It is a damp, dark and cloudy day. Nothing is moving. The leaves just hang at the ends of the branches. It is warm at 68° which was a surprise when I went to get the paper. The dogs are mostly out though Henry does come inside to bark at the front door. I checked. Henry was barking at shadows. Henry is a great barker at shadows.

My dance card is empty until Friday when Henry has his well dog visit and gets his shots. Nala goes next week. I go on Saturday, not for shots but to the surgeon at the ungodly hour of eight. I am hoping he will take out the pins.

It was one of those mirror under the nose mornings. I was awake until close to four. The dogs were sleeping on the bed and taking most of the room though I did manage to find a spot and some covers before I turned off the light. I woke up once and pushed Nala out of the way and then fell back asleep. It was after eleven when I finally woke up to what was left of the morning. Now it is later, after two cups of coffee, two pieces of toast shared with the dogs and the paper.

I bought cans of pumpkin. I’m thinking pies or muffins for two of my neighbors. One always gives me cookies at Christmas so I thought I’d return the favor. The other was my life saver who took care of the dogs and cleaned the house after the bite when I was in the hospital. Now I just have to find the wherewithal.

When I was a kid, I loved being in my room reading on a rainy day. I’d snuggle into bed and read away the afternoon. The sound of the rain on the roof and windows was almost soothing. My room was quiet. My brother and sisters stayed downstairs to watch TV while my mother made dinner. She’d call when it was ready.

We’d watch TV after dinner. Back then westerns were all the hits. I still remember most of the theme songs. We’d sit in front of the TV until my mother announced bedtime and reminded us it was a school night, as if we’d ever forget. Once upstairs, I used to sneak and read when I was supposed to be asleep. Sometimes I got caught.

The rain continues. The damp has stilled the trees. My deck is covered in branches, red and yellow leaves and acorns from yesterday’s rain. Scattered thunderstorms are predicted for today. The high will be warmish, in the mid 60’s. I need to be out today. Jack needs food, and I need a few things. I’ll run between the raindrops.

I have favorite flavors. Cinnamon is one of them. I sometimes have cinnamon toast for breakfast, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal is my new favorite. I even eat it as a snack. Vanilla is another flavor I love. Last year I made my own inspired by the homemade vanilla my sister gave me for Christmas a few years back. Hers packed a punch. The mints, spearmint and peppermint, are both on the list. Wintergreen chocolate patties are heavenly, and they are close to the top of my favorite flavors list.

The dogs are noisy. They run up and down the uncarpeted stairs and slide across the tile floor in the kitchen. They eat each other’s muzzles and growl. They go in and out the dog door which snaps behind them. Henry is the nosier animal. He barks at any movement of cars and people. He also barks at deliveries which is okay as he is the only way I know boxes are on the front steps. Nala sometimes makes noise as she tries to drag stolen items out the dog door. The other day it was a brown bag stolen from Jack’s room. It had empty cat food cans. When she heard me coming, she ran through the dog door without her booty.

One morning I was on my way to college, to Merrimack, and we were riding up Route 114. The road was, back then, underdeveloped in spots. We’d ride through stretches of trees on both sides of the road then they’d be some stores then more trees. The highway took us through Middleton and eventually to North Andover. At one spot that morning we saw police cars, both local and state. There were many of each. The police cars surrounded a car with open doors, and I thought I saw a body but maybe not as no one else in the car did. One or two days later, in the paper, was an article about the car and its dead occupants, two bullet riddled bodies. The speculation was they were the victims of the Boston mob and had been dumped there because it was remote. That incident remains my weirdest.