'Some people' sleep later than I do in the morning, so instead of addressing the penguin cabinet I got started in the pantry.  Between the dust that had accumulated, and the fact that everything seemed to get stuffed in there during the kitchen remodel, it took all morning to organize.  But now it looks a whole lot better, and not only should we now be able to find what we need more easily, but also can take stock of what's needed.  When I came across a bag of lentils I decided to make some soup for dinner.  It turned out yummy, and I also got to use the oven for the first time, when I made cornbread muffins to go with it.

During a pantry-mucking break I finished reading Heroes For My Daughter, another book I picked up on a whim during my last visit to the library.   Not surprisingly I was familiar with most of the people Brad Meltzer chose to include, though despite the brevity of each entry I learned a little something extra about many of them.  One of the biggest surprises was his entry about The Three Stooges.  I never liked their slapstick comedy, finding it stupid instead of funny, and remember as a teen thinking that their children (if they had any) must have been terribly embarrassed by them. But in reality, fools they weren't.

Back during World War II, at a time when Hollywood - and the rest of the country - were still hesitant about confronting Nazi Germany, it was these three who were the brave ones.  On January 19, 1940 - nearly two years before Pearl Harbor - it was the Three Stooges who took on Adolph Hitler.  Charlie Chaplin got the credit for ridiculing Hitler in The Great Dictator - but it was actually Moe Howard who was the first film actor to make fun of Hitler onscreen.  The Three Stooges film You Nazty Spy! beat Chaplin by a full nine months, ripping the German dictator for book burnings, the infamous appeasement at Munich, and even for a "concentrated camp". At the time, America's official position was neutrality.  Hollywood was under great pressure to remain isolationist and avoid propaganda.  Despite that, the Stooges - all of them Jewish - took their shot.  By doing so, they inspired and emboldened others to do exactly the same.

I'm happy to report that it finally warmed up enough for me to coax Pokey out this afternoon, using the pear and carrots that Marcie had dropped off for her.  I know Pokey had to be hungry after 'hibernating' in her crate for the past several days, and after polishing off her hors d'oeuvres she made her way over to grass to graze for a couple of hours.