During the early morning, it rained. The sky is still gray, and the air is damp. It will be warm, maybe even 60°, but light rain is predicted. 

My insurance company has assessed my car. They are giving me enough money for a good used car. I am going to rent a car this week as it is covered by my insurance. I am happy and relieved.

I was in Ghana for the first Earth Day. It passed me by, but I was living in a country where nothing went to waste. When my sandals fell apart, when the sole detached, I took them to the market for new soles. The man who fixed them attached pieces of a tire to the bottom of the sandals. They lasted the rest of my time there. Beer bottles held groundnut oil or palm nut oil and were sold in the market. You could always get a refill. The compounds were central with round, clay houses made with traditional materials, made with clay, sand and water. The roofs were thatched with grass or straw. I remember a roundabout with tires in a circle. Chicken heads and feet made for a great broth. Rice was sold in cones made from newspapers, made from my New York Times. Cans had multiple uses. The Ghanaians made much from little.

When I was growing up, my life felt idyllic. Everything was amazing. We had the swamp, the field and a copse of trees. We had wild blueberry bushes. Not far away was a pond where we fished. The junk man with his horse and wagon periodically rode by my house calling for newspapers and cans and just everyday junk.. The knife sharpener man rode his bike around looking for business. The garbage can was set in the ground. I remember opening the top by stepping on the pedal so I could watch the maggots. We had only had one car as did most families. It was enough. We never gave thought to the future. 

Today is a pretty day, but it is a cool day at 52°, a sweatshirt day. The sun is bright, the air still. The dogs have been in and out. The goldfinches are at the feeders. It is Patriot’s Day here in Massachusetts. The Boston marathon has started from Hopkinton. The Sox will play at 11:10. I’ll watch the game and keep tabs on the marathon. 

When I was a kid, this week was my spring vacation. We never went anywhere. My farther was working. I did the usual stuff like bike riding, getting books at the library and hanging with friends, but one year was special. I was in the sixth grade. We were told to report to the town hall on one of the vacation days. We were going to make a record. That’s all we knew.

At the town hall, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians were there as was Kenny Gardner, the singer. The band used to have a concert every year in Stoneham, my town, as one of the parish priests was friends with Guy Lombardo. We were told we would be recording a Christmas record. They gave us those John Hancock song books. We stood in front of the stage. Kenny Gardner explained what would be happening. Guy Lombardo would introduce each song then the band would play. Kenny Gardener took the lead while we sang with him. Some songs took a few takes, some took more than a few. Winter Wonderland took many takes. On what was the last take, I came in a note early on one of the stanzas. Kenny wanted to know who. My classmates gave me up. But to my surprise, that version is on the album. I tell everyone I have the only solo. We were there the whole day. At the end, they gave us Hoodsies.

I still have the original record from back then. The album cover is the worst for wear. The inside of the cover has all the lyrics. I think the cover is pretty with a night scene and a church with only stain glass windows lit. The cover says Sing the Songs of Christmas with Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians. At the top left in small letters it says, “Recorded Live at Town Hall St. Patrick’s Parish, Stoneham, Massachusetts.” I always think of that solo as my claim to fame.