Bring On the Rain...Eventually

Started out a cloudy, humid morning with this week's American Top 40. Early September 1983 was in the spotlight as New Wave, pop, and electronica ruled the airwaves. Hits from the beginning of the fall of that year included "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)" by the Eurythmics, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson, "Puttin' On the Ritz" by Taco, "Fascination" by The Human League, "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, "Tell Her About It" by Billy Joel, and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" by Culture Club. That week's #1 song was the second to emerge from the Flashdance soundtrack, "Maniac" by Michael Sembello.

Between the weather and being dead tired from staying up late with Lauren last night, I wasn't out for long this morning. I made a quick stop at a very quiet bank to deposit my (small) paycheck, then headed straight for the Farm Market.

The two blocks were busy with people trying to pick up their produce and start their end-of-the-summer barbecues before Mother Nature got started with the storms. We're coming off of the summer harvest; the fall harvest is just debuting. Between the two, there's so much to choose from! Plums were gone, but there's still plenty of small apples and peaches. I also grabbed golden beets, a head of baby bok choy, a little round lavender eggplant (easier to deal with than the huge, dark purple ones), mushrooms, Chinese beans, and two ears of corn.

There were two yard sales posted at Craigslist today for this area, but they were both busts. I rode to Oriental Avenue in Collingswood not far from Jody's house, then all the way over to Audubon Park. Neither had anything remotely interesting. I was hot and sweaty, and the humidity was getting worse, despite some really nice, cool wind. I just rode home around quarter of 11, far earlier than usual.

When I got in, I was so hot and worn out, I spent an hour finishing Elegy For Eddie after I put away my farm market purchases. When I got bored, I had a lunch of leftover chicken legs and sauteed summer vegetables. I finished The Count of Monte Cristo as I ate, then ran the Peanuts special There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown. Despite the title and it being an extra on the Paramount A Charlie Brown Valentine DVD, it really has more to do with school than romance. Charlie Brown, Sally, Snoopy, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie somehow manage to mistake a grocery store for an art museum while on a school trip. (You'd think their teachers would keep better track of them!)

Since the sun had come out, I decided to go for a short walk to WaWa, just for something to do. Despite the iffy weather and the stifling heat and humidity, there were quite a few people out and about, mowing lawns and tending to gardens that were flourishing far more than they were at this time last month. Kids rode on their bikes, shot basketballs, and sold Yankee Candles for school functions door-to-door. Parents took younger children for walks or stroller rides. I picked up a French Vanilla Cappuccino to wake me up and a pretzel at WaWa, then took the long way home in the neighborhood behind the school.

I came home so sweaty, I decided I was in for the day, sun or no sun. I spent the rest of the evening doing things around the apartment, mainly dusting. I haven't had a good dusting session in ages. I dusted under everything, from books to dolls to the Star Wars action figures. Cleared out a lot more stuff I didn't want, notably the Star Wars Scrapbook my grandmother gave me, several Monkees books I'm no longer interested in, and one more porcelain doll. I've always liked Lisa, a sweet school girl with thick wire glasses who sits at a wooden desk and has her own wood books. Her face is cute under those glasses. Thing is, that desk is a pain to dust under and takes up far too much room. As with my other large porcelain dolls, she'd be better off with someone who can really take care of her.

I was so involved in my cleaning and reading, I didn't notice until around 5 that the sky had gotten far darker, and the sun was gone. The rain that everyone fussed about all week finally began around 5:30, as I was working on the stand-alone closets that the collectible dolls and bears sit on. For once, everyone was worried for a good reason. When Mother Nature started, she went all out. It came down cats, dogs, and chickens, and has poured on and off for the rest of the night.

Made Tuna Steak, leeks, and zucchini with Yogurt-Dill Sauce as I ran the Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarves during dinner. History aside, Snow White has never been my favorite Disney animated film, but I thought the dark, spooky atmosphere would be appropriate for a rainy night.