Today is another hot day, in the low 80’s, with no breeze, just ugly still air. It will be partly cloudy. Thunderstorms are predicted for tomorrow, and we desperately need the rain. I just hope it won’t rain on my parade, my Monday uke concert in the park.

We have a Liz update. She had another MRI which showed less brain activity than the first one but is still hopeful. She has been moved to a level 1 trauma hospital. Liz is  breathing on her own and is occasionally opening her eyes. She reacts to pain in her fingers and toes, but she is still sedated. They are hoping to bring her out of sedation slowly.

Yesterday I cleaned the deck, put white lights on the fence, sanded and painted the small table, watered all the plants in the pots, switched out the storm on the back door and did yard clean-up. By the time I had finished, I was sweaty and exhausted. I swear I am too old for all that. I should have been sitting in the shade of the umbrella with a cold drink in my hand. Today is dump day.

When I was a kid, I was forced to visit my aunt the nun who lived in Connecticut. We had to wear dressy clothes. I remember we always stopped just before seeing her so my mother could make sure we were spruced and ready for the visit. Luckily, we only went once a year, more than enough. Even though she taught, she seemed to have trouble conversing with us. She had stock questions. How was school? What were our favorite subjects? She always seemed a bit bored. Every visit, my aunt took us on a tour of her school and classroom. I always thought the best part of the visit was when another nun brought us cookies and a drink. After that we’d sit for a bit more then it was time to leave. Sometime later, she transferred to Baltimore, and our once a year visits stopped. None of us really missed her.

When I lived in Ghana, I always wore sandals. Everybody did. In Bolga, during my first dry season, the heels of my feet split. They were so painful I had to walk on tip-toes until callouses formed and hardened, and the skin on the heels of my feet became thick and ugly. I was glad. I could finally walk without tip-toes.

I’m thinking after the dump, I’ll camp on the deck. All that’s left to do is wash the table and bring out the other two chairs stored in the cellar. It is time for dinner and a movie on the deck, actually passed time. What movie, I wonder, is perfect for the red carpet premier?