Keep the Coffee Comimg

From the window, the day is perfectly lovely. The sun is bright and the sky is clear blue. Nothing is moving. The only drawback is the cold, 36°. Today is an inside day. Today is a day to stay in my cozies.

My backyard and deck have several fallen branches from the wind storms. I haven’t ventured on the deck yet to clear it as the deck is still snowy and icy. I figure I’ll toss those branches in the yard then start a pile. I’ll add the long skinny branch on the ground near the deck. I used to keep all my bird feeders on those fallen branches. I miss my birds, but I do have a crazy idea. A very long branch is leaning on the back fence. I’m thinking to haul it to the deck. I’ll tie long ropes to each end and try to throw the other ends onto the branches high upon the pine trees hanging over the deck and then attach the rope permanently to the branch. I’ll hang the bird feeders on that branch close enough to the deck so I can fill them.

I remembering celebrating both Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays when I was a kid, and I remember celebrating school vacation the same week. We entertained ourselves the whole week. We did all the winter fun things. If we had snow, we went sledding. We never had to go far. The hill was perfect for sledding as long as the plow left a layer of snow on the ground. Ice skating depended on cold days, but the swamp and the town rink were shallow so they were usually frozen. Good days meant hauling my bike out of its winter storage, the cellar, and exploring around town. When my mother asked where I was going, I always answered around as I had no idea what routes I’d take. They were spontaneous and serendipitous. If I needed books, I’d go to the library. I hated being without a book to read, still do. I never went home for lunch. I brought it with me, usually a sandwich and some cookies. The only rule was we had to be home when the street lights came on. That was the always rule. No school the next day meant we stayed up later than usual. We got to watch nighttime TV. After I went to bed, I’d read. My mother never checked to see if my room had gone dark. I’d read until I started falling asleep. Sometimes the book hitting the floor woke me up then I’d turn off the light.

I loved school vacations.

Last night was so very cold. The actual temperature was 27° but adding the wind brought it down to 17°. Today’s high will be around 35°, almost balmy. I’m looking for my sunscreen.

I have a concert today at the mall, songs of the 60’s. I will be playing my new uke, a Christmas present from my sister. I’m going to wear a tie-dye top I bought in Ghana, a band of flowers across my forehead, bead necklaces and my tie-dye Converse high tops. I’m thinking my ensemble screams 60’s.

When I was a kid, I never ate many fresh vegetables because there were few available, and I was not a fan of vegetables anyway. My mother tried to sway us by telling us veggies made us healthier and carrots helped us see better, especially at night. We didn’t buy it so she had to employ subterfuge. Fresh carrots were mashed and hidden in the potatoes, a grand deceit, and it worked, but I might have felt kinder to carrots by themselves if I knew they could also be in a cake. Peas and corn came in cans as did French green beans. Yellow and green waxed beans also made appearances. I always thought they tasted the same. We had mashed potatoes just about every week night and at Sunday dinner. I would still eat dinner with baby peas from a can, but I have come a long way. My carrots are no longer hidden.

My mother used to take us to visit family in East Boston. She didn’t drive so we took a roundabout route. First we walked to the square where we took a bus to Sullivan Square. From the bus stop at Sullivan, we’d walk upstairs to the subway. I’d stand as close to the edge of the platform as my mother let me so I could look down the tracks hoping to see the train. We’d board quickly and together in one car. My mother was always afraid we’d get separated. Her one rule was if we did get separated we were to get off at the next station and wait. We’d ride that first train for a bit before we’d get off at an another station where we could transfer to a different subway line, one to Maverick Square near where my aunt lived. We walked a short way from there. We followed the same route backwards to get home.