Miss Redmer and the Stormy Day

It's a good thing I got up much earlier this time. I arrived at the laundromat around 10AM, when it was cloudy and thickly humid, but not raining. Probably thanks to the weather, it wasn't that busy today. In fact, it was so quiet when I came in, there was only one other person, and the TV wasn't on. By the time it picked up a bit, my large load (I had towels to wash) was in the dryer.

When I got in, I put my laundry away, then went back out for lunch. My original plan was to go to Simply Soups in Audubon, but it was too hot for soup, and I didn't feel like riding that far. I ended up at the Legacy Diner, two blocks from the Logan Presbyterian Church on the White Horse Pike in Audubon. I hadn't been there in ages, probably since I had breakfast there on New Year's Day 2010. I had a delicious Spinach and Feta Cheese Omelet, one of two slices of whole wheat toast, and half of the home fries.

Next up were quick stops at Super Fresh and JoAnn's. Alas, my luck with the weather ended here, too. It started sprinkling as I left the Legacy. By the time I arrived at the Westmont Plaza, I was riding through a full-blown thunderstorm. I didn't pick up anything at Super Fresh, but I did find some velvet ribbon for one of Felicity's outfits on clearance at JoAnn's.

The rain slowed long enough for me to hurry over to the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteering. Between the weather and many kids returning to school, there was plenty for me to do. I shelved and organized DVDs and a big stack of children's books. Took out the movies Finding Neverland and the recent version of The Count of Monte Cristo, plus the Fairie Tale Theatre version of Beauty and the Beast with Susan Sarandon and Klaus Kinski as the title characters. Also grabbed a book of muffin recipes and another of candy recipes (I've been wanting to try making candy).

It had rained heavily on and off while I was in the library. The rain started up again as I rode home...and this time, it was so bad, I had to stop under a tree to avoid getting soaked. (Good thing I brought my blue rain jacket.) I made a very quick trip to WaWa for milk, then went back to my apartment.

I figured I was safer staying inside for the rest of the evening. I was right. We've had thunderstorms on and off since I got in. I ran the Fairie Tale Theatre Beauty and the Beast, then the Disney version while cleaning my kitchen. While Shelly Duvall stuck closer to the original French fairy tale, Disney's classic musical is still pure magic, with a wonderful heroine and fabulous songs. They're proof that there's more than one way to tell a story, for each is enjoyable in their own way.

Switched to dubbing the 1940 John Wayne western Dark Command while making Chicken Legs Poached In Lemon-Wine Sauce and Ratatouille for dinner. "Dark" is a rather apt title for this unusually thoughtful Republic western. They were known for their "B" pictures, but Wayne's success in Stagecoach the year before must have inspired them to reach a little deeper than usual. Wayne and Claire Trevor are paired again as a cowboy in Kansas just before the Civil War who becomes the new Marshal, nudging out the popular local schoolteacher (Walter Pidgeon). Trevor is the daughter of a Scottish, southern-based banker. Angry and frustrated over his loss to an illiterate saddle hand, Pidgeon turns outlaw...just before the Civil War breaks out. While Pidgeon continues his reign of terror under the guise of a Confederate officer, Wayne deals with panicking farmers who fear that the outlaws will get them next.

If you liked Stagecoach, look this one up, too. One of the most interesting things about it is the lack of a traditional western "villian." Pidgeon and Wayne are both doing what they think is right, even if Pidgeon's not going about it the right way. There's a lot of shades of gray in this film that aren't often seen in B westerns of the time. A great cast adds to the intense drama, including "Smiley" Burnette as the town dentist, Marjorie Main as Pidgeon's tough mother, and a young Roy Rogers as Trevor's eager younger brother.