Communication Breakdown

BOOM! CRASH! GROOOWWWL!

That's the first thing I heard when I shot out of bed this morning. A massive thunderstorm passed over the Delaware Valley area between 8 and 8:30AM. It was a big one, too. Thunder like sonic booms, pyrotechnics that could probably be seen on Pluto, enough water to flood Pittsburgh, the works. I sat in my bed, shivering and glad that I was off work today (and pitying all of the people who had to get work in this...and worse, all the people who were trying to get their kids to their one of their last days of school).

Thankfully, the rain had long stopped by the time I'd gotten dressed and finished my oatmeal. The clouds remained, however. Unlike the last cloudy, post-storm days we've had, it wasn't cold. It was warm and incredibly humid. And wet. Very wet. So wet, most things weren't drying...including the path between the VFW parking lot and the train tracks. Except for the pile of mulch, it was basically a tributary of the river. I ended up going down Manor and up West Clinton instead to do this week's laundry session at Dad's.

It was once again quiet at Dad's house. He was watching black-and-white movies by English director Michael Powell on TCM when I came in. I laid on the big, soft chocolate-brown suede couch and read the newest Maisie Dobbs book, An Incomplete Revenge. Dad messed around on his laptop. It really made for a very cozy morning and early afternoon.

(I also found another path between the tracks and the VFW going home. This one was behind the VFW itself, and while it was choked with weeks and sticker bushes, the growth had kept it from turning into one massive puddle.)

I thought I was getting together with Rose at 1PM, but she never appeared. I had peanut butter and jelly on Buttermilk Rye-Whole Wheat Bread, applesauce, and strawberries for lunch. I made Extra-Moist Lemon Cupcakes (which turned out really well - so soft and velvety, you'd think they came from a box) from the cupcake cook book I took out of the library last week. I read Maisie.

I called Rose twice, the second time to tell her I really needed to get to the library and we'd try again another time. She called me back just as I was leaving for the library. Turns out it was sheer miscommunication. She thought I hadn't said when to meet. I thought she said 1, but I might have heard her wrong, or she heard me wrong. In any event, she had classes and I had DVDs to return. We'll get together another time.

The library was busy for it being so late. Maybe it was the weather. The sun came out briefly while I was on my way there, but it soon disappeared behind another veil of dull gray clouds. Once again, there were huge piles of DVDs to shelve. I organized the children's DVDs as well. They really needed it, especially with all the ones coming in. Didn't take any out this time, though.

It was really late by the time I left. I considered eating at one of the many restaurants and diners in the area, but finally decided I'd be better off saving the money, and I had plenty of farm market fruit and veggies at home. I ended up with the last of the Crab and Asparagus pie, sauteed turnip greens with shredded carrots, and mashed turnips with Smart Balance Butter Blend, and the cupcakes for dessert.

Follow the Leader

I slept in again (I really need to stop staying up late, looking up info on classic Disney shorts). I didn't have the time to do any cleaning, but I did get my laundry in. That's was a good thing, because I was doing my bathroom and kitchen towels, which meant there was quite a bit more than usual.

I watched a few cartoons while my laundry was in the washer. The Backyardigans learned the importance of being prepared as they went on a "Race Around the World" to country rock. Austin, Uniqua, Pablo, and Tyrone were competing against each other in a four-even-race (Tasha was the announcer). Austin was nervous because this was his first race and the others had all won gold medals before, but he taught his friends a lesson when he was able to help them out of trouble in various events, thanks to the things he brought along in his waist pack.

Baloo the Bear also learned a lesson about friendship in the 1930s-set Tale Spin. When he helps Shere Khan (here a ruthless businessman...tiger) out of a jam, Khan offers to reward him richly for his troubles. Baloo takes his offer a bit too much to heart, buying fancy clothes and cars and quitting his job at the air service business Higher For Hire. His ward Kit Cloudkicker and Rebecca Cunningham, Higher For Hire's owner, are worried about his obnoxious behavior and sudden spendthrift ways. Their worry turns to alarm when Baloo's kidnapped and ransom is demanded. Needless to say, Baloo is rescued and finally discovers that there are some things money can't buy...like good friends and trustworthy bosses.

I went for a walk after Tale Spin. It wasn't really a very nice day, cloudy, damp, and on-and-off light showers, but I needed to get outside. I was walking down by CVS when a tiny dog sprinted after me, barking and yapping. It looked like he'd ran from someone's house or broken off of a leash, and sure enough, a little boy came rushing after him, calling his name. I tried to encourage the dog to return to his young master, but it was almost ten minutes before he finally gave up barking and running around me in circles and went home.

I repeat what I said last month about people being more careful with their pets. That dog might have gotten run over by a car, or gotten lost, or been hurt by someone much less sweet than me! Please, fence in your yard when your dog is outdoors, keep an eye on them when they're indoors, and keep them on a leash when they're in an unfenced area!

I made a brief stop at the Oaklyn Library on my way back to Uncle Ken's. I took out last year's big Disney/Pixar film Ratatouille (and left the DVD at Dad and Uncle Ken's - I'll have to go back for it tomorrow) and two books on making bread, Betty Crocker's Bread from 1974 and the huge and aptly named The Bread Bible. The laundry took longer in the drier than usual, due to the unusually large load, so I had the time to work on Key Lime Pie Murder, which I bought at Wal Mart last month.

(I finally finished the Maisie Dobbs book Pardonable Lies this morning. As excellent as the previous stories; a touching and haunting tale of dealing with grief, war, and the loss of loved ones.)

I went to work about an hour later. Work was steady up through about 5, after which the rush hour came in and we got busy. It died around 8PM and didn't appear to be in any hurry to speed up again when I left a half-hour later.