Last night the wind came first. I watched from the back door. It was so wild the leaves were falling like rain from the trees in the backyard and the huge tree near the side of the house. Its curled, yellow leaves fell on the roof. When I surveyed my estate this morning, I saw my driveway is covered in red and yellow leaves. The deck has disappeared under a blanket of dead, brown leaves. My lawn is a combination of leaves and pine needles and very little grass.

After the wind came the rain. The drops were loud and heavy. I remembered I had left my car windows cracked a bit, but I wasn’t about to race outside in the dark and into the rain to shut the windows. The seats will dry.

My bird feeders are just about empty, but I bought sunflower seeds so I’ll fill them later, and I’m going to add a feeder I found hanging under the deck. I might also do a wash of the animals’ afghans and my bedspread, but my track record with laundry is rather dismal.

When I was a kid, the first thing I did when I got home from school was change and go out to play, but once the cold weather set in, I didn’t go out. I played in the cellar, watched TV and read. I did my homework before dinner as I always did. Every night after dinner, I watched TV until bedtime.

Growing up, I was never really into fashion. I wore a uniform to school so I didn’t have a huge closet of clothes, but in my mind it was a glut of clothes. I had blue jeans as we used to call them, casual girly shirts, some sweaters, a sweatshirt or two, not hoodies, a pair of play shoes and a couple of Sunday dresses.

In Ghana I had to wear a dress every day everywhere. I did have a pair of Bermuda shorts which I wore around the house during the three digit heat of the dry season, but I would never have worn them in public. I have never been as dressy as I was those two years.

Right now I am in my uniform of the day, of most days. My red sweatshirt is from a Red Sox World Series championship. My flannel pants are a blue and black plaid. That makes me sound fashionable, but trust me on this, I am not. Each of my clod slippers has a hole right at the big toe, but they are so comfortable I hate to toss them. I wear them outside. Seriously, who would peek at my toes in Agway or Ring or the dump?

The morning is cold. The sun is so bright I could barely see to navigate. Today I’ll be out and about. I need to buy animal food. Henry needs cans and treats. The cats need cans and a cardboard scratching post sort of thing. The birds need sunflower seeds. Quite a birds have been in and out of the feeders since I last filled them. As for me, I want a couple of new plants for the house. Most of my plants have thrived but a few died and I never replaced them. Their empty pots sit on the shelf. It’s kind of sad. I have a few plants rooting in bottles in the kitchen. They’ll so be ready for pots. I want all of the pots filled again.

Last night I was sitting in my usual spot. The TV was on but only as background noise. The only light came from the lamp on the corner of the metal table in front of me. I had shut my computer and was reaching for a magazine from a pile on the table when it struck me. This room, this lamp, this computer and this table make me happy. The light shines on everything. The top of the table has three piles. Two of the piles are books I will be reading. The third pile has magazines and catalogues and my iPad. My laptop just sits by itself. There is plenty of room on the table. It is huge. Three baskets are under the table. They’re filled, but I do keep finding room for recipes I cut from the newspapers or tear from magazines. I do leave this room, but mostly if I’m home, this is where I’ll be. I watch TV, Christmas movies this time of year. Henry sleeps on the couch. Jack is on the chair. Last night Jack snored so loudly Henry looked up to figure if he should bark or not. He didn’t. Last night is my typical night.

I have a Viewmaster. It is not the one I got for Christmas one year, but it looks exactly the same. I have several reels. I bought most of them on line. I picked places I’ve been and TV programs from when I was young, programs like Rin Tin Tin and Circus Boy. I have a reel of Eisenhower’s inauguration and the Queen’s coronation. I even found a Ghana reel. The pictures were a bit earlier than my Ghana, but I knew places. I recognized buildings. That was so amazing.

Every now and then I enjoy looking at my Viewmaster reels. They jog my memory. They make me smile. The colors on the reels are beautiful and bright. I usually remember to pull the lever down just right or it’ll miss the sprocket, and I’d see cardboard, no picture. I’d have to pull it out, turn it a bit then put it back in the viewer. It is skill you never forget.