The wind is strong. I can hear the leaves being tossed. It is 79° but feels just a bit cooler. I’ve opened the windows. Today will be an indoor chore day. Yesterday I planted the rest of the deck flowers. I still need to scrub the furniture, but I’m saving that for the weekend, gives me something to look forward to says I with tongue in cheek. Today I’ll finally hang my summer clothes and put winter away.

I found my other slipper. It appeared in the den. I don’t know where it’s been, but it looks none the worse for wear. It took me a while to remember where I had put the other slipper for safe keeping, but they are back together now. I have a pair.

When I was a kid, my house was on a hill, almost at the top. At the bottom of the hill was Pomeworth Field. It had an official little league field with dugouts in the lower section and two other fields, each with a tall backup chain fence, in the upper section. I played softball on one of them. The fields in town were staffed all summer, each with a male and female. The picnic table was under the trees behind the playground. I used to play checkers there. There was also a pit for throwing horseshoes. I did crafts at the table. I learned to play tennis on the courts below the field. I had early morning lessons. I remember the wooden racket had red painted wood around the strings and was kept with a frame around it to keep the wood true. I was at that park all day except for a lunch break when I went home. I loved those summer days.

When I was older, I stayed around the house during the day. It was at night I was busy. We had drill practice on Tuesday and Thursday nights. We practiced at the park and in the school parking lot because it had lights. Competitions were on the weekends. Our first competition every year was on a Friday night. I remember one year we had finished inspection and were moving to the ready line. Denise was beside me. She was panicked. She said she couldn’t remember the routine because we were starting on the wrong end of the field, on what was usually the finish line. I convinced her that it looked different under the lights, and we were on the right end of the field. She believed me.

My dance card for the rest of the week has a uke concert on Friday and a play on Friday night. This has been a busy week. Today is the only week day without an event. I can hear my inner sloth screaming.

The morning is still and quiet. I don’t even hear the birds. The house is dark. I like it that way. It feels cooler. The humidity is thick. The sky is clouded and hints at rain. It is another hot day at 79°.

On my dance card for the week I have uke practice tonight, a lesson tomorrow and a concert on Friday. The music this week is love songs of the 60’s. On Friday night I have a play. It’s a busy week.

The dogs are asleep on the couch. They do not love the heat, especially Nala, the boxer. Her short muzzle means she overheats more quickly and pants. When that happens, I put on the AC to keep her comfortable. Right now, though, she is deep asleep and snoring just a bit.

When I was a kid, we had watermelon seed spitting contests. I never won. It was the same with cherry pits. I just didn’t have the technique.

Every kid I knew had a bike, roller skates, ice skates and a sled. The bikes had back brakes and no gears. The roller skates needed a key. The ice skates only needed to be laced tightly. The sleds were wooden with metal runners. Most had a rope tied to the front so the sled could be hauled up the hill. I remember the rope got icy. My sled had a wooden steering bar across the top. It sort of worked. My ice skates were white. Every girl had white skates. Each skate had a single blade. Balancing was the key to skating. I fell a few times before I figured that out. My bike had a metal basket on the front. It had a long license plate down the back fender. I got the plate at the police station. Things fell out of my basket when I hit a bump. My roller skates were tightened to my shoes. A strap went across the top of my foot. Sometimes your shoes came loose from the skate bolts while the strap stayed attached. I’d have to lift my foot high into the air with the dangling skate and walk to where I could sit and put the skate back on. I loved the sound of the skates on the pavement and the tingling on the bottom of my foot.

I still have a pair of ice skates and a wooden sled, but I use them for winter decorations. I also have a bike I used to ride all the time, but I can’t remember the last time I did. I have a pair of rusty roller skates with no key. All of them are quite valuable to me. They are the holders of memories.