The day is dreary. I got rained on when I went out to get the papers. It is a day to stay home, to stay warm and dry, to wear comfy clothes and slippers and maybe even take a nap. Henry goes in and out the dog door now, but I have to be a cheerleader urging him on. He hated me yesterday for most of the afternoon after I put his new collar on him. Every time I went near Henry he ran, ears down and body slouched.

When I was a kid, I walked to school and home again even if it rained. I didn’t have a raincoat or rain boots. Sometimes my shoes got so wet my socks sort of bubbled. I’d sit at my desk and watch the rain hit the windows. The classroom was always quiet when it rained. We only heard the drops and sometimes the rustle of pages when we read our literature books. On our report cards we got graded on silent reading. I always got an A. Getting lost in a book was easy for me. I could block out the whole world.

On Rainy Days we didn’t have recess. During lunch time, we could walk around the classroom, and we could talk without the nun shushing us. I don’t think the nuns got lunch on rainy days as they had to stay in the rooms with us. That didn’t occur to me until I was older, and I realized we never saw nuns eat except for Sister Hildegard, my eighth grade teacher, who used to sneak and eat candy bars. She once spit nuts on my paper.

When I’d get home from school, I’d immediately change out of my school clothes. On rainy days I’d often put on my pajamas. That, I guess, was the beginning of my wearing cozy clothes. My shoes I’d put under the radiator so they’d dry. When they were dried, they looked a bit like genie shoes, curled at the ends. They were stiff, and it took awhile before they got comfortable again.

During the rainy season in Ghana, I’d stay inside during torrential rainstorms but mostly  the rain was slight enough so I could go about my day. Nobody minded the rain. Nobody carried umbrellas. I loved the rainy season. The crops grew high. The grasses were green. The market was filled with produce. I could hear the rain on the metal roof of my house. It was rhythmic. It was loud. It was the only sound.