Keep the Coffee Comimg

Today is another glorious day, a just right day. The sun is bright and framed in a deep blue sky. It will be in the mid 60’s today and the 50’s tonight, perfect for daytime roaming and nighttime sleeping. This is such a lovely time of year.

When I was a kid, I thought my world was huge. It was filled with adventures and discoveries. This time of year the swamp was alive with tadpoles darting through the water and dragonflies skimming across the top of the water. The swamp was large in the middle with sort of little canals going back from it into the brush. In the winter we could walk the canals, but in the summer the brush was too thick. I remember the small canals froze first, and I could see all the plants under the ice. The swamp got green with algae in the summer.

On Green Street, there was a field with a red barn. Two horses grazed the field. We used to try to feed them grass. We had notions of riding them but never dared to climb the fence. The fact I had never ridden a horse under saddle let alone bareback didn’t stop me from hoping.

My trusty steed, my bicycle, took me everywhere. It was the sort with no gears and back of the pedals brakes. It had a wire basket on the front. It had thick tires. It was quick down hills. I flew. I learned to ride it with no hands. I used to brake in the sand on purpose so my bike would slide. I used to ride by the golf courses and look for errant golf balls. Sometimes I’d ride along Spot Pond from the zoo to the pool then try to make it up the hill near the pool. I always ended up walking my bike partway. The downhill side was close to the square. I used to stop on the benches under the trees by the town hall and eat lunch.

I’d get home in the late afternoon. My mother usually asked where I’d been. I always answered, “Around.”

This morning is just lovely. The sun is bright and has already warmed the day. It is 64°. Last night got chilly, and the house is still cold. That always happens this time of year. The night air lingers. The day is calm and quiet.

My muse is on a break today. I started and stopped four or five times so I’ve decided on a here and there sort of blog today.

We used to go to the beach on weekends. We always went to Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester. My mother never went into the water. My sisters used to walk the beach and collect shells. The water was cold so I did most of my swimming at low tide in the tidal pools at the sand bars. Huge rocks were in the water, and we’d climb them at low tide. I remember the huge, beautiful houses overlooking the beach. I always wanted to live in one. My father hated sand in his car. He’d also put a towel on the back seat in case our bathing suits were still wet. Before we could get into the car we had to dip our feet into a bucket of water to get all the sand off then we’d step right into the car. We’d go to bed early, tired from the day. Sometimes, with my head on the pillow, a bit of warm water would drain from my ear, a leftover from swimming underwater.

Most of the time we ate meat and potatoes, but we’d also eat Chinese and Italian. My mother made a Chinese dinner we loved. It had pea pods, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and ground beef. She’d cook it her electric dry pan on the counter. It was served with chow mein noodles on the top.

My father’s mother was a horrible cook. On her spaghetti she’d put stewed tomatoes from a can. My mother was a good cook. Her spaghetti always had a tasty meat sauce. I am not a fan of eggplant, but I loved my mother’s eggplant Parmesan. I remember she made it for my after high school graduation party.

Going to Ghana expanded my palate exponentially. Of course, I ate Ghanaian food which introduced me to goat, okra, plantain, tuber yam, mango, pawpaw and garden eggs, little eggplants. I ate Lebanese food as there were several sort of small, hole in the wall Lebanese restaurants in Ghana, and the food wasn’t expensive. I became a fan of hummus and tabbouleh, foods I’d never heard of before. I ate Indian food at the Maharaja Restaurant. None of it was familiar.

I have a couple of errands today. It is a pretty day to be out and about.