Monday, July 20, 2015

Hot Day at Home and In the Pool

Charlie showed up even before 9 AM. Seems he's the one who does the plumbing and fixing around the house. The leak turned out to be minor, and he was able to repair it. He put paper towels underneath just in case it drips again...but I think my pots and pans work even better. (Though I did leave the paper towels, just in case.)

Ran Garfield In Paradise while eating breakfast. Garfield wishes he wasn't on his way to Paradise World, the only tourist trap Jon could afford. While their hotel turns out to be a disaster area, the beach is a lot more fun. Things get really hairy when their 50's-era rental car takes them to a tribe of Doo Wop-worshiping natives...and a volcano about to explode!

I read stories Lauren and I worked on while Charlie was here and afterwards. Didn't get to the laundromat until around quarter after 11. Waiting may have been a mistake. It was busy as heck when I arrived. I did get a washer, but there were barely any dryers. I listened to The Price Is Right and ignored the local news fussing about the extreme heat. Read the last of the History Mysteries Lauren gave me last month while I was there, Circle of Fire. This harrowing story depicted a young African-American girl and her white guy friend who work together to stop a group of Klan members from blowing up Eleanor Roosevelt during a speech in Tennessee in 1958. It was a harrowing and touching story,  by far the best of the four Lauren gave me.

I went home, put everything away, then went back out. I really didn't have much around for lunch. I ended up having a Big Papa hoagie - turkey, roast beef, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, and mayo (I left off the sweet peppers - too messy) - for lunch with a can of Diet A&W Root Beer. Stopped at WaWa on the way back for a mint chocolate chip milkshake.

Spent the next two and a half hours working on Scott White and the Seven Actors. The kindly chief of the Indian tribe has recommended Scott look into an audition with a small troupe of traveling players who might be able to get him back to town under Pruitt's nose. He catches up with their carriages, only to find the carriages open and them out rehearsing. He passes out on a bunk in a carriage while he waits for them. Three of the members of the troupe, Jeff, Mackie, and Mr. Foley, think there's a robber. They threaten Scott with Foley's prop gun, and are surprised to find a decent, fairly amused guy who just wants a job rather than a desperate desert tramp.

Went to Dad's around four to go for a swim, pick up my cake pan (which I used for the cupcakes from their party), and say "hi" to them. I've been meaning to get over there for weeks, ever since the week after the Fourth of July, but either I had other plans, or was busy, or the weather got bad. Dad and Jodie were finishing their laundry. They were going to a memorial service for a friend's father a bit later. Dad's going into surgery to have his new vocal equipment added later this week. He'll need a feeding tube for a while, which he's not happy about.

Jodie said Khai and some of the neighbors were in the pool earlier, but by 4:30, I pretty much had it to myself. I couldn't believe how warm the pool was. According to the new thermometer, the water in the pool was 90 degrees when I got in. The hot air outside felt less warm! It was lovely to be able to swim and relax and enjoy myself. I can't remember the last time I was in the pool alone. I did accidentally snap one of the rods that held the shape of that blue mesh-and-vinyl raft, but I told Dad and Jodie and apologized. I hope they can fix it.

Wasn't up for much more than a cod fillet with yellow squash and grape tomatoes in apple cider sauce and a couple of episodes of The Red Skelton Show when I got home. I did two of the later hour-long shows from the 60's. Of those, my favorite was the hilarious tale of how an elderly explorer (Ed Wynn) discovered Freddie the Freeloader (Skelton) to be his long-lost son and took him to Africa. Hard to believe Wynn was 80 when he did that episode - they both looked like they had a great time.

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