Yesterday was miserable. It was hot and humid, an August day, not a June day. I didn’t post as I had a concert smack dab during my usual posting time. Thankfully, today’s weather is better. A slight breeze is coming through the window behind me, a north facing window. The high today will only be 81° while the low will be in the high 60’s tonight, perfect for sleeping.

As I age, I have had to accept so many changes. Getting down is easy but getting up requires a boost from burly men or grabbing something so I can hoist my body upward. I can’t carry anything beyond 10 pounds in weight. I used to carry in 50 pounds of cat litter. Now I drag dog food bags and use my feet to push boxes cross the floor. I no longer carry my uke stuff. I use a basket I can push. My storm door windows will sit against the cellar door a while. I need to brave myself to take them down to the cellar one at a time, one step at a time. I used to be steady on my feet. I could walk on rail tracks (okay I was really young then), go upstairs without tripping and could go downstairs using both feet. Now I have to plan my route so there is something to grab onto in case I need it. If I ever get stopped on suspicion of drunk driving (not a possibility), I’d get arrested because I can’t stand on one leg. I had no wounds. Now I have cuts and bruises from hitting something. I even hit my head on the freezer door because I bent over and forgot it was open. I never walk fast. It takes too much energy, besides I might trip. I wonder how I have lived this long.

When I was in Ghana, I read all the time. One of my Peace Corps friends said one of the things she loved the most about being in Ghana was the unfettered time for reading. My town even had a library, the Bolgatanga Library built by American architect J Max Bond Jr. I had a book locker made of cardboard and once given out by Peace Corps. A volunteer who was leaving gifted it to me. It was a treasure. In it was The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I devoured those books. I even read the trilogy twice, once each year. I read every night. It was always quiet. I found Ngaio Marsh in the library. I read every mystery they had and any books by African writers. I remember the library wasn’t loud but there was a murmur of voices. It was a warming sound. I visited that library often. I felt blessed to have it.

I’m thinking I want to sit and read the day away except I still need to wash that pesky kitchen floor.

Alexa told me it would rain between 7 and 8 this morning. It was ten by then, but she was right. It had rained. The driveway inside the fence was still wet.

We have another wonderful morning. It is 75° and sunny. The air is mostly still. Only the leaves at the top of the tallest oak are moving. I can hear the hum of insects and an occasional bird song.

I need to do house chores. My sloth has to ignore me for a while.

I have some mementoes from the town where I grew up. On the window sill in the kitchen is a Weiss Farm milk bottle. I used to bike to the farm and watch the cows. The path from the barn to the field was filled with hoof prints, and it was all muddy when it rained. I remember thinking cows only rambled. They were in no hurry. I think they were Holstein cows. I could see bales of hay in front of the barn. I never saw people.

I have several old post cards of places now only memories. The uptown card has all the stores where I used to window shop rolling my bike on the sidewalk. The police box in the middle of the square is still there. It was destroyed when a car hit it. I remember seeing the policeman inside working the traffic lights. Pullo’s Drug is there. Mr. Pollo was my father’s friend. His store was small compared to Middlesex Drug across the street. The soda fountain had only four stools. The tops were red. I can see Hank’s Bakery and another pharmacy two doors down from Pullo’s. My town seemed to have a plethora of drug stores. One picture of the square has a horse and wagon in the middle. I love the card of my grammar school, St. Pat’s, and of the rectory beside it. It is a wonderful three story building with a wrap-around porch. My school is beside it, the angel statue in front. Out the side door is a walkway with planks. In my day it was paved. I used that door because the crowd went out the other side. The Dairy Queen picture has a full parking lot. The building resembles a barn. In front is an ad for a quart of Mr. Misty.

The library is where I spent so much time. On the card is a picture of the original, small building. A girl is walking on the sidewalk in front. She is wearing a hat, a mid-length dress and what looks like button top shoes. On the back is a message starting with Friend and ending with bushels of hugs and kisses. The postmark is dated 1911. I remember seeing the metal plaque by the front door which said it was a Carnegie library. The building was opened in 1904. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is so much bigger now.

I loved growing up in my town.