The morning is cloudy. Despite the wind advisory, there is no wind. It is 41°, about the usual most days now. Rain is predicted for tonight into tomorrow.

On rainy days when I was a kid, my classroom was dark, despite the lights. I found the darkness comforting in an odd way. I could hear rain drops hitting the windows and the shuffling of papers and books as we moved from lesson to lesson. Sometimes the rain was louder than the nun so we read quietly. Our literature books were thick with stories. Questions were at the ends of each story. They kept us quiet and busy. We left our desks to go downstairs to the bathrooms, and at lunch we could move around the room, but we always missed the freedom of recess.

Summer rain has always been my favorite. When I was a kid, I loved it when the water flowed like a river where the sidewalk meets the road. We’d kick and splash our way down the street through the gutter. When I saw the movie It, the drain scene between Georgie and Pennywise reminded me of those days of splashing down the gutter to the drain, but we didn’t see a single clown.

In Ghana, life seldom slowed down in the rain though sometimes it paused a little when the rain was the heaviest. I needed rainy day back up lessons because the rain on the tin roofs made hearing anything but the raindrops impossible. Mostly my students read or wrote an essay, harkening back to my own school days.

I loved the sound of the rain pelting the tin roofs in my classrooms and at home. I was surrounded by rain without getting wet. On one of my visits back to Ghana, I got caught in heavy rain so I stood under the roof overhang of a small seamstress shop near the market. Once they saw me standing there, I was invited to sit inside the small shop. A chair was provided, and I sat and watched the women cut and sew. We smiled and nodded at each other, about the only way we could communicate. I didn’t know FraFra, and the ladies knew little English. Their kindness kept me dry.

I have a concert today and I have trash. That means first the dump then the mall where we are playing. I got up early but not early enough so today Coffee is taking a small break!

Much earlier this morning I was hurrying to finish my coffee. I had already set out my St.Patrick’s Day parade ensemble, a shamrock vest and matching turtleneck, green high tops, shamrock socks, my shamrock fascinator and some green beads. My music was ready, all three songs to be repeated along the route, then I got the call. No parade for us. It is raining. The good part of this is I have a concert tomorrow, inside, so I’ll just leave everything ready.

I got up so early I went back to bed and had no problem falling asleep, neither did the dogs. It is raining even more than it had been.

I remember marching in the Memorial Day parade when I was a kid. I marched with the brownies. The scout contingent, including girl, cub and boy scouts, marched almost at the end of the parade. Behind us were the little league teams and a couple of fire trucks. We all wore our uniforms. The spectators clapped. I waved. I felt so proud. Later I told my parents, “Everyone was out of step except me.”

Winter rainy days are cold regardless of the temperature. I wear a sweatshirt and socks with fluffy insides. The dogs curl up on a blanket while Jack stays warm on the bed cover.

I just made some cocoa. I had milk. When I was a kid, I drank cocoa every morning before school. I remember it had bubbles on the top the way my mother made it. The cocoa came in a cardboard container and was made by Nestle. The metal top had a slot for coins. It became a bank when the cocoa was gone.

I like cereal. Usually I buy the package with little boxes of a variety of cereals. My mother used to buy the same packages. My favorite was always Rice Krispies. My favorite is now Cinnamon Crunch. I’ve never liked regular Cheerios. I do have one complaint. The boxes when I was a kid had perforations on the front. When you opened the cereal, you poured milk into the box and ate your cereal from the box. I lately tried it figuring the boxes hadn’t really changed, only the perforations were gone. It was a little messy.

Today is a day for chores. I have plants to water, a bed to change and some laundry to do. I already had my nap.