We had a bit of snow last night, under an inch. Right now it is melting as it is 38°. The blue sky and the cloudy sky are taking turns. The weatherman calls it partly cloudy. I lean more toward the sun.

The only remains of Christmas are the trees. The dining room tree, a scrub pine, is still here upstairs because it is awkward to carry down to the cellar where it stays up and decorated. The tree is in two parts so I have to put one hand on each part when I take it down the stairs to the cellar. I go slowly, quite slowly. Stairs and I have a contentious relationship. The living room tree is in its plastic tree bag in the middle of the room. It is heavy to carry. I’ll give it a go today and then leave it upright in the yard so the birds can have a bit of shelter. 

When I was a kid, I loved to watch the snow fall. I wasn’t partial to big, wet flakes as I knew they wouldn’t last long. They carried no hope for a snow day. It was the smaller flakes which carried expectations. I remember watching the snow from the front picture window. The flakes were lit by the streetlight on the sidewalk in the front of my house. Sometimes the wind was strong enough to slant the flakes sideways. I’d keep checking to see if the snow was accumulating. When the sidewalks and the street disappeared, I was hopeful. The next morning, if the snow had been heavy and constant, we’d listen for the no school code from the fire department alarm. 

Geography was a favorite subject. I dreamed of seeing all those places in real life, and I was lucky. I got to see many. My favorite, of course, is Africa. How could it not be? It was exotic and wonderful. It was my home for two years, and I loved every day. The camel ride in the Sahara is high on the list. I wasn’t delighted when the camel took off on me, and I nearly fell off, but now it is a great story, even a bit dramatic. Standing on the Equator in each hemisphere is on the list. I saw the Andes before I saw the Rocky Mountains. On Corcovado in Rio I stood below the statue of Christ. I remembered the picture in my geography book.

Europe too is memorable but describing my favorite places would take more than a few musings. I’ll save that for a slow day when my muses have taken an unauthorized hiatus. 

Uke is back this week with practice, a lesson and a concert on Friday. The book for February is love songs of the 60’s, one of my favorite books. I’ll wear a heart sweatshirt, my heart fascinator and red Chuck Taylor high tops. 

Finally, my dance card is no longer empty.

I am testy. Small things which I usually don’t notice or just ignore have me yelling, bats in the belfry crazy yelling. The dogs run away. It’s the weather. I am so tired of clouds. I can deal with the cold by dressing accordingly, but I can’t take any more cloudy days. Oh sun, where art thou?

When I was a kid, I either went to the early mass with my father, the usher, or the late mass by myself or with my brother. It was the Latin mass. The church was crowded every Sunday, both the church upstairs and the smaller one downstairs. Back then, women had to wear dresses or skirts. Women also had to wear hats. I was never one for hats so I wore a mantilla, a lace head covering, I could stash in my pocket. I’d sit upstairs in the last row, all the easier to escape. Once I heard go in peace, I was out the door. 

I thought a nickel or a dime was wealth. Most times I’d head for the white store to spend it. Their penny candy was in rows in a wooden case with a glass front. Choosing penny candy took time. Mostly I wanted candy with a long life. I liked Fire Balls or chewy candies that hurt your teeth like Banana Splits and Mint Juleps. Sometimes I’d buy a Bull’s Eyes. I’d unwrap the caramel and eat it first. The best part, the white middle, I’d save for last. 

I’d sometimes take hidden candy to school. I always choose candies with no wrappers. That was the key to a successful sneaky candy move. Every day, a metal lunchbox filled with candy bars was delivered to each classroom. They were nickel bars. I was partial to Welch’s fudge bar covered in chocolate. 

My dance card now has a few entries, all ukulele.