Today is sunny and bright. Rain is predicted for later, but the sky is blue with only a few white clouds. The breeze gives the air a chill. It is 57°.

Nala is bringing the outside inside. Yesterday it was some papers she had taken from the house. She loves to tear papers. This morning I heard noises at the dog door. Nala was trying to bring in a branch wider than the dog door. She dropped it when I asked, an unusual Nala behavior. I had to pick up some pine needles from the branch she brought inside yesterday. Nala makes messes.

Duke is the dog I grew up with, another boxer. He was intimidating to people who didn’t know him. His chest was wide and muscular. His bark was deep. He’d stand his ground. He protected us. He also followed us everywhere, even to school. My father was totally frustrated by Duke who ignored him. My mother offered bologna so he’d get close enough for her to grab him by his collar; instead, he’d snatch all but a small piece of bologna from my mother’s hand and then he’d run.

My book came yesterday, and I started reading it right away. I carried it upstairs and read it while I sat with Jack then took the book to bed. It rested on Nala who was lying beside me.

When I woke up the morning, Nala’s head was resting on my arm. She sensed the change in my breathing and jumped on me. Henry followed suit. They always seem surprised and excited when I make it through the night.

The dogs have a wonderful routine. They exemplify a dog’s life. In the morning, when they sense me awake, they jump on me to get me moving. We go downstairs and both of them stand at the door waiting for me to open it. They run to the backyard. Henry comes in first and stands at the treat door. We wait for Nala then they both get a biscuit. They go back to the yard. When they come inside, their morning nap is next. Around 3 or 3:30, Henry scratches the rug and looks at me. He does it again and again until I get up to feed them. After dinner they go out again then come in for thei

r late afternoon nap. They go out another couple of times before their evening nap which lasts until my bedtime. They go out for the last time then run upstairs to claim room on my bed before I get there. They sleep through the night. I should live a dog’s life, at least one in this house.

Today is ugly. It rained during the night, and everything is still wet. Rain is not predicted, but the clouds will be hanging around. It is in the mid 50’s, the high for the day. It is a day for socks and a sweatshirt.

Today will be a stay around the house day. I have been waiting for a book delivery for over a week and a half, Stephen King’s Fairy Tale, from Barnes and Noble. Last Wednesday it was in Providence. I have no idea where it is now. The tracking delivery date changes every day. On Friday, it was Friday by 7:00 then Saturday by seven, Sunday by seven and now today by seven. I am not optimistic.

This is school April vacation week when the weather is usually iffy. I remember warm weeks, and I remember chilly weeks, and I remember one memorable April vacation. That was the year we made a Christmas album with Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians. I was eleven. We were at the town hall, my classmates and I. The band was on the stage. The equipment was under the stage. Guy Lombardo was on the stage as was his lead singer, Kenny Gardner. He’d sing solo then lead us through our parts. I remember hearing, “Cut!” a lot. Winter Wonderland took the longest to record. I have a one note solo, a too soon entry to one verse. They kept that recording. I always make people listen to it a couple of times. I still have the original vinyl. The record jacket has the lyrics on the back. It is the worse for wear.

My sisters make fun of me because I could eat hot dogs every day. I buy New England frankfurt buns, the top-split rolls perfect for hot dogs and lobster and fried clams. I toast my rolls so the outside is crisp and the inside soft and still a bit fluffy. I top my dogs with mustard and piccalilli and onions if I take the time to chop them. Sometimes I eat chips with my dogs or potato salad from the deli, but dogs by themselves are just fine. I consider hot dogs a staple in my kitchen.