Tag Archives: Charlie Brown

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 18)

Posted on by
Reply

The Peanuts Gang is back!  I was so happy to see little Franklin out there on the bench today.  Bloom County got me in a fowl mood, so it was uplifting on this gorgeous spring day to see Franklin smiling up at me with open arms.

I have always liked Franklin, because he is such a kind and smart kid.  We also share some things in common.  Like me, he is a swimmer and a member of a swim club.  Cool!  He also stays busy with all sorts of other interests, just like I do.  The active boy is into playing baseball, hockey, and guitar; and, he’s a member of 4H.  He is also quite the skilled dancer, from leading Marcie in a waltz to busting some hip breakdancing moves.

Thoughtful and supportive, Franklin is always available to help out his friends.  What a great kid!  He even likes hanging out with his grandparents, and often swaps grandfather stories with Charlie Brown.

Franklin and Charlie first met at the beach, and their friendship began when he offered to help Charlie fix his crooked sand castle.  When Franklin took up Charlie’s offer to visit him in his neighborhood, he met Charlie’s friends who he thought were a bit odd.  (It freaked him out that Linus believed in the Great Pumpkin!)  He became friends with all of Charlie’s buddies anyway. 

Peppermint Patty and Marcie live in Franklin’s neighborhood, so they already were friends and classmates. 

Franklin, thanks for visiting us here at Sun City Peachtree.  It was an honor having you grace our bench today!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 12)

Posted on by
Reply

After a short hiatus, The Peanuts Gang has returned to the bench.  I had anticipated the pony-tailed Violet Gray eventually making an appearance, and, sure enough, she did—in a violet dress!

Violet was alone today, but she can usually be seen hanging out with her best pals, Lucy and Peppermint Patty.  She joins them on the baseball field playing left field and sometimes third base.

Did you know that Violet was the first one to not let Charlie Brown kick the football?  She didn’t pull it away to be mean (like Lucy always did); she simply was afraid of having her hand kicked along with the ball. 

I’ll have to admit I never cared much for Violet, because she was a bit of a snob from a higher-class family than the rest of the middle-class gang.  Always bragging about her father, she was constantly aggravating and annoying Charlie Brown.  I felt sorry for the poor little guy, because she was always picking on him!

That brings me to Lucy, who I disliked even more, because she was so darn mean to Charlie.  Most likely, she stopped by the bench for a visit prior to the rest of the gang I’ve been writing about, but I missed her.

I don’t know who will visit next.  Perhaps Charlie or Lucy will stop by again for another visit to my Sun City Peachtree neighborhood bench.

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 11)

Posted on by
Reply

Frieda (with her “naturally curly hair”) stopped by to keep Marcie company, today, on the Sun City Peachtree bench!  Although, at least it looked that way…

More likely, Frieda wanted to show off her beautiful head of red curls to Marcie and (try to) make her jealous.  She is that vain!  The thing is, none of her friends, including Marcie, are jealous of her hair; she just thinks they are and wants to brag about it.  Marcie is too down to earth, though, and Frieda’s hair doesn’t register on her radar.

Frieda is so all about her “naturally curly hair,” that she refuses to wear a baseball cap while playing on Charlie Brown’s baseball team.  She couldn’t possibly cover up those gorgeous curls!

The vain little redhead also has a nasty streak with Snoopy.  She has called the pooch “lazy” and “useless,” because he would rather sleep atop his doghouse than hunt rabbits like other beagles.  This gave Frieda the idea of buying a cat to motivate Snoopy to get over his laziness; however, “Faron” ended up being even lazier!

At least Frieda is nice to Charlie Brown and Linus.  She doesn’t tease them and is sensitive to their feelings.  In fact, Frieda is the only one of the kids that doesn’t tease Linus about his security blanket.  Good on her for that!

As for Frieda’s relationship with Lucy, although they got off to a rocky start, they became friends.  Frieda and Lucy are both outfielders on Charlie’s team; so, during baseball games, they always get distracted chatting with each other, rather than keeping their attention focused on the game.  Oh well; at least it keeps Frieda’s attention off her naturally curly hair!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 10)

Posted on by
2

The Peanuts Gang took the day off yesterday, but Peppermint Patty’s best friend, Marcie, came to visit Sun City Peachtree today!

Like me, Marcie has short dark hair, and like me when I was a kid, she never wears a dress.  She most often wears an orange shirt; yellow and orange was my favorite color combination when I was a kid.  Marcie wears glasses, though, something I haven’t yet needed except for reading small print.

I always liked Marcie, because she’s smart, wise, well-read, sweet, caring and honest—everything I always aspire to be. Charles M. Schulz described Marcie this way: “Marcie is one-up on Peppermint Patty in every way.  She sees the truth in things, where it invariably escapes Patty.  I like Marcie.”

Somehow, Marcie and Peppermint Patty, have always remained best friends, even though they nave very different personalities and compete for their crush, “Chuck.”  Charlie Brown is clueless, though, and neither one ever wins his heart.

Marcie is quite a well-rounded kid.  In addition to being a good student (unlike Peppermint Patty), she’s a good ice skater, appreciates the arts (especially “Tiny Tots” concerts), and takes organ lessons.  Organized sports aren’t her forte, however, because she can never get the rules straight.  As Peppermint Patty once told her, “There is no penalty box in baseball.”

You may remember Marcie as the girl who always called Peppermint Patty, “Sir.”  Was it because Peppermint Patty was a tomboy?  I think Marcie was just quirky, but Peppermint Patty called her a “dorky kid” before they became best friends.

Well, it was great seeing Marcie today, and I look forward to seeing who will be next!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 8)

Posted on by
4

The Peanuts Gang took the day off, yesterday, and earlier this morning, the bench near my house remained bare.   When I passed it by on my way to getting my second Moderna vaccine, I was sad to see it empty. 

When I returned, my spirits lifted when I spotted a new addition:  Rerun!

Rerun van Pelt is Lucy and Linus’s little brother.  Born on May 23, 1972, Linus decided to start calling his baby brother “Rerun,” because big sis, Lucy, compared having a second brother to TV reruns.  (I’m sure that’s what my big brother thought of me when I came along after living his first 3-1/2 years with two older sisters.)

Always sporting a cool pair of overalls and spiky hair, Rerun was most often spotted on the back of Mom’s bicycle looking terrified.

At the ripe old age of 1, Rerun joined Charlie Brown’s baseball team.  A few weeks later, their team actually won their first game; however, they were forced to forfeit, due to a gambling scandal.  It was later revealed that Rerun had bet on the game with Snoopy.  At his tender age, it appeared as if Rerun was already making a shady reputation for himself.  As for Snoopy, well, we all know about his shenanigans!

Following the scandal, Charlie Brown wouldn’t let Rerun play on his team, telling him he was too young and too small.  Rerun accused Charlie of discrimination, obtained a court order (signed by no other than Snoopy, the “World Famous Attorney”), and finally got to play.

Rerun also had a go at basketball, when Linus attempted to teach little bro how to play.  The tyke wasn’t any good at the sport, though, and often kicked the ball in frustration, only to have it bounce back at him.  At one point, Rerun tossed the basketball in his closet, closed the door, and said, “You can come out when you learn to behave.”

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 6)

Posted on by
6

I was sad yesterday; the bench was bare both times I checked for another painted rock.  The hummingbird flew away, along with my note to the artist.  Would another Peanuts Gang kid return?  Perhaps Woodstock would fly in and make an appearance!  My anticipation grew as I waited for today.

On my way to the pool, I glanced over to the bench and saw nothing.  “Oh well,” I muttered to myself, wondering if they were gone for good.

As I drove up the street, I glanced over to the bench near the first hole of Sun City Peachtree’s golf course and saw a painted rock!  Has The Peanuts Gang gone on tour?

After my swim workout, I noticed another rock on the bench around the corner on Del Webb Boulevard.  I cranked a quick U-turn to see who was getting wet in the rain.  It was Linus and Snoopy, from April 4th!  I continued towards home, and, although I didn’t get out of my car this time, I stopped to get a glimpse of the rock on that bench near the golf course.  I think it was Pig-Pen!

The Peanuts Gang IS on the move, touring Sun City Peachtree!  I headed up the street to the bench by my house to see if one of Charlie Brown’s other pals was there.  Glancing out the rain-splattered car window, I could see the red piano!  It’s Schroeder, gracefully playing some bars of Ludwig van Beethoven!

I quickly made my way home, parked the car; and, grabbed my camera and umbrella.  When I arrived at the bench, Schroeder was too engrossed to look up.

Schroeder never bothered acknowledging Lucy van Pelt, either, except to express annoyance at her leaning on his coveted toy piano.  (It was Lucy who was so infatuated with the talented prodigy, not Sally as I previously stated, (and then corrected, in a previous post.)

I never felt sorry for Lucy’s rejection by Schroeder, because she was so darn mean to poor ol’ Charlie Brown.  What goes around, comes around, Lucy!

Well, thank you, Schroeder, for bringing some sunshine to my heart on this dreary, rainy day!  I hope one of your buddies visits tomorrow!