Summer Breeze

Began the day with Raspberry Pancakes and classic disco. Donna Summer's On the Radio was one of my stepfather's favorite albums in the early 80's. When my sister Rose and I were really little, we would dance along to "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls," swirling around in the "fancy dresses" that were really our grandma's old lacy slips. Someone bought it for him again on CD for Christmas in the late 90's-early 2000's...and this time, everyone enjoyed it, even Mom. It played constantly all of Christmas night and the day after.

Work was relatively quiet for Sunday when I got in. There was another bagger doing the carts until 1. I mostly bagged, gathered baskets, and helped people to their cars, though I did get stuck in the register a few times when it started to get much busier around 11:30-noon. By the time I was on my own, the crowds were starting to subside. I wasn't alone for long, anyway. The afternoon bagger arrived at 1:30.

It was a gorgeous day, hot but not humid at all, with a really lovely breeze. Since I'd been inside for most of work and wasn't planning on doing much outside at home, I took the long way back to Oaklyn down Nicholson and Atlantic. Nicholson was a little busy. Otherwise, it was smooth sailing, all the way back to my apartment. Everyone must have gone to the Shore or backyard barbecues by then. (I saw a fair in the back of the Hispanic church on Nicholson as I went by. Wish I could have joined them. It looked like they were having fun!)

When I got in, I worked on writing for a while. Hank's big Ford truck is chased down the narrow streets of Ocean View, past Victorian summer homes and storefronts. He manages to lose the Imperial Gang long enough to pull in at Ackbar's Restaraunt. He's going to take them up north in the Falcon to Bespin Island, where a friend of his owns a condo and manages a dance club.

Broke at 6 for a quick cheese and Ratatouille omelet and to make Summer Fruit Flummery (peaches, raspberries, blueberries) while listening to Lionel Richie. Can't Slow Down is another seminal album from my early childhood. We loved this one. We must have listened to it hundreds of times in the mid-80's. While the major hits included "Hello," "Penny Lover," "All Night Long," and "Love Will Find a Way," my favorite song is the lovely ballad "The Only One."

I'd been inside for most of the day. I ended my evening with a pleasant walk and a treat from Phillies Yummies. By 7, the heat of the day had mostly dissipated, leaving a warm night cooled by a soft wind. I enjoyed my Watermelon Yum Yum (grittier water ice) at one of the wooden tables on the sidewalk. Oooh, it was good! Sweet and fruity. Tasted like real watermelon. Strolled home down Woodlawn Terrace, enjoying the breezy late-summer evening.