What's My Weather?

Began a cloudy morning with breakfast and To Tell the Truth. The first story was rather sad, and very much of the time. A mother was told her son was missing in action in Vietnam, only to find out later he was alive, but doing top-secret espionage work. She couldn't tell anyone he was alive, not even their relatives. Guesses were all over the map, but I think it ended up being number 2. The second group represented a man who wrote a book on coping with any crisis. Peggy Cass was upset that he suggested calling the police instead of stopping to ask a motorist for help, but she still got number 3 right.

Got to see the first contestant on What's My Line? as I prepared for work. I love it when the show has women in occupations they don't often occupy, even to this day, as contestants. Henry Morgan correctly guessed that the young woman was a flag person on a construction site.

Work was dead for most of the morning. Not only did I go in earlier than I have been lately, but we're past the beginning of the month and the last major holiday of the summer. The next major holiday isn't until the middle of next month. No really major problems. I actually spent a lot of the morning working on story notes.

Had some grocery shopping to do after work. Rose inspired me to try making my own lasagna. I decided to go slightly healthier than she did with salt-free tomato sauce, skim milk ricotta and shredded Italian cheese, ground turkey, and whole wheat lasagna noodles. The Acme's having a buy-one, get-one sale on their spices; went with the organic oregano and sesame seeds. Replaced the out-of-season strawberries with in-season red grapes. Treated myself to another bag of baker's rack clearance Acme cookies (peanut butter this time). Restocked apples, bananas, cereal, yogurt, mandarin oranges, more tomato sauce, Monterey Jack cheese, and toilet paper. (Yes, we have plenty now. The stock is almost back to normal.)

No wonder we were dead. The weather was gloomy when I rode home. It was cooler, but also cloudy and killer humid. Not a day for anyone to want to linger, even if everything was normal.

Watched The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That while putting everything away. Nick and Sally are decorating their tree house for a party, but they don't like their decorations. The Cat takes them to meet Stanely the bowerbird, who decorates his nest with beautiful pebbles and other attractive natural objects. Unfortunately, one of those objects he took turned out to be an egg. The kids learn about other animals who live in nests as they search for the owner of "The Lost Egg." Nick wants to learn how to "Hang On Tight" to the monkey bars like Sally. The Cat and the kids visit a slippery rock that's the home of a limpet, a type of shell creature. He shows them how he uses a sticky foot and natural footholds to stay put...and how he keeps on trying.

I'm really wiped out at the moment. Between being up late with Lauren to make up for us not visiting each other, her being on vacation, and my not being used to working long, draining hours as a cashier anymore, I'm pooped. I went down for a nap the moment the cartoon ended.

Awoke when I heard little girl giggling next door. I knew I'd never be able to sleep with Rose and Finley visiting, so I rolled out of bed and joined them after watching the end of Press Your Luck. Finley and I played with her favorite soft blanket with the silky brown lining and her pink stuffed unicorn Strawberry while her mother and grandmother discussed the furniture in the house they could get rid of and the things they wanted to sell on eBay.

Rose hoped Finley would have someone to play with outside, but it seems all the kids in the neighborhood went to various sports practices. Jodie and Rose did catch Khai's friends Chloe and Bree and their mother as they were leaving. The mothers chatted and tried to keep Finley away from their car.

Put on Match Game while I made lasagna and spinach salad for dinner. The first episode introduced us to Gene Rayburn's mother, who was in the audience watching her son's taping. In the second, the panel teased Gene about his dapper two-toned shoes. They did indeed turn out to be golf shoes, spikes and all. (I guess you need spikes in that thick carpeting.)

That young gentleman on Sale of the Century just keeps right on rolling. I think he's getting a little cocky. He missed half the questions in the speed round, bought all three Instant Bargains (including a lovely bed for his 11-year-old daughter), and still managed to win 3,000 in the end.

Incidentally, the lasagna came out...ok. I only wanted a small pan and made way too many noodles, and I didn't really spread the ricotta well, but it tastes all right. Not like Rose's, but not bad.

Finished out the night online with some vintage television. Lauren's favorite episode from the TV version of In the Heat of the Night is the third season show "Vengeance." Bubba does manage to kill a man who held up a local store, but the man's brothers and his wife are now out for blood. The Chief insists that he and his pretty girlfriend stay with Virgil and Althea and out of sight, but Bubba's not one to sit around and do nothing for long.

Tony has problems of his own in the second season I Dream of Jeannie episode "My Master, the Rainmaker." Tony's floored at first when he learns that Jeannie can control the weather, but his delight ends quickly when she makes it snow on Dr. Bellows and he tells anyone who'll listen. He has better intentions when he gets her to help the brother of a young astronaut who owns a drought-stricken farm. It does finally rain...but it won't stop! The farm is flooded, and Tony has to figure out what to do when Jeannie is away visiting her own family.

Speaking of rain, ours finally started somewhere around 11:30. I hope it doesn't rain too hard tomorrow, like it's supposed to. I badly need to get the laundry done.