Harvest Delights

Started a cloudy, humid day with this week's American Top 40 re-run. Casey jumped back a decade to 1978, when disco and R&B ruled supreme. Hits that mid-August included "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty, "Last Dance" by Donna Summer, "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner, "Love Will Find a Way" by Pablo Cruze, "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow, and "Hopelessly Devoted to You" by Olivia Newton-John and the title song by Frankie Valli from that summer's blockbuster smash musical Grease. That week's number one hit was the classic Commodores ballad "Three Times a Lady."

I headed out for my farm market/yard sale run around 9:30. Briefly stopped and chatted with my landlord Andrew's wife Linda as I went by their house. First of all, Linda had some pictures drawn by my late Pop Pop, Dad and Uncle Ken's father. He was a wonderful artist; Dad has a lot of his work hanging in his house. Did I want them? Sure! I'd take a look at them sometime soon. Linda also confirmed that the bottom apartment is being painted and remodeled. Andrew still doesn't know what he's really doing about it. He may sell it; he may not. Under any circumstances, they say I can stay as long as I want. I'm a good tenant who doesn't cause any trouble.

The farm market was the busiest I'd ever seen it when I arrived in Collingswood! Perhaps it was the rapidly emerging sun that brought people out of the woodwork. I saw green beans and grapes for the first time today (but surprisingly, no apples). I was able to squeeze between elbows long enough to buy plums, white peaches (the ones I had last week were delicious), blueberries, Chinese beans, three tomatoes, two ears of corn, a huge head of romaine lettuce, and a green and a red pepper.

Made a few yard sale stops. Unfortunately, three decent-sized sales in Oaklyn and on the edge of Collingswood near Haddon Township provided no finds. Maybe it was just as well. I had an eBay order waiting for me when I got home. The beautiful pale celery green Quilted Summer Gown was supposed to belong to Felicity's best friend Elizabeth, but I thought it would look just as pretty on Lissie. It does; it's a great color for her. The fabric is cheap and delicate and has already snagged, but I think the sweet green bow and cute dots are charming. The silly heeled mules were so annoying, I opted to let Lissie keep her buckle shoes on instead. I do love the hat that came with it. It's a wide-brimmed straw saucer covered in soft white satin and trimmed with green ribbon and pink bows.

I looked up some things online, then had a quick Peanut Butter and Raspberry Preserves Sandwich lunch before heading to work. Work was busy again early in the afternoon. One of the managers pulled me off Express before I could even get started there. She said I wasn't fast enough for Express. I know she meant well and was only stating facts, but it didn't make me feel better. I always thought I was too fast! Nor did managers fussing about my rolling up my pants to ride to work. And I picked up hours next Saturday when a teenage boy asked me to switch with him without thinking about it. Yes, the extra hours will be nice, and I'll get my morning errands in with time to spare...but I was looking forward to a Saturday off.

Thankfully, it slowed down so much by the second half of my shift that I spent most of it putting away candy. I really need to find a job where I can work at my own pace. I hate being told I'm too fast or too slow. I do what I can, how I can. That's why I do so much alone. It's easier to just go on my own than have to wait for people, or have people wait for me.