Today is damp and cloudy so the air, at 57°, is chilly. I have resurrected my sweatshirt and donned a pair of socks. The dogs are out longer and run around more. Nala, more than Henry, is affected by heat. That tongue of hers hangs low. They have yet to have their morning naps.

When I think about growing up in my town, I can still see it as it was. All the old places, all the stores up town and all the open fields and woods are bright in my memory drawers. I drive by houses and remember who lived in them. I can remember where houses used to be. I can close my eyes and see my classrooms year by year in my grammar school, in the old and new buildings. I can even remember the faces of some of my teachers. Miss Quilter wore thick glasses. Sister Eileen Marie was huge and seldom stood. She sat at her desk almost all day. Miss Konopacka was strict. She was tall. My mother went to school with her, and my sister still hates her. Mrs. Kerrigan, my second grade teacher, was old. She wore a day dress and had her grey hair in a bun. She was gentle. In the seventh grade, Mrs. Corcoran was the teacher who told me basketball and the like were for boys. I remember she also wore a day dress which I came to believe was a uniform of sorts for old teachers. My grandmother wore the same style. Sister Hildegarde is the nun I remember the most. She was really old and easily duped. I admit I took advantage. Many times I left school early or was late getting back after lunch, sometimes as late as an hour. She never reprimanded me or my friend Jimmy, my accomplice in crime. We had free rein. I wondered if she even noticed.

The American flag and the Ghanaian flag hang off trees in the front of my house. I have a Peace Corps flag which needs Betsy Ross to sew the holes torn by branches before I can hang it. I also have decorative flags for all the holidays. I’m thinking the front of my house will soon resemble the row of flags outside the United Nations.

Today is a quiet day, but I do need to shop for a few groceries to make jollof rice, a Ghanaian dish I’m bringing to a potluck tomorrow, an RPCV event, a returned Peace Corps volunteer event. In honor of the occasion, I’ll be decked in clothes made from Ghanaian cloth, and I’ll greet people in Hausa, “Sannu.” Hello!

Right now it is 78° with a bright sun, a beautiful blue sky and not a scintilla of wind. My sweatshirt is folded and put away for the meanwhile. I’m wearing my sandals and a short sleeve shirt. I am in summer mode but only for today as tonight will drop to the 40’s and tomorrow will be seasonal, in the 60’s. We may even have rain tomorrow.

My friends have gone home. My house is so quiet without them. We had an amazing time together, even when we did nothing but sit around and talk. We share a long history.

We sat out on the deck and enjoy appies and the sun. Peg brought down Tuesday’s dinner, a New England boiled dinner, and dessert, brownies and my all-time favorite lemon meringue pie. Peg also made an Irish soda bread with cranberries, orange zest and orange juice. Bill cut a piece and came into the den. Nala ran out the back door, a recognized sign of guilt. She had stolen the bread which was left on the counter and was running with it to her usual spot to eat her booty. I never did get a taste. Poor Bill kept apologizing, but it wasn’t his fault. He hasn’t lived with a felonious dog so he didn’t realize food has to be hidden.

My dinner last night was the leftovers, for my appie, a cheese log Peg had made and crackers, the boiled dinner and a thick, brownie with chocolate chips.

We took a long ride through Hyannisport, Centerville and Osterville. Bill and Peg had never been on that side of the cape. They loved the huge, old houses and the views of the water from the yacht club and the church, St. Andrews. They had a mini Kennedy tour as I showed them the Kennedy Compound and St. Francis Xavier church in Hyannis.

Bill brought down his tools and fixed so many things around the house which had been driving me crazy, things like the flag holders outside, my rocking chair, the faucet, my Ring doorbell, the fence, the paper towel holder and so much more. He is a generous man with his time and talents. Peg is as generous with all the food she made and the gifts she brought.

We had Christmas. Carols played as we exchanged gifts. It was still fun so long after Christmas.

We reminisced about staging in Philadelphia before we left for Ghana and about our time together in Ghana. We laughed a lot and remembered friends with whom we had served. We told funny stories about each other. We still fit together.