Here are some of my favorites of her songs.

Last night got cold. It was down to 34˚. I put my socks on and would have added gloves but I needed my fingers so I could type. I wore my socks to bed.

The morning is cold. The day will settle in at about 44˚. It will be sunny. I have one errand and then I’m done for the day. I never did get to the bird feeders yesterday. I decided it was too chilly out on the deck. I’ll pencil in that task for today.

When I was a kid, Easter wasn’t a big deal the way Christmas was. We had no countdown, no heightened excitment. We knew, on Easter Sunday morning, we’d find colorful wicker baskets filled with candy, some small toys, maybe a book and definitely crayons. We got a new box of crayons in our Easter baskets every year. The wooden Paddle Ball game with the red ball connected by an elastic was also a repeat basket gift. My mother even send me one with my Easter box when I was in Africa.

After checking out our baskets, we’d eat as much chocolate as we could before my mother would yell at us to come and eat breakfast. After breakfast, we’d get dressed in our new clothes. My mother would then herd us outside to take our pictures. We stood standing by the bushes and on the front steps. She did groups first then singles. After the pictures, we went to mass. I remember the altar always had white lilies lined across in front of it and the priest wore white vestments. I also remember the sermon was long it being Easter and all.

Some Easter afternoons we went to visit my grandparents in East Boston. Most of my aunts, uncles and cousins were also there. Kids ran up and down the stairs. Adults hid in the kitchen. I was between categories. I was too old for the running and too young for the kitchen. It was a long afternoon but one tempered by the chocolate rabbits my grandmother had for all of us.

I have a couple of packages of Peeps sitting opened on the bookcase shelf. I am letting them get stale, my favorite way to eat them. This preference dates back to Ghana and that Easter box from my mother I mentioned. In the box were packages of pink and yellow Peeps which had gone stale on the journey. I wasn’t going to waste them so I bit into one, a pink Peep (I have no idea. I made this part up). Anyway, I couldn’t believe how good those stale Peeps were, actually how good they still are.