Unbutton Your Overcoat

The weather today was absolutely perfect. The sky was blue, not a hint of a cloud anywhere. The wind was cool but not cold. The air was warm, but not hot or humid. If anything, it was a bit too sunny. I found myself squinting as I hiked across the train tracks to Dad's house for this week's laundry session.

Dad was still working on the yard outside. I joined him for a while, reading The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril on a hard green plastic chair while he vacuumed the bottom of the pool, but that sun was just too darn bright. There's two tables with umbrellas on the pool patio, but they haven't been opened yet. I wound up back on the porch.

I had originally planned on taking a walk around the neighborhood while the laundry was in the dryer, then cleaning the porch furniture and hanging around the house afterwards...but it was just too darn nice to be inside for most of the day. I swept the porch and washed the air conditioner cover and porch furniture (two plastic chairs and a milk crate I use for a table) while the dryer was going instead.

After I had lunch, put the laundry away, and hung the air conditioner cover out to dry, I grabbed my bike and went for a nice, long ride down to that awesome big antiques store in Barrington. I've been wanting to get back there since last summer, but I haven't had the chance until today. I swear, the rooms in that place multiply. Everything seemed to be different from the last time I was there. Oh, there was still tons of great vintage stuff and lots of little rooms upstairs, but everything looked like it was arranged differently than last time. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, I didn't have much money, so I just bought a Golden Book my sisters and I had as kids. Raggedy Ann and the Rainy-Day Circus is a lovely little story about the rag-doll twins setting up an indoor circus for them and their toy buddies when Marcella, their owner, can't take them to her local circus due to the rain. I believe it's one of the Golden Books Mom cleared out when she thinned out our collection around the time Keefe was born; she only kept classics, ones in good condition, or ones little boys would like.

I made a short stop at the Barrington Coffee Shop for a Mango-Coconut Iced Tea that was tasty and fruit and so cold, it gave me brain freeze, along with a chocolate Rice Krispie treat, before heading home. Dad invited me to dinner when I was over doing the laundry. I was happy to accept. They were having ham, and I'd forgotten to take meat out for dinner anyway.

Dolores and Uncle Ken had returned from their vacation in Florida just as I was finishing my laundry. They were chatting and catching up with friends over "ESPN Sports Center" when I came in. I gave Uncle Ken the birthday card I'd gotten him at Willie the Woodsman and Wife's today (his birthday was May 5th) and talked about their vacation and my upcoming one.

Chatted with Dad, Jodie, and Jessa over ham steak, green beans, and mashed potatoes. The big news is Jessa just finished school for the year and high school for good. (Catholic and private schools apparently end earlier than public schools.) Her graduation is a week from Thursday. I probably won't make it (it's at night, when I usually work), but I've already asked off for her graduation party on the 30th.