Last night it finally rained. It also got really cool, down to the mid 60’s. I snuggled under the spread to keep warm. It was a wonderful feeling to be cold. This morning it has stayed in the 60’s. Right now it is 68°, but the high should be around 73° or 74°. The sun is wonderfully bright and is framed by a blue sky. Today is a lovely day.

I always think of Sundays as quiet days. That started when I was a kid. We had mass in the morning and a family dinner around 2 so we mostly hung around the house. I can still see my father sitting in the comfy chair by the picture window reading the paper. He always brought it home after mass. Every Sunday there was a small gray wooden wagon on the sidewalk below the church steps loaded with newspapers. It carried The Globe, The Herald and The Record American. A guy wearing a canvas change belt sold the Sunday papers. My father always bought The Record American, a bit of a tabloid. I only read the funnies.

My favorite Sunday dinner was roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes and a veggie or two, maybe peas and carrots. My mother used to cook the roast with sliced onions on the top for added flavor. I always snatched one before the roast was sliced. I do the same thing with the onions if I cook roast beef. The only difference is I get to eat all the onions.

My father loved homegrown tomatoes. He’d slice one, put it on a plate then add a huge dollop, even a bit of a hill, of mayo for spreading on the slices. If I were visiting for the weekend, I’d surprise him with tomatoes from a local stand in front of someone’s house. He’d always bring the plate into the living room and watch TV while munching. He did love his snacks.

I have no plans for today, but my dance card is filled for the rest of the week. I have uke practice, a lesson and three shows. The music for the week is The Beach Boys.

Yesterday was a success. My car has gas, the trash is gone and my larder has been replenished. The dump was hell on Earth. In the winter it is the Russian steppes, but in the summer the sun beats down and the heat mirage ripples across the sand. I was so excited to get home into the cool house.

Today is already hot at 84°, and the humidity makes it worse. We have had sun then clouds then sun again. Right now the clouds are back. Thunder showers are predicted, but I have my doubts. The storms seem to miss the Cape.

When I was a kid, summers stretched out in front of me, seemingly endless. I found something to do every day. I wasn’t ever bored. Even if I was stuck inside by a storm, I was busy reading or playing in the cellar. I never saw the time pass. It just did.

I’ve always liked roller coasters. Nothing beats the anticipation and excitement of rolling up that first long hill knowing what was coming. The downhill always took my breath away. When I was a kid, the roller coasters were wooden. I remember the sounds of them on the tracks, the creaking and groaning. We had no seatbelts so we were tossed from one side to the other. From the roads, from a bit away, you could see the highest hills of the coasters at Revere Beach and Nantasket. Going home from my grandparents’ house, I could see just a small peek (peak too) of the very top of the River Beach coaster. My eighth grade trip was to Nantasket. I rode the coaster many times with my friend Jimmy. When I was in high school, we sometimes went to Revere Beach just for the food and the rides, especially the coaster. When I was much older, my mother and I vacationed in Williamsburg and stopped at Busch Gardens on our way home. I rode the looping coaster. I just couldn’t resist. My mother watched. Facing the ground was as scary as anything but sometimes, like this, fear is part of the fun of the ride.

I don’t do well on rides which go in circles, speedy circles, on tracks. I remember one trip to the Barnstable Fair and riding the sort of Tilt o Whirl except the cars were covered. I got off and got sick. As I said, I don’t do well on speedy circle rides. Merry-go-rounds, though, are perfect.