Lazy Day By the River

Today was a pretty quiet day. It was still hazy and humid when I got up around 9:30. It was also cloudy, which meant it wasn't quite as hot as last week. I made Peach Brown Sugar Corn Cakes (pancakes with corn meal, a bruised peach, and brown sugar) for breakfast and had the usual chat with Mom.

Mom was in the midst of cleaning. She seemed pretty happy, despite having a wild week at work. No wonder it's been quiet here. I was right - everyone DID go down to the Shore. According to Mom, the Michael's in Rio Grande where she works was so busy these past two weekends, she could barely get in the door, much less to a register! Traffic's been horrible, too. And the Michael's air conditioning isn't working, so she's been hot, too.

I listened to the Brunch With the Beatles show while I finished my corn cakes. ("Beatles and Solo Beatles #1 Hits: 1964-1975" was the theme today.) After the Beatles ended, I read for a while and put together a crock-pot beef and potato stew for lunch, then went for a walk.

I ended up at the park behind the Oaklyn School. The field that doubles as the school's playground and baseball fields is a busy place, even at this time of the year. When the kids leave, it fills up with bees...as I discovered the hard way when I stepped on one last year while walking across the field. I didn't step on one today, thank goodness, but it was a bit nerve-wracking. There were so many bees, and they all seemed huge. I did get home unharmed this time. I really have to stop wearing open-toed shoes while crossing that field in the summer.

The sun had started to come out even before my walk. By the time I was finishing my simple lunch of a slice of 9-grain bread with peanut butter and a spinach salad, it was sunny and hot again. I sighed, changed into my work uniform, and headed for the Acme.

Work was steady, busier than yesterday but not as bad as it usually is on a Sunday. There were no major problems anywhere. My relief was a little early, which meant I got to get going a little early...and enjoy the weather. I emerged to a brilliant blue, cloudless sky. It was still really hot, but the haze and humidity had vanished with the clouds.

I discovered to my dismay when I got home that the crock pot had overflowed a little. I knew I put too much celery in! It didn't make a huge mess, but it was annoying. On the other hand, it tasted great. I had a lovely dinner of stew and a muffin before hopping in the shower.

Got to hear The Dress Circle for the first time in ages tonight. Their theme was "An All-Star 'Chess' Concert." Chess is a 1985 musical written by members of ABBA. It was one of the big British musicals of the 80s. Unfortunatly, though it was a huge success in London, that didn't end up repeating in America, and it hasn't been done elsewhere or revived. From what I understand, it has the same problem as such favorites of mine as Steel Pier and Mack and Mabel - great score, overly melodramatic book about a Russian chess player who wants to defect, or something like that. The emphasis on Cold War politics also makes it a very dated book. Shame, because some of the music is fabulous, including "Nobody's Side," "Pity the Child," and the hits "One Night In Bangkok" and "I Know Him So Well."