The morning is lovely, pretty. The sun is shining, and it will be in the 70’s. The air is still. I have noticed more red leaves on the oak trees, and a few odd trees with just one branch of red leaves as if it were practicing for the full array of fall. My yard has had its fall cleaning. Bushes and trees were trimmed, the yard was raked and the pile of branches in the backyard was cleared. Even better, they took three bags of trash.

I can hear a lawn mower, the summer Saturday sound I most remember. It was as if the fathers in my neighborhood had had a pact to mow at the same time every Saturday. The sound, though, was different than today’s sound. It was the clipping sound of the hand mowers.

Yesterday I had a concert and didn’t have time to write. I have another concert today, but I was up earlier than yesterday and have no Cape Times to read. Because I have become a night owl, I tend to sleep away the morning. The dogs sleep in along with me.

When I was a kid, Saturday was my busiest day. This time of year I was out and about. Mostly I was on my bike. I have pictures in my memory drawers of that bike. It had been a Christmas present. I couldn’t wait so I even rode it on that snowless Christmas Day. My mother took a picture of me standing by the front door holding my new bike by its handle bars. It was blue. A basket was attached to the front. I remember that when I went over bumps whatever was in the basket bounced up and down. Books sometimes even bounced out of the basket. I held on to the bread and milk when my mother sent me to the store.

In my mind’s eye, I can see the whole route to the white store. Some of the houses were big and old. One house, the newest house, was sandwiched on a hill. The garage was on the side under one part of the house. I knew the people who lived there. The mother was French. I can see the route I took: first street on the left from my house, across the road, down the straightaway then a turn to the right, a stop by the busy road then across that road to the store. It has probably been at least 65 years since I last took that route, and I can still see it all. I wish I remembered why I was in the kitchen this morning.

Today is fall on Cape Cod. It is 61° and sunny bright with only a few white clouds. The breeze is ever so slight. Nala has her grassy spot in the sun while Henry is less inclined to stay outside. He is a couch dog. Nala brings the outside in and the inside out. I see kitchen trash n the yard and chewed pine cones in the hall.

At my uke lesson yesterday I whined about this being week 6, and my leg is still hurting especially when I have to lift it. They did say 3-5 weeks. I was asked how old I am, 78. Two of my uke buddies snorted, ”You’re old. It takes longer!”

My sloth is in charge. I look around and see all that needs to be done, cleaned or stored, then I just turn my back or close my eyes. The fur balls can fly and the spiders can weave.

The one thing I still want to do is skydive. I’ve ridden or flown in almost everything else on my list. My favorite experience was the balloon ride with the glider a close second. I am sorry I missed the Concorde. If I could go back in time, I’d ride the PanAm clipper and an early flight of the Hindenburg. I’d choose to miss the Titanic.

In my travels I have ridden all sorts of vehicles. In Ghana, I rode a tro-tro, a cheap ride, about a pesewa (think penny) a mile. It was a truck with an open back where you sat on a wooden bench. The hardest part was climbing up the side of the truck to get in and out of the back. I took tro-tros mostly in Accra though I did take a few from Bolga to Bawku, a 48 mile ride. If I had the money, I’d fly from Tamale to Accra. It was a prop, and we flew so low I could see everything. I loved the ferry from Yeji across the Volta Lake to the Northern Region. Back then it was the route all the busses took. I loved the trains in Ghana. I rode first class which was fairly inexpensive. When I saw the Harry Potter movies, I recognized the cabins with the sliding doors. That’s where I rode.

I have had other amazing rides, but I’ll save those for another day and keep you in suspense.