The lovely weather continues. The days are warm and sunny while the nights are cool. Last night I even shut windows and put on a sweatshirt.

When the dogs go out during the late night, they are usually out and back inside quickly. Last night Henry came back inside looking for his treat but not Nala. I waited a while. It is seldom a good thing when Nala stays out. I called and called, no Nala. I figured she had caught something, and I was right. I grabbed my flashlight and went searching. She appeared and had what looked like a possum in her mouth. I had learned not to chase her so I went inside and shut the door. I knew she’d whack the door when she wanted inside the house, and over an hour later, she did. In the past, she has just dropped the possum and left it in the yard, and that’s what she did. This morning it was gone. The possum had played dead.

When I was a kid, I was always excited for school to start. I’d organize my new school supplies. I remember opening my pencil case and checking out everything inside it. I’d sharpen my pencil. I’d get my school bag ready and practice carrying it. We had to take a bath the night before school started. It was my only Monday night bath.

My mother made the best brownies. She used a square pan. I loved the crisp edges. She always frosted her brownies with chocolate frosting and put jimmies on top, sprinkles to those of you not from Massachusetts. It was the most amazing chocolate overload.

On school mornings, my mother usually made us a hot breakfast. First she’d make the tea and the cocoa. My brother was a tea drinker. I drank the cocoa. There was always toast. She’d make soft boiled eggs served in egg cups. On cold mornings, she often made oatmeal. I remember it was sometimes lumpy. We’d put sugar and milk on the oatmeal. The milk used to ring the bowl and submerge the oatmeal.

I need to do errands today. My larder is empty. I don’t even have bread. The dogs, Jack and the birds all need food. My car needs gas.

Tonight is the last play of the season, The 39 Steps. I have no more outside concerts. Summer is having its last hurrah.

The morning is beautiful with a deep blue sky and a bright sun, but it is a bit cool. I had to shut the window behind me. Tonight will get down to the high 50’s. The weather for the weekend will have warm, even hot, days and cool nights, perfect for sleeping. Summer still holds sway.

The last scheduled event on my dance card is today. I have my third uke concert of the week. Earlier in the week, I had my usual practice and my lesson. The music for this week’s concerts is from a book of favorites. A couple are Creedence and another few are the Eagles. I’m enjoying this book.

I need to wear mittens when I walk round the house. Spiders’ webs are everywhere. I can see them highlighted by the sun on plants and in crevices and corners. I like spiders, not their webs.

My memories of Ghana are still vibrant, even the ones from when I first arrived there so many years ago. I remember the palm trees by the airport. Palm trees had always seemed exotic to me, and I had only seen them in pictures. I grew up with oaks and maples and pine trees. Kiosks lined the roads. Women wore dresses made from bright, beautiful cloth. They carried bundles and baskets on their heads. Babies were wrapped in cloth and carried on their mothers’ backs. My head swiveled from side to side on the bus ride to our first training site but then I fell asleep having not slept at all on the plane ride from Philadelphia to Accra.

I’m watching another YouTube African Walk video. They are mostly walks around Accra. I seldom recognize any place, but the Ghanaians are familiar. Along the sides of the roads are kiosks where women sell oranges or tomatoes or yams and so much more. In one part of the market are piles of clothes, all waiting to be sold. The clothes are called obroni wawu, dead white man’s clothes. Most originated as donations which were then shipped to Africa. Every week millions of pounds of those donated clothes arrive in Accra. In Accra’s markets, you can buy just about anything.