Yesterday came the deluge. Today is bright sun and a blue sky. Last night was cold. Today could reach 60˚. The weather is confusing.

A few trees in my backyard still have yellow leaves. The rest of the leaves are brown and shriveled. The sun is diffused through bare branches. The air is still, quite a contrast from the winds of last night. The dogs are outside enjoying the day. Nala perches on the top step, her paws one step below, and watches the yard.

Nothing is on my dance card today. The dump, as always, is on my list, but I’m saving it for tomorrow. I have no need to do the laundry, plenty of clothes left. I vacuumed the hall yesterday. The tumbling tumbleweeds had risen in the air when I walked. They’re back today. The kitchen floor is all dog paw prints as everything is still wet in the yard. Gwen had her morning insulin. The dogs had treats, and I had a chocolate biscotti with my coffee. All’s right with the world.

This morning I have been watching old serials and movies on TCM. I am ten again and eating my Rice Krispies while sitting on the floor watching TV. The first serial was called Travel Talks, The Voice of the Globe. We went to Guatemala. I learned the Guatemalans are inherently Pagan. They cover their babies’ heads to protect them from white men. A ring is the first step toward marriage. The second step is when the hopeful groom drops a pile of wood in front of the home of his intended. If her father takes the wood, the marriage proposal is accepted. Next, I watched Batman and Robin from the late 40’s. Batman’s hood went over his nose so he had to look up to see through the eyeholes. A convertible, top up, was the batmobile of the day. Records of criminals and past cases were kept in a metal file cabinet. Today’s chapter ended with Batman and the woman he rescued from the bad guys in the water off the dock surrounded by flames. Right now I’m watching Torchy Blane in Panama from 1938. She is a reporter who parachuted out of a plane to catch up with a ship. She had on a small backpack. So far she has worn an evening dress, a couple of day dresses with matching hats, gloves and purses, a sort of pants suit and pajamas.

I am immersed in the book State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny. Last night I read in bed until 1:30 then reluctantly turned off the light. I figure on spending a good part of the today reading. I wish I had bon bons.

The early morning was dark, but the sky is a bit lighter now. It has been raining on and off. The wind gusts are sometimes so strong the oak tree by the deck sways and bends, the trunk in one direction, the limbs in another. The dogs are out and back quickly. Henry even used to dog door. It is already 58˚. The high will be in the 60’s, but the rain will get heavy and hang around all day into the night. I am going nowhere today. My dance card is empty until next week.

When I was a kid, classrooms in the old school, built in 1910, had cloakrooms right outside the door of each room. Hooks in two rows, one above the other, lined the wooden walls, but there were never enough hooks. There were too many of us, 45 or more in each room. We’d hang out coats two to a hook or just stuff our coats between other coats where they’d stay. I remember there was almost no room to walk in the cloakroom with all the coats hanging one way or the other. In the afternoons, just before dismissal, the nuns had us go out row by row to get our coats. A stampede would have ensued otherwise. We’d get our coats and go back to sit down at our desks so other rows could go. We’d stay there until the bell rang. The youngest kids were on the first floor giving them a greater chance of survival when the stampede ensued. I used to go out the side, rarely used door, which gave me an edge.

When I was growing up, I had favorite places in my hometown. I loved the railroad tracks. One route brought me to the old station and the end of the tracks while on the other route, the tracks kept going, and I never got to the end. I loved the zoo. Sometimes I’d walk there and take the bus back if my mother had the money. I always brought a lunch. The town barn where the horses were kept was behind the town hall. I’d watch the horses in their stalls from the doorway. Right around the corner, was the rag man’s house. When I was really young, he had a horse and wagon and would wander the town looking for newspapers even though he was called the rag man. I loved uptown, the square. It had the best stores, all of which are gone now. I still miss Woolworth’s.