Today is another pretty day, a pretty December day, chilly and a bit windy. Leaves cover my lawn and deck though each has been cleared once. When the dogs are out running through the backyard, I can hear crunching sounds from the dead leaves covering the ground. Those leaves are never cleared. The backyard belongs to the dogs.

When I was a kid, this was the in-between season when some days were too hot for a winter coat while other days were so cold it was winter ensemble time, time to dress in layers. My mother was cautious. She’d bring out the winter coats, hats and mittens, it being December after all. I never enjoyed the layers, the bundling. Even now I seldom wear my winter jacket.

My mother used to take us into Boston to see Santa, but once, when I was really young, he came to our apartment in South Boston. I was probably around three or four. I have a picture of me with Santa somewhere in the house, probably tucked away for safety. My brother, a year younger than I, was too afraid to leave the bedroom. I’m wearing a dress, my patent leather Mary Jane’ shoes’s and lacy socks. It was an occasion after all.

I seem to be busy every weekday. I go down cape to Orleans for PT twice a week and on Friday I went to Hyannis for a doctor’s appointment. Uke is twice a week, practice and a lesson. I skipped the practice last week. I have to pick and choose. When I did both, my finger swelled. Yesterday I practiced. My finger didn’t swell.

My house isn’t yet Christmas, but decorating is on my to-do list for this week. That means hauling up boxes. I like to change the decorations from year to year. I have so many. I’m leaning toward vintage this year. I have many plastic light up pieces like Santa, candles and a snowman. They are from the 50’s and are a bit of wonder pulled from my memory drawers.

Today is an ugly day. The sky is gray and threatening. The wind is strong. Even the topmost branches are being blown sideways. The brown dead leaves still holding on will probably fall and add to the backyard already covered in layers of leaves. Today will be the warmest day of the week, but I have no plans to go anywhere. Nothing about the weather is enticing despite the warmth. I’ll do around the house stuff.

Even before my finger injury I had trouble opening the Aleve bottles, the sort you squeeze on both sides and hold in while you turn the lid to open. This last time was the worst. I couldn’t get it open, couldn’t hold and turn at the same time. I tried and tried. Finally, I had a solution. I took a hammer to the squeeze spots.

Yesterday I went to a doctor’s appointment then to Trader Joe’s. I had a great time shopping and hauled home five filled shopping bags. Some of the items, mostly the festive candy and holiday treats, I’ll put away until Christmas. I bought the most amazing pork loin rubbed in herbs, sage, rosemary, and oregano, and wrapped in uncured applewood smoked bacon for a pre-Christmas dinner with friends. I also bought a gingerbread house to put together and then decorate. That last one I’ll have to put up high out of the reach of a boxer.

When I was a kid, we always had turkey for Christmas dinner. The sides were different than those on Thanksgiving except for the mashed potatoes and stuffing. Later, when we were older, we had a roast, usually a roast beef, and, yes, it was always accompanied by mashed potatoes and a changing menu of vegetables.

I only remember a couple of Christmas candies from when I was a kid. I remember the ribbon candy. It always struck in my molars, and I’d click my teeth together. It was a weird sensation. The ones I remember eating the most were the hard, colored candies which always stuck together. As a gift in school, we used to be given a small cardboard box the size of Animal Cracker boxes with a white string for carrying the box and Christmas decorations on the two sides. The hard candies inside were so cemented together the cardboard always stuck to the candy. I don’t remember caring. I remember eating the candy anyway.