a lot better after she hears George's tale.

Watched Match Game '76 during dinner. The week ended with that long curly wig migrating to the head of Fannie Flagg. It made her look (and sound when she attempted a bad Brooklyn accent) a lot like Maple LaMarsh on Remember WENN. Bonnie Franklin made her debut on the show the next week, joined by Scoey Mitchelll and Patti Deusch. Gene had a cold, so Richard had to give Bonnie her welcome-to-the-show kiss (the only time he would get to do that). He also tried to get Scoey to blow his cigar smoke in another direction.

Finished the night back at Tubi for The Iron Mask. This would be Douglas Fairbanks Sr's last big swashbuckler. In something of a follow-up to his earlier Three Musketeers, Fairbanks once again plays D'Artagnan. This time, after his friends are forced to leave Paris and his beloved Constance (Marguerite De La Motte) dies, he becomes the father figure to Louis XIV (William Bakewell). Though Cardinal Richeliu (Nigel De Brulier) has died, he made sure to hide that the queen had twin boys. When Louis' twin appears, the villainous Count De Rochefort (Ullrich Haupt) puts Louis in an iron mask and his brother on the throne. D'Artaganan fakes his death to find out what's really going on here. 

Alas, I saw the 1952 re-release with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. providing a rather intrusive narration. The original full silent movie with titles is currently available on Kino Lorber DVD and on YouTube. 

Dreamers Under the Sun

Started off the morning with the last episode of Shirt Tales. It's "Mayhem On the Orient Express" when the Engineer and his fawning partner who steal trains take off with the engine of the most famous train of all, with Bogey and Kip onboard. The others have to rescue them and keep the passenger cars from falling back. They're in Switzerland for "The Cuckoo Count Caper." The Count De Minuit wants to hypnotize the Shirt Tales and use them to finish his massive cuckoo clocks! Kip catches wise, then breaks Pammy out. It's up to the girls to save their guy friends and stop the Count from turning them into clockwork mechanisms. 

And that's that. Unlike Pac-Man, which started strong in the first season but degenerated into a mass of bizarre stories and useless additional characters in its second, the second season of Shirt Tales mostly improves on the first. The first season isn't bad, but never seems to figure out what it wants the Shirt Tales to be, and there's a little too much focus on Dinkel and outside characters. The writing is sharper in the second season (Pammy in particular gets some hilarious lines), and cheerful Kip is a welcome addition. I genuinely regret that they ended the show by mid-way through the second season. It's not the greatest thing ever, and some episodes (like "Saturday Night Shirt Tales") were dated even when the show came out, but it's charming and funny enough to get a recommend from Hanna Barbara fans and kids who love animal stories. 

Hurried out to work after that. There were at least two other baggers working with me, including the head bagger. I thought she wasn't going into a register until 11, but they put her there early. I had no idea she hadn't swept the store. On the other hand, it was only slightly busier today than it had been on Wednesday. It's the end of a month without a lot going on after the 4th of July. Most people are probably on vacation, or were out enjoying the beautiful, sunny, breezy weather. It was so dead by the end of the morning, and I had so little to do, I spent the last half-hour putting away items people didn't need.

Got my schedule while I was at work. I have fewer hours, which I expected for the reasons I mentioned above. We're well between major holidays, there's not a lot going on besides Phillies games, and most people are on vacation. However, I go in early when I do work, and I have 7 hours for some reason next Saturday. 

Did my grocery shopping after I finished. Restocked granola, yogurt, oat milk, soda, tuna, cherries, and cookies. Blackberries and the Acme's generic small trash bags were buy one, get one. Bought two bagels for lunches at work this weekend and a turkey-cranberry sandwich for lunch today. They had the Sprite Zero + Tea here, too, so I got that and a Coke Cherry Zero. Found tea cakes, little turned-over cupcakes covered in icing, on the bakery clearance rack. 

Changed when I got home, then had lunch while watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. "Taking Turns at Show and Tell" is more complicated when O and Dan want to both use the same apron. Teacher Harriet suggests they take turns, with O using it to play restaurant, then Daniel using it for show and tell. The kids are restless, but they do have to wait their turn when show and tell beings. Daniel has to wait to use the bubbles when Miss Elania already has them. He learns about "Taking Turns at the Pool" when he has just as much fun playing with them as Elainia does blowing them. Likewise, Prince Wednesday has to wait to use a pool noodle. He pretends to be a fast fish with his mother Queen Sarah.

Went back out after the cartoon ended. Acme doesn't have the greatest selection of foot gel pads, and what they do have is overpriced. I've had a lump on the back of my right heel where the Achillies tendon is for weeks now. I hope the heel lifts and covering the back of my foot where the heel gets rubbed with callus cushions will help. 

I was home and finishing Mockingbird Court when the phone rang. It was Clarifi, calling to confirm my desire for housing counseling. On one hand, they're so booked, I won't be able to see them at Cherry Hill until noon on September 17th. That does give me more time to explore Cherry Hill and Voorhees and round up all the paperwork they required. 

Watched The Love Boat after I finished the book and put it away. The captain says "Take a Letter, Vicki" when he makes her his secretary after she complains she never gets to do anything useful. The others realize why when she's a little too good at her job, putting out endless memos and skipping meals to get it all done. A man (Jim Stafford) claims "The Joys of Celibacy" to defrost a frigid young woman (Carlene Watkins), but really ends up falling for her instead. The ladies of "The Floating Bridge Game" try to come between their fourth player (Nanette Fabray) and a charming dentist (Robert Alda), until they realize how much they love each other and play matchmaker instead.

The first half of Match Game '75 finished out the week with Rona Barrett and Clifton Davies and introduced a sweet, charming middle-aged lady named Dorothy. Dorothy, who sobbed whenever she won, became one of the bigger winners of the year. She continued into the week that introduced Ed Asner and brought in shy chanteuse Julie London. Gene gave Julie her welcome to the show kiss, while Brett got to kiss Ed.

Finished the night at Tubi with The Storyteller: Greek Myths. Jim Henson once again experimented with fantasy tales told by a human (in this case, Michael Gambon) to a Muppet dog. Only four were made before Henson's death, one of which was "Perseus and the Gorgon." Perseus (Jeremy Gilley) wants to stop mean King Polydectes (John McEnery) from marrying his mother Danae (Kate Buffery) and travels to find Medusa (Frances Barber) and cut off her head. On his way, he gives an eye to the Graeae to make them give him directions and tells Atlas, who holds up the world, that he'll find a way to make his burden easier. The King doesn't think this boy can do it, but Perseus is nothing if not determined, especially after he finds a way to keep Medusa from turning him to stone. 

Life Is a Highway

Started off today early as I had breakfast and Lauren finished packing to go home. We had some nervous moments when the first Uber driver canceled and the second took 8 minutes to arrive, then we ran into traffic in Pennsauken. Thankfully, the cars vanished long before the gentleman pulled up to the 30th Street Station. They were just lining up for Lauren's train when we arrived. I gave her a hug, told her to text me when she got to New York and to home, and left her to board the train.

(Oh, and other than her bus from Albany to Pittsfield being a bit late, Lauren apparently had no trouble whatsoever today on the road. She's now long at home, having had dinner out with her parents when she got in.)

After I let Lauren go, I went to the NJ Transit ticket kiosk I spied there when Lauren arrived and bought tickets, then got a donut and a matcha latte from Dunkin' Donuts. I have never heard of an ice cream cake-flavored donut. It...wasn't bad. A little dry. It was filled with very sweet chocolate cream. I walked around a little bit after I finished my treat until they announced the 9:14 NJ Transit train to Atlantic City.

Thank heavens, the train actually made it out of the station this time. It was busy with mostly people going to Atlantic City on a day that remained hazy, if not as hot. Other than going a bit slow after leaving 30th Street, I had no trouble on the train whatsoever this time. I got off at the Cherry Hill Train Pavilion around quarter of 10.

Since the train station is behind the big Shop Rite, I thought I'd save myself a trip and do my shopping there. That store is enormous, twice the size of even the Audubon Acme. It took me a while to find everything I needed. Restocked yogurt, soda, deodorant (they had Secret for a good price), and granola. I couldn't decide which cookies to get, so I got a variety pack with M&M, chocolate chip, brownie, and sugar. They had the Nature's Valley wafer bars on a decent sale, too. 

The reason I took the train to Cherry Hill is I figured it would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to catch an Uber home from there. The last three times I called for a ride home from 30th Street Station, the driver missed me or almost missed me. I was right. The driver arrived in 9 minutes and got me home in less than 10. 

Once I got home, I put everything away, changed shoes, made up a check for a bill, grabbed a book I wanted to drop in a kiosk, and headed out again on my bike. I had a lot of errands to run. Dropped the bill in the mail box outside of the post office and the book in a kiosk. It was much sunnier by the time I was out and about and slightly less hazy. At least it didn't smell like smoke anymore.

I had lunch at the Legacy Diner in Audubon. I needed pineapple coconut pancakes and a bowl of melon chunks and grapes. Yum! The pancakes were so huge and fluffy, I couldn't finish them. Surprisingly, given it was past noon by then, it wasn't really that busy. Maybe everyone was avoiding the haze.

Stopped at WaWa on the way home. I wanted to pick up money for the Collingswood Farm Market tomorrow. Tried a small banana bread smoothie. Yum! Brown sugar syrup, graham cracker crumbs, and real banana. It really did taste like banana bread milk. 

Soon as I got home, I went down for a nap. I've had a long couple of weeks! I went down at quarter of 1 and slept until past 2:30.

After I got up and got moving, I made the bed, then pulled out more things I didn't want or need or had replaced over the last two weeks for another bag that'll go to Goodwill. Listened to some of the many records I bought over the past two weeks while I worked. Although the jaunty Rascal Flatts version of "Life Is a Highway" was the hit from the original Cars, my favorite number is the sadder and more downbeat "Our Town" by James Taylor on the rise and fall of Radiator Springs. I also like "Find Yourself" by Brad Paisley and the Chuck Berry version of "Route 66." 

Thank heavens that chip on the High Anxiety soundtrack from when I bought the disc didn't impede it being able to play. We not only get the theme song and "If You Love Me, Baby, Tell Me Loud" from High Anxiety, but songs from every Mel Brooks movie made up until 1978. Which means, yes, we also get "Springtime for Hitler" and "Prisoner of Love" from the original Producers, "Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst" from the rarely-seen The Twelve Chairs, "The Ballad of Blazing Saddles," "I'm Tired," and the brief "The French Mistake" from Blazing Saddles, and "Puttin' On the Ritz" from Young Frankenstein. There's even a bit of the score from Silent Movie.

Radio Active and Images are K-Tel collections from the early 1980's. Radio Active from 1982 leans on harder rock like "You Better You Bet" by the Who, "Take It On the Run" by REO Speedwagon, and "Super Freak" by Rick James. Ballads are the theme on the quieter Images from 1980, including "Should've Never Let You Go" by the late Neil Sedaka and his daughter Dara, "Do That To Me One More Time" by the Captain & Tenille, and "Too Hot" by Kool & the Gang.

Switched to Match Game '75 next. The first hour was the second half of the week featuring Barbara McNair and Alex Karras. I think Alex had a bit of a crush on Lola Kiss, the lady wrestler from Transylvania, after she managed to pin him! He sure turned red when she kissed him for giving her a right answer on the Audience Match. The second hour brought in Scoey Mitchelll and a pair of goofy Pattys, Duke and Deustch.

I also got my schedule at this point. Good news, more hours. Bad news, they're all early. I was hoping they'd ease me back into work, but the head bagger and Sunday bagger must have taken time off again. 

Finished the night at YouTube with Mystery Science Theater 3000. Wizards of the Lost Kingdom is a more recent episode from 2017 diving into another low-budget 80's sword-and-sorcery fantasy. Young wizard Simon (Vidal Peterson) must find his way back to the castle to rescue the princess from the evil sorcerer Shurka (Thom Christopher) with the help of lone wolf warrior Kor (Bo Svenson). Ok, yeah, it's pretty obvious this one is a Roger Corman cheapie from his "made in Argentina" phase. There's ample stock footage from his other 80's fantasy films, the special effects are just light shows, Simon is an obnoxious little jerk, and most of the "monsters" are off-the-rack puppet suits. There are a few effective moments, though, notably when Simon is lured by a beautiful woman who turns into a genuinely scary giant insect! Otherwise, this one is for true lovers of cheesy 80's fantasy only. 

Cherry Hill Park

I slept in...and actually slept this time. I didn't get to calling Uber until past 12:30. The driver going to the Cherry Hill Library arrived within 8 minutes, not bad for rush hour. We did hit a little traffic in Haddonfield, but still arrived at the Cherry Hill Library in less than 20 minutes.

The Cherry Hill Library is the biggest library in the Camden County area, and it has the largest remaining book sale. They didn't have records this time around, but there were plenty of CDs, children's books, adult books, and tons of DVDs! Lauren bought four classical and instrumental CDs for her father. The children's book section was too noisy and busy for me to find anything there, but I had more luck with the other sections. I got the cozy mystery Stranger In the Looking Glass by Jan Fields, Fletch Lives on DVD, and four CDs:

Hot! Hot! Hot! - Pier 1 Imports collection of tropical-themed songs from 2002

Jimmy Durante - As Time Goes By: The Best of Jimmy Durante

The Rolling Stones - Rewind

20 #1 Hits of the 20's (They had CDs for the 30's, 50's, and 60's too, but I figured this had the rarest songs.)

After we finished, we got soda from the vending machine in the cafe area, then went next-door to Casa Puebla. This Mexican restaurant is so local, it's in a normal residential house. It was surprisingly busy for 1:30 when we arrived with families and local workers looking for tacos and burgers. Lauren had fried pork tacos for lunch. I had an enormous and very tasty chicken burrito with tons of Spanish rice. That huge burrito filled me up so much, I barely had room for a cup of pineapple water ice. Lauren went with a non-alcoholic Pina colada. It came in a hollowed-out pineapple, topped with pineapple rings, whipped topping, a cherry, and one of those little paper Japanese umbrellas. And yes, she drank the whole thing and loved it.

It was cloudy, killer humid, and relatively cool as we made our way down King's Highway, probably in the lower 80's. Big fat drops started splashing down when we were less than a block from Lucky Strike. Thankfully, we made it there just as the shower was getting heavier. 

Lucky Strike (formerly The Big Event) has been Cherry Hill's premiere bowling alley for over 60 years. As you can guess on a day with such nasty weather, it was busy with families, college students, and couples on dates. Lauren and I played three games. To be honest, neither of us are very good. Lauren won all of the games and got the highest score at 73...but I'm the only one who got two strikes in the second and third games. (We also got to see more World Cup games on the monitors, along with golf. Research later revealed that Spain beat Belgium 2 to 1.)

Lucky Strike also has a small arcade in the back. It doesn't have as many games as Round 1 or Dave & Buster's, but it's cheaper and the games use far less points. Lauren and I spent the next 40 minutes or so running from Nerf Arcade to Lane Master bowling to the cranes to the basketball games. I came up with over 2,800 points...but there was no one at the prizes counter. I saw a sign that said you had to go get the lady at the front desk if you wanted something. It was already pretty late. I decided to save my points for another time.

Thankfully, the rain was long gone by the time I called Uber. It was slightly sunnier, if still very humid. The driver arrived in 9 minutes and got us to Ollie's in less than 10. I'm glad he took the longer route down Clements Bridge Road. I got to point out Sussex House, the Playa Del Sol, Jefferson Health, the pizza place, and the dessert bar to Lauren.

People who only shop at the Cherry Hill Mall and don't check out the other stores next to it and in back of it on Church Road are really missing something. The Ollie's is huge, stuffed full of all kinds of books, discontinued food, and other great random junk. Lauren bought bags of candy and trail mix. I got The Peanuts Lunch Box Cookbook, recipes intended for lunches and kid-friendly snacks, based on (and showing the) original comic strips.

Led Lauren a block down to the brand-new Red, White, and Thrift that opened in March. This good-sized store used to be a Big Lots, meaning it had plenty of room for clothes, home goods, toys, and media. I found one paperback mystery, Murder of a Snake In the Grass by Denise Swanson, a pair of Faded Glory jean shorts (haven't seen that brand in years), and one CD, the second American Musical Theater Smithsonian collection. My best find here was a fluffy stuffed Share Bear. She looks like the design from the 2002 run - she has lighter lavender fur, her eyes are more like the originals, and she has her original soda with two straws tummy symbol. Lauren came up with more workout shorts.

IHOP is almost directly across from Ollie's, so we went there for dinner next. The only other people in the place when we came in was a dad and his two lively daughters. I had yummy strawberry banana pancakes, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and hash browns I didn't have the room to finish. (Oh, and I appreciate that IHOP's pancakes aren't the size of the plate. They're a lot easier to eat in one sitting.) Lauren had a massive spinach and mushroom omelet topped with cheddar cheese and salsa and said it was amazing. I had an iced tea. Lauren had a vanilla coffee latte that she said was more like a vanilla milkshake with a little coffee flavor. It was just picking up when we headed out. 

Our final stop of the day was 2A Thrift at the Cherry Hill Plaza next-door to the Cherry Hill Mall. Thank heavens they finally finished remodeling the exterior! We had no problems getting inside. I found the movies Enchantment and Buck Privates on DVD (I've been looking for Buck Privates - I have its sequel, Buck Privates Come Home, but I've never been able to find the original), a sleeveless blouse with a beautiful stained glass-like leaf design, a K-Tel record collection Images, and the CD Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook. Lauren picked up a few tank tops for working out.

With the construction ended, we could call Uber right from 2A Thrift. The driver arrived in 15 minutes just as the sun went down. He had to take an alternate route because of an accident on the turn-off to Cuthbert Road, but we still got home in 15 minutes.

I finished the night after a shower with Beauty and the Beast on YouTube. From what little I can gather online, this Ruby-Spears animated special is from 1983 and was made for something called Kenner Family Classics. I never heard of it, but I wish I had. It honestly follows the Perrault version pretty well. It's one of the few animated retellings of the original story I've seen to include Beauty's brothers (who love her and make a misguided attempt to rescue her from the Beast) as well as her spoiled sisters and where her father doesn't mind her being with the Beast as long as it makes her happy. Considering the prince is turned into a Beast for turning a fairy away, I can't help but wonder if someone at Disney saw this version before they made theirs. 

Oh, and I got my schedule while watching YouTube. To my surprise, I have no schedule. I'm off Saturday along with the rest of my second vacation week. I wasn't expecting that! Either the head bagger came back, or they corralled enough college boys to not need me that day. I'll go to the farm market...then probably spend the rest of the day watching movies or napping. 

How to Beat the Heat

Began a late morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "The Outer Space Connection" sends Dinkel, Kip, and Bogey into orbit when they're accidentally trapped in a rocket that takes off. The other Shirt Tales follow in their super-sonic vehicle that can turn into anything. They end up on "The Forbidden Island" when they help a parrot figure out why the "Fire God" is scaring people away from his jungle home.

Worked on my grocery list while watching Supermarket Sweep. This later show (Dave wears a weird tie) is another one where one team, in this case the Team One college ladies, dominated the proceedings. They got the most time and had twice the grocery haul as the other teams. Their youth may have prevented them from figuring out what Good Start is in the bonus round run, though...

Oh, and I got my schedule at this point, too. I do work on Sunday, 9 to 3. Lauren won't arrive until 10 PM. I got the rest of the week off for vacation. Not a moment too soon, either, since it's supposed to rain the first two days anyhow. We can just hit up malls until the weather subsides. 

Called Uber after the show ended. I already decided to cut my shopping down to just the Westmont Acme this week. I'll do Sprouts with Lauren next week when she visits. It's too hot for a lot of running around, and I don't really need much as Sprouts anyway. To my shock, the first driver arrived in less than a minute! She was a really nice lady, too. The second one came in a more normal 9 minutes. No trouble anywhere, not even Cuthbert.

I probably could have done my grocery shopping tomorrow, since I do have work, but I know better than to do major shopping on a holiday. Despite the ongoing heat, it was still really busy. I had to duck around a lot of people to stock up on yogurt, blueberries, apples, cherries (I won't have the time for the farm market tomorrow), chocolate chip bakery cookies, prebiotic soda, Swiss cheese, granola, and Clorox travel-pack wipes for my mini-backpack. Had a good coupon for Tresemme Curls Conditioner. Thought I'd try the strawberry cake roll slices, then forgot I had them. (Oh well, 4th of July dessert tomorrow!) Grabbed a pack with tuna salad, crackers, muenster cheese, and green grapes for lunch. 

Put everything away when I got home, then napped, read, and rested while watching Yankee Doodle Dandy and the 1962 version of The Music Man. I went further into these classic 4th of July favorites at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in June and 4th of July 2019.

Happy 4th of July - Yankee Doodle Dandy

The Music Man

The moment The Music Man ended, I headed out. Even at quarter of 7, it was still hazy-blue, sunny, and steamy. I think it was even hotter than yesterday, into the lower 100's. Surprisingly, WaWa was almost as busy as the Acme had been earlier. I guess I wasn't the only one who decided she'd rather have a hoagie and a mocha mint smoothie than actually cook anything. I used the last of my gift card from one of the kids and their family on the smoothie and a small turkey hoagie on a whole-wheat roll.

Ate dinner while watching the final Match Game '75 episodes of the day. Soap star Brenda Dickson joined Gary Burgoff and Patti Deusch. To be honest, she wasn't really much more than a pretty face and didn't play very well. Even Patti got more creative than she did. 

Finished the night with the eighth and final episode of The Swamp Fox. Marion insists his new recruits deliver those "Horses for Greene" mentioned at the end of the previous episode. The mountain man brothers Mary picked up on the ship would rather be dancing with pretty senoritas at a local inn leftover from Zorro, until they end up in a trap. Marion has to install some discipline into them and make sure those horses get to the right place. 

I ended up really enjoying this. I know Davy Crockett was a bigger hit, but this one is just as much fun in its own right. I loved the emphasis on Mary, including a whole episode, "A Woman's Courage." Shame she suddenly vanishes in the last show. The mountain men are funny but no substitute. The earlier episodes tend to be darker going, especially the death of Francis' nephew in "Tory Vengeance." If you're a fan of American Revolution history or Nielson's days as an action star, or want to check out a different side of history from Disney, this miniseries is well worth your time. 

Before the Storms

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Freedom of Adventure

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "Bogey Goes Ape" takes us into the second season, with a new opening theme and a new Shirt Tale, spunky little Kip Kangaroo. Bogey's more interested in following a lovely lady orangutan about a cruise ship and saving her jeweled necklace than his friends, until he finds out she's not alone. Pammy proves to be a mechanical whiz in "The Rain, the Park, and the Robot" when she creates a robot to help them do their chores. Kip's not as impressed with him, until he saves her from a flooded ditch in a construction site. 

Switched to The Backyardigans on Paramount Plus while getting organized. "Race to the Tower of Power" is the first of six times the show parodied superhero tropes. Here, super heroes Weather Woman (Uniqua) and Captain Hammer (Austin) must beat villains Yucky Man (Pablo) and Dr. Shrinky (Tyrone) to the top of the Tower of Power. The pair that gets there first will be able to grab the key that will allow them to rule the world!

Briefly put on Buzzr as I wrote my grocery list. Double Dare is very different - and far more short-lived - than the familiar Nickelodeon stunt show. This one is a quiz where two contestants in isolation booths Dare each other to answer tough questions. I came in just as someone else went on for host Alex Trebek! Turns out it was the long-time champ, who figured he could get some air time. Alex was mildly amused.

Headed out to run errands next. Started at Target, since I had more time than usual. They didn't have the mouthwash I wanted, but I was able to get five individual pairs of underwear. Considering two pairs got holes in the tops when I pulled the tags off, I don't think they'll last all that long, but they look more comfortable (and breathable) than the ones I bought at Marshalls'. I also tried an Iced Blue Coconut Matcha Latte from Starbucks - a matcha latte with blue foam. Not bad. Really fruity. Tasted more like mango than coconut or green tea.

Sprouts was next on the list. They didn't have good soda sales, but their oat and nut milks are cheaper than the Acme's. I got my oat milk there, along with Annie's Homegrown chocolate chip granola bars on clearance and a box of oatmeal cranberry walnut cookies off the baker's rack. My best find here also came off clearance. Low-cost bags and plastic containers of bulk items were on clearance displays throughout the store. I found a small container of mixed dried berries and pineapple listed for $5.99...but it came up as 99 cents!

Had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop after I finished at Sprouts. I was surprised that they weren't too busy for 1 PM. I was able to sit down and enjoy my spinach and feta omelet, toasted multi-grain whole wheat bagel, hash browns, and Diet Coke in peace. As it turned out, the bagel and omelet were more than enough. I didn't have close to enough room to finish the hash browns. (Oh, and surprisingly, there were no bikes on the rack when I arrived. All of the kids must have been swimming at Roberts Pool or skateboarding elsewhere.)

Passed by the library, McDonald's, and the Haddon Township High School (which is now closed for the summer) before ending up at the Westmont Acme. Restocked granola, yogurt, low-salt canned tuna, and soda. Found no-salt canned organic black beans and chick peas. I need more protein, but there was no low-salt canned chicken, and the bagged chicken I've been buying is awfully salty. Finally found the Listerine Gum Protection mouthwash I use in the smaller size on sale with an online coupon. Grabbed olive oil and organic mayo (which was lower in salt than the light mayo) to use for tuna and bean salads. 

Took the long way home across a busy Newton Lake Park. It was a nice day, sunny, breezy, slightly humid, and much cooler than yesterday, in the lower 80's. A lot of people wanted to enjoy it before the weather turns nasty on Monday. I ended up riding uphill to avoid the folks out for walks and jogs (and to get around the work being done on the path near the stone steps going up to East Clinton). The park is in full flower now, green and shady, with a wonderful, earthy smell.

Switched to the only early Bowery Boys movie not currently on Tubi as I put away my groceries. The guys are saying Hold That Baby! when they discover an infant abandoned in their laundry service. Turns out he's the grandson of a recently deceased millionaire whose mother (Anabel Shaw) left him there when her aunts, who want his inheritance, have her committed to a sanitarium. The aunts hire thugs to keep the baby from the reading of the will, and they in turn hire the Boys to keep an eye on him. Sach and Slip manage to dodge the thugs and rescue the mother in the guise of having Sach committed. (Oh, and I suspect a brief blackface gag when Sach attempts to hide the baby from a cop is the reason this one can't be found on streaming.)

Spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening watching The Man Who Would Be King. Sach and Slip are hardly the only best-friend pair to cause mischief. British ex-soldiers Daniel Dravot (Sean Connery) and Peachy Carnehan (Michael Caine), after trying to rob author Rudyard Kipling (Christopher Plummer), take an expedition into Afghanistan in search of Kafiristan. There, they arm the locals with rifles, help them defeat their enemies, and take over the very wealthy country. When an arrow fails to pierce Dravot's chest, they think he's immortal and makes him their king. Peachy thinks they should grab the money and run, but Dravot has found he likes being a ruler and helping the people with their problems...until the princess Roxanne (Shakira Caine) inadvertently reveals that he's far from immortal.

John Huston apparently wanted to make this for 20 years, and it was worth the wait. It was Connery's favorite role and remains Caine's, and it's not surprising, given how much fun they have as the rogues who go looking for money and end up with a heck of a lot more than they bargained for. Stunning cinematography in Morocco and France, too. Maurice Jarre wrote the rousing Indian-style score. I'm also impressed with how relatively close this is to the book, which I have read. My only complaint is how long it is. It takes a while to actually set up - the first half in particular drags. Other than that, if you're a fan of two-fisted adventure tales, Kipling, or the leading men and have time on your hands, you'll want to grab your partner in crime and join the expedition. 

Returned to Buzzr for Match Game '74 next. We're getting close to the end of the year as they finished off Avery Schriberer's first week. Phyllis Newman also appeared but, to tell the truth, she was kind of annoying and took a lot of Brett's teasing personally. No wonder Avery became a semi-regular, but she never came back. James Darren and Juliet Mills had a lot more fun during New Year's week. 

Got my schedule at this point. It's pretty much what I expected and had hoped for. I'm back to weekend afternoons and early on Wednesday at the Acme. On one hand, that means I will be able to hit the Collingswood farm market next week. I'll just move the Cherry Hill trip to earlier in the week, maybe Tuesday or Thursday. 

Watched The Swamp Fox after dinner. The series gets mildly dark for "Day of Reckoning." Francis is determined to find his nephew Gabe's killer. His men not only don't share his obsession, they're sick, worn out, and want to start fighting Tories again. Mary Videux (Joy Page) manages to sweet-talk Colonel Peter Horry (Myron Healy) into giving her medicine for the men. Meanwhile, Francis not only finds Briggs (Robert Douglas), but learns there's someone else who has sworn vengeance against him - Gwynn (Hal Stalmaster), whose family was killed by a man in a mask who called himself the Swamp Fox.

Finished the night with more Zorro at Disney Plus. Don Diego is more than happy to spread the story of "The Ghost at the Mission" to scare Garcia and his men off. It works pretty well with Garcia, but Monastario isn't as impressed. 

Busy Time In the Late Spring

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. Ladybird uses powers gained from another meteor fragment to control huge, shiny dog statues in the museum. "Mighty Pups, Super Paws: Pups and the Big Twin Trick" has Ella making use of her ability to become huge to make Ladybird think she's a statue, too. Mayor Humdinger turns into the Incredible Hum-Hulk when he finds a meteor fragment. Having terrified the Kitty Catastrophe Crew, he chases every cat in town, including two big snow tigers. "Mighty Pups, Super Paws: Pups and the Mega Mayor" have to rescue the cats, round up the Kitty Catastrophe Crew, and bring this Hum-Hulk back down to size.

Switched briefly to Password Plus on Buzzr while I made my grocery list. As part of their Game Show Month marathon, they're running the remaining existing episodes with Tom Kennedy hosting from 1981 and 1982. The one I saw before I left was the week with Fred Grandy and Edie McClurg. 

Headed out to run errands next, despite the heavy heat, humidity, and bright sunshine. The reason I took the bike was so I could hit Collingswood Family Practice first. They had paperwork for Healthy Kids I had to sign. Signed the paper, put it in my backpack, and was on my way.

Next up was the Westmont Acme for this week's grocery trip there. Restocked blueberries, yogurt, soda, granola, and granola bars. Had a really good online coupon for sliced Swiss cheese. Since I had time, I headed up the hill to Sprouts after I finished at the Acme. Got dried mango slices, peanut butter cookies that were on clearance, diet sodas that weren't too expensive, and a delicious tuna salad with herbs and cucumbers sandwich on a multi-grain baguette. Thought I'd try oat milk and a bag of buckwheat pancakes mix that was on the clearance rack. I thought about checking out Target, but Haddon Township's schools are already on half-days. The bike rack was filled with kids' bikes. Not to mention, I didn't have the time. I just rode home after I finished at Sprouts.

Put everything away, then had a quick lunch while returning to Password Plus. By the time I got home, they'd moved on to the week with Lucille Ball and Dick Martin. Lucy's a good player. Dick wasn't, but he can be pretty funny and good-natured about it. They were just starting the late 2000's Drew Carey Price Is Right when I called Uber. I nearly sweated to death riding around this morning! Prioritized the one going to Thomas Sharp. It came in 8 minutes. The one going home arrived in 11, not bad for the height of rush hour.

(Got my schedule while at home, too. I had to take four days off for half-days at Thomas Sharp next week. Good thing I made two of those four days vacation days. The only day I actually work next week is Sunday. I'll probably make more money than if I did work.)

Despite starting with no tables in the cafeteria again, things largely went better today than it did yesterday. For one thing, we had 19 kids all together, 8 in my group. They were a little rowdy in the bathroom, but not bad. For another, we never left the cafeteria. The older kids did go outside, but the younger ones didn't. There was no fussing over who colored what. I was able to read one of the little girls Hop On Pop and build colorful Duplo towers with some of the boys. They did bring the older kids in, but they were so noisy, they ended up taking them and the remaining three younger kids back outside. (One boy and his brother left when I did.) The kids were lucky they ended up postponing the Blacktop Bash until next Thursday due to the heat, or they wouldn't have been going out at all.

Put on the Bob Barker Price Is Right when I got home and got organized. I was there in time for the Showcase Showdown, and then the Showcases themselves. One with a crossword puzzle theme came out with trips. The other had a car. The lady with the car ended up getting a whole lot of prizes.

Switched to Match Game '74 next. They finished out the Michael Evans week in the first hour. Richard Dawson spent that week caught between sweetly goofy Joyce Bulifant and Fannie Flagg's whimsical southern witticisms. For some reason, the second hour jumped back to the Arte Johnson-Michelle Lee week that they just ran, so I went elsewhere.

Went to YouTube for more Swamp Fox. As in real life, the American Revolution pits "Brother Against Brother" as those loyal to the king burns the homes and land of residents who want independence. One of the few homes not burned is the stately dwelling belonging to Mary Videux (Joy Page) and her family. Marion's men are ready to burn her home, but her reminds them that two wrongs most definitely do not make a right. Mary assures them that she's on their side, no matter what her parents say, and she can pass information to them. She's the one who tells them that the English will be transferring prisoners, and how to rescue them...

Finished the night at Disney Plus with another type of swashbuckling American hero, Zorro. "Zorro Rides to the Mission" to stop its owner from selling out to the greedy Captain Monastario. Don Diego Vega tries to talk to him...but it's not until he sees him abusing the Native American workers that Zorro swings into action!

When Things Go Wrong

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. "Little Bear Meets No Feet" the snake while helping Mother Bear in her garden. He tries to find a bed for him inside, then comes to the conclusion that some animals just belong outdoors. Grandfather Bear sets up a sheet tent in the yard, so he and Little Bear can go on "The Camp Out" and learn a goofy camping song. Little Bear can't send "Emily's Balloon" from Hen's birthday party in the mail, but it finds its way to her just the same.

Rushed out to the Acme to do this week's grocery shopping, cutting across the Newton Lake Park...and of course, when I arrived there, I realized I had forgotten my wallet. At least I figured it out before I went in the store and did actual shopping, but it was still embarrassing. I wouldn't have time to go back out. I'd have to do it after I finished at Thomas Sharp.

So I just rode back home, had lunch, and cheered myself up with an episode of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. This was the first episode of the sixth and final season, and it opens with cheerleaders introducing the newcomers on the show, among them eventual Match Game semi-regulars Sarah Kennedy and Patti Deusch. We kick off with a pretty darn decent Frank Sinatra imitator carrying off the lamppost he leans on, Patti's infamous Howard Cosell's mother imitation, Kent McCord and Martin Milner parodying their characters on the cop show Adam-12, and Willie Tyler and Lester spoofing All In the Family's theme song. John Wayne's a lot less happy when he's stuck in a goofy blue furry suit and has to give evidence to Dan Rowan.

I left a little bit early so I could get a free donut at Dunkin' Donuts for Free Donut Day. I think I should have left a lot earlier. I got the Pepsi Zero, but there was such a long line at the drive-in, I ran out of time to wait for my jelly donut and never did get it. All that made me late for work on a really hot day.

Which was absolutely not a good thing. Though we only had 21 kids, 8 at my table, they were all absolutely insane today. First of all, the head teacher called out. Second, though the older kids did go out on the blacktop for a while, it was too hot to take the pre-schoolers outside. (Especially since a lot of them were wearing long-sleeved flannel pajamas for Pajama Day.) We stayed in the cafeteria the entire afternoon. None of them would sit down. They ran around, shrieked, climbed under tables, ran into the music teacher's office that's blocked by heavy velvet curtains for a reason, argued loudly over the magnetic tiles (and broke them), and ripped the paper we taped down for them to draw on so badly, we cut word search papers in half for them to draw on instead. 

They were really a pain in the rear in the bathrooms. Two of the girls took 10 minutes to stop giggling, whispering, and climbing under each other's stalls. I felt sorry for the poor girl who went like a normal person and had to wait for them to finish. I spent ten minutes yelling at them before they finally got out. I did figure out how to keep one of the older boys from wandering in the halls during bathroom breaks. I told him to be the line leader, which seemed to focus him, at least enough for him to help me get the others together.

I hadn't originally planned on eating dinner out, but I wasn't up to digging out something at home after all that. I just had a slice of vegetable and a slice of pepperoni at Crust N' Cravings on Collings Avenue. The pizza was good, as it always is, but I felt a little nervous there. They're across from the notoriously troubled Parkview Apartments on the White Horse Pike, and their clientele in the evenings and at night tend to be sketchy. I ate, watched Action News on Channel 6, and hurried out.

At least it was a nice day by then for the long ride back to the Westmont Acme. There's a lot of repairs and remodeling going on in Newton Lake Park right now. I think they're redoing the pavement on the back path, so I stuck to the front path, going past the playgrounds and pavilion, over the footbridge, and around a group of Canadian geese and their growing goslings looking for dinner. The weather was still pretty warm when I arrived in Westmont, sunny, hot, dry, and in the lower 90's.

Thank heavens the Acme wasn't busy when I arrived. I needed a lot. Restocked sliced chicken, yogurt, soda, granola, strawberries, granola bars, coconut milk, and cookies. I had an online coupon for a free Acme brand peanut butter, and another for the large container of blueberries. Found slices of lemon cake roll for really cheap in the bakery. 

Had the cake rolls for dessert while watching the last episode this week of Match Game '74 when I got home. By the time I got in, they were starting the week with Broadway star Robert Morse and TV favorite Adrienne Barbeau. This was also the week where a diminutive red-headed contestant kept chasing Fannie and Brett every time he won, to the point where Richard and Charles had to stand up and defend their ladies' honor.

(Got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, next Saturday off. I'll be able to hit the farm market and explore another neighborhood in Cherry Hill. Bad news, not nearly enough hours. The head bagger must be back to her normal working hours, and given they're cutting hours, they probably don't want people working multiple jobs.) 

Finished the night at YouTube for the Universal action movie Gypsy Wildcat. Gypsy dancer Carla (Maria Montez) intercepts a message from Michael, one of the King's men (Jon Hall) and a wicked Baron (Douglas Dumbrille) who is persecuting the gypsies. He knows a secret about Carla, one that he hopes will allow him to marry Carla and steal her fortune. Michael helps young Tonio (Peter Coe) rescue the gypsies from the dungeon and save Carla from a fate worse than death. I love all of the Montez-Hall action films I've seen, and while this isn't the greatest of them, it's still a lot of fun. If you love historical action with an Eastern European flair, you'll really get a kick out of this one. 

Perfectly Spring

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Animation Goes to War

Began the morning with something different for breakfast. I found a bag of Birch Benders gluten-free pancake mix on the clearance shelves for $2 at the Westmont Acme yesterday. For that price, I'd gladly try them. They fried up golden brown and were mostly nice and fluffy, especially for gluten free. Tasted great with strawberries, yogurt, and some of that real maple syrup I picked up at the Vermont Country Store when I visited Lauren last fall. 

Watched Looney Tunes World War II propaganda shorts while I ate. From 1941 through 1945, Warners released a series of cartoons that were intended to boost morale for both soldiers overseas and those on the home front like Molly who needed laughter along with their newsreel headlines. They seemed to mainly fall into three categories. Bugs Bunny's last propaganda short was "Herr Meets Hare." Bugs outwitting real-life German military commander Hermann Goring has gags that are almost precursors to "What's Opera Doc?", including one of Bugs on horseback. Daffy fought the Nazis two years earlier in "Daffy the Commando." There were also shorts with one-off characters, like "The Draft Horse" who was rejected for war, then learned how scary battle is when he's caught in war games. 

Sketch comedies like "The Weakly Reporter" and "Wacky Blackout" parody the experience on the home front in the city and country, while "Meet Johnny Doughboy" and "Rookie Revue" parodied the pre-war draft in 1940 and 1941. "Hollywood Canine Canteen" was a spoof of entertainers who performed in canteens devoted to servicemen, some of whom, like Ish Kabbible and bandleader Kay Kyser, are fairly obscure today. "Fifth Column Mouse" and "The Duckinators" were fables on how the US got into the war, and how it intended to win it. 

I headed out before the cartoons finished. I had something I something to do at Thomas Sharp School I'd been meaning to do for a while now. Dropped a book of fairy tales and a book of Irish folk tales in the book kiosk next to the school's main entrance when I arrived. Since there was no one on the playground, I sat on the swings for a few minutes after locking my bike until it was time for my shift.

Today was a half-day for the kids. It's also the start of the last major holiday weekend of the school year. There were only 13 younger kids today (counting the boy whose mother picked him up 10 minutes after he arrived), and not that many more older kids. We had so few kids, we just took them in two groups to the bathroom instead of taking our tables. The kids started right away with the bathrooms and lunch. After they ate, they played with magnetic tiles and plastic dinosaurs and stenciled animals onto paper taped to a table for about an hour before we took the remaining 8 kids outside.

I'm glad it was just cloudy, cool, and very windy when the kids were there. We were able to keep them outside for the rest of the afternoon. Other than some squabbling over the swings and the boys wrestling on the mulch when their running games got out of hand, things went just fine. I had a rather nice chat with one young miss on the swings about her very intelligent cat, and she competed with one of the boys to see who could swing higher. When she left, two of the boys took the swings for almost an hour. One of the mothers who used to be a teacher ran around with them for a while, too. The kids danced to "Swipe and Scan (The Checkout Song)," "The Pink Tiger Hunt," the theme from Bluey, and songs from Sing, Moana, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

By the time two of the older kids came over to swing, it was past 3:30. We just took the older kids and the remaining 3 younger kids over to the blacktop with the others to shoot baskets and play soccer. There were only six older kids and more than enough teachers. They let me go around 3:30. The last younger girl went home at the same time I did. 

The kids were the first ones to report the raindrops. It had spit lightly off and on since the middle of the afternoon. We figured it wouldn't melt anyone, and I decided I was fine for a bike ride to WaWa. I deserved a Caramel Coconut Smoothie and a soft pretzel after a long couple of weeks. That felt good, even on a slightly chilly day. At least it tasted like caramel and coconut.

(Incidentally, the rain picked up about a half-hour after I got home. It's been showering off and on ever since.)

Finished the Looney Tunes shorts when I got home, then switched to Popeye. Like Termite Terrace, the Fleischer Brothers tossed Popeye into World War II a few months before the US formally entered the war. The enemy in "The Mighty Navy" isn't even named. By the time "Blunder Below" and "Fleets of Stren'th" came out, Popeye was definitely fighting the Japanese in the Pacific...making a few of these shorts extremely uncomfortable to watch today. Popeye evading the Nazis in "Spinach Fer Britain" is slightly easier to take. 

Popeye and Bluto didn't let anything as trivial as war hinder their pursuit of Olive Oyl. "Kicking the Conga Around" had them learning exotic dance steps to impress Senorita Olive. They compete to see who can do better showing her around their battleship, but quickly learn that "Olive Oyl and Water Don't Mix." Popeye's not saying "Many Tanks" when Army-bound Bluto trades uniforms with him in order to go out with Olive. Popeye leads the entire tank corps on a merry chase around town as he hurries to his date. Olive leaves Swee'pea with Popeye, who thinks it'll be easy to take care of the tyke...but "Baby Wants a Battleship," and won't settle for crawling around anything smaller than the destroyer Popeye's been assigned to.

Moved to Match Game '74 after the cartoons ended. Tonight was entirely devoted to the only week featuring game show host Jack Narz, now best known as the host for the original Now You See It and the 70's syndicated Concentration. Elaine Joyce got the best joke of the night when she gave the best answer regarding what one needed to get out of a punch bowl after a party. Jack and Gene didn't appreciate a game show host gag from Brett earlier. 

(I also got my schedule at this point. In good news, slightly more hours, next Friday and Saturday off again. Bad news, two double-shift days in a row. The head bagger must have wanted Tuesday off along with her usual Wednesday.) 

Finished the night with more classic World War II shorts from the Fleischers and Famous Studios, this time featuring Superman. Given the tenor of the comic books of the time, it was a given that Paramount would get Superman involved in the war sooner or later. "Japoteurs" has Superman stopping Japanese spies from stealing an experimental plane...and Lois Lane, who stowed away onboard. "The Eleventh Hour" is a wonderfully shadowy short with a mature story that has Superman committing acts of sabotage while he and Lois are prisoners of war in Yokohama. "Jungle Drums" has him helping Lois rescue secret plans from a Nazi who leads African natives in destroying planes. "Secret Agent" is the only short to not feature Lois. Superman rescues a beautiful female agent from Nazi saboteurs and makes sure the information she carries gets to Washington safely. 

Children In the Wind

Began the morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "Digger Runs Away" when he makes a mistake and soaks Dinkel's uniform. The others go after him, but when they run into villains, Digger has to rescue them. "The Commissioner Is Missing" and has been captured by Mastermind, a villain who was caught by the Shirt Tales before. He wants to catch them now, but he refuses to believe that the Shirt Tales could be fluffy small animals and keeps thinking they're just being pests.

Headed out after that. I was slightly late. Not a good thing, since we were busy all morning. I have no idea why we were busy. Memorial Day Weekend is next weekend. The only things going on this weekend are various yard sales and farm markets. I was behind on carts for a lot of the day. At least it was windy and chilly but not bad. The sun was in and out at that point. The clouds wouldn't start really clearing out until after I finished work and was making my way to Oaklyn.

(I also got my schedule before I left work. In good news, I'll have plenty of time to rest next week and will have no problem getting to Thomas Sharp's half-day next Friday and the Collingswood May Fair on Saturday. The only days I work at the Acme next week are Sunday and Wednesday, and they're both short hours. The head bagger is actually bagging, and a lot of college kids just got out of school. It does mean my Acme paycheck will be lousy, but it also means I'll have a chance to do more research.)

I had a quick lunch at Phillies Phatties, about a block from the school on West Clinton Avenue. They were surprisingly busy for 1:30, mainly with local families. I watched a darling little miss climb around (and try to climb into the back of) her stroller while enjoying a slice of basil and mozzarella and a slice of mushroom pizza and a can of Diet Pepsi.   

Since I had plenty of time, I dodged road repair on West Greenwood as I made my way down to Dunkin' Donuts. I still had that $5 gift card I got for Teacher Appreciation Week last Friday. They were dead as a doornail. Not even anyone in the drive through. I enjoyed a fruit punch donut (regular donut with very very pink fruity icing and crunchy topping) and Marshmallow Vanilla Matcha Latte (green tea with marshmallow topping, almond milk, and a shot of vanilla). Oooh, yum! They were both really good. The donut was a little dry, but the icing did taste like fruit punch. The latte was smooth and creamy and very sweet with the marshmallow topping. 

Instead of hanging around Dunkin', I just left for Thomas Sharp early. I made the right call. There was no one there to greet the kids when I came in. The head teacher called out. Fortunately, the other teachers weren't far behind me. We had 26 kids today, 9 at my table, and they were absolutely wild. Two of the little girls went to the bathroom on their own without asking an adult. I found them in a stall, flushing the toilet and giggling. I climbed under the door and into the stall to tell them not to hide and why this wasn't a good idea. Later, they hid under one of the cafeteria tables again and couldn't be coaxed out for anything. I tried to pull one out, and she bonked her head on the table. I gently held them on my lap while I apologized for pulling at her, rubbed her head, and pointed out that bonked heads were a big part of why they aren't supposed to play under the tables. 

It was almost 4 when we finally got them all outside. On one hand, they did argue over the swings and kept trying to go on them when there were too many kids around. On the other hand, when they did get on, they were hilarious. Near the end of my shift, I pushed a boy and a girl who kept laughing and saying they were going higher and faster than the other, even though I was pushing them about the same height and speed. They were sooo funny! The other teachers had just taken the remaining 3 younger kids to play with the 4 older kids still in the cafeteria when I left.

Went straight into Price Is Right and Match Game '73 when I got home. Tonight's episodes were entirely devoted to the week with "Mama" Cass Elliot that also gave us the debut of game show host Bill Cullen on the show. It's too bad Cass didn't live to come back. Other than some unnecessary weight jokes from Richard Dawson, she seemed to have a good time that week and played pretty well. Brett Somers spent the week arguing with her then-husband Jack Klugman in the seat next to her (for the last time until 1978). 

Finished the night with Murder She Wrote. It's "A Fashionable Way to Die" when Jessica attends a fashion show put on by her dress designer friend Eva Taylor (Barbara Rush) and they find her benefactor dead in his hotel room shortly afterwards. Turns out the gentleman had been extorting cash from just about everyone around him, including Eva, a popular model (Tania Elg), and the daughter of a cabaret singer (Juliet Prowse). Jessica has to convince the local gendarme that he has the wrong woman with the help of two maids who heard gunshots 20 minutes apart. 

Appreciated Harts

Began the day with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus. "The Late, Late Show" has nothing to do with Stephen Colbert. Mickey and the others want to stay awake and see a meteor shower, but they keep falling asleep! Donald in particular spends the episode nodding off. They have to find ways to stay awake before the big celestial event hits.

Thankfully, work wasn't really much of a problem today. The head bagger was there, but though she did sweep during my break, she mostly helped the floral department manager. Not that I really needed her much anyway. We were dead the entire morning. There were barely any carts to do. I'm guessing everyone is waiting for Mother's Day weekend.

I'm less happy with my schedule. Other than a later day on Sunday. it's the exact same schedule as this week...up to and including working Wednesday and Friday. The head bagger took Friday and Saturday off.

Soon as I changed and grabbed pads, I headed out. I took my bike today, partially so I could ride up to the Legacy Diner for lunch. After the week I'd had, I needed pancakes rather badly. I had my favorite coconut-pineapple pancakes, bacon, and water. The pancakes were so huge, I'm glad I went with the short stack. The bacon was melt-in-your-mouth crispy. Though the waitress took a little while to get my order, the food came quick after that. I was out fast enough that I got to the Thomas Sharp School a little bit early.

On one hand, we had a lot fewer kids today. Some of the classes went on a school trip, so we only had 18 little ones and 14 older kids today. On the other hand, they got pretty crazy, especially in the bathroom. I had 7 at my table, but there were so few at the other tables, we ended up taking them together. Probably not a good idea, considering how crazy they were. I brought the one straggler back. 

When the kids finished their snacks, we gathered those interested at a table to do an art project. They drew cards for their mothers with colored pencils and the dot markers from the March St. Patrick's Day pot of gold pictures. The head teacher gave them colorful stickers for their cards, most of which ended up on the floor. The boys next to them playing with Hot Wheels cars and magnetic tiles were so noisy, they got lucky they were able to go outside at all. 

We finally were able to get the kids out around 4 PM. The sun had been in and out all day, but by that point, it was sunny, blustery, and maybe even a little humid. I did have to argue with one little girl about getting on the swings while there were still too many kids around. She and her friend wailed because one of the older boys wouldn't play with them. I tried to point out that he wanted to play with boys closer to his own age, but they weren't having any of it. One of them did finally get her way when he was briefly on the swings at the same time as her. The remaining 4 kids happily ran around and asked me to push them on the swings until I finished and the other teachers took them inside to get their things and clean up the remaining stickers and markers mess.

And...those kids and their families are such sweethearts. One little boy and his mother came in today just to hand out boxes of home-made white chocolate-covered strawberries and white chocolate-caramel pretzels and Target gift cards to the teachers. A little girl and her family gave us 5 dollar gift cards to Dunkin' Donuts. They're some of the only people right now who really do make me feel loved and appreciated, even when they drive me crazy.

Watched Match Game '73 when I got home. Most of the episodes were for the early week with Dick Gautier, his then-wife Barbara Stuart, and Oscar-winner Shelley Winters. Gautier and Stuart seemed to do decent enough playing off each other (though one episode from this week is banned due to an offensive answer from Dick and the contestant). I'm not sure Shelley entirely got the humor. Robert Culp didn't do much better next week. Pat Carroll, on the other hand, seemed to have a great time, and it's a shame she never came back.

Finished the night with Hart to Hart. "The Hartbreak Kid" is Reilly, the little girl who gives Max tips on the horses at the stables. She's close with the Harts, their filly J.J Hart, and his trainer. Reilly ends up in big trouble when she accidentally overhears two men who have money on another horse try to get him to throw the race. The Harts bring Reilly home with them for Christmas and to find her grandmother. Even when Granny turns up, she's not what she seems...and the Harts have to rescue Max and Reilly and figure out how they can win the race without anyone getting hurt. 

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. 

Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

Got a late start today with breakfast and It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown. Linus and Lucy's little brother Rerun makes his debut in the last Peanuts special with music by Vince Guaraldi (who died just hours after he completed the soundtrack). Sally turns the baseball field into a garden and orchard as part of an Arbor Day project. Her older brother is understandably furious, until it looks like the foliage might help them actually win a game.

Headed out after I made the grocery list. I didn't really need that much this week and I left late, so I limited the grocery shopping to just the Westmont Acme this week. I had online coupons for coconut milk, cookies, strawberries, and yogurt. Nature's Valley granola bars were two for $6. Restocked sliced chicken, soda, and apples. Thankfully, the store wasn't busy at all. I was able to get in and out with no trouble. 

Took the long way home across Newton Lake Park. It's really spring in the park now. The grass is mostly green with a few dry patches. The leaves are a bright yellow green. Sunny yellow buttercups and dandelions line the banks of the lake. Canadian geese cropped grass with their adorable brand-new goslings. It was much busier in the park at quarter after 1. I dodged dog walkers, older folks and college kids out for a stroll, and parents pushing strollers before turning on the path over the hill to the Haddon Township Environmental Center. 

Put everything away and had a quick lunch while watching Shirt Tales. The animals think they're "The Game Masters" when they sneak out to play consoles at a local arcade. They think they're getting a bargain when a game claims they can play for free, only to find them trapped in a bumper-car game. Tired of having to clean up the park for Mr. Dinkel, they don't object to being "Shirt Napped" by aliens, until it turns out the aliens just want them to clean up their planet. They finally swipe a flying saucer to get them back to the aliens' ship and get them home.

Called Alyssa at Camden County right before I left. I didn't get her, so I left a message. I hope I can get her on Monday. If she can't help me, I'm going to start looking for loan programs that might be more willing to help. 

Hurried out after the cartoon ended. Got there on time...to find the kids and their Thomas Sharp teachers, but no one from Healthy Kids. One of the heads of the program showed up shortly after I did. Turned out the head teacher had called out, and another couldn't come in. We were severely short-handed. Not a good thing, since we had 26 kids today, 11 at my table. They were crazy in the bathroom, especially the girls. I spent most of the twenty minutes or so after snack time cleaning up a little boy who had had an accident. By the time we got back, they were lining up the kids to go outside.

It was much too nice for them to stay inside. It was sunny and in the lower 70's when we first went out. Even after it clouded over and got windy later, it was still a lovely day. I did have to argue them off the swings, especially after they were all allowed on yesterday. There were too many of them and not enough teachers to keep an eye on them. Most of them were happy to draw with chalk, hug a tree, or dance along with "Zoo" from Zootopia 2, "Pink Pony Club," "I Like to Move It," the theme from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and songs from Moana, Moana 2, Trolls, and KPop Demon Hunters. 

I stayed a little later after the head teacher had to go home at 5. We were down to six kids when we moved them with the older kids on the blacktop. The weather remained cloudy and a little chillier but still too decent to take them back inside. Most of the kids kicked balls around, but I did have to argue with two boys to stop throwing around bottles of glitter-filled water they made in class (the bottles were really kind of flimsy), then stop playing around a car that did not belong to them. 

Went straight home after all that and into Match Game '90. This was the wild week where Fred Travalena dressed as Elvis Presley, complete with sequined jump suit. The Star Wheel kept landing on him, too. To give him credit, he got it right two out of three times. Pam Stone was really hilarious this week too, tossing out several British and southern gothic jokes.

Got my schedule at this point, too. In good news, slightly more hours and no long shifts. Unfortunately, I have two double-shift days this time, Thursday and Friday. No idea when I'll get to the grocery store. The head bagger must have taken those days off again. 

Finished the night with three of my newly-acquired records and CDs. The Superman book and record from Peter Pan runs with the continuity in the comic books when it debuted in 1978, which means Clark and Lois works for Galaxy Broadcasting and Jimmy is a full-fledged reporter. "The Mxyzptlk Menace" makes everyone speak without vowels, which means they can't really communicate at all, until Superman finds a way for him to say his name backwards. "Alien Creatures" is a much darker and stranger story. After aliens appear, it suddenly starts raining silver bullets that dissolve anything in their path. Superman has to convince them telepathically that Earth is not a good place for them to make their home.

The Cars were one of the most popular rock groups of the late 70's and early 80's. Their Greatest Hits include "Just What I Needed," "Good Times Roll," "Drive," and "My Best Friend's Girl." Other favorites on this 1985 album include "Since You're Gone," "Touch and Go," "Let's Go," "Shake It Up," and "Magic."

James Taylor's music was an all together quieter version of rock. His Greatest Hits include mellow ballads like "Fire and Rain," "Sweet Baby James," and "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight." "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," "Mexico," and "Walking Man" show Taylor in a slightly more uptempo mode.