The morning is dark and damp. During the night, it rained, and more rain is predicted. Today it will be warm, maybe even 60˚, but high wind warnings are in effect for the Cape from this afternoon into late night. I always worry about the pine trees in the backyard during heavy winds. They bend from the top and sway. I’ll keep an eye.

Yesterday I started going through the Christmas presents I’ve already bought, and I put them into individual Christmas bags. I’ll finish sorting today then figure out what I still need to buy. I’m thinking overnight from Amazon. I want my gifts on the road by the end of the week wending their ways to Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire and Stoneham.

When I was a kid, pennies, nickels and dimes were big time money. Quarters made me weep with joy. My mother used to send me for milk or bread. The two nearest corner stores were three and four blocks away. I usually rode my bike. The white store was my favorite. One of the old ladies who ran it was always behind the counter. In my mind’s eye, I can still see the glass candy display case with wood around the outside edges. It was on the right as you went inside. It always took me a long time to decide how to spend my pennies. Mostly I chose the two for a penny candies. I remember Banana Splits candy. It was a square, hard, yellow candy which was chewable but barely and only after a while. You can still find it at Old Time Candy. Yup, it is now described as Old Time. No surprise there!

I hate Alexa. I love Hey Google. This morning I asked Alexa the weather on Cape Cod. She told me she didn’t know that place. I asked her to tell me about Cape Cod. She did, but when I asked her for the local weather again, she said she’d never heard of Cape Cod. I asked Hey Google, and I got my weather report. I wish Alexa could understand me calling her vile names. She always says, “I don’t know that one.”