Last night it poured. I could hear the rain hitting the windows. It made me wish I had a metal roof. When I lived in Ghana, that was my favorite sound. I always felt surrounded by the rain but safe inside my house.

The morning was cloudy, but now the day is lovely. The sun is bright and is framed by a deep blue sky without a single cloud. It will be warm, Cape Cod spring warm, with a high of 50°. The dogs are loving the sun. Both of them are outside. Nala is lying on the one patch of grass in the sun.

Happy April’s Fool Day!! My mother was the champion of April Fool’s Day. She pretty much always caught my sister which was really funny as my sister knew it was coming and got caught anyway. My mother sounded so sincere you had to believe her. 

When I was a kid, I loved days like today. I got to play outside after school until it got cold in the late afternoon as the sun was going down. It wasn’t yet spring, but I had my favorite places. The field below my house was still brown, and the grasshoppers had yet to make their appearance, but it didn’t matter. I ran through the grass leaving a path behind me. I checked the swamp for tadpoles. I ran up the hill pass the water tank, crossed the street and checked on the horses. They always came over to the fence and took grass from my hands. I wished I could ride them. As it got colder and was heading toward darkness, I hurried home to beat the street lights.

I remember a night when I believed in aliens. I was in Ghana. My school was at the top of a hill, not too steep a hill but long. My friend Patrick and I were riding our bikes, our motos, the Ghanaian name for motor cycles, back from town. The road was empty. We were the only vehicles. Patrick was ahead of me. The sky at night was brilliant. You could even see the Milky Way, a pale blanket of stars across the horizon. I was checking the sky, awed by the stars. When I looked to the road again, Patrick was gone, an impossibility as the road was straight. I should have seen his lights. I checked the side road, no lights. I checked the fields on both sides as the light was bright enough to see, no Patrick. I got a bit scared. Where did he go? Was he taken? I yelled his name then I heard him, “Help!”I moved toward the voice. He and his moto had fallen into a big hole in the middle of the road. No aliens, just a hole. I helped get him and his bike out. I admit I was a bit disappointed to find him. He ruined a great story.

Today is cloudy, again. Last night it rained a bit. Intermittent showers are forecast. The day is warmish at 54°. The dogs ran around the perimeter of the yard a couple of times in a sort of celebration for the warmth. Nala is speedy. Henry takes his time. Maybe ran for Henry is an exaggeration. 

Today I’m going to get my second new tire. It will replace the tire with the gash. That’s it for my to-do list. 

When I went through my albums, I was surprised by some of them. I have an original Mickey Mouse Club album with the theme songs for each day like circus day, special guest day and rodeo round up. It is even in its original cover none the worse for wear. A couple of albums made me laugh. Right now I’m playing Pizzas and Bongos. On the cover is a woman befitting the 50’s as the album was released in 1958. Sorrento Cha Cha is playing now. Another gem is Sing a Song of Italy also released in 1958. Kate Smith and her patriotic songs is in the pile as is Glenn Miller. I have no idea what prompted me to buy these albums, but I do like their quirkiness.

When I was young, I had a record player. It was a kid’s record player. It was just the turntable. My records were different colors. They were red or yellow. I still have some, mostly Christmas records. Many of them are Golden Records or Peter Pan Records. On the yellow ones the singers and musicians are listed. Two list Mitchell Miller and his orchestra. One singer is Betty Clooney, Rosemary’s sister. They all have a regular holes in the middle so no plastic adapter. I thought I’d listen to a few of them later.

I think I am caught in a whirlwind. I seem to be cleaning the hidden places. I remember doing that when I was a kid. My closet was the main target. Most of the clothes were on hangers, metal hangers which left their imprints on the shoulders of the blouses. It was the floor of the closet that was just a jumble of things. It was like a junk drawer but bigger. The pile would get taller and taller until I was forced to clean. I have a closet like that. I keep eyeing it. I just hope my sloth can be strong.