Taking Care of My Girls

The rest of today wasn't terribly exciting. I got up too late to run any really big chores, and it was too cold and windy to start cleaning the porch furniture, which was my original plan for today.

I spent a few hours this morning cleaning the girls instead. I gave Felicity and Molly magic eraser baths. That was all Felicity needed. She's in by far the best shape of the four dolls. Jessa must have gotten her last. Her ends are a tiny bit dry, but nothing unmanageable. I just redressed her in her Spring Pinner Outfit and put her hair in a ponytail.

I had more fun with Molly's hair. Actually, I really, really like how Molly came out. Most of whatever the red stuff that Jessa dyed Molly's hair with did come out...but what little remains gives it a reddish tinge like she has highlights. I like that. It's unique. I really like the cute bob she has, too. I don't know if Jessa did that or if Kaye or Dad fixed what Jessa had done, but it's actually a nice look for her. I gave her two little ponytails on either side of her head, tied with ribbons. They look like a straighter version of mine, actually.

My Samantha needs more work. Her long, brown hair is still dry as a bone. I trimmed a bit of the ends to try to get the dryness off, but there was just too much of it. She's drying now. After this, I'm just going to put her hair back up and give her a magic eraser bath. I may try dunking her in fabric softener again, but I don't think there's much more I can do.

I went for a long walk after doing Sam's hair. I just strolled around the neighborhood. It may have been too cold to run the hose, but it was perfect for a walk, in the mid-60s, sunny, and still very windy. Headed down Manor and over to West Cedar, stopping briefly to play at the small Tracy Connors Memorial Park playground. I headed back around to Kendall, then down to West Clinton.

I had a chat with the Dorias after buying water there, mostly about what happened on Friday. They pretty much said what everyone did - everyone makes a mistake, it's not your fault, there will be other guys, you just have to be more careful.

Headed home after that. I made a Scrambled Eggs with Spring Vegetables and Monterrey Jack Cheese, fresh farm market Swiss chard, and the last of the gingerbread for lunch. Lunch took me longer than I thought, and I was late getting out for work.

I needn't hurried. Work was steady during rush hour, but otherwise not bad. There were no major problems, and I was in and out quickly with no relief.

Every Time We Say Good-Bye

Actress/Jazz Singer Lena Horne Dies at 92

Horne was one of my idols. I first heard her famous rendition of "Stormy Weather" on, of all places, the Disney Channel's 80s DTV music videos. Even played against clips of Donald Duck having a bad day, I could feel the aching melancholy in the performance.

I don't think they knew what to do with me, a black woman. At the time, I never felt like I quite fit in.

Lena Horne had been invited to appear in the first That's Entertainment, but she'd only do it if she could tell her side of the story as an abused minority in Hollywood. It wasn't until the third movie that they'd comply. She had one of my favorite segments of That's Entertainment III, explaining what had happened to not only her, but Ava Gardner in the 50s Show Boat when her vocals were switched for someone else's.

Good bye to a legend, and one of the strongest women I've ever seen. I only hope I can be half as strong as she was.

Mothers, Dolls, and Movies

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all moms, including new moms and those whose children are four-legged and/or feathered.

I slept until 10, then read books and wrote in my journal in bed for a while. It was quarter after 11 before I finally started making breakfast. I tried calling Mom to wish her a happy Mother's Day while my Strawberry-Chocolate Chip Pancakes were cooking, but I got a busy signal.

Finally got through to her around noon. She was in the midst of an intense game of Parcheesi with my stepfather and brother. She said she wasn't doing well. I hope she eventually kicked their rears.

The theme of the Brunch With the Beatles show today was "The Beatles and Other British Revolution Bands of 1964 and 1965." We heard from Dusty Springfield, Gary and the Pacemakers, and the Dave Clark Five, among a few others, along with early Beatles music. I'm not the biggest fan of the Beatles' earlier stuff, but it was nice to hear some of the other bands and put them in context of the time period.

Spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out online. Mom had recommended a TCM collection of four musicals that she'd gotten off of Amazon.com, the TCM Greatest Classic Films: Broadway Musicals set. I may have to get it myself. I have Annie Get Your Gun and Kiss Me Kate on video (the latter has been around since high school and is showing its years) and don't have Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or the 1952 Show Boat with Ava Gardner.

I went to Turner Classic Movies' site next to check out something I'd heard mentioned elsewhere - the Warners Archive Collection. On one hand, this preserves older movies that Warners doesn't deem worthy of a major release (including silents) and some lesser-known recent films. On the other hand, they're cheaply done, despite the $19.99 price tag, just the movie on a DVD-R. I wasn't sure they'd be worth the price...but I discovered on their site that they include many movies I was sure would never see the light of day on DVD, including the Marilyn Miller bio-pic Look For the Silver Lining, the 1944 Kismet with Marlene Dietrich, and dozens of early talkie musicals heavily discussed in one of my favorite books, A Song in the Dark - Sweet Kitty Belairs, Love In the Rough, It's A Great Life, the infamous Golden Dawn ("very offbeat" is putting it mildly), On With the Show!, the 1929 Rio Rita, Show Girl In Hollywood, The Hollywood Revue of 1929, The Show of Shows, and two vehicles for the real-life Miller, Sally and Sunny. Sally, Hollywood Revue, and Rio Rita alone are fun flicks (vintage and all). Besides, everyone should have one really bad, campy cult movie in their collection...and they don't get much worse, or campier, than Golden Dawn. (What's campier than an operetta set in Africa with people in horrible black makeup singing about "My Whip" and "My Bwana?" ;) )

I had leftover asparagus and the last of the chicken sausage patties for lunch, then headed for work. Work was a pain in the rear today. First of all, the drawer for my first register jammed while I had a long line, and we had to move everyone to the next one. Second, there were at least two checks that wouldn't go through the system we use. The first woman threw a fit, but the second took it much better.

I've been wanting to do some work on my American Girls dolls ever since I read about how to clean them up at the American Girls Playthings Message Board. I decided that, to cheer me up, I would lavish attention on the people who have always been there for me - my dolls. I bought fabric softener and a Magic Marker sponge at work (along with buttermilk).

I washed Molly's hair first. I don't know what my stepsister Jessa used on her hair, but it made a huge mess! Red stuff went everywhere. I managed to get as much of it out as I could, but I got her torso soaked. She was dunked in fabric softener for a while. I also cleaned Samantha's hair and conditioned it. I'm going to leave her in the fabric softener overnight. She has more hair than Molly does.

Molly looks much better. Her hair is still a tad reddish, but it's nothing like it was. Unfortunatly, I completely soaked her body. She's going to have to dry for a while. I wiped Little Jessa with the Magic Marker. I'll do Felicity tomorrow.

The Farm Market's Back

I had to get out of the apartment after yesterday. I just couldn't stay there. I got a late start and spent the morning and afternoon running errands. My first stop was the bank. I deposited my paycheck and talked to the tellers. It was 11 by then, so the bank was fairly busy. Made a quick stop at the post office to deliver Mom's Mother's Day card while I was on the White Horse Pike, then headed for Collingswood and the Farm Market in the parking lot behind Haddon Avenue.

I still love the Farm Market. The Collingswood Farm Market happens every Saturday, rain or shine, between the first Saturday in May and the last Saturday before Thanksgiving. Most of the same booths were there, and the tables were surprisingly full, given I didn't arrive until 11:30. I bought strawberries, a bunch of carrots, leeks, garlic, Swiss chard, asparagus, peach butter from the fruit orchard, and raspberry-flavored honey from the honey seller.

After what happened yesterday, I felt like I needed to talk to someone and be around people. I tried calling Mom in the park, but Dad said she was at work. I rode back to Oaklyn and tried visiting Jodie, but she wasn't home, either. I ended up at the Oaklyn Library instead. I told the whole story to the kindly old lady who is the morning librarian there. She was very sweet and told me I could stay at least until the library closed at 2. I organized the childrens' books and DVDs, then headed out at 1:30 when my stomach started growling.

Had lunch at that nice little soup restaurant on Pine Street between Willie the Woodsman's and Wife and Act Two Collectibles. Today's soup was a tasty cup of Chicken Orzo (rice-shaped noodles). I paired it with a can of Coke Zero and a mini-loaf of corn bread.

Willie the Woodsman and Wife had no new WebKinz, but I did have some luck at Act Two. I found the most darling little blue sailor's outfit for my Cabbage Patch Kid doll Carrie. Had a nice chat about yesterday with the proprietor, too, who told me about how happy she was to have met her second husband after difficulties with the first.

I rode around Audubon for a little while after that. Went down Pine Street, then over to the section of Newton River Park in Mt. Ephram. It was a nice day for it, too, very windy, but sunny and warm. I rode down the Black Horse Pike and over to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center.

I made my way around the traffic to FYE. They didn't have the new WebKinz, either, but I did get the first That's Entertainment movie used for $7.38 with my membership card. Also made a quick stop at the Acme for milk and my schedule, both of which I forgot yesterday.

Finally headed home after that. I baked a Lemon-Pineapple Cake from scratch with Lemon Buttercream Icing and watched That's Entertainment. Mom called during the segment on Judy Garland. She basically said what Lauren told me last night - nothing that happened yesterday was my fault, don't be hard on yourself, you're an adult, it's a learning experience. She said she was proud of me for handling things like I did. Rose would more-or-less say the same things about an hour later, backed up by the coos and gurgles of her new son. (She's apparently done with finals and is now spending some quality time with her recent arrival.)

And I'm glad I did finally buy That's Entertainment. A collection of the most famous musical numbers and sequences from MGM movies, this makes for a great pick-me-up when you're feeling down, or for cool background music when you're busy but still feel like having a movie on. Is it necessary if you already have a lot of these movies? Well, yes. Beyond what I said, a lot of these movies either aren't available on DVD yet (the MacDonald/Eddy Rose Marie...PLEASE, MGM/Sony?) or are difficult to find on DVD. (Small Town Girl, for instance, is only to be found as part of the Warner Archives series on TCM's site.)

Plus, ironically, there's now reasons to be nostalgic for one of the movies that helped kick off the 70s nostalgia craze. Most of the "host" stars have since passed away, and the massive MGM lot was destroyed shortly after the movie was made. Besides, the "Golden Era of Hollywood" that these movies represent is fading even more into the past...

My Day

I spent the day with a fellow. He was a big, handsome, strapping black fellow. Big, strong chest, and very sweet eyes. We listened to jazz, watched the new Clash of the Titans on his computer, and worked on my laptop. He told me a great story about meeting blues legend BB King at a rodeo, and how he inspired him to wrestle a bull and win prize money. (I was honestly envious of him for that one.)

He said he felt passion for me, but ultimately, I just wasn't feeling the same. He was very nice to me, and he said a great deal that made me think. He was very intelligent and kind, but I just couldn't feel the passion he did. He was here a long time, and we did a lot of things around the house. He even helped me clear some unnecessary programs off my laptop, which I am grateful to him for.

By the time he'd left, though, when I had time to think, I finally decided that, as much as he'd helped me and as nice as he was, I just wasn't feeling what he was feeling. I called him when he got home (he walked, bless him!) and told him. He seemed disappointed, but not upset.

I don't regret the day at all. It gave me a lot to think about. I don't often get to spend a day with a mature adult. Most of all, what it made me realize is...I need to really, really ease into a relationship. I just can't jump into things. Maybe I'm an adult, but I'm not quite ready for more than casual dating yet. Five years is a long time between relationships. I'm a very independent and very old-fashioned girl, and a guy who dates me is going to have to live with that.

Sometimes, love comes right away, and sometimes, it may take a while.
Mina Aino (Sailor Venus), dubbed version of Sailor Moon Super S episode "Double Trouble"

Friendly Balance

Started off a somewhat cloudy and breezy day with yoga class. I didn't have much luck. We mostly concentrated on standing poses and balancing poses like bridge. I'm terrible at bridge, and don't get me started on full wheel. I definitely can't lift my legs while doing them! I fell a lot. Good thing there were only 9 people in class today, counting the teacher Karin.

Made a brief stop at the thrift shop next. I said "hi" to Erica and browsed. The shop was quite busy, so I didn't talk to her for very long. I didn't see anything I wanted, so I moved on.

Next on today's agenda was volunteering at the Collingswood Library. I put away and organized the DVDs downstairs, then went upstairs to see if anything needed to be put away. There was only one book that did...but I found something else upstairs. Or someone.

A big black man commented nicely on the book I was reading, and said he'd seen me before. We ended up talking for 45 minutes. He was very nice to me. I almost never have anyone, male or female of any race or creed, notice me like that. He said he'd seen me before and thought he'd like to try talking to me. He said he'd call me back when I got home. I hadn't planned on staying for so long! It was quarter after 1 before I finally got home!

I did talk to the fellow when I got in. We're going to get together for a walk tomorrow, since he has to go by the Acme anyway and I need to pick up my paycheck. I'm not too sure about this. He seems to want to go faster than I'm ready for, but I do need people to talk to...and as I discovered this afternoon, he's quite the conversationalist! I don't often find that around here beyond my family. Even if I'm not ready for love, I could use a friend who lives in the area.

Work was a pain in the rear. It was steady when I came in and when I left...but rush hour was a mad house. We had long lines, not enough help, and several annoying customers. Chief among them were some guys trying to buy 30 bottles of Febreze and 20 of the Tide on sale. This would have been less of a pain if they didn't want to pay for 2 Febreze and one Tide per order, so they could get the $5 coupon that came with the Tide to use on the next order! After a few minutes of doing this, the line got too long to play their game, and I told them so. They needed to have some respect for others; the Acme is a public place. They didn't even get that far with the cashier behind me and finally left anything they hadn't already paid for behind.

In the Kitchen

I spent a lot of the morning watching movies and crocheting. I wanted to volunteer at the Oaklyn Library around 11, but when I arrived, I discovered they were closed until 4:30. I'd be working then. Oh, well. I'll volunteer on Friday instead.

It was too nice of a day to go straight home, though. I ended up just walking around the neighborhood, down West Holly, back up to Kendall, then over to West Clinton for a soda from Doria's Deli. It was a gorgeous day for a walk. It was still windy, but the clouds were gone, the sky was very blue, and it was a bit warmer than yesterday.

After I got home, I continued spring cleaning and did the kitchen. I debated holding off until Saturday, but the sink was getting grungy. Oh yeah, and spraying around the sink seems to have done the trick. I've seen no more ants. Hopefully, it'll stay that way for a while, or at least until I can get someone to clear the sticks and fuzzies off the roof.

I had a quick lunch of chicken sausage patties, steamed carrots, and a banana, and headed to work. Work was steady. It was busier than last week, especially during rush hour, but not overwhelming. The weather must have put everyone in a good mood; there were no major problems.

Bears, Cabbies, and the Single Girl

The weather here was gorgeous today. It was a bit cloudy this morning and got a little cloudy this afternoon, but it was mostly windy and cooler. I'm guessing it was in the upper 70s-lower 80s. The humidity that had plagued the Camden County area all weekend was gone as well.

I spent most of the morning at Dad's. He had a package coming today and wanted someone to be around while he ran errands. I had a full load of laundry to do, including towels, and plenty of time to do it in. I read a book on nutrition and health care for women and worked on crocheting Samantha's scarf. No, the package never appeared, at least not while I was there. Dad came home shortly after my laundry was done, anyway.

I brought the laundry home, put it away, and went right back out again. About two or three weeks ago, the Westmont Plaza gated off the back area around what was the Halloween Adventure store. My first thought was that they were going to tear it down. It hadn't been used for anything but a seasonal store since I saw a swing set store there when I first moved here in 2006. Then I saw wood on the roof and wondered if they were only repairing the roof and another store was going to move in.

As it turned out, my first thought was right. The side of the store facing Cuthbert Road was now missing it's wall, exposing what remained of the inside. They appear to be tearing it down. I'm a little disappointed (now this means the closest Halloween store will probably be in Deptford), but I'm honestly not surprised. The store never seemed to be in all that great of shape even when it was shilling plastic ghosts and witch costumes, and it looks like it was never remodeled with the rest of the mall. It's still 70s dark and boxy, compared to the lighter colors and angles used for the remainder of the Westmont Plaza. Maybe this is for the best. They can use this spot for something better...or even widen their parking lot.

I made quick stops at Dollar Tree and JoAnn's. I bought a Mother's Day card, a bubble wrap package, and a baby sundress, t-shirt, and shorts that I hoped to use for my Cabbage Patch Kids Carrie and Dulcie. I picked up pins (I realized in March that I have none) and velcro at JoAnn's.

The Haddon Township Library was busy, and there was plenty to do and stacks of DVDs to return, both adult and kids. I took out the Disney animated action film Brother Bear and the film noir Affair in Trinidad, which I've taken out before but didn't have the chance to watch. I also took out one of the newest American Girls mysteries, 70s girl Julie's second, The Puzzle of the Paper Daughter, the next Beatrix Potter Cottage Tales mystery The Tale of Holly How, and an updated version of a 60s cookbook for single women, Saucepots and the Single Girl.

My next stop was a brief appearance at the Dollar General next to the Westmont Acme. Neither they nor the neighboring CVS had anything of interest, so I just headed home. At this point, it had become cloudier, windier, and quite a bit cooler. I thought it might rain, but the clouds eventually vanished, and it was sunny again when I arrived home.

Spent the rest of the evening making steak with plum wine sauce, steamed carrots, and an orange and escarole salad for dinner and watching Brother Bear. I'm surprised this one doesn't heard about more. On paper, it sounds like The Lion King cross-bred with the Disney Tarzan. Three brothers of an ancient Canadian tribe live together, but when the eldest is killed by a bear, Kenai the youngest seeks revenge on the animal. In punishment for what he did, the spirits of the tribe's ancestors turn him into a bear. He's angry, disoriented, and frustrated at first, but things improve when he meets a chatty little cub named Koda. Koda offers to take him to the local bears' salmon run, where he hopes his mother is. Kenai may regard Koda as an annoying kid, but he has many things to teach the older boy...including the meaning of siblinghood.

This may be one of my favorite "unsung" Disney movies. As someone who loves bears and has three younger siblings, I can relate to the theme of understanding those who are different, learning to live with our siblings even when they drive us nuts, and accepting newcomers into the family, whether they're genetic family or not. The animation was gorgeous, and the Phil Collins music is sensational. "Take a Look Through My Eyes" got a lot of radio airplay when the movie first came out, and I'm fond of "Welcome" and "On My Way," too.

Oh, and the Cabbies look very nice in their new clothes. Carrie's t-shirt and shorts really are too big for her. I rolled up the shorts and pulled up the t-shirt. Dulcie's sundress was easier to fix. I cut the spaghetti straps in half and tied them, pulling them up enough to look right.

Spring Cleaning Continues

Spent this morning cleaning the bathroom. It was cloudy this morning and cooler, but still sticky and humid. I finally broke down and turned the air conditioner on somewhere around 11:30. It's too darn early to turn it on, but I got sick of the humidity. It apparently did rain last night - my porch was wet this morning - but if we got a thunderstorm, I didn't hear it.

I did some stuff online after finishing the bathroom, then had a peanut butter and apricot fruit spread wrap for lunch. Headed for work after lunch. By this point, it was sunny, windy, and humid...but not quite as hot as yesterday, and the wind felt great on my back as I sped down the White Horse Pike.

Work was much busier than the weekend, though still not too bad. We had plenty of help for once, too. Since the first of the month was on a weekend, a lot of people may not have gotten their money or food stamps until now. There were no problems, and I was in and out quickly.

My Own Little Fan

Started today with French Toast (made with my Broa corn bread, an egg and egg white, and buttermilk) and grapefruit for breakfast. Brunch With the Beatles had a good theme on today, too, "Questions and Answers," i.e, songs with questions in them, either in the titles or somewhere in the lyrics. I like it when they have a broad theme. They come up with some great stuff. (Songs heard today include "Do You Want to Know a Secret?", "If I Fell," the solo George Harrison song "What Is Life?," and the awesome Wings James Bond theme to "Live and Let Die.")

I called Mom twice before I finally caught her around noon. She was busy cleaning the house while Dad's out fishing and Keefe is babysitting. Though pollen season has largely seemed to subside here, Cape May County is apparently still in the midst of it. She and Dad made sure to have no trees in their back yard after the tree-filled yard in North Cape May gave them nothing but trouble...but all the neighbors around them have trees that apparently like to shed in their yard. I didn't get to talk to her for long. She was on her way out to rake the mess and clean.

Did a few things online and around the house after the Beatles show ended. I changed the American Girls dolls into their summer clothes. Felicity now wears her Pink Spring Dress and floral pinner apron. Samantha wears her "Middy" sailor dress. Little Jess wears her green Girl Scouts shorts with her striped "First Day" original outfit shirt. Poor Molly owns no summer clothing at all, and both of her summer outfits are on back order at the AG site. She'll just continue wearing her Birthday Pinafore until I or Mom can make her some shorts and a blouse or a summery 40s dress.

It was cloudy this morning, but by quarter of 2, the sun had come out. I decided to make a quick trip to WaWa and buy a hoagie for lunch. I'm glad it was quick. It's still really hot, in the upper 80s, though a nice breeze helped somewhat. I grabbed a small bag of pretzels and a Turkey and Swiss Junior hoagie for lunch. I had 20 minutes when I got home to wolf it all down, change, pack dinner, and head out.

Work wasn't too bad. At least, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be at the beginning of the month. It was steady when I got in, but by 7, it was so dead, I closed down early and cleaned up around the registers instead.

I needed a second, larger fan. My old box fan that I had in Wildwood died two years ago. I didn't bother replacing it because it was so chilly last summer. It's been so hot and sticky these last few days, though, that I really couldn't go without another fan unless I wanted to turn on the air conditioner early...which I didn't. I bought the last box fan they had and managed to ride it home balanced on my bike basket.

As far as I can tell, it works just fine. At least, it's a bit cooler in here. I'm hoping it'll help with air circulation, too. It also has slats to steady it, something my old box fan could have used.

Got home in time for the second half of The Dress Circle. "The Shows of May" was the theme tonight. This being the last qualifying month before the Tony Awards, they had lots to work with. I heard music from Gypsy, the Disney stage version of Tarzan, and the recent revivals of 110 In the Shade with Audra Ann McDonald and Sweet Charity with Christina Applegate.

Flowers and Leaves on May Day

I did manage to get up on time today, which was a good thing. I worked early, 10:30 (the last time I will be for a while - I work late all next week). I got up with enough time to get my rent together and leave it at my landlady's door. That's the third month I a row I managed to get it to her right on time. I hope I can keep doing that.

I left a bit early to check out some yard sales. I did get a couple of records from one in front of the condos on Reading Street, near Uncle Ken and Dad's house. I bought a Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy LP, the original cast albums for Guys and Dolls and Fiddler on the Roof, and one of the Perry Como Christmas LPs.

Work was busier than yesterday, but still far from crazy. We had a lot more help, too. Most of the orders were for parties and barbecues taking advantage of the hot weather, or proms or communions. There's apparently a lot of both going on this weekend. I saw one little girl with her hair already done up in curls and the prettiest veil. She'll look lovely in the white dress!

Despite the lower-80s heat and humidity, I really did want to finish the yard work today. I changed into shorts and a t-shirt when I got home, put my socks and sneakers back on, and went back outside. I swept the porch, then raked the side of the house leading to my apartment. It took me longer to sweep the fuzzies mess on the porch than to rake the remaining leaves on the side path.

Watched Hot Shots! Part Deux while crocheting and eating leftover chicken and asparagus for dinner. Part Deux is the 1993 follow up to the original Hot Shots, this time spoofing the Rambo series, bloody 80s action films, the First Gulf War, and war movies in general. The Gulf War/Saddam Hussein references make this a bit more topical than the first one...and thus, some of the jokes haven't aged as well. Otherwise, if you enjoyed the first romp with Topper Harley, you'll probably like the second one just as much.