We are still enjoying the most amazing weather. It is already 70°. The sky is partly cloudy, but every now and then the sun owns the sky and highlights all the leaves and trees. I am going to the dump today, to Agway to buy some cat food and one more stop for a few groceries, boring errands at best.

Last night Henry came inside but Nala didn’t. I was a bit worried as I still have Gracie and her jumping the fence in mind so with flashlight in hand, I went Nala hunting. She didn’t come when I called. I flashed the light all over the yard and finally saw her in the dark the back. I could also see something in her mouth and saw it was a possum. I didn’t chase her but kept approaching her. She dropped it, and I dragged her into the house. Later I went outside and moved the possum to the driveway out of the yard. I thought I saw it move but I wasn’t sure. This morning it was gone. I hope it was on its own feet and not in the mouth of a predator.

My socks, when I was a kid, usually lost the elastic on the top. I’d wear them anyway, but I had to endure the socks slipping into my shoes. I’d stop to pull them back up but gravity and no elasticity won every time. I walked on the lump in my shoes.

I knew how to button my clothes, but sometimes I mismatched the button to the hole. At the bottom of my jacket one side was longer than the other. I didn’t really care. I just figured buttoned is buttoned. It was sort of the same with zippers. I’d try to get one side into the other but sometimes failed without realizing it. I’d zip it up but the zipper would only go up one side. It took a bit patience to get the zipper right.

I am watching a video from a train ride in Ghana on African Walk Videos. It is as if were sitting there looking out the train window. I have always loved trains, even subway trains. Whenever I can, I have ridden trains when I travel. I look out the window and see everyday life. I am not a part of it but immersed in it.

Today I feel as if I were in a scene from the Sound of Music, the one where Maria with arms outstretched turns around on the mountain to take in the beauty of the hills. The day is that pretty, as warm and beautiful.

The morning is quiet. An every now and then breeze stirs the leaves. The sun is strong. It is already 70°. Nala stays outside stretched on the grass in the sun. Henry sleeps upstairs on my bed. They live the good life.

I ran amok. I washed and waxed the kitchen floor, the bathroom floor, the stairs and the hall. The members of the sloth club were considering removing me until I swore no more cleaning.

The cape is in its fall mode. The mornings are a bit chilly, but the days are a delight. Traffic is much lighter. When I travel at night, there are far fewer cars. The cranberry bogs are red with cranberries. Some have already been harvested. I’ve seen Halloween yard decorations, even stopped to take a picture of one. This is my favorite season on Cape Cod.

Even when I was a kid, I loved the fall. I’d walk in the gutters and kick the leaves as high as I could into the air. The dry leaves crackled under my feet. My father raked the yard every Saturday. He’d then burn the leaves, my favorite fall ritual. When it got colder, he’d remove the window screens and put up the storm windows. That was always a bit scary. The storm windows had to be lifted onto hooks using both hands. It was a miracle my father never fell nor, as far as I can remember, did a window.

On cold mornings, my mother used to make us a hot breakfast to fortify us for the walk to school. My favorite was soft boiled eggs with a side of cut toast for dipping. I didn’t even mind oatmeal especially with milk and sugar. I guess this must be a Julie Andrews’ day. She knew the benefit of sugar. It even made the medicine go down let alone oatmeal.

My play clothes changed from summer to fall, from shorts to dungarees and short sleeves to long. My mother started to insist I wear a sweater or a light jacket to school. On the way home, when the day was warmer, I’d tie it round my waist.

As for today, I’ll be home. I have a couple of chores but neither will put my sloth status in jeopardy.