As Bob Cratchit told Scrooge, “I am being my time.” I had PT this morning and in a sort time, Nala has a vet appointment. She needs a shot, a second shot of something, then I need to stop for dog food at Agway. Today is busy.

The early morning started out lovely and warm. Since then, the clouds have taken over, there is a wind, and it feels cold. It is now sweatshirt weather, just a few degrees warmer than winter coat weather. Oops, addendum: the sun is back as is the blue sky, but the wind is still with us. It is 52°.

We have begun uke practice for Christmas music. My new binder is full, and I have two other binders of songs we’re not using. I thought I knew all the Christmas songs but I hadn’t heard All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan before this. I’d prefer wanting a hippopotamus, from an old song, to a tan. Our first Christmas concert is next week.

When I was in the fifth grade, I remember singing in the square. Back then, the square was filled with stores including a Woolworth’s and a Grant’s. Shoppers were everywhere. My classmates and I stood on a platform with our John Hancock book of carols in our hands. It had a church with stain glass windows and a sky filled with stars on the front. In fancy lettering it said, Christmas Carols. I remember singing my heart out and feeling so proud when the shoppers stopped to listen. I still have a copy of that book. I put it out every Christmas.

I can hear the chimes from my backyard. They have the sweetest sound. They are a gift from the wind.

I remember loving the walk to school on the windiest days. I’d hold my arms out and let the wind take me. My coat would billow like a sail. Sometimes my feet would move, but I’d get nowhere. The wind would hold me back. That’s when I laughed the most.

When I went to get the papers, I was surprised at the warmth. It is already 56° and is sunny though rain is predicted. On my to do list is a trip to the dump. I also need dog food and a few treats for Jack. This week will busy. I hate busy. I have two PT sessions and two uke events, practice and a lesson. How will I ever fit in a nap?

When I was a kid, Sunday was my least favorite day of the week. The whole day was scripted. It started with mass. I had to wear either a dress or a skirt and some sort of a hat. I remember a lace mantilla. I could keep it crumbled in my pocket and throw it on at the last minute. I usually drifted off into space at mass. Sometimes I’d read the book I smuggled in my pocket. I tried to look devout so I wouldn’t get caught.

The rest of the day, unless it was a Sunday visit to my grandparents day, was spent around the house. I’d read the comics or watch TV. I remember watching Lassie Come Home. It made me cry. Dinner was usually around two. It was the special dinner of the week. We always had roast of some sort. My favorite was a roast beef. My mother always made gravy. We had mashed potatoes and a couple of veggies. I don’t remember a specific dessert. I probably grabbed a few cookies and returned to the TV.

We were forced to bed early on Sundays because of school on Monday, one reason Mondays were the second least favorite day of the week.

In Ghana, Sundays were quiet days. They were also special dinner days. Bill and I would ride into town on our motos and go to the chop bars, small shacks serving food on the edges of the lorry park, and buy Ghanaian food. We usually bought fufu and soup. Fufu was made from yams, plantain or cassava. It was pounded in a pestle until it became a gelatinous ball. It was served surrounded by the soup. You ate with your right hand. Grab a bit of fufu then run it through the soup and try to get it into your mouth without drops of soup dripping off your hand. We got good at that. Usually we bought a light soup. The rest of the day was quiet. In the evening, we’d, Bill, Peg and I, play a few word games or endless games of Password, a Christmas gift from my parents one year. We used it so often we pretty much had every card memorized.

Day’s end came early. I’d read a bit in bed then turn out the light. Monday was a school day!