The snow has stopped. It fell all night. I’m living in a winter wonderful. The tops of the branches are covered in snow. The road is not plowed, but I can see pavement in the ruts. As for the amount, we didn’t get all that much. When I went to get my paper, the snow didn’t even reach the tops of my slippers. The dogs love the snow, especially Nala. Her paw prints would give trackers pause. She walks then licks the snow, and you can see her weird tongue print. Later, I’m going to sweep away the snow on the walk and on my car. I will put on boots.

When I was a kid, snow was a celebration. I remember kicking the snow as I walked to school. It blew into the air like a tiny tornado of white. We’d shake bushes and watch the snow hit the ground. If the snow was wet, the branches of the bushes would pop up and more snow would fall, sometimes on us. Once we hit school, fun with snow ended. The nuns warned us about throwing snowballs and threatened punishment. We believed them and nobody threw snowballs. Nuns were not to be be disregarded.

My dance card of the week has a few events. The usual are uke practice tomorrow night and a lesson Wednesday. Friday is the dentist. He’s filling the crack in my wisdom tooth.

In school, Valentine’s Day was a big event. We all brought goodies to share like cookies and cupcakes. The nun would clear off her desk and put all of the food there. We’d put our valentine boxes on our desks. You could feel the excitement in the air. The nun called us row by row to pass out our valentines. Once that was done, the party began. We’d each pick a goodie, go back to our desks to eat, chitchat and look at our valentines.

I’d walk home carrying my valentine box as gently as I could. It was a treasure trove.

The air has the feel of snow. The sky is a light grey closer to white than grey. It is getting darker. A few scattered flakes have fallen, tiny flakes moved by the wind. It is cold and damp.

I’m going out into the elements today, to the big city, to Hyannis, if the snow holds off. We’re having a uke concert at the mall. The music is love songs of the 70’s. I bought a red sweatshirt with hearts on it and I have a fascinator with hearts on a coil. They jiggle. I’ll wear my red shoes.

Nala did zoomies all over the yard yesterday. Gracie used to run along the fence line. Nala does loops. She runs at breakneck speeds under the deck, around a few trees then back under the deck again. Yesterday she did it with a toy in her mouth, the same toy Gracie loved. It was a red rubber duck. Now it is a blackish rubber duck missing all its color.

Jack and Nala are getting closer. This morning Jack was on the fourth step from the bottom while Nala watched. I patted Jack until he got tired of me. Henry followed him up at the stairs.

When I was a kid, I loved watching the snow fall. Sometimes the flakes twisted and spun in the wind. Other times the flakes fell sideways. At night I’d watch the snow highlighted by the streetlight just beyond our front lawn. The flakes shined in the light. In my mind’s eye I can still see the snow under the light being blown sideways by the wind.

When I lived in Ghana, I never missed the snow, but I missed feeling cold and being bundled against winter. I wore a dress and sandals every day. Back in those days, women always wore dresses. I had brought dresses with me, but they didn’t survive hand scrubbing for long so I had to have dresses made by a seamstress. The dresses were of a plain design but the cloth was spectacular, Ghanaian cloth, so very beautiful. On each of my visits back to Ghana, I have bought cloth. Instead of dresses, I’ve had table cloths and napkins made. One tablecloth is the same as the one the guide put over the hood of his Range Rover when he was arranging our light breakfast during the morning safari. When I have guests for a more formal dinner, I love setting the table with my Ghanaian cloth and different dishes.

The snow is still holding off. The prediction is for 3 to 6 inches. I’m hoping for the 3.

Today is another delight. It is already over 50˚. The breeze is sight and barely moves even the smallest branches. The dogs have been out for a while. They love this weather, and they’d better get their fill today as 3.3 inches of snow are predicted for tomorrow, yup 3.3. I’m going out for a bit this afternoon as I need gas, cat food and some safe for paws deicer.

Nala did her perp walk out the dog door so I investigated. Even though I was but a minute behind her she was already running the yard with her booty in her mouth. Come too find out she had one of her favorite toys. I pretended to chase her, and she looped the yard four or five times with the toy in her mouth. While I was out there, I saw my gourd in the back of the yard. I hadn’t even missed it. When I got it, the string attaching it to the table leg for safety was still on the gourd. It must have been stolen by a master thief.

I find myself a bit bored. I read, play online games, swipe dust with my sweatshirt sleeve and rearrange tables and such. Yesterday’s lunch was a wonderful break in my routine. I got to see friends and enjoyed a great meal. I was treated to lunch by my friend Charlie.

When I was a kid, I don’t think I ever stayed home on a Saturday. In winter it was the matinee at the only theater in town or ice skating at the park or the swamp. In warmer weather I’d explore on my bike. I’d ride all over town to new spots and favorite spots. I’d stop to greet the horses in the town stable, ride by the golf course looking for balls and sometimes ride beside the tracks where there was a path. In summer I’d often go to the pool, walking in both directions, or to the swamp where I’d check out the frogs and wander to the back of the swamp jumping from one solid spot to another in trying to keep my sneakers dry. On my excursions, I usually brought my lunch, a sandwich, probably bologna, on soft white bread, Wonder bread I’m thinking, and some cookies for dessert. If I was lucky, there were still Oreos in the cabinet, the best traveling dessert. I’d be gone almost all of the afternoon.

Saturday night we ate our usual dinner of hot dogs, beans and brown bread, a dinner enjoyed by almost every kid I knew. The last ritual for Saturday night was a bath forced on us whether we were dirty or not.

Today will get as high as 48˚. It is already over 40˚. The sun is bright, the sky cerulean blue. I don’t see a single cloud. Blue goes as far as my eyes can see. Not even the smallest branches are moving. Everything is quiet. Today is a delight.

When I was a kid, I used to jump rope mostly at recess. All over one side of the schoolyard were pockets of jumpers. Back then, boys and girls pretty much stayed on separate sides of the schoolyard, not by dictate, just custom. The boys got the basketball hoops. We tried to get one of the hoops, but the nuns said they were for the boys. That was the end of it. You argued with a nun at your own peril.

Today would have been the day we made our Valentine boxes in school. We had to bring in a shoe box or something around the same size to decorate. The box needed a cover. I remember first making the hole in the cover for the valentines then cutting out construction paper hearts in pink and red and glueing them to the box with enough white glue to cover the world. I’d press the heart to the box so it would stick, and white glue would burst out the sides of the heart. I’d wipe the excess with my fingers which then stayed sticky and stuck to one another. I remember making frills with crepe paper, a talent I’d use later on when I made decorative frills for the bone tops of my crown roasts. We’d finish our boxes and place them on window sills to dry and to wait for the big day.

My mother took us shopping for boxes of valentines. We didn’t give them to everybody back then which made for some angst. The valentines had colorful fronts with fun sayings. The boys could buy some with cowboys or sailors. I remember sitting at the kitchen table signing the valentines and putting names on envelopes. My whole name never fit on the back.

Nala stole nothing yesterday. Jack got bored with me again. He got up on the table to lie down. I was sitting on the bed. Jack is getting braver. He sits on the stairs while Nala sits at the bottom of the stairs and stares at him. Henry was his usual self yesterday.

I am entering more of the world today. I’m meeting friends for lunch. Since the time of covid, I have had meals delivered but haven’t been out to eat. I’m going to Hyannis, the big city.

Today is a delight. The sun is in all its glory framed by a blue sky with a few puffy clouds. Today is flannel shirt weather at 41˚. I went out on the deck with the dogs, did a little trash clean-up and watched Nala run the yard with a bone in her mouth. Both dogs have been in and out all morning.

Last night I spent quite a while with Jack. I had my iPad and tapped that with one hand while I scratched and patted Jack with the other. After quite a while of non-stop pats, I think Jack got bored. He decided to lie down on the other end of the bed. I then cleaned the litter box and left Jack asleep. He was purring the whole time.

Yesterday I went to the dump. My trunk was so filled with trash I had trouble closing it. The backseat was filled with boxes, newspaper and cans.

I am watching the worst movie, Battle of Los Angeles. Aliens have attacked the city for the second time since 1942, their first assault. I haven’t seen an alien, but I have seen their small fighter ships taken down by hand guns belonging to seven soldiers, the entire cast aside from the dead soldiers, all killed in dramatic fashion. The heroine with a katana sword jumped off a building, landed on the scout ship and thrust the sword through the top, thus disabling the ship which subsequently blew up. She is from a secret defense group with underground headquarters. I do not know a single actor. I did recognize a stolen line from Independents Day, ” I got to get me one of those.”

When I was a kid, I loved science fiction books and black and white science fiction movies and serials on TV like Buck Rogers and Gene Autry’s The Phantom Empire from 1938. I watched every episode on Saturday mornings. I always figured there were aliens and some lived among us. I’m thinking of a neighbor who used to live down the street.

Today did not have an auspicious beginning. I slid out of bed. The topper had moved beyond the mattress. When I was helpless on the floor, both dogs came after me for their morning pats and scratches. I was a bit overwhelmed by their attention and couldn’t get off the floor. I was stuck. It took me a little while to pull myself up off the floor with two dogs licking me while I struggled. When I got up, the dogs were disappointed. Meanwhile, Jack was meowing for attention. He got it.

The rain started yesterday and continued into the morning. My clean floor disappeared under the onslaught of wet paws. The prints go from the kitchen door all the way down the hall. I’ll wait until the rain stops to clean.

It was early for me, 8:30, when I went to get the paper. I was amazed at the warmth despite the rain. It is 41˚though the day will get colder as it passes. I don’t care. I am staying home today. I have no errands or appointments. The dump is closed on Tuesday so that will wait until tomorrow.

I feared I was being gaslighted. Crooked pictures are one of my bugaboos, and I found many about the house yesterday. After giving some thought to it and disregarding ghosts, I realized my cleaning lady was the culprit. When she dusted the frame rims, the pictures got crooked, and that’s where they stayed until I went through the house straightening them all. I also went about the house returning objects to their original spots on tables and such. When Maria dusts them, she just puts them down anywhere on the table. I figure at least they’re dusted.

When I was a kid, the living room was where we spend the most time. That’s where the TV was, that giant cabinet with a tiny screen. The couch was on the longest wall. My father always read his paper while sitting on the comfy chair near the picture window. I usually sat on the floor to watch TV. I thought it was the best seat in the house even though I was flirting with going blind.

Yesterday two real person came to visit for bit. I think I chatted non-stop. I gave a play by play of life on the inside. She too lives mostly inside, but we’re both okay. We have our books which keep us content and wonderfully fill our time. My second visit was quick, a handoff of the most delightful gift. My neighbor brought me the most amazing chocolate cake. I swear it weighted pounds with all the frosting and the layers. It quenched my hunger for chocolate.

I love my neighbors. I get messages from my neighbor across the street offering comfort and any help I might need. The chocolate cake neighbor also shoveled me out last week. I don’t see people often but I don’t feel alone. I have folks who give me happiness with their words and their mighty gifts.

Today is warm at 43˚. It’s raining, making for another ugly day. I mind the cold rain, but the dogs don’t. Both of them have been in and out. Both dogs come back inside wet. They are the first dogs I’ve had who willingly go out into the rain. The others needed to be encouraged.

My house is being cleaned. My only contributions are the check and moving out of the den so it can be cleaned. I have had a cleaning lady seemingly forever. In Ghana, it was Thomas who cleaned. For many years it was Lee and Rosanna. I still miss them. I have a new cleaning lady, new in October, Maria. She speaks very little English. She mostly smiles and nods her head no matter what I say. An end of the world warning would get the same smile and nodding of the head. I could try my father’s way of communication to a non-English speaker. I’ll just talk louder and enunciate better.

This morning I was up early before the rain. When I went to get the paper, I could smell the morning. I love mornings. When I travel, I am up and out early. I walk the streets. I watch stores opening, trucks delivering and people heading to work. Those mornings have a haste, but I take my time. Mornings anywhere seem to have a far different feel, a far different smell than the rest of the day. The smell is of the trucks, of coffee brewing in open store fronts and of bread. I walk, drink and munch.

Mornings in Ghana smelled of wood fires from the compounds around my house. Every morning the students swept the school grounds. They chattered in a variety of tribal languages as they swept. I recognized Twi, the language of the Ashanti, and FraFra, the local language. My students always greeted me in English, “Good morning, madam.” The mornings were the coolest part of the day despite the season, wet or dry. In the dry season, during the harmattan, the mornings were cold. My students dressed in layers. I relished the cold and never added any layers for warmth. I never imagined I’d feel cold in Ghana, but it was only in the morning, my favorite part of the day.

The house feels different. When I go to the cats’ room and don’t see Gwen sitting on her rug waiting for me, I feel even greater sadness at losing her. Poor Jack stands on the stairs and meows for his sister. The dogs don’t notice so much. Gwen tended to stay in the cats’ room. She loved to drive Nala to distraction. Her rug was just out of Nala’s reach. It drove the dog crazy. Poor Nala cried and whined.

I brought Gwen’s comfy rugs downstairs to wash them. I put them in front of the cellar door so I’d remember to take them downstairs to the washer. One rug was missing this morning. I went into the yard and found it. It crossed my mind that Nala was being a bit vindictive. She must have recognized the rug.

This will be short. Words today are elusive. My biggest accomplishment so far is I put on clean cozies. I do have a car full of trash so maybe I ought to make the effort to go to the dump. Perhaps I should add a stop for a bit of chocolate.

Today is cold. It is 25˚. The low will be 19˚. We are most decidedly in the throes of winter. We had snow flurries starting last night around midnight and continuing intermittently into this morning. Right now a bit of blue is starting to come from behind the clouds and bringing the sun along, but it comes and goes. A wind has started blowing. It is not a day to be out and about, but I have no choice. I need some groceries.

Jack was especially vocal last night. He meowed from the top of the stairs for a while then went half-way down and meowed some more. I gave him lovings, and I brushed him. Jack enjoys being brushed. I feel bad for Jack as he is relegated to upstairs. Nala needs to learn that Jack is family and ought not to be chased. I think I’ll take a nap with him today.

My first load of laundry is in the washing machine. The basket was still in the hall where it had been for a week, okay maybe two weeks. It was overflowing as I kept adding laundry to the basket. I had hopes that the elves who took care of the shoemaker and his shoes would take pity, and I’d find clean, folded clothes in the morning. It didn’t happen.

This will be a short musing today. We are all trying to handle losing Gwen in our own ways. I find myself short tempered. It was strange this morning not greeting Gwen. The first thing in the morning is when I went into the cats’ room to feed them and to give Gwen her morning shot. This morning it was all Jack.

Before I posted my music for today, I went up for my afternoon visit to the cats. Gwen was lying on the floor and having trouble breathing. I put her right into the crate and called the vets. We immediately went over. Gwen passed away before we got to the vets. I heard her. I knew. When I got to the vets, I opened the crate to give her some lovings and to say goodbye. I brought her inside. They came to tell me what I already knew. The vets thought it was her heart by the symptoms. I’m having her paw print saved. I thought I’d put it on my aunt’s grave. She loved her babies.