What a surprise! Today will be mostly cloudy, but it will be Cape Cod spring warm at 59°. I have a few errands, mostly Agway for dog and cat food and a few flowers for the front pots by the steps. I’m thinking pansies in honor of my father who always planted them in the front garden of our duplex. I’m thinking perky yellow flowers. I also need to stop at the hardware store for some blue paint and some heavy duty glue.

I always call my dogs’ paws their feet. The front two have elbows while the back two have knees. Nala uses her front feet for whacking me and Henry. She is, after all, a boxer. Henry jumps off his back feet into the air when he is excited, especially around dinner time. All four feet get off the ground.

I tend to graze. Most days I don’t feel like cooking. I’ll grab cheese and crackers or peanut butter and crackers or just crackers. The other day it was fig jam and crackers, a gourmet delight.

When I was a kid, I watched westerns. They were the popular shows. Jim Bowie was a fearless adventuring man. Bat Masterson had a cane and wore a derby. He was dapper. My favorites were Sugarfoot, Cheyenne and Maverick, but I am no longer a fan of westerns though I do watch The Lone Ranger every now and then for a bit of nostalgia.

I watched The Horror of Party Beach released in 1964. To say it is bad is a compliment. The monster has two legs. He is covered in what looks like palm leaves. His eyes don’t move except to jiggle. His head is ridiculous looking with fins, an open mouth and several teeth. The man inside sees through his neck. The first victim took the longest time to die. She was screaming the whole time. No one noticed. They were too busy dancing the Zombie Stomp on the beach practicing, it looked like, to be extras in The Walking Dead. The scientist smokes a pipe. I wonder if there are patches on the elbows of his jacket. Eulabell is his maid. I’ll stop here as I wouldn’t want to be a spoiler.

The dogs are sleeping beside me. The house is quiet. It feels like a good day.

Today had sun which as since disappeared. The morning is chilly, only 50°. The dogs’ barking, especially Henry’s, got me out of bed. It was a neighbor at the door. It was 9:30. Now, an hour later, I am ready to face the world fortified by two cups of coffee.

When I was a kid, every day was new and every day was old. On week days, I walked to school. I sat at my desk until lunch and potty break. Geography and English were my favorite subjects. I always had a book hidden in my desk hoping I could sneak in a few pages, but in the eighth grade, I got lucky. I hit pay dirt. I sat by the window and the bookcases, and that is where I hid my book. I used to slip it between the pages of my textbook to read it. I read The House of Seven Gables, Oliver Twist, Dracula and more that year. I never got caught, but I came close once. I was reading, wearing the head phones from my transistor radio and eating Mint Julep candy, the hard green candy which needed a strong jaw, when Sister Hildegard called on me. I heard my name and stood up. She spoke louder. She thought I was hard of hearing or why else would I have head phones. She didn’t notice the lump in my cheek.

Saturdays were always new. Mostly the weather determined what I’d do. Winter was easy. I’d often go to the matinee in the movie theater up-town. That’s where my love for movies started. They never showed new movies. I even saw The Wizard of Oz there. Of all the cartoons they showed before the movies, Road Runner was my favorite. I had a nickel for candy and always chose something long lasting like Sugar Daddy Pops. My teeth took a beating. Other winter Saturdays were for skating and sledding.

Once the weather warmed, I walked all over town or rode my bike. I remember trips to the library and filling my bike basket with books. I remember jumping over the railroad ties which had double OO’s on them or I’d cause my mother’s back to break.

Sundays were old and new. Church never really changed except for the sermons. I always wished for a hidden book. We sometimes spent the day at the beach. We went to Gloucester. The water was cold. My mother packed great lunches. Pepper and eggs in a roll was my favorite. Other times we went to East Boston to my grandparents’. Those visits were always the same.

We went to bed early on Sunday nights.