Today is like yesterday, sunny, clear and in the 50’s, still fall. The nights, though, have started to feel like winter, in the 30’s. My blanket is back on the bed. The dogs huddle beside me at night, Nala under the covers. We all fall asleep cozy and warm.

When I was a little kid, my mother decided when it was time for winter coats, when layering wasn’t enough. We all dreaded that day. The coats were heavy. They didn’t fit in the cloak room. We had to either zip or button our coats at the end of the day which took time and concentration. I remember sometimes, when I zipped, one end hung lower than the other, a zipper failure. Buttons were just a bit easier.

My school was old. The classrooms with their high ceilings were always a bit chilly. Radiators on the back wall hissed and steamed. The windows fogged. I wore a sweater over my uniform. We were allowed. I wore knee socks and sometimes pink underwear which went to my knees. We still had recess on cold days. We huddled in groups. We tried to stay warm. The end of recess bell was welcomed.

I don’t wear a winter coat. I do have one, but it sits in the closet waiting for the next ice age. My winter wear includes hoodies or a fleece top or a really heavy sweater, saved for the coldest winter days. I like my mittens better than my gloves. They keep my hands warmer. I have hats but don’t often wear them. My favorite is one from high school, one a friend’s grandmother knitted. My next favorite I bought in Peru. It has ear flaps. I bought it because when I got to Peru it was winter. I also have a few scarves. My favorite is red. I wear it just for the color.

I’m envious of bears. All summer and fall they get to eat and drink nonstop. They need to gain weight. I’m always trying to lose it. They get to sleep all winter. I aspire to do that.

Today is dump day. Perhaps I need a banner for my front lawn.

Today is just like yesterday and the day before: sunny with a light breeze, a deep blue sky and in the mid 50’s. It’s a pretty morning. For today, I have a small, easily accomplished, to do list. I have bird feeders to fill, a kitchen floor to sweep and a hall to vacuum. The trash sits in the trunk waiting until tomorrow when I’ll go to the dump.

When I was a kid, uptown was filled with stores. It was about a fifteen or twenty minute walk from my house, but I usually rode my bike unless I was going to the movies. I’d walk my bike in the square on the sidewalk so I could check out the store windows. I loved the fish market window where lobsters were in a pool in a sort of aquarium. They were walking around on the bottom. The lobsters were blueish with a bit of orange on the shell. The bakery, about in the middle of the square, had a great window with baked goods and breads. Through that window I could see the ladies behind the counter, always ladies, and the shelves behind them filled with bread. I always wished I could buy a cupcake, a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. I was never one for vanilla cupcakes. The movie theater had posters on the side walls by the entrance, but they were the night movies, not the matinees. The window where I spent the longest time looking was Woolworth’s. Sundry is how I describe it now. It had notions, sewing stuff, a few toys, socks and some dishes. The window changed with the seasons. The Christmas window was the best. Down from the square just a little way was the fire station. In the summer the firemen sat outside the truck bays on wooden chairs just taking in the sun. I always stopped to chat a bit. From there, I’d sometimes stop at the town stable then ride through the school yard to go home. I always thought of it as a short cut.

I’m watching a really bad movie. Five people in their twenties are staying in a camper in the woods which had belonged to one of their uncles who disappeared two years ago. That spooked the other people. On their hike, they heard noises and one heard screams. Now, back in the camper, they are discussing aliens and probing. They found newspaper articles the uncle had saved which claimed a connection between aliens and trees. Really bad is probably being generous.