The morning is glorious. I first work up at 5:15 and went downstairs to open the door for the dogs. It was the best of Cape Cod early mornings and gave hint of the lovely day to come. The air was still night cool. The fog was just below the tops of the pine trees. The sky was still a bit cloudy. It was quiet except for the birds greeting the day. The dogs ran in the yard a bit then came inside. The three of us went back to sleep.

Last night Nala started to go down the stairs then I heard what I thought was her falling. It wasn’t. Running up the stairs was poor Jack being chased by Nala. I stopped Nala. Jack escaped. Nala went to the hole in the gate and looked through. Jack was sitting there defiant, just staring. Nala cried.

Today will be hot, 75˚. In Boston it is already 83˚and will hit 90˚. I’m glad I live here.

When I was a kid, I believed in UFO’s, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster not to forget the man with the hook. That they had never been seen made no never mind. They were good at hiding. The man with the hook appeared only at night. He scratched cars and windows before attacking. I know that was true. My father told me.

Summer nights have always been my favorites. I used to sit on the back steps and enjoy the coolness of the evenings. My house was on the corner of the street. It was a duplex. The backyard was at the bottom of a grassy hill. My house was one corner of a square, a right angle. There were two houses on the left and two houses on the right. There were three above the grassy hill. I remember the lights on at every house. Through screen doors I could hear muted voices and televisions. I was usually the only one still outside. I liked it that way. The night belonged to me.

When I was in Ghana, I went to Accra, the capital, just about every school vacation. I went out to restaurants, saw movies, shopped at High Street where the Hausa traders were and roamed the city. I was never afraid to walk at night usually back to the Peace Corps hostel. I chose to save the 20 pesewas of a cab ride. The streets were mostly quiet. The shops were shuttered. Men sat together outside talking. I never knew what they said. It was usually in Twi, the local tribal language. I did know how to say good evening in Twi, and I always did. Sometimes I was first while other times the men were. I loved those evenings.

My evenings are still quiet. I still savor the night.

The day is uninviting. I was asleep when it rained and didn’t even hear it. I woke up to a damp chill and wet grass. Today will stay cool, in the mid 60’s. Mind you, I’m not complaining. It will be hot every day soon enough. I have to go out, a doctor’s appointment. That will be out two days in a row, one short of my record.

On the dog front, Nala makes me laugh. She has so much energy. She pulls every toy out of the toy box to find the perfect one. She loves toys which make noise. As for the cats, Nala lies in front of the cat room gate. Jack sits on the other side of the gate and stares. Nala cries.

Boxers are smart dogs. Nala already knows how to go in and out of the dog door. I’m hoping she’ll teach Henry it is safe to go into the house through the dog door. Henry is still a bit skittish, a bit fearful. Right now Nala is asleep on the couch. Henry is upstairs asleep on my bed. The cats are asleep in their room, Gwen on the bed and Jack in the kitty tent with a flap.

When I was a kid, I remember my father taking the whole family to a Hood dairy farm in New Hampshire open to the public, a Sunday family jaunt. I remember the house, barns and fences around the pastures were white, a New England farm, but I remember the barns the best. Music was piped inside for the cows. It seems cows like music though I’m not sure what genre. I doubt rock and roll. Cows lumber.

When I was graduating from the eighth grade, we went on a class trip to Nantasket, to Paragon Park. My mother came as a chaperone. My friend Jimmy and I went all the rides together. The roller coaster was our favorite, a wooden coaster aptly named The Giant Coaster. The rotor, a sort of giant looking barrel, went fast in a circle and stuck us to the walls. We even went on the carousel. I chose a mighty steed. The carousel is the only ride left.

A couple of friends and I spent the day at Paragon Park just before it was closed and torn down. I rode the roller coaster four times. The ride was spectacular. I loved the clicking sound as the coaster moved on the track. It slowly went up the hill then sped down and around corners. I screamed only for effect.

Once I went on a coaster that went upside down around circles. It was fast and a little scary, but I missed the quirks of the wooden coaster with so much personality.