Betty And Me

Yesterday was the thirty-ninth anniversary of Betty's husband's death.  In six years, Wes will have been gone from this world longer than he lived in it.  I had picked up a pretty lavender rose at Acme, then met Betty at the cemetery.  We talked and laughed and cried for a while at the grave where Wes, Jay, and other family members are, then stopped at Pat's (and my) site. 
After, we went to lunch at the East Bay Grille, my choice, and not a good one.  I had leathery slabs of "grilled" (those marks were painted on!) chicken atop a so-called Caesar salad (limp lettuce and vinegary dressing).  Betty's bacon-wrapped scallops were mediocre, too, but of course, we enjoyed our talk and visit.
We parted and I hustled down to Produce Junction, where I got a beautiful pink and white orchid with lots of blooms for a measly five bucks.  Looks lovely in the living room.  Also got Romaine and tomatoes for my luncheon tomorrow.
Got home and cleaned part of the carpet in the living room.  This is where I have my wine and popcorn at night and it tends to get messy.  Made out a list of what I'm going to serve tomorrow and what I must buy.  Will do that today, after the termite people are here--I hope not for too long.

 

Busy Day

I don't know why I'm not as skinny as a rail.  Yesterday, I ran around all day at a fast pace.  Well, maybe not so fast...
Leslie called early to say she thought she'd better not join Aline and me after all, as she had to go out with Dennis at 3:30.  Well, okay.  I called A. and we decided, in that case, we'd start out at our usual time of 12:30, as she wanted to go to Acme with her sister and there was plenty I had to do in the meantime.
Greeted my pal, and we drove to Galloway; went to Romanelli's Garden Café for lunch.  Wow, what a find!  I hadn't been there for about three years and they've changed the layout, plus acquired a liquor license.  I had a decadent and scrumptious sausage sandwich and A. a lovely glazed chicken salad, both delicious.  The Blue Moon wasn't bad, either, and happily, the place is even reasonably priced.  We'll be sure to go there again.
After, we drove the half-mile to "Days of Olde" (silly "e" on the end), a large, but under-one-roof collection of antique--and "antique"--shops (or maybe "shoppes") of varied, and no doubt dubious, value.  I wanted to find Claire, a woman I know slightly from Dine Around, to show her my sampler and some comic books I found in the garage.  I did so, but she didn't believe she could afford to make me an offer on the former; she asked another dealer to look at the comic books.  He did and was interested, but I said I'd have to research them first before entertaining an offer, and he admitted the same.  Actually, these belong to my older son, so I'll contact him and ask what he'd take for them--or if he wants to sell them at all.  Claire is interested in opera and asked if she could attend Mary Ann's gathering at our clubhouse.  I said I'd call Mary Ann, but I see no reason why she shouldn't.
After more than an hour and about 4:00, we left and A. asked if I'd mind dropping her at the library.  Not at all and I went in myself.  While A. occupied herself at the computer, I looked at a book on Steel Pier, one of the high points of my youth.  Mom used to pack a big lunch and take her brood--sometimes all six, later the younger four--up town on the trolley, and we'd spend the day there.  I clearly remember seeing African-American conjoined (at the head) twins there--yes, exhibited as the snakes and monkeys were, poor little things.
Took A. home and got home to see an e-mail from Julie S.  I'm going with her next Saturday to the Our Town audition at Surflight and, as I had used one of her scripts when we were both in it for LETCO, I asked to borrow one.  Sure, said she via e-mail, so why don't you come over now and get it?  I did so, and we visited for a bit.  By the time I got home, it was close to 8:00, and I topped off the day with my usual.    
Must prepare today for my luncheon on Sunday, as well as for the termite guy tomorrow.
       

More C. and C.

Got a bunch more cleaning up and clearing out done, this time in the guest room.  I had had a lot of theatre stuff on the beds, along with other crapola that had to be either tossed or put away.  Very satisfying to get that done. 
Went to the store, watered and trimmed plants, then pretty much kept my nose to the domestic grindstone all day.
Called Leslie and Aline to tell them I'd pick them up at 10:30 today for our little excursion to Galloway.
I was thrilled to see on Facebook that Surflight is holding auditions for Our Town on Saturday, September 7.  E-mailed Julie S.--we were both in LETCO's production of it two years ago--to see if she wanted to go.  She does and I'll pick her up.  I printed out three pictures of myself on stage in the part I want and will take them along with my theatrical resume.  Am far from confident I'll get a part; I'm sure there'll be plenty of competition, and everybody and her sister has been in it, but yea or nay, I'm going to give it a shot.

Pleasant Day And Immunity

Termite man called early to ask if he could come Saturday instead of Friday, which is fine by me.  Was in e-mail touch with nephew, Rob, and we firmed up plans for him, his brother and sister, her spouse, Betty, and my friend and her husband to come here for lunch and possibly, the pool, on Sunday.
Aline called.  She wasn't able to get together yesterday, but we'll go to lunch tomorrow, then go to Days of Yore antique shop in Galloway.  I invited Leslie, too, and she accepted with pleasure.
I'm making real headway in the garage now and spent time happily throwing away, consolidating, and neatening it up.  Next-door Frank and Barbara saw me and invited me over for cookies and iced coffee.  Barb gave me a bowl of homemade peach cobbler to take home and the pair invited me to go with them to the Miss America Parade in AC on September 14, which I surely will. 
Joe M. from down the street stopped over when he saw me in the garage.  I showed him the termite "mud tunnels," which he'll look for.  He asked if I wanted an outdoor light cover (mine broke years ago), and I took it.
Neighbor Bob O. also came over and we discussed the termite situation.  He doesn't have any, but had seventeen crickets in his bathroom, and used the same exterminator for them.  
I spent time connecting up my new digital camera.  I'm embarrassed to admit I couldn't get the battery cover to open, so took the whole thing to Wal-Mart and was shown that you have to slide it over, not pry it up.  I hate, hate, hate things mechanical--that is, I like to use them, but I'm hopeless at dealing with their configurations.  I really want them to come equipped with a nice young fella or girl to explain all that stuff.
Susan came over to give me some extra "flags" she had, with which we're supposed to mark the sprinkler heads in the back before Meticulous comes to put stuff on the lawn. Frank was there, so kindly put them in for me.
Late in the day, I drove down to Graveling Point at the bay and took some pictures of Brigantine over the water.  Will go back to the book to see how to put them on the computer.
All in all, a very pleasant day.
WIDER:  Well, the monsters hang together, what else is new?
http://www.commondreams.org/further/2013/08/26

Yet More Garage

Cleared out and cleaned up yet more of the garage, and set some things out for Big Brothers and Big Sisters to pick up.  Ran errands in Manahawkin, then impulsively got my suit on and went to the pool.  It was heavenly, of course, and as ever, very sparsely attended.  Talked to Harry and Pat V., Buck T., and Pat M.
When I was about to leave, I got a call from my friend, who asked if she could come pick up the stuff she and her husband are taking.  Sure thing, and she got there after I had showered and dressed. 
When I got home, I discovered somebody had taken the big container I had out with various stuff in it.  That leaves only a few brooms for BB & BS, I'm afraid.  Their truck is supposed to come at 7:00, so I hope I can see them and apologize.

Dine Around

I'm on a roll!  Yesterday, I spent several hours continuing the garage clean-up.  I emptied the wheelbarrow (plastic), then rolled it to the back of the house and used the hose to wash it thoroughly.  Pulled out the dozen or so earthenware plant containers and discovered half had dirt in them, so had to dump.  Some are so big and heavy I had to use the handtruck to move them. Discovered an army duffel bag with a government issue canteen and raincoat in it.  It's marked "Byrne," so was surely one of my brothers'.  I wonder if its worth anything.  Will keep for now, I guess.
After I threw in the towel (there's plenty more to do, which I'll tackle today), I ran over to the bank to get money for Dine Around, and to Acme for cottage cheese.  Jumped in the shower, dressed, and went to Vepusio's.
I hadn't been there since a Dine Around of a year or so ago, and doubt if I will be again.  The amenities could be rated on a scale from mediocre to dumpster level: uninspired décor with mundane pics of Tuscany on one wall and, inexplicably, a gigantic bas-relief eagle on another; so-so food--I had a blah veal piccata; and service that was absolutely abysmal.  There were three casually dressed (pedal pushers and skin-tight tank tops on the chubbiest) female servers.  They were pleasant enough, but the salad and soup (canned broth and canned vegetables indifferently thrown together) weren't even served until 6:30 (we had arrived an hour earlier) and there were long waits between courses.  What's worse, the cardinal sin of service was committed: Our table (I sat with Betty W., Doris H., Anna P.) got our entrees first and we finished eating long before two other tables were served.  This prompted hostess Mary Ann V. to ask that desserts be delayed until those tables were finished and until after her silly, question and answer game.  It was so noisy most of us couldn't hear it anyway, and she had obviously gotten the content from a dumb Internet site ("Bore Your Guests With Obscure Questions").  They included such gems as "Where in his house did W.C. Fields keep his library?"  Answer: His bathroom.)       
Anyhow, I cut out after a few minutes of that, saying I didn't want to miss my daughter's weekly Skype call and skipping the cannoli dessert, which I dislike anyway.  Home at 7:30 and had a nice chat with Ellen.      

The "Rehearsal" from Hell

Spent most of the day in my hometown.  Ventnor was jammed, of course, as I'm sure the rest of Absecon Island was.  People seem to have suddenly realized summer is waning, so they rush to the sea to broil themselves red.  Parkway was bumper to bumper, natch.
The "rehearsal" was simply an exercise in wasted time.  It started at 1:00 and we were there for three and a half solid hours.  (If it had been up to Rachel, we'd still be there.) Incredibly, we never did do a complete run-through.  Several of us, including the nasty, most vocal one, yours truly, had said we were leaving at 4:30, come hell or missed lines, and we did. 
Most of us brought our costumes and Rachel objected to my white shirt--said she wanted to avoid black and white, although I had a very colorful wide scarf to use as a cummerbund.  Said she'd bring one of her husband's shirts, instead.  Sure, sure, fine, let's just get on with the rehearsal.
But that never actually happened.  It's impossible to adequately describe Rachel's indecision, meandering speech, pulverizing lack of coherence, and time-wasting, off-topic forays into theatrical Neverland, so I won't even try.  I might mention, though, that we didn't even start to rehearse anything until twenty of four, and never did finish. 
Bobbi was very late--didn't get there until almost 3:00--and, typical of how bereft Rachel is of even the most elementary system of organization, she didn't have Bobbi's phone number.  Of course, she didn't have anyone else's number, either, so couldn't contact us in case of a sudden change in the schedule.   
(I was interrupted after writing the above for a welcome reason: a Skype call from Tokyo.  All well there and we had a nice chat.  I picked up Susan for our walk and now I'm back.)
After the "rehearsal" (aagh!), I went to Betty's for a delicious meal of tilapia, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and salad.  Helen C. then joined us and we went around the corner for ice cream cones.  Left by 7:00 and was home just as darkness came over the world--or at least, over Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey.