“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.”
Today is lovely. It is sunny and bright and in the high 60’s. This, for me, is perfect weather. Even the nights are wonderful with temperatures in the mid 50’s, light blanket and snuggling weather.
Nala and her cone are at odds. She comes to an impasse and stands with her head down. If I don’t see her, I go hunting. If she is out, I keep checking the backdoor as she can’t get in by herself, but she does sleep well with her head resting on her cone and often on me.
The concert yesterday was wonderful. The weather was perfect, the crowd was enthusiastic. Because of the dogs, I didn’t played all last week so I was loving being back with my uke.
When I was a kid, I loved everything about summer. The trees were heavy with leaves. I could find chestnuts below the tree at the top of the road. I’d smash them with a rock then eat the nut, the fruit. On rainy days, I’d go outside and get wet. I’d run in the rain and kick up the water in the gutters. I’d let paper boats float in the rapid water like the scene in the movie It though without Pennywise. I could stay outside later. The streetlights were no longer my curfew. Every day was mine to do what I wanted. I wasn’t a sloth back then. I was busy every day.
When I lived in Ghana, I had a lot of free time. My house was on school grounds so it only took a few minutes to get to class. In between classes, I’d walk home and usually have another cup of coffee while sitting on the porch. In the afternoons, I’d prepare classes and then read for the rest of the day, my routine until Bill and Peg moved to my school. We’d always eat dinner together and then have game nights. I played my music. I had a cassette recorder and tapes. I didn’t have a transformer, only an adapter, but I did have an amazing electrician. He attached a Christmas sort of bulb to the adapter to suck up the extra wattage. The bulb was red. It lit up the wall. I always thought it kind of festive.
My life now more than any other time resembles my Peace Corps days. I have unlimited time to read. I play my music but without the red bulb, a loss of sorts. I often take afternoon siestas. I shop at outside farmers’ markets.
Every day something reminds of Ghana. For that I am grateful.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: chestnuts, Ghana, paper planes, Peace Corps, rain, summer
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June 20, 2023 at 8:28 pm
Hi Kat,
Today, the temperature only reached 97°. But the humidity is horrendous. We had a heat index today of 115°. The hottest summer on record was 1980. Hopefully, this will high humidity will only be a temporary situation and we will go back to our normally hot and dry weather. 🙂 The Atlantic Ocean temperature, according to the news, has reached the hottest temperature on record. This will probably result in more hurricanes and those that make landfall will be more ferocious.
I didn’t realize that your friends, Bill and Peg, actually taught at the same school that you taught. That must have made your time there more fun and meaningful. I also have more free time since my kids are no longer here. Luckily, I still work full time, because if I was home all the time my spouse and I would be in each other’s hair. Thankfully, we have over 3,000 sq. ft. of space at home so that we can get away from each other. 🙂
June 20, 2023 at 9:23 pm
Hi Bob,
We had uke practice outside tonight, and it got chilly enough my hands were cold. This is a busy week, 4 days of uke events.
The week’s weather should be much like today’s though there is a possibility of rain on Thursday. I think today was perfect. I read about the rising ocean temperatures causing more hurricanes. We haven’t had one in a few summers so despite the forecast, I’m hoping for the best.
Bill and Peg transferred to my school during our second years. I convinced my principal to ask for them as there were openings. During our first year they were quite a distance from me. They lived in the south on the second floor of a house which had no screens or running water. They got both at my school, but they also got the hottest weather in Ghana. They thought it a great trade.