Today is cloudy, even a bit ominous. The sky is getting darker. The white clouds have been replaced by deep gray clouds. The dead leaves still hanging from branches twist and turn, fluttering when the wind blows. Some drop and add to the pile in the backyard. When Nala runs, I can hear the crackling of the leaves beneath her paws. Henry saunters.

When I was a kid, many Sunday afternoons we’d watch a movie. I remember sitting on the rug in front of the TV. Lassie Comes Home was one of those movies. I even think it was the first one. Why I remember I have no idea. Memory drawers can be tricky. Sometimes the simplest memories are saved. I can often close my eyes and see places from long ago but not where I put my glasses just this morning. I remember all the houses on the walk to school, the same walk I took for eight years. It is etched in my memories. Most of those houses are gone now, but I remember each of them. At one house I shoveled a woman’s walk. I was with my friend but she gave up and went home. I finished. The woman gave me money and a cookie. I walked across the tracks. A station house used to sit beside the tracks. It was where they raised and lowered the gate. Another house was where a friend lived. It looked a bit like a cottage and was red and white. There was a trellis. The big house on the corner always had kids’ toys in the yard. I remember a doll carriage. At the stop sign, we all waited. The street was busy on school mornings. From there it was a three minute walk to the school yard.

I like to roam. When I was kid, it was on my bicycle. Now I roam in my car. I just ride for the sake of the ride. The beach calls me on those days. I like to watch the noisy gulls circle and the waves hit the shore. I used to take my dogs to the beach. Shauna hated to get wet, but she would squat and pee at the water’s edge. Maggie, another of my boxers, preferred woods to water. She was the best dog off leash. If she got far ahead of me, she’d patiently wait until I caught up. She loved the path near what is now the dog park in Dennis. Nala needs a leash.

I’m revving up for Christmas. Yesterday I did a bit of shopping, small stocking stuffer toys for the grands. I ordered their Christmas books. All but one arrived today. I shopped at Oshkosh for thermals. My oldest grand, a grand nephew, is fifteen. I shop differently for him. His thermal came from Old Navy. No Christmas book, I bought him The Outsiders. Nothing says Merry Christmas more than The Outsiders!

Explore posts in the same categories: Musings

This entry was posted on November 21, 2021 at 11:01 am and is filed under Musings. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.