It was cloudy when I got up this morning. The clouds were starting to break up as I read You Call It Madness and listened to the American Top 40 re-run. I would have been a year old in mid-July 1980, dealing with a new baby sister (Rose would have been four months old). While I don't remember these songs when they were new, Mom still often reminisces about that time. Hits that summer included "The Rose" by Bette Midler from the film of that title (one of the inspirations for Rose's name), "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc, "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" by Billy Joel, Carole King's version of "One Fine Day," the Spinners' medley of "Cupid" and "I've Loved You For a Long Time," "More Love" by Kim Carnes, "Against the Wind" by Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band, "Little Jeanie" by Elton John, and "I'm Alive" by the Electric Light Orchestra and "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John from the Xanadu soundtrack.
The number one hit that week took us live to one of Paul McCartney's biggest songs with Wings, "Coming Up."
For the first time in weeks, I got to explore yard sales and the farm market. The farm market was busy as usual, despite the heat and humidity. Chinese (long) beans and watermelon joined the summer harvest parade for the first time this year, and I found a booth that was still selling local cherries. I also picked up peaches, corn, blueberries, raspberries, and a small head of bibb lettuce.
I rode around for a while, looking for yard sales. I had no luck at the first one in Oaklyn, which was just selling knick-knacks and old videos that even I wasn't interested in. I picked up a DVD copy of the late 90s version of The Man In the Iron Mask with Leonard DiCaprio from a sale in Collingswood. Found a small wooden corner shelf at Newton Avenue a block from the Oaklyn Library on the way home. I put my rock-oriented DVDs for the Monkees, the Who, and the Beatles on the shelf when I got home, along with my stuffed Max and Ruby.
When I put everything away, I went back out. I hadn't volunteered at the Oaklyn Library in a while, and I had plenty of time before my sister Jessa's graduation party. It was hot and steamy and off-and-on sunny as I headed for the Library. There were plenty of people out and about. Yard work couldn't be put off, heat or no heat. The rain's making landscaping go crazy! There were a surprising amount of kids outside, too, and not just in the community pool. (Which was actually kind of quiet - it was lunchtime when I went to the library.)
The Library was busy with older people doing computer work and escaping the heat. I organized the adult DVDs, then worked on the kids' section. The Easy Readers and board books especially needed to be looked over. I also shelved children's non-fiction titles.
I considered eating lunch out, but I finally decided to save my appetite for the party. I just went straight home after leaving the Library. Spent an hour messing around on the computer before I changed into my bathing suit and a sundress, packed up the card and gift card I bought Jessa and the Blueberry Cinnamon Mousse Pie I made, and headed to Dad's for my second party there in little over a week.
This time, my stepsister Jessa was in the spotlight. She graduated the Art Institute of Philadelphia in May, but Dad and Jodie didn't get the chance to celebrate it until now. I spent most of the party swimming in the pool with my cousins Jim and Karen's 6-year-old son CJ, my nephew Khai, my sister Rose, and Jessa's boyfriend Bobby's little sister Stacey. When I needed a rest, I went inside to eat ribs (a spicy orange Corona concoction Vanessa made), lemon chicken on a roll, salad, and baked ziti. I also saw several kinds of sausages, an onion-pepper salad, and chicken legs.
It rained twice during the party, the first time heavily, but that didn't dampen anyone's mood or get anyone out of the pool. Khai and Stacey had so much fun, they had to almost be dragged bodily out of the pool by their mothers. When they finally made it inside, I watched Calliou with them as they squabbled over Khai's remote-control Thomas the Tank Engine that has realistic "smoke" coming out of his stack. Calliou is a popular PBS Kids/Sprout show about a little Canadian boy, his family, his friends, and his very big imagination. It's nothing out of the ordinary, but cute enough for what it is, and the kids did seem to enjoy it.
Jodie rolled out dessert around 6PM. In addition to my pie, Dad bought a black forest cake from a local bakery, and Rose brought a Key Lime Torte from Desserts By Design. All three seemed to go over very well. The cherry filling on the cake was a tad too sweet, but the Key Lime Torte was delicious.
I rode home shortly after dessert. I desperately wanted a bath! I haven't had one in probably over a month. It felt so good to relax in cool water while reading You Call It Madness and A Song In the Dark and listening to one of my 20s CDs.
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