Today looks delightful with a bright morning sun and a blue sky without a single cloud. The breeze is slight, only the top most branches of the tallest pines are blowing. The dogs love this weather. They haven’t even taken their morning naps.

When I was a kid, my bicycle expanded my world. I could pedal my way to the towns on all sides of my town. Once, my brother and I even rode to East Boston. That scared my mother. We thought it was an adventure. My bike lived in the cellar. It took maneuvering to get it out of the cellar and up the concrete stairs beside the tall wall outside the cellar door. I had to lift my bike so it stood on the back wheels, turn it then haul it up the stairs. Getting it back inside was no easier. I rode my bike all seasons. Only snow kept it in the cellar.

Every kid I knew rode a bicycle. None of us started with training wheels. My mother taught me to ride. I remember her holding the back of my seat and running along beside me telling me to keep pedaling. I remember the bike would tilt sideways on its way to the ground because I couldn’t keep my balance, but my mother saved me every time. I still remember when she let go, and I kept going. It was pure joy.

I walked to school and home again. I walked the railroad tracks. On Saturdays I walked to the movie theater. I never minded walking, but I loved my bike more. It was freedom, but I never thought of it that way. It was just my bike.

I remember when I learned to ice skate backwards. It was on the rink the town erected every winter at Recreational Park. At first I sort of jerkily walked backwards looking behind me the whole time. I was afraid of hitting the wall or other skaters, but I was determined. I kept at it until I could glide backwards. It was my skating triumph.

I always did well in school. I loved learning. The only subject I hated was arithmetic. I still hate math of any sort. My advisor in college remarked that he had never seen such a difference between the scores of the English and math portions of the SAT’s. It didn’t surprise me.

Today I have a uke concert. That is it on my dance card until next week. I am almost finished the Stephen King. I have been reading all day and well into the night. I don’t want to be rash, but I was even thinking I might do my laundry.

Today is sunny and bright. Rain is predicted for later, but the sky is blue with only a few white clouds. The breeze gives the air a chill. It is 57°.

Nala is bringing the outside inside. Yesterday it was some papers she had taken from the house. She loves to tear papers. This morning I heard noises at the dog door. Nala was trying to bring in a branch wider than the dog door. She dropped it when I asked, an unusual Nala behavior. I had to pick up some pine needles from the branch she brought inside yesterday. Nala makes messes.

Duke is the dog I grew up with, another boxer. He was intimidating to people who didn’t know him. His chest was wide and muscular. His bark was deep. He’d stand his ground. He protected us. He also followed us everywhere, even to school. My father was totally frustrated by Duke who ignored him. My mother offered bologna so he’d get close enough for her to grab him by his collar; instead, he’d snatch all but a small piece of bologna from my mother’s hand and then he’d run.

My book came yesterday, and I started reading it right away. I carried it upstairs and read it while I sat with Jack then took the book to bed. It rested on Nala who was lying beside me.

When I woke up the morning, Nala’s head was resting on my arm. She sensed the change in my breathing and jumped on me. Henry followed suit. They always seem surprised and excited when I make it through the night.

The dogs have a wonderful routine. They exemplify a dog’s life. In the morning, when they sense me awake, they jump on me to get me moving. We go downstairs and both of them stand at the door waiting for me to open it. They run to the backyard. Henry comes in first and stands at the treat door. We wait for Nala then they both get a biscuit. They go back to the yard. When they come inside, their morning nap is next. Around 3 or 3:30, Henry scratches the rug and looks at me. He does it again and again until I get up to feed them. After dinner they go out again then come in for thei

r late afternoon nap. They go out another couple of times before their evening nap which lasts until my bedtime. They go out for the last time then run upstairs to claim room on my bed before I get there. They sleep through the night. I should live a dog’s life, at least one in this house.

Today is ugly. It rained during the night, and everything is still wet. Rain is not predicted, but the clouds will be hanging around. It is in the mid 50’s, the high for the day. It is a day for socks and a sweatshirt.

Today will be a stay around the house day. I have been waiting for a book delivery for over a week and a half, Stephen King’s Fairy Tale, from Barnes and Noble. Last Wednesday it was in Providence. I have no idea where it is now. The tracking delivery date changes every day. On Friday, it was Friday by 7:00 then Saturday by seven, Sunday by seven and now today by seven. I am not optimistic.

This is school April vacation week when the weather is usually iffy. I remember warm weeks, and I remember chilly weeks, and I remember one memorable April vacation. That was the year we made a Christmas album with Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians. I was eleven. We were at the town hall, my classmates and I. The band was on the stage. The equipment was under the stage. Guy Lombardo was on the stage as was his lead singer, Kenny Gardner. He’d sing solo then lead us through our parts. I remember hearing, “Cut!” a lot. Winter Wonderland took the longest to record. I have a one note solo, a too soon entry to one verse. They kept that recording. I always make people listen to it a couple of times. I still have the original vinyl. The record jacket has the lyrics on the back. It is the worse for wear.

My sisters make fun of me because I could eat hot dogs every day. I buy New England frankfurt buns, the top-split rolls perfect for hot dogs and lobster and fried clams. I toast my rolls so the outside is crisp and the inside soft and still a bit fluffy. I top my dogs with mustard and piccalilli and onions if I take the time to chop them. Sometimes I eat chips with my dogs or potato salad from the deli, but dogs by themselves are just fine. I consider hot dogs a staple in my kitchen.

The rain started last night and continues this morning. It is a light rain, a stick your hand out to check rain. The paws prints are back on the kitchen floor.

The forsythia has bloomed in the front garden. It is a brilliant yellow and the brightest spot in the yard. It screams spring.

During winter, I perfect the sloth in me. I sleep late, leave my bed unmade and graze instead of cooking anything, even an egg. My car gathers dust. The laundry overflows into frightening piles. I almost expect to see it rise from the basket. I wear cozies all day and hope for an empty dance card. My slippers get worn and filled with holes around the big toes. I only go outside for the mail and the morning papers.

For me, spring is more than the calendar. I want a few warm days in a row, color in the garden, the morning songs of birds and fresh air through open windows. This last week I checked all the boxes and declared that spring has finally arrived.

I find I have energy brought by the changing season. I clean a bit and even make my bed. The laundry is down here, one floor away from the washing machine. The basket isn’t even filled. It’s a wonder.

Bill, Peg and I ate breakfast and lunch on the deck. It was the first deck excursion of the season. Nala found shade under the big wooden chair and fell asleep. Henry slept in the open. We sat and talked until the afternoon started to get a little chilly.

I have a winter coat. I didn’t wear it once this winter. I wore my sweatshirts, my hoodies, my fleece or my thick sweater.

When I was a kid, I had a spring jacket. I could barely wait to wear it. I was impatient for the weather to be warm on a spring-like day. I’d even try to get away with wearing it on a cold day, a winter coat day, but my mother always caught me before I could sneak out the door to school. She was right, but that didn’t make me happy.

Today I’ll make my jollof rice, grab my small Ghanaian flag to use as a garnish of sorts and wear clothes made in Bolga by a seamstress in the market. Today I’ll celebrate with other returned Peace Corps volunteers. We have a camaraderie born by shared experiences no matter where we served, no matter the country. I am looking forward to this afternoon. I don’t even mind cooking, getting dressed, or going out. It is, after all, spring.

Today is damp and cloudy so the air, at 57°, is chilly. I have resurrected my sweatshirt and donned a pair of socks. The dogs are out longer and run around more. Nala, more than Henry, is affected by heat. That tongue of hers hangs low. They have yet to have their morning naps.

When I think about growing up in my town, I can still see it as it was. All the old places, all the stores up town and all the open fields and woods are bright in my memory drawers. I drive by houses and remember who lived in them. I can remember where houses used to be. I can close my eyes and see my classrooms year by year in my grammar school, in the old and new buildings. I can even remember the faces of some of my teachers. Miss Quilter wore thick glasses. Sister Eileen Marie was huge and seldom stood. She sat at her desk almost all day. Miss Konopacka was strict. She was tall. My mother went to school with her, and my sister still hates her. Mrs. Kerrigan, my second grade teacher, was old. She wore a day dress and had her grey hair in a bun. She was gentle. In the seventh grade, Mrs. Corcoran was the teacher who told me basketball and the like were for boys. I remember she also wore a day dress which I came to believe was a uniform of sorts for old teachers. My grandmother wore the same style. Sister Hildegarde is the nun I remember the most. She was really old and easily duped. I admit I took advantage. Many times I left school early or was late getting back after lunch, sometimes as late as an hour. She never reprimanded me or my friend Jimmy, my accomplice in crime. We had free rein. I wondered if she even noticed.

The American flag and the Ghanaian flag hang off trees in the front of my house. I have a Peace Corps flag which needs Betsy Ross to sew the holes torn by branches before I can hang it. I also have decorative flags for all the holidays. I’m thinking the front of my house will soon resemble the row of flags outside the United Nations.

Today is a quiet day, but I do need to shop for a few groceries to make jollof rice, a Ghanaian dish I’m bringing to a potluck tomorrow, an RPCV event, a returned Peace Corps volunteer event. In honor of the occasion, I’ll be decked in clothes made from Ghanaian cloth, and I’ll greet people in Hausa, “Sannu.” Hello!

Right now it is 78° with a bright sun, a beautiful blue sky and not a scintilla of wind. My sweatshirt is folded and put away for the meanwhile. I’m wearing my sandals and a short sleeve shirt. I am in summer mode but only for today as tonight will drop to the 40’s and tomorrow will be seasonal, in the 60’s. We may even have rain tomorrow.

My friends have gone home. My house is so quiet without them. We had an amazing time together, even when we did nothing but sit around and talk. We share a long history.

We sat out on the deck and enjoy appies and the sun. Peg brought down Tuesday’s dinner, a New England boiled dinner, and dessert, brownies and my all-time favorite lemon meringue pie. Peg also made an Irish soda bread with cranberries, orange zest and orange juice. Bill cut a piece and came into the den. Nala ran out the back door, a recognized sign of guilt. She had stolen the bread which was left on the counter and was running with it to her usual spot to eat her booty. I never did get a taste. Poor Bill kept apologizing, but it wasn’t his fault. He hasn’t lived with a felonious dog so he didn’t realize food has to be hidden.

My dinner last night was the leftovers, for my appie, a cheese log Peg had made and crackers, the boiled dinner and a thick, brownie with chocolate chips.

We took a long ride through Hyannisport, Centerville and Osterville. Bill and Peg had never been on that side of the cape. They loved the huge, old houses and the views of the water from the yacht club and the church, St. Andrews. They had a mini Kennedy tour as I showed them the Kennedy Compound and St. Francis Xavier church in Hyannis.

Bill brought down his tools and fixed so many things around the house which had been driving me crazy, things like the flag holders outside, my rocking chair, the faucet, my Ring doorbell, the fence, the paper towel holder and so much more. He is a generous man with his time and talents. Peg is as generous with all the food she made and the gifts she brought.

We had Christmas. Carols played as we exchanged gifts. It was still fun so long after Christmas.

We reminisced about staging in Philadelphia before we left for Ghana and about our time together in Ghana. We laughed a lot and remembered friends with whom we had served. We told funny stories about each other. We still fit together.

Spring will drop by this week. The next few days will be in the 60’s, and we could hit 70° on Friday. Now, where did I put that sunscreen?

Today my dance card is filled. I have lists of errands and chores to do to get ready for my friends’ arrival tomorrow. My shopping list is long.

Yesterday I was watching YouTube, and there were pigs. Nala noticed them and watched until the pigs were gone. I think it was the first time she ever watched TV.

When I was a kid, I lived in a wonderful town, a town filled with amazing places. It had a dairy and cows. I used to bike there to watch the cows in the field. I remember the route from the barn to the field was often muddy and filled with cow prints. The cows were black and white and later I learned they were Holsteins. We had a zoo. It wasn’t very big, but it had an elephant, a young elephant. On one side of the zoo were the small cages where animals like raccoons lived. I remember the cages were wooden and painted green. It had a petting zoo. Nursery rhymes were the motif. I remember the clock, the Hickory Dickory clock. Picnic tables were under trees at one end of the zoo. I used to bring my lunch and sit at one of the tables.

We had a girl scout camp in the woods across from the zoo, Camp Aleaska. It had a huge room with a huge fireplace. Along the walls were storage areas which we could sit. They were where the cots were stored. The cots were the sort with canvas in the middle and wood pieces at each end to keep the cots upright. It had a kitchen and a bathroom. One room was off the big room. That’s where the counselors slept when we had overnights. The trees around the camp were tall pines. All the paths were covered in brown pine needles.

I walked the railroad tracks. Trains still ran back then. I’d put a penny on the tracks so the train could run over them and fatten them. The train station was brick. It was across from the box factory.

The world of my childhood has disappeared. The rail road tracks are gone. The station is still there and has been many things including an insurance office and a store with trinkets. The zoo is still there, far better than my old zoo, but there isn’t an elephant. The farm has no cows. It sells stuff like mulch. I don’t know about the Girl Scout camp, but I didn’t see the dirt road leading to the camp the last time I drove by it.

I never expected my town to stay amazing. It got bigger, way bigger, the way many places do over time. My sister still lives there around the corner from where my parents lived. I seldom visit.

Happy Easter!

Today is a pretty day. It is in the mid 40’s, but with only a little wind, it feels warm. The dogs are wearing their Easter bandanas. Nala is chewing hers and will not sit still for a picture in her Easter finery. Henry runs off if he sees a camera of any sort.

I am not wearing Easter finery. Today will be a casual day. I do have an Easter dinner. The first courses are clam chowder and shrimp. Dinner is ham with mango chutney, au gratin potatoes and roasted tricolor carrots. Dessert is a chocolate cupcake. A rabbit sits on top. I’ll eat around two, the universal dinner time on holidays.

When I was a kid, my Easter basket was always filled with goodies and small gifts. A stuffed animal stood tall in the basket. It was usually Peter Rabbit in his blue vest. I never saw girl rabbits. I guess they didn’t have a story the way Peter did. I still have a Peter Rabbit sitting in a basket. He is living the good life.

The bottom of the basket had green grass. It was plastic and stuck to any half-eaten chocolate.

We always got a chocolate rabbit. It was chocolate all the way through. The ears were the first to go. They were the easiest parts to eat. The body took some gnawing. The jelly beans were huge and strewn on the grass at the bottom of the basket. The other eggs were oval and filled with something white. They were hard and needed a strong bite. They too were on the green grass. The Peeps were always yellow. They were squishy.

When I was young, we lived in a duplex, and the kitchen was small. The table only had enough room for four chairs around it and one at the end. My mother ate at the counter. Even when there was room, she always ate at the counter if we ate in the kitchen. Later, we lived in a house with a dining room. The table always looked festive decorated for Easter. It groaned with food.

The flowers are blooming. Everything is awake. I saw a chipmunk this morning. Yesterday I saw a cardinal. This week will be spring warm even here on Cape Cod.

This morning is a delight. The sun is squint your eyes bright. A deep blue cloudless sky extends across the earth to the horizon. The breeze is ever so slight and only the top branches twist and sway. It is sweatshirt chilly at 40° but will get a little warmer as the day gets older.

This is a sloth day. All my chores are done. Yesterday I was busy. Today I’ll relax, maybe watch a movie or two. I have nothing pressing.

My concession to the new day was to change my cozies for more cozies. I’m in blue today even down to my socks, not a reflection of my mood, just my choice of clothing.

I never counted the days until the Easter Bunny. Counting was reserved for Santa. On this Saturday before Easter I’d take my usual Saturday night bath then I’d ready my new clothes for tomorrow and the unveiling. I knew what to expect from the Easter Bunny. My Easter basket had traditional treats. I knew they’d be a chocolate rabbit, jelly beans, soft Peeps, a coloring book and crayons, a stuffed animal and a few small toys. The coloring book was Easter with rabbits and eggs to color. I used the white crayon on my rabbits, but the white was almost a hidden color so I went artistically crazy on the eggs. They were bright and colorful. I remember on some pages the rabbits pushed wheel barrels filled with eggs. I never questioned that rabbits wore blue weskits and no pants and walked upright on their tiptoes.

I have never been one for fancy, even Easter fancy. I remember one year when I chose a skirt and matching jacket, sort of a suit but not one with strict lines. I chose loafers. My thought was I could wear those shoes after Easter. We went to my grandparents in East Boston. As usual my mother and the aunts were in the kitchen. I was in the next room when I heard my aunt ask my mother why I wasn’t wearing Easter clothes. I figured she meant a fancy dress of some sort, white gloves, white ankle socks with lace and patent leather shoes. It was obvious she didn’t know me well. My mother gave her a great answer and just said that wasn’t what I wanted. The conversation ended.

Today is warm but cloudy. Last night it rained. I heard it hit the window around 1:30. It didn’t rain long, just enough to make the day a bit damp.

Next week, my friends Bill and Peg are coming to visit. We met first in Philadelphia in June 1969 at Peace Corps staging before we left for Ghana. Together we played hooky from a few lectures and toured the city. We went to the top of the City Hall tower for a panoramic view of Philadelphia. One day we visited the Museum of Art and walked up what would be Rocky’s steps. We took a little historical side trip to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We enjoyed the sights of Philadelphia and, even better, weren’t missed at the lectures.

I have a list of things I have to do, a weird list like find a timer for my deck lights, work on my little library fixing the tape hiding the bird holes and also neatening and changing out some books. I need to load the car with trash and recyclables. The menu and shopping list will take some time, imagination and creativity. I won’t bore you with the rest of my list, but it is long.

Where is this going? I am taking a short hiatus today. It is already afternoon, and I haven’t done much yet so I have to get busy.

Talk to you tomorrow!