All Around The Town

I began my only day off this week with a trip to Collingswood to drop a few too-big items of clothing at the thrift shop and do today's counseling session. We mostly talked about my inability to focus. I tend to think about the future and the past, but it's hard for me to concentrate on a present that often doesn't seem worth concentrating on. We also discussed my tendency to get upset when things go wrong, especially at work. I don't like it when I can't control what's going on. I know that's not always possible, but it gets so busy, and there's all those people there, and I start to feel bad, though most customers are usually pretty good about it. I also admitted I haven't had the time to get to Yogawood, but I will try again before the next session.

I had a Turkey BLT and a fresh lemonade at The TreeHouse Cafe a few blocks down from Genesis Counseling. I won't be eating there much longer when I'm in Collingswood. Like the Abbie Road used CD store, they're moving to Market Street in Audubon.

After lunch, I decided to try something a little different before going to the library for volunteering. I seemed to remember seeing a Waldengreens at the corner of Cuthbert Road and Haddon Avenue in Westmont. I normally don't bother with Waldengreens, yet another generic drug store like Rite Aid or CVS, but they're teaming up with Ganz, the makers of WebKinz, for a special charity promotion. The WebKinz sold at Waldengreens in the month of June come with a special code in addition to the usual one. That code will net you special prizes and access to a game at the code shop. The Cuthbert Road Waldengreens only had three kinds of WebKinz, and they were all Lil'Kinz. However, one of the Lil'Kinz they had was the Orange and White Cat. This was the first I'd seen one, and their larger cousins are long retired. I also picked up a Lil'Kinz Cocker Spaniel.

I made another great find at Waldengreens. I discovered a box full of plush Care Bear Cousins while poking around in the toys aisle. Care Bear Cousins are basically the same thing as Care Bears...just with every animal besides bears. The Cousins weren't revived when the new Care Bears show started last year and are now rather rare. I found all of the stuffed versions but Proud Heart Cat (ironically the one I already had). I wanted all of them, but because I was buying WebKinz too, I settled on Brave Heart Lion and Gentle Heart Lamb. The fact that all four turned out to be $5.99 each just sweetened the deal.

I rode further down Haddon Avenue into downtown Westmont. I wasn't there too long because I wanted to get to the library, but I did have the chance to explore a little bit. Westmont is something of a low-rent version of Collingswood. It's still clean, but the buildings are mostly 60s and 70s vintage with the occasional older storefronts in the mix and the remains of the poor Westmont Theater. (Haddon Township is apparently in the midst of figuring out what to do with the "Grand Old Lady." I hope they decide soon. It reminded me of the Shore Theater, a similar old movie palace in Wildwood that was left to fall to pieces and finally met its fate under the wrecking ball a few months before I moved.) I stopped briefly at a mom-and-pop video store, mostly because I hadn't seen one since the last time I visited my folks in North Cape May.

I headed down Crystal Lake Road, passing Westmont's PATCO station (at least I know where that is now) and down to the library. I did the children's DVDs again. The librarians really seem to like the job I do with those. One said she was able to keep the DVDs straight for three days, before bad weather and a busy weekend left them jumbled again. The kids were long out of school by the time I got there, but the sun was also out and I didn't have too many interruptions. I made a quick stop at Super Fresh for tea (I got Twinings Indian Spiced Chai, which was on sale) and Dollar Tree for a shower curtain (I didn't get that - all they had was blue and tan, neither of which would go well in my yellow and sage green bathroom), before heading home.

I spent the rest of the afternoon vacuuming, dusting, and putting up most of the summer decorations (I'll dress the Sailor Moon dolls and Samantha in their summer outfits tomorrow or Saturday). That should finish off the cleaning for this month. I'll wash the trash can and the recycling cannisters next week. I ran out of time today and this weekend is supposed to be too hot to do much of anything. (Yahoo!Weather actually has an "Excessive Heat Watch" for the Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey area from now until Monday. Just wonderful.)

Oh, and meet Peter the Lil'Kinz Cocker Spaniel! Yes, he's my third WebKinz Monkee, named for Peter Tork. He came with his Bone Fridge and (rather appropriately) a Green Lava Lamp. As pet #40, he also came with a Super Bed Box; I chose a Big Top Bed for this month's Pet of the Month the WebKinz Elephant. The money Peter came with allowed me to set up my second "front yard," this one an entrance to King the Black Frisian's movie theater/loft room. I used the new Strawberry Glass-Topped Tables and older chairs for outdoor popcorn dining. The Lil'Kinz can play on the Cat and Dog Playgrounds and tubes (the cat stuff taken from the about-to-be-retired Cat Theme) before the movie.