A Dry Spell

It never rained last night, nor did it rain today. It was warm, humid, and kind of cloudy when I got up, like Mother Nature couldn't make up her mind. I slept in and spent the morning reading in bed. After I finished The Clue In Blue, I had breakfast, ran more Isis, and wrapped my sore ankle with a self-stick bandage. It was past 12:30 when I finally headed out to Audubon.

I wasn't going to do the gym. Pushing my bad heel on the elliptical machine is one thing; attempting to push a swollen, twisted ankle is something else entirely. I did manage to pick up my paycheck and get a fairly large grocery shopping order done. Grabbed turkey cutlets that had a $3 manager's coupon for dinner. Restocked lime juice, Emerald Trail Mix to Go bags (were on sale and I still have those coupons that come in the boxes), I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (on a decent sale), and fruit concentrate. Oatmeal and cereal sales abounded. I love the less-sweet Quaker cereals; went with my favorite Oatmeal Squares. I was going to get the Quaker old-fashioned oatmeal...but I decided that Acme's generic brand sale was a better price for a much larger container.

My schedule next week is a bit of a surprise. I thought I put in for Wednesday through Tuesday off...but I must have wrote down the wrong numbers. I don't work again until next Friday! On one hand, it may be just as well. I'll have the time to rest my ankle, try to get a few things done around the apartment, and maybe even see if I can get away with some local fall festivities. On the other hand, it means my paycheck will be lousy, which isn't good. And when I do get back, I'll be working until 9PM on Friday and 9:30 on Saturday.

I was frustrated when I got home. I couldn't settle down, though. I still had errands to run. I had a quick lunch of Nutella and Peach Butter on multi-grain bread and an apple, then hurried off to the bank. I told the teller about how badly things have been going lately. Nothing seems to be going right. I can barely stand on my own feet without pain. I just want one thing to work out - a decent job, my feet to heal, something to work out with Uncle Ken and Dad.

Made a quick stop at CVS after I left the bank. I was hoping their ibuprofen would be cheaper, but it wasn't really that much cheaper than Acme's. Oh well, I needed it badly. I bought the smallest bottle I could get away with, a new brush (they do have good prices on brushes), and a bottle of Palmolive dishwashing liquid on sale.

The moment I got home and put everything away, I put my foot on ice and spent the next few hours watching more Isis, along with the other Roy Rogers movie. I really like Isis. It's pretty much a kid-oriented cross between the 70s Wonder Woman and The Greatest American Hero. Most of what Isis deals with is hardly government or Amazon-worthy adventure. In fact, the majority of her stories have more to do with life lessons than action (not surprising, given this show's Saturday morning origins).

My favorite was "Lucky." Lucky is a smart, older golden retriever beloved by a little boy and the high school's baseball team, who regard Lucky as their mascot and good luck charm. Sadly, Lucky dies when he dives into the ocean to retrieve a ball thrown by a teasing teenage boy and drowns. Isis rescues his master before he can be swept out with him, but she's unable to save Lucky. The poor kid is so upset, he wanders out to a dam where he used to walk his beloved pooch...but the area is about to be flooded. Isis not only has to save him again, but she must explain a few things about death and the circle of life to the grieving child.

Not only was this one of the sweetest episodes I ever saw involving a superhero, it was surprisingly upfront about Lucky's demise. Most kids' TV shows, even now, would have tried to edge around the dog's death. Isis turned it into a gentle lesson in birth, death, and grief.

Switched to Apache Rose after the first disc of Isis episodes ended. Another Roy Rogers vehicle, this one was probably even more typical of the genre than Bells of Coranado. This time, Dale is the owner of the title barge who is pursued by a Hispanic land owner. Roy is an oil driller who finds oil in the caves on the Hispanic man's land. Trouble is, first of all, there are men who want him to pay up on gambling debts, and second, his sister owns half the land and won't sell. Dale, Roy, and Roy's pals find them involved in a fairly complicated scheme to make sure the caves go into the right hands.

Same deal here as with Bells. If you enjoy the B-westerns of the 40s and 50s and/or are a Roy Rogers fan, go right ahead. This isn't the place for people looking for more complex westerns or ones set in the historical West (most of Rogers' vehicles seem to be set in modern times). If you like your westerns fun, action-packed, and with a healthy dose of music, these are really quite enjoyable.

Began the Disney Halloween specials as I made Turkey Cutlets with Mushroom-Zucchini Sauce, steamed speckled beans, and cranberry sauce for dinner. I was thrilled when Mom gave me the tapes with the Disney holiday specials my family taped off TV and cable in the late 80s last year. I watched these every Halloween for years and have missed them since I moved up here.

I'm probably not going to make it to that band concert in Collingswood tomorrow, but I think I could at least get a short bike ride and farm market run in. It's a lot easier for me to run errands on bike when my feet hurt; I don't have to push quite as hard as I do when I'm on foot.