Started the day reading poems (including I Heard America Singing by Walt Whitman) and an essay on Samuel Gumpters, long-time spearhead of the labor movement in the US. I tossed in excerpts from two American Girl books for good measure. Samantha Parkington learns from her friend Nellie O'Malley, who once worked in a factory, that "progress" isn't always good for everyone in Samantha Learns a Lesson. Rebecca Rubin discovers just how scary factories were in the early 20th century - and how to stand up for her beliefs - in the final book in her series, Changes For Rebecca.
I spent most of last night and early morning online with Lauren - we rarely get to spend holiday nights together, since I normally work for most of them. I was up so late, it was quarter of 11 before I had breakfast. Ran a pair of Three Stooges shorts on working while I ate. They're "Dizzy Doctors" when they try to sell Brighto, first on the street, then in a hospital. The boys are mistaken for escorts in "Termites of 1938," but they're really exterminators. When mice get into their dates' house, the Stooges go to work...and make a shambles of the party.
Headed to the laundromat around 12:30 to get my small load done. Good thing it was a small load. The place was packed. I was lucky to get one of the last washers available when I came in. Thankfully, the driers were less full by the time my clothes were ready. I worked on my notes and ignored soap operas.
I was a block from my house when the bike stopped moving. I just managed to keep myself from falling off, but I scraped the back of my left thigh pretty good on the tough metal pedals. I wasn't happy when I came home and discovered the chain had come clean off. I really didn't want to take off the guard and try to put it back on. I hadn't gotten to writing yet, and I wasn't going to have time to go out for pizza as I'd planned. My neighbor and landlady Miss Willa said her husband Richard was out fishing, but would be willing to fix it when he got home.
Had the last of the Tex-Mex Bean Dip and grapes for lunch while watching more Remember WENN. Betty Roberts almost becomes "The First Mrs. Bloom" when she and Mackie have to convince the sponsor of their bridal show (Julie Hagerty) that they marry real couples on the air.
Worked on my fanfiction for the next two hours or so. Betty has fled into the forest, but she's being pursued by demons. They overtake her and are about to try worse things...when they hear what sounds like female animals and take off. The noises were being made by Mr. Eldridge and his apprentice, the woodsman who rescued Betty earlier. They take her to their cottage in the woods. The woodsman is charming to Betty, but he still won't let her see his face or let Mr. Eldridge give him away. Betty badly wants to know who he is...and has an idea for how to do it that night...
Rose and Craig picked me up to go to Dad's house around 4:30 for their party. (The bike was fixed by then, as it turned out, but they were already there.) Rose and Craig have a new car - a small dark-blue van. It's really compact and cute, like a dark blue box, but has a surprising amount of room inside. Rose said they fit three bushes for their back yard in the seats with no problem.
I spent most of the party swimming with my nephew Khai and Dad's neighbor Sandy's two little girls Mary and Chloe while the other adults discussed their children going back to school and the new Star Wars movie coming out this fall. I'm so proud of Khai. His swimming has improved tenfold. He can swim easily in the deep end of the pool now, and even go underwater with no problems.
Rose invited me to "Taco Tuesday" at her house tomorrow. Sure! My only plans for dinner tomorrow were leftovers. I do have counseling, but it's supposed to be hot again, so I won't be lingering too long afterwards.
Jodie had plenty of food. There were chicken thighs, burgers, hot dogs, and steak cooked on the grill, a fruit bowl, corn on the cob, a Caesar salad, a macaroni salad, and a plate of various cookies neighbors brought. Had everything but the hot dogs - the pork ones give me indigestion - and the corn on the cob, which was already slathered in butter. I like my corn plain.
Chatted with Dad - as well as he could - right before walking home. Poor Dad. That throat surgery is really hurting him. His voice still doesn't sound right. He did suggest that I look into doing some reading on money management, since I don't think I could handle a second job that's outside of the home. I never really learned money management. I never had much money to manage until the last ten years or so. I've always had a hard time getting a job; what little money I had as a child was earned from chores or given to me by my stepfather.
Walked home after talking to Dad. It was a nice night for it. While it's hotter and a little more humid than it has been this weekend, it's still not overwhelming. It was surprisingly quiet - most people were probably finishing out barbecues or just coming home from their own vacations.
Richard was working on my bike when I got in. The gears have been sticking for a while. He oiled them and got the chain back on, which seems to have fixed the problem for the time being. He says he'll do further work on it when I'm on vacation next month.
And I hope you enjoyed your own Labor Day, whether or not you had to work on it.
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