Today is another cloudy day. It is also another day in the 40’s. I think we’ll have the same temperature all week, but with sun, no more clouds. That seems perfect for fall days.

My mood matches the weather or maybe the weather matches my mood, cloudy either way. That reminds me of the age old dilemma, which comes first, the chicken or the egg, the mood or the weather. We know the cart comes before the horse but which is which? I am watching a Hallmark movie hoping to jump start a better mood. I know the movie will have a happy ending and all will be right with the world.

I did finish my chores yesterday, an accomplishment. I even vacuumed the hall and dining room. Today I have no lists so anything I do will be an accomplishment.

I didn’t have any chores when I was a kid. My bed was unmade in the morning when I left for school but made when I came home. I did have to hang up my school clothes as I only had the one blue skirt and one blue tie. I did have a couple of white blouses. My shoes went into the closet, my school shoes next to my church shoes. I did my homework in the afternoon if I had any.

My mother always made dinner. My father was never home during the week for dinner. In my mind’s eye I can see him coming through the front door wearing his top coat and fedora. Dinner was always a meat, usually hamburger in some variation, a vegetable and potatoes, mostly mashed potatoes slathered in butter. We’d grab a couple of cookies for dessert. Oreos were the favorite. They went quickly. We always grabbed Oreos in a bunch.

I wore uniforms to school for almost my entire schooling. When we moved to the cape, I wore regular clothes for the first time. I also did my first back to school clothes shopping. I still remember the first outfit I wore to school. It was a Madras blouse and a wraparound black skirt. I felt a bit self-conscious.

Today is a stay at home day. Today is a stay in my cozies day. Reluctantly, I have also designated today the first cleaning day as I’ve decided to clean a room a day. The lucky room for today is the living room.

Today is a typical late fall day. It is 45°and cloudy. Through the window, the day looks uninviting. I’m happy to stay home.

When I was a kid, the time between Halloween and Thanksgiving was quiet. It was routine. The days were the same over and over. Weekdays were spent in school. Even the classes were in the same order every day except for art which was only once a week. We sat at our desks except for lunch and bathroom breaks. I remember those after lunch bathroom breaks. We were in single lines, boys on one side and girls on the other. We went in when someone came out. We couldn’t even talk in line. The nuns had perfected the LOOK. Once you got it, you stopped whatever you were doing. Afternoons after school were sometimes spent outside but this time of year were mostly spent inside watching TV. It was too cold to be outside. It was time to hibernate.

My neighborhood was filled with kids. Most houses had multiple kids. The backyard of every house was one big grassy hill shared between the houses up the hill and the houses at the bottom of the hill. One mother was a lawn tyrant. She claimed the lawn beyond the clothes line area was hers. She even put wooden stakes with string attached around the lawn. She’d scream out her kitchen window at any kid who dared to cross her lawn. It was greener than any other part of the yard because she watered it. The rest of the yard, the hill, only got water when it rained. In the winter younger kids sledded down the hill. No one started down the hill at her patch of yard. They started at the top behind the other houses. We older kids sledded down the street, a huge hill. We were a bit more reckless.

I have one more uke event this week. We are playing at the turnip festival on Saturday. That is always a fun time.