Last night was clear and wonderfully breezy and cool. The insects were singing, and I could hear a bird. The dogs were active. Henry jumped off the couch a few times and ran to the door. Nala followed. I don’t think she knew why, but she was willing to back Henry. Both of them barked for a bit then went back to the couch.

Today is sunny and warm, already 79°. It is a quiet day. Thursday seems to be an insignificant day. It just blends into the rest of the week. I do have a dentist appointment later, just a cleaning, but I don’t think it gives Thursday any prominence.

When I was a kid, I never went to the dentist unless I had a tooth ache. The visit always started with me biting on the red tab which then covered the spots on my teeth where I wasn’t brushing well. A brushing demonstration from the dentist usually followed. I liked my dentist as he always used gas. I remember the mask on my face. I remember the weird smell. I could hear muted voices, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. When I was brought back from oblivion, I was glad I had missed it all.

Before I went to Ghana, I had to have a dental exam and have any teeth needing attention fixed. I found a dentist in Lawrence. My father said he’d pay the whole bill because I had rotted my teeth on his time, but forever after, it was on me. It took a few visits. The only thing we didn’t have time for was a tooth cleaning. He didn’t use gas, but I survived.

School started this week. I followed a bus which seemed to stop at every street. Little kids got off. Their parents were sitting in cars or standing on corners waiting. I remember my first day of school. My mother walked me to school. She had my two sisters in tow and pushed a carriage. The walk to school was easy. Most of it was a straightaway. After that first day, I walked with some neighborhood friends. I never got lost.

On my first day of school in Ghana, I was nervous. The walk to the school compound took maybe 3 minutes. My house was right by the back gate. Each class had 35 students. They sat at tables for two. The windows and doors were free of glass or screens. Occasionally a goat dropped by to visit. The bathroom was across the compound. A student would raise her hand and tell me she needed to urinate. Outside my classroom were bushes. One time my students were throwing rocks at the bushes. I wondered why. Come to find out, they were trying to kill a snake. I got through my first day, but at the end of the first lesson, a student raised her hand and said, “We didn’t hear you, madam.” They didn’t understand my English. Theirs was a sort of British English. Mine was pure American. I needed to learn to speak Ghanaian English. It took a while.

We have been blessed with another lovely day, a perfect weather day. It is 75° with a bright sun, a cooling breeze and a deep blue sky. While the dogs were in the yard, I stood on the deck and watched them romp, well, Nala romped while Henry plodded.

I’m going to reenter the world today. I’m going to dress in outside clothes and leave the house. The last time I was out was Wednesday. Since then I haven’t needed anything, and I’ve been content in my cozies. I have uke practice tonight and during the week a lesson and two concerts.

When I was a kid, the first week of school was, at first, exciting, then exhausting. All day was regimented. After the freedom of summer, being stuck at my desk except for recess and a class bathroom visit, each of us in line waiting our turn while the nun kept the line moving, was difficult. I felt restless. My classroom, though, was mostly quiet except for the sounds of kids shifting in their chairs, the occasional rustling of papers and the nun in front giving instruction. No one spoke out of turn or dared to whisper because retribution was swift and public. It didn’t take long for us to fall into the familiar pattern of each school day. We knew we were stuck.

I followed the changes in seasons when I walked to school and home again. At the start of school, all the trees were heavy with green leaves which gave shade and protection from the rain. When the leaves started to turn color, we knew winter was banging on the door. The first fallen leaves were yellow and red. I’d pick up perfect leaves to save between ironed sheets of wax paper. Soon enough the leaves covered the sidewalks and piled in the gutters. The mornings got chilly. The trees grew barer and barer. Winter announced itself with frost on windows. I could see my breath on frosty mornings. The walk to school was cold. I always thought winter was the longest season. Spring arrived when small buds appeared on the trees over the sidewalk. My eyes welcomed that first sight of green after a dull, dark winter. I got to watch the leaves grow.

I watch the change in seasons still. I watch the trees in my backyard. Right now they are heavy with green leaves. The whole yard is shaded, but fall will soon come. The clues are there. The nights are chilly, and the early mornings hold on to that chill. I’m keeping my eye out for the first fallen leaves. They are red.