The clouds are back. They left late yesterday afternoon, and we had sun for the rest of the day. Yup, I said sun. Today, though, no sun. We are back to clouds and rain later in the day. It’s cold, 39˚, and will stay cold all day. The dump is my big chore then to Agway for animal food, two of the most boring chores, and the two I do most often. I admit I didn’t water my plants yesterday except for the ones near the sink, but I was busy. I swept and wet mopped the kitchen floor, my most strenuous activity in a while. I also put many of my Christmas gifts away. The fun part was looking at them again.

When I was a kid, I really didn’t like Sunday. It started with a walk to church, going to mass then walking home. The winter walk was brutal, but the church was always warm. It was also always filled. I sat either in the back or at the end of a row. I was into quick exits.

On most winter school mornings, my mother made us a hot breakfast. My favorite was soft boiled eggs. My mother served them in Fannie Farmer egg cups. When I moved into my house, my mother gave them to me. Some of the poor chickens have lost their beaks. The eggs were accompanied by toast strips for dipping. That breakfast was always messy.

When I order breakfast out, I never order pancakes or waffles. I find the consistency of pancakes difficult to swallow even when they’re bathed in maple syrup, the real stuff. Mostly I just order fried eggs and bacon with toast and maybe hash browns. I’m a hash brown fan.

I am far too lazy in the morning to make breakfast. I brew coffee, and if I am really hungry, I throw toast or English muffins into the toaster oven. Henry always expects me to share. I usually do.

The morning is gray and dark. It rained last night and will continue raining today. The tops of the pine trees are whipping back and forth in the strong wind. When I got the papers, I was surprised to feel how warm it is. If the wind were gone, it would be long sleeve weather closer to spring than winter. My big and only goals for the weekend are to go to the dump and water my plants. I do have low expectations.

My living room is getting de-Christmased. I’ve been putting my gifts away a couple at a time. I still light the tree and probably will until it settles in its summer quarters in the cellar. The snowmen, though, will hang around for the winter, not, I hope, as inspiration for Mother Nature.

When I was a kid, I never really minded going back to school after Christmas. There wasn’t a whole lot to do at home in the cold of early January. At school, I’d get to see my friends and while away the day.

Bill and Peg, my friends with whom I was in the Peace Corps, and I talk often on the phone. They are keeping tabs on my sanity, but I’m okay for the most part except I’m bored. Still, it is good to know my friends have my back and want to make sure I stay okay.

I have never been a shoe person. When I was a kid, I had my school shoes which doubled as Sunday shoes. My play shoes were usually sneakers, but when I was older, I wanted different shoes. Sneakers didn’t do it for me anymore. I had a pair of saddle shoes. They were my favorite pair for a while. For school, I wore a uniform which included black loafers with no dimes. My shoes now are divided into summer or winter. In summer, I wear sandals all the time. In winter, I have clog slippers which I take off only for bed. I wear them everywhere. My last pair had toe holes at the top. My sister gave me a new pair, a perfect Christmas present for me.

The sun is making a break. I just saw it poke through a cloud for only a few minutes, but sadly, sun is not part of today’s rainy weather report, but I don’t really care. Snow is what I dread.