The morning is partly sunny but cooler than it has been. The high will only be 60˚. It’s a stay at home and enjoy doing nothing day. Yesterday I potted the succulents, made my bed and vacuumed the hall and kitchen. I felt accomplished again. Sadly, though, the laundry still haunts me.

Last night the white lights on my fence were not lit. That used to happen often when the spawns ate the wires. I went out to check and none were eaten. I then noticed the extension cord was missing. Immediately I knew who took it. That would be the marauder Nala. Why I have no idea. I guess it is like mountain climbing, because it was there. I looked and saw the cord on the driveway below my deck. It was intact so I connected the lights.

I am watching classic horror movies. First it was The Mummy’s Ghost from 1944 and now Werewolf of London from 1935. I have a whole day of black and white horror movies to watch, and I have plenty of popcorn.

When I was a kid, Saturday was the best day. In the winter I went to the matinee. The rest of the year I explored all over town on foot or on my bike. Riding my bike gave me free range. Walking led me to trails and my favorite, the railroad tracks.

The train ran when I was young. My grandparents’ house was down the road from the tracks. I used to stand on their front steps to watch the train. The terminus for the railroad was a shortish walk from my house and just beyond the station, built in 1895 which still stands on its original spot. Across the street from the station were four or five tracks side by side, just ending and heading nowhere. I used the tracks as shortcuts. I remember a clear stream flowing from a grassy hill where I’d stop to take a drink. We always jumped the double OO railroad ties to protect my mother’s back. I never rode on that train. In my lifetime it didn’t carry passengers, only freight. All of that is gone now except for the station at the terminus and the station master’s house up the street from my grandparents where the tracks used to be.

The only train I ever rode when I was growing up was the subway out of Sullivan Square. In Ghana I rode the train usually from Accra to Kumasi or down the coast toward Takoradi. I loved that train. First class was right out of Agatha Christie. There were comfy leather chairs and doors to shut for a bit of privacy. Think Harry Potter’s train to Hogwarts. In Europe I often rode trains. My favorite was the train from Helsinki to Leningrad. At the border between the two countries, the passenger car I was in was attached to a Russian train. My friend and I and an African studying in Russia were the only passengers in that car. There was a burly attendant who plied us with tea.

If I were rich, I would take the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express as far as I could. That would be the ultimate train ride.

The morning is a delight, alternating between warm and sunny and partly cloudy. The high today will be over 70˚. The breeze is every now and then, a strong breeze which whips the leaves back and forth. The oak leaves in my backyard have started to turn reddish brown. The deck is covered in leaves, and Nala has added sticks chewed at the top and missing their bark. Yesterday I found some torn cardboard on the deck, compliments of Nala the destroyer.

Henry has been barking willy-nilly. He barks at people walking by, vehicles stopped on the street and ghosts only he can hear. Nala seldom barks. The last time she did it was at me. I don’t know what I did to offend her.

My dance card is empty until Tuesday. I will be the consummate sloth. Yesterday I did all my errands: got gas, went to the dump, had the car’s oiled changed, tires inflated, filters replaced and new wipers put on. My last errand of the day was a routine blood test. When I got home, I changed my bed and put on the new spread I bought months ago. All in all, I felt accomplished.

The few chores left on that long to do list are potting the succulents I bought and doing the laundry. That last one is my bugaboo. I always figure if I have clothes left I don’t need to do laundry.

This morning, when I went to give Gwen her shot, she had already gone under a bed to sleep, but she tricked me. She was under the other bed. I had to move everything to get her. It wasn’t easy. I have to remember to go to her first thing before I go downstairs, but this morning Nala was whining so I figured she needed out. She did. That gave Gwen the opportunity to elude me.

When I was a kid, I loved to collect the fall leaves. My favorites were the bright yellows and the deep reds. We’d put the most beautiful, the most brightly colored, in wax paper, iron the paper and save the leaves.

I remember walking to school and shuffling on the sidewalk covered with fallen leaves. We’d make a path which would have disappeared by the time we walked home. Sometimes we’d walk in the gutter and kick the leaves. The only drawback was from time to time the leaves on the bottom were soaking wet and clinging together.

Right now my house is absolutely quiet. The sun has returned. I have a cup of fresh coffee. This is heaven.