Keep the Coffee Comimg

The day is chilly, in the high 40’s, but it is a sunny, pretty day. Last night I thought I heard something hit the house. It was loud, but the dogs didn’t run to check it out or bark at it so I figured whatever I heard was harmless, but, nonetheless, all of us stayed on alert. In retrospect, I think my Halloween vibes were in full force propelled by the creature movies I have been watching. The sound turned out to be from a heavy wind, not a creature of the night. We were all safe!

I don’t remember ever wearing costumes to school. I do remember how long the school day was on Halloween. It went on and on, endlessly. At recess we all talked about our costumes, what we were to be. Hoboes were big as were ghosts, the easiest of all costumes. You just had to remember to make big eye holes in the sheet. We hated cold Halloween nights. That meant bundling, wearing a jacket, even hiding our costumes. Maybe we should have given thought to being Eskimos.

When the front lights were out, we’d finally give up the ghost and go home. My mother would give us each a bowl for our candy. We’d empty the bags into the bowls, toss the apples and the popcorn balls into the trash then we’d begin the bargaining. We’d trade bar for bar, what we didn’t like for what we liked more. After that, we’d munch and watch a little TV then go to bed. We’d take our bowls upstairs with us and keep them handy under our beds. I remember the bowls were Fire King bowls with tulips. I have a set of the exact same three bowls which I bought in an antique store. They came with memories.

Nala just gave me a laugh. She was in the hall standing by the den door looking at me. She had papers in her mouth she had stolen from the recycle bag by the front door ready for the car. She looked so proud. She raced out the door to the deck. I yelled treat. She dropped the papers and came in. I gave her the treats and retrieved the papers. Treat is the magic word.

The morning is dark and rainy. It will stay that way all day. When I woke up, the rain and the wind were heavier. Now the wind is quiet, but I can still hear the rain, a gentler rain. Henry has been barking all morning. The men came to put in the new water heater, and every time they make a noise, Henry barks. Nala keeps ringing the poochie bells to go out, but the gate is open. They are both driving crazy.

I always used to keep a dictionary by my bed in case I ran into a word I didn’t know. It was a paperback. Downstairs, I had a huge, hardcover American Heritage Dictionary with a red cover. Though I still have both of them, I rely on disembodied voices to tell me definitions. I remember learning how to use a dictionary, how to hunt down a word. I learned what the abbreviations meant. I learned to look at the top of the page to find quickly what I was looking for. We even had to take tests. I always thought it was one of the best skills the nuns taught me. Now it is obsolete.

All my Halloween candy is ready. I taped on the pencils last night. I also filled a few small brown bags with a Halloween pencil, eraser and small pencil sharpener. The bags are my back up in case I run out of candy or, more likely, I decide to save a few bars for myself. All the Snickers are gone, all five of them, but there are still Milky Ways.

When I was a kid, I don’t think my parents ever watched the news. My father read the newspaper, the Boston American. My mother did the crossword puzzle. I do both, but I read the Boston Globe. I also read the Cape Cod Times. Some people are amazed I still read an actual paper. My day always starts with two papers and two cups of coffee. It is a ritual.