Keep the Coffee Comimg

It was cold last night, 56°. I had to shut all the windows and the back door. Nala had to ring the Poochie Bells to let me know she wanted out. I put on a sweatshirt. It was the second cold night. Tuesday night the temperature got down to 59°. The days, though, have been lovely, warm and dry and only in the 70s. This is a strange beginning to August.

Yesterday I had my uke lesson then I came right home, got into my cozies and enjoyed a sloth day. I was content.

Today I have a couple of errands. The dogs expect to eat so I’m off to Agway. I also expect to eat, but I continue to freezer shop so I only need the basics: milk, bread, cream for my coffee and maybe a Snickers bar, a member of its own major food group.

When I was a kid, I loved Good and Plenty which is strange considering I do not like black licorice, but I liked the color, the pink, the only pink candy I ever saw. Sometimes, though, the candy was old and stale and biting the coating endangered teeth, but I was a kid so I ate the candy anyway.

My mother made the best brownies. She didn’t use a mix. I don’t think she ever did. She frosted her brownies with chocolate frosting, not overkill. Chocolate has no limit.

A corner store near me kept Milky Ways and Three Musketeers in the freezer. I usually bought the Milky Ways. I still put them in the freezer.

When I lived in Ghana, I used to buy Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut bars. Around the corner from where I lived was a DPW store. It used to sell the chocolate and cold cokes. Buying both was a huge treat.

Today is another uke concert, at the Harwich Farmer’s Market. We’re playing The Beach Boys. One of the sellers there has scones. I always buy some, the mixed package. Coconut scones are my favorites. They don’t have chocolate, but I give them a pass.

The weather is perfect. The temperature is 70°. The morning is clear with a bright sun and a Crayola aquamarine colored sky. The breeze is ever so slight. It is a day to savor.

When I was a kid, the first of August was the beginning of the end. School was no longer inching closer. It was roaring towards us at a rapid speed. School clothes shopping was the first reminder of what was coming. My mother brought all four of us to the stores, but they were mostly quick stops. We didn’t need much. First was the shoe store. My feet got measured, and I got to see the bones of my feet in the x-ray machine. My mother picked sturdy shoes hoping they’re last all year. They never did. The next stop was for school uniforms, for a new blue skirt, white blouses and an ugly blue string tie. My mother bought the rest without us, the socks and underwear.

My favorite stop, the longest stop, was at Woolworth’s for school supplies. I got to pick what I wanted. I spend time checking out all the pencil cases. I wanted the perfect case. It was choosing the decorated top that was important because the cases were pretty much all the same. They were made of heavy cardboard and you slid out the holder. Inside were always pencils, an eraser, a six inch ruler and a compass and sometimes small colored pencils and some scissors. I never had any idea what the compass was for except to draw lines and semicircles. The next, the most important piece of going back to school, was the new lunchbox. When I was young, I chose lunch boxes with characters like Annie Oakley or Roy Rogers. I still have one with the Mickey Mouse Club on the top, but when I was older, I wanted designs. In the fourth grade it was a black and red tartan plaid design. My mother only filled the thermos on really cold winter days when she’d give us soup, usually chicken noodle. She always put in a few Saltines. By the end of the school year my lunchbox was usually the worst for wear. It had a few dents and a bit of rust inside, but, regardless, its usefulness continued. It became the repository for crayon stubs. Now, I use a cigar case. Things change but not by much.

This morning is glorious. The sun is wonderfully bright and the sky is a deep blue. Everything is quiet. Even the chimes in the background are still. Last night was cool, at least in comparison. It was easy to fall asleep. It will be the same most of the week: 70s during the day and 60’s at night, even as low as 62° by mid-week.

Nala is bringing the outside in which I prefer to her usual acts of thievery. Last night I found the remnants of a leaf filled pine branch, a small pine leafy branch, on the living room floor. The leaves were dead and brown and in small pieces on the floor and rug. Pieces of branches were in the living room and the hall, all chewed on the ends. Nala is quite adept at deception. I never heard her haul in these treasures through the dog door.

My license needs be renewed. I was sent a letter from the registry which said I had reached the magical age (my description) of needing to renew in person. I’ve made the appointment. Going to the registry is actually a mild form of torture guaranteed to try your patience.

Lately I have been on a cereal kick. Cinnamon Toast Crunch is my current favorite, but Rice Krispies, my all time favorite, waits in the wings. Periodically, though, I do take a risk and buy the variety packs. The dogs get the Cheerios.

This is a uke filled week: concert today, practice tomorrow, lesson Wednesday and concerts Thursday and Saturday. I also have a couple of errands. I don’t have the dump!

When I was a kid, my life was easy. Everything was done for me. I didn’t have any responsibilities. The only thing I was required to do was go to school and go to mass. I remember the first time I did my own laundry. The washer started beeping. I had no idea what was wrong. I checked the washer and found the clothes still soaking wet. I ended up wringing them by hand and then putting them in the dryer. It was a while before I found out what an imbalance meant in the washer. I felt sort of dumb.