June Lockhart

            On Tuesday it rained but I had to go downtown anyway because I wanted to buy a present for my daughter’s birthday, which is in a couple of days. For the last few months it’s been on my mind to buy her a folding wooden guitar stand like the one I have because I’m very pleased with it and wanted to pass the satisfaction along. I planned to go back to Remenyi to see if they have any more, but first I had to fill out my income report for social services. I had no income to report but I needed to fill out the form anyway and mail the envelope.

It was still raining when I got underway, but not too hard and so my jeans did get splattered with a little mud but later the marks seemed to disappear.

At Remenyi House of Music I was told that they were out of the Seagull guitar stands but that they were on order and would arrive in a couple of weeks. It was suggested that I try Long and McQuade, so I rode back towards home along Bloor and stopped there. They didn’t have them either and never have. They did have a wooden stand for $120 but it didn’t seem as nice as the one I got for $50 and it didn’t fold. The sales guy was very helpful though and went online to see what other places might have what I was looking for. He found that Cosmo Music has them in their online catalogue but when I asked their location he said North York. I didn’t want to ride my bike up to North York, especially since I found out later that Cosmo is in Richmond Hill. I decided not to rush it and to wait for when Remenyi gets their order.

On the way home my bike felt weird while pedalling, as if there is something wrong with the crankset. My back brakes are off balance as well.

I sent a message to Astrid when I got home to let her know that I had a gift in mind but she might have to wait a few weeks for it. She asked me if it was banjo related because she already bought herself a stand. I had to spill the beans to tell her what I’d had in mind and wondered if she needed an extra one for her bass. She said she could use one for her bass but informed me that she doesn’t even play it anymore.

It looks like I’ll have to rethink her present.

I finally looked up my grade for 20^th Century US Literature and found that I only got a B+. It wasn’t that big a surprise. I took some risks on my term essay that didn’t pay off and I didn’t get around to citing my sources for info that I’d presented from outside of the course.

I almost went to Bike Pirates to adjust my back brakes because I thought that would be a quick job, but I looked at it and saw that the brakes aren’t really dragging against the tire. The main problem is that the wheel is wobbling and so if I have to true it I would be there for a lot longer. I decided to wait.

I watched a very predictable Alfred Hitchcock Hour teleplay. It’s for sure that if the plot is based on a wife thinking her husband is trying to kill her then the twist requires that he isn’t. Martha arrives in a small town and is met by Luke. It turns out that they are engaged to be married through a lonely-hearts club magazine. Luke is gruff and anti-social. He immediately drives her to the minister’s house to get married before taking her home. Once at home he shows her around. The house has two fireplaces and she wonders why there is no furnace. The basement, where she will have to do the laundry is particularly cold.

On Sundays she begins to go to church and gets to know the local ladies. She joins the missionary society and meets for their sewing circle where she learns that Luke’s first wife was named Virginia and she died of food poisoning six months after she and Luke were married. Martha starts to become suspicious. As Christmas is approaching the basement door becomes locked. She sneaks the keys from Luke’s coat pocket while he is sleeping and goes downstairs to find that he has dug a grave sized and shaped hole. I knew right away what it was for. She goes to town and buys a gun. He tells her just before Christmas that there is something he wants to show here in the basement. Thinking that he is about to kill her she pulls the gun from her coat pocket and shoots him dead. Down in the basement she sees that Luke has installed a furnace with its base in the hole he’d dug. On the furnace is a card saying, “Merry Christmas to my dear Martha.”

Martha was portrayed by June Lockhart who played the mother on both Lassie and Lost in Space.