Rainy Day Women

It's just as well that we were up until 4:30 in the morning chatting. It rained heavily overnight, but when I finally got up around 10:30, it was just cloudy. In fact, my porch was drying, indicating that it probably hadn't rained in a while.

We actually didn't have any huge plans for today. Our only real plan was getting to the laundromat. Lauren needed to wash clothes for the week, and I had a small load to do, too. Before that, we strolled down the White Horse Pike and into Westmont to have lunch at one of our favorite places to eat in the area, the Westmont Bagel Shop.

I saw online that the thrift shop that just opened on the White Horse Pike is shutting down. That was a surprise. They just opened a few months ago! I asked the manager out front why they were closing when they just got there. She said they'd decided they preferred running a charity to a thrift shop business. It's a shame. They had a far better selection than they did the last time I was in there, including records and a nice collection of glass and dishware. I ended up with an Eagles jersey that cost me five dollars and a record (the soundtrack from the Disney Babes In Toyland) that was a little over 50 cents.

It was about 1:30 when we arrived at the Bagel Shop. The only other people there were an older woman, a young executive who ate up front, a talk show on the TV, and the teenagers working the cash register. Lauren ordered a pizza bagel and chips. I had turkey and Swiss with avocado spread on a toasted egg bagel and fries. We both enjoyed a quiet lunch as we discussed the game yesterday and what to do next.

We stopped at Kayla's Garden Center for a refreshing treat on the way home. I ordered a black cherry milkshake. Lauren opted for a lighter blue raspberry water ice. I sat in the swing tables...for five seconds, until I realized the canopies had water in them and were getting me wet again. We decided it was safer to sit at tables.

The clouds, which had been heavy all morning, were getting worse. The wind that had emerged during the game yesterday was chillier than the past week, and it was humid, to boot. We went home for a bathroom break, to round up our laundry, and so Lauren could brush the blue raspberry dye off her mouth, then headed out again to get our chores done. The laundromat was relatively busy. I didn't have a really huge load, so we decided to share a washer and a drier. We were out in less than an hour.

It was starting to shower lightly as we hiked home with our loads. Between that and the fact that we didn't really have any other plans for today anyway, we spent the rest of the evening at my apartment. We played a round of Pokemon Yahtzee. (We tied. We just know each other too well.) We watched Brain Donors while I made the usual Sunday pancakes for our Monday dinner. Lauren loved my Strawberry Multi-Grain Pancakes. We made Alton Brown's Pocket Pies with the Acme roll-out pie crust I bought on Friday. She filled hers with tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, and turkey pepperoni. I filled mine with strawberry slices and mashed ripe banana.

Right now, we're enjoying our treats as we chat online and listen to jazz records and the on-and-off showers. Tomorrow, rain or shine, we're going to head into downtown Philadelphia for some serious shopping.