The Kids In the Neighborhood

It was pouring like mad when I finally managed to open my eyes around 9:30. I finished Beauty, a fairly straightforward retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley, and wrote in my journal. The rain continued to fall hard. I ended up calling Dad for a ride. Not only was it raining hard, but the wind had picked up sometime early this morning, too.

Ran a couple of autumn and spooky-themed LPs I have while eating breakfast. Witchcraft is a collection of instrumental jazz versions of popular standards themed around witches or the supernatural, such as "That Old Black Magic," "Old Devil Moon," "Kiss of Fire," and the title song. Autumn is a lovely series of piano solos by George Winston.

Dad did drive me to work...which I instantly regretted. Of course, by the time he had pulled up to the side of the road, the rain had stopped, though it remained cold and cloudy. He said to call him later if I couldn't get a ride.

The Acme was a mess for the first half of my shift. I got stuck in the registers for a half-hour when I first arrived, and then for another 20 minutes about a half-hour before I left. Not to mention, the carts were a disaster early-on. There were absolutely none left by 12:30, not even the rickety green plastic ones or the huge old rusted red and white hulks. Good thing there were at least two other baggers on schedule to help out. The traffic slowed as early as my break. By the time I finished at 4, the weather was gorgeous and the store was down to steady.

It was so nice, I called Dad and told him I'd walk home. It was hard to believe we'd been pelted with precipitation just that morning. The clouds had completely vanished. The sky was a rich blue. The leaves that skittered around my feet are just starting to turn colors here. Leftover rain drops glistened on radiant golds and crackly browns. The rain must have swept away the last of the algae that choked the creeks and lakes here over the summer. They were almost clear, a deep bottle-green, with only a bit of sickly yellow left around the fringes.

As soon as I got in, I called Richard. I thought I smelled gas coming from the stove. I smelled something, all right, but it wasn't the stove. It was fumes from the paint and varnish the workers downstairs are using. Thankfully, the stove is fine. (He confirmed again after checking a second time.)

Dad invited me over to his and Jodie's house for chili, even though the Eagles game was over by then. I changed and made it over by quarter after 5. The Eagles were down 21-7 to the Lions when I saw them during break. They seemed to have caught up in a hurry during the second half and lost by one measly point, 24-23. You'd think they hadn't scored at all, the way Dad was fussing and carrying on about what a horrible team they were. It's ONE game. They've done really well their last three games. Everyone has an off week.

After Khai had a hot dog and baby carrots (he's a huge fan of raw carrots) and I had my chili and slices of French bread, we visited Jodie's friend Sandy, who lives around the corner from her and Dad. Her daughter Emily was with other friends near-by, but Mary was there (though not interested in talking). While Rose, Sandy, and Jodie discussed the apple-picking trip Rose is taking tomorrow with Khai and Anny and her brood, I tried to get Sandy's little spotted dog Ricky to quit trying to jump on me. At the least, he calmed down enough to let me give him a back scratch.

(Oh, and I found out what Khai's being for Halloween this year. He wants to be a Ghostbuster, complete with proton pack. As a long-time Ghostbusters fan, I love that idea. Sounds like his mom is pretty enthusiastic about it, too. And it would seem he's getting to be quite the athlete. Rose told me he made two goals during his soccer game today, one helping them to win the game.)

Emily turned out to be a few houses down, running around with Chloe and a couple of little boys. Khai joined their chase while Rose chatted with their mother. Emily kept hiding behind Rose every time the other kids went after her. It was hilarious. Emily looked so cute in her orange jack-o-lantern t-shirt, orange and white polka-dot ruffled skirt, purple and orange striped shirt, and tall black boots.

When Rose had to drag Khai away from his buddies, I figured it was time to head home. I finished the night by baking the Ginger Snaps I'd made the night before. I didn't want to chance the stove last night. They baked fine and came out tasty despite the overnight chilling, so the stove is definitely working.