Today is beautiful. The sky is a lovely blue with nary a cloud. It is already in the 50’s. I will be out and about. I’d hate to waste today by staying inside.

My house needs to be cleaned. The dust rises into the air when I walk down the hall. Henry is to blame. It is mostly his white hair.

The dogs stay out on days like today. Nala lies on a small patch of grass in the sun. Henry stands around sniffing the air and barking at imaginary critters or people walking by or the mailman. I don’t check unless his bark is frantic. That is the signal a package has arrived.

When I was a kid, Duke, our boxer, was watchful, especially at night. He barked at intruders. He always made us feel safe.

I haven’t been to my old town much, but when I go, I always do a nostalgia ride. I drive through the square and remember. In the old days I could smell the bread baking at Hank’s bakery. The fish market had lobsters swimming in a tank in the window. I used to get vanilla cokes at the drugstore. It had a soda fountain with a marble counter and stools for sitting. I used to watch the soda jerk make the vanilla coke with syrup and frizzy water. The straws were made of paper. They stood in a container with a glass top you could pull up to get the straw. From the square I’d drive by the fire station and the town hall. I always took that same route when I was a kid. I’d take the next right after the church and drive by the old school. I attended it from grade 1 to grade 4, until the new school was built. From there I head to my street and drive by my old house. That is the end.

Spring seems to be hiding. Today is cold. The prediction is for rain and maybe even snow. The rain I could have guessed but never the snow. When the dogs come inside, their fur is cold to the touch. They don’t stay out long. Henry just goes out to bark. He drives me crazy with his noise.

Today is dump day. The car is almost loaded. As for the rest of the week, it is a uke week with practice, a lesson and two concerts.

I watch a lot of movies. They tend to be mysteries, thrillers or science fiction. I watch weird movie channels. The other night I watched Fawesome. I was in cinema heaven. It has mostly old movies but also old television series like Annie Oakley, The Range Rider and The Adventures of Kit Carson. I don’t remember a movie, I didn’t watch, but I do remember the warnings. The movie contained action, sex and philosophical discussion.

When I was a kid, I always thought of Sunday as a wasted day. I had to stay around the house except for church which was just a going and a coming. Sunday night was a school night which meant early to bed. Sunday dinner was the only thing which made the day bearable. Give me roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy and baby peas and I’m happy.

I have a couple of stories from my Peace Corps days. The first happened on the plane from Boston to Philadelphia where I had staging. I had quite a few carry-on bags. When I got to my seat, I put some bags in the overhead, some under the seat and a couple beside me. A guy was in the other seat. He asked me if I was running away from home. I told him I was going to Africa in the Peace Corps. He looked chagrined. He offered to buy me a drink. I didn’t say no. He bought me a couple of drinks.

I got to the hotel, the Hotel Sylvania, and got in line to check in. I met the people in front of me and the people behind me. One of them became a good friend. When I got to the desk, I was told I was missing some documents, my fingerprints and my physical report. I had them both. They officially checked me in, gave me my room key and a schedule. That was the start of my Peace Corps experience.