I almost don’t want to mention the weather, but I usually do so here it is. The sun is elsewhere. The sky is still cloudy. We are in the low 50’s and the air is misty.

Last night when I went into the living room, it smelled like Christmas. That’s when I noticed all the pine needles and a couple of small branches all over the floor. This morning I spilled a bit of my coffee, ran into the kitchen, grabbed paper towels off the roll which then fell to the floor and wiped up the mess. Later I went into the kitchen to put the roll back. The wooden rod was missing. Right away I checked the yard and found it as well as an empty dirty dog food can, a glass candle holder covered in mud and a wooden decoration. I wonder how they got into the backyard.

When I was a kid, Sunday was a special day unlike any other day. I had to go to church which meant wearing a skirt and blouse or a dress. I had to wear a hat of some sort. Usually I wore a mantilla, a lacy head covering. It could be crumbled into my pocket after I wore it. Once I even had to use a Kleenex attached with Bobby pins, and I was not the only one. Head covering was literal.

We had to stay around the house on Sundays. I read the comics and watched TV. I remember watching Lassie Come home. I have no idea why that movie is saved in my memory drawers. The house smelled wonderful on Sundays when the roasts were cooking. The chicken smelled the best, but my favorite was roast beef. My mother always cooked it so all the pink was mostly gone. That was how my father liked it. We always had mashed potatoes. I remember the beef gravy was dark and thick. The vegetables varied. Other than carrots, the vegetables were canned.

After dinner, we often visited my grandparents. My mother was one of eight so the house was often filled with her sisters and their kids. Lots of kids, we were a prolific family.

Sunday night was early to bed night, earlier than other nights. My mother used the pretext that there was school tomorrow. I never bought that.

Today will be a quiet day. I have no plans. I’m just fine with that!