Today is the day: USA versus Germany. The game starts at noon, my time. Extended lunches are the order of the day. Lots of sickness going around as well. I think it is the 24 hour flu.

It was raining when I woke up early this morning. Gracie went out, did what she needed to then ran right back inside. The paper wasn’t here yet. I was reading my e-mail when I heard the thump of the paper hitting the driveway. Just then the heavens opened, and it poured. The rain seemed to be coming straight down in torrents. Gracie and I watched from the front door. Rain mesmerizes both of us.

Summer and screen doors go together. When I was young, doors didn’t shut slowly. They slammed. Every time one of us went out, the door slammed behind us. My mother always yelled, “Don’t slam the door.” If I had known the word delusional back then, I would have used it to describe her and the other mothers because all over the neighborhood you could hear mothers yelling and doors slamming.

Summer rain never kept us inside the house. Getting wet was no big deal. My mother didn’t care. She was just happy to be rid of us. We’d walk in the woods where the trees were so filled with leaves we never got too wet. Other times we’d ride our bikes, but riding bikes on a rainy day meant taking care as sand along the side of the road was slippery and would sometimes cause us to skid and fall. Other times we’d skid on purpose to leave tire tracks behind us. The longest tracks won.

I got lost twice as a kid. The first time I didn’t realize I was lost. I just thought I was exploring with my brother. My family had just moved into a new house, and my brother and I decided to check out the neighborhood. We went through the field below our house, kept walking into the woods and came out on a street just beyond where the woods ended. We kept walking. We found a stream behind some houses and stayed a while to float leaves. When we walked back to the main street, a police car stopped, asked our names then had us get in and they took us home. Our parents had gotten scared and called the police.  We didn’t know where we were or where our house was, but we didn’t care. It was the adventure which was fun. I was five and my brother was four.

The second time I got lost was at the drive-in. I was in my pajamas and robe. When I needed to go to the bathroom, I went alone. I assured my parents I’d be fine. I found the bathroom but couldn’t find the car. I roamed up and down the aisles and finally went to the refreshment stand. They called over the car speakers for the parents of Kathleen Ryan to come, and my father did. I was about six or seven.

I have the most amazing sense of direction. I never get lost even when I’ve somewhere I haven’t been before. I just somehow find my way. I don’t go to the drive-in any more.