Mother Nature is pranking me. When I look out the window, I see a lovely morning, bright with sun framed by a blue sky. The air is still. Then I check the weather. It is warm but only in comparison. It is in the 40’s, hoodie weather, sunning on the deck weather. This is spring on Cape Cod.

Yesterday I noticed the daffodils are above ground. I can see the sheathed flower buds. The hyacinths too have poked their heads. I see purple. My grass, or what’s left of my grass, is showing bits of green. Pine branches are still strewn about the front and back yards. Some of them are huge. My front fence is done. It leans. It is rotted in places. I’m going to fence shop and replace it. My landscaper came and we walked the front yard and the back forty. He had one of his guys cut and remove the branch which had fallen across the walk in front. He said I’m on the list. I know he’ll clean the yard when he can. I can wait. He showed me the remains of trees which have to come down. Most are dying. I told him to do what he needs to do.

When I was a kid, I barely noticed the flower beds coming alive. Spring to me meant warmer mornings and no more layering. I loved skipping to school. There was a joyfulness about it, a recognition that spring was gaining hold, that my world was awakening and winter was on the run. Some mornings were still cold, but I had put winter away so I only added a sweater. That was enough.

Some warm mornings I’d ride my bike to school. A bike rack was on the back side of the schoolyard by the fence. It was wooden and painted green. There were slots for the bikes. I never had a lock for my bike. I never worried about it being stolen. It was just a regular bike with brakes on the back side of the pedals and one speed, pedal power. It was blue.

My dance card is still heavy with uke. I have another concert today. It will be my fifth uke event of the week, including practice and a lesson. Tomorrow is another concert. Sunday starts the next week of concerts. The only free day is Monday. I’ll spare you the counting. That means five more concerts after Sunday, all with Irish music. It will be a busy week.

I have been busy the last few days. On Tuesday, I had an early concert, a St. Patrick’s Day concert. We were dressed in all sorts of shades of green. We had noise makers, whistles, and slides. It was a fun concert. Yesterday was Wednesday, my uke lesson day. Today, tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, I have concerts, still Irish. My poor sloth is hanging on for dear life.

I became a brownie in the second grade. I had the brown uniform, the beanie and the belt with a sort of change purse. The brownie pin was on my hat. I thought the brownie looked like a pixie. I was right. A brownie is a pixie. Next was my fly-up when I became a junior Girl Scout. My uniform was green with a yellow sort of kerchief round the collar. It was tied in a square knot. I still remember left over right and right over left. I had a green beret with the Girl Scout emblem on it, but I missed the brownie. It was a bit whimsical. I had a sash. On it were the badges I earned. They were listed in the Girl Scout handbook. I have one of those. My sister found it and gave it to me at Christmas. It is exactly like the one I had. I’ll admit I started with the easy badges looking to fill my sash. A few years later, I became a senior scout. It meant more badges, overnights at the scout lodge and day trips. I remember getting a tour of Hood Milk. My grandfather who worked for Hood set it up. When I was a junior in high school, I was part of a ceremony which celebrated my troop’s 10 years in scouting. My parents attended. It was special.

I still have friends from all the stages of my life. Some date back to grammar school. We just sort of moved along together. I see high school friends here and there around town. I have new friends, my uke friends. They get me out of the house. They keep an eye on me. I am lucky with my family and my friends.