Today is a delight, the perfect fall on Cape Cod day. The sun is hot, but away from the sun the air is breezy and a bit cooler. It is flannel shirt weather at 66˚.

We had quite the audience in Hyannis. Many of them stayed the whole concert, the whole hour. I had a great time. Our chairs were in the sun and the warmth was wonderful. The crowd clapped after every song, and many of them took videos. I felt like a musician.

The Sox were unbelievable last night with two grand slams and another homer just for added effect. The next game is tomorrow. I figure poor Nala will have to wear her neckerchief again. She actually wore it until the end of the game.

When I was a kid, girls’ sports were almost non-existent. I played softball summers at the park where I pitched and played first base. When I was in the seventh grade, I played CYO basketball. I was a guard. In those days, guards couldn’t go beyond half-court and couldn’t shoot for baskets. I used to throw the ball inbound across most of the court and close to our basket no matter where I stood at half-court. The other team was usually taken by surprise. It was fun.

When I was 10, I joined the junior Drill team. We practiced Saturday mornings at the armory. I loved that building. It had wooden staircases and lots of wood in all the rooms. There were flags everywhere. Upstairs there was a huge hall like room where we practiced. I remember the floor was always dusty. The junior drill team was a feeder unit for the senior drill team, St. Patrick’s Shamrocks. I had two aunts who marched in the early days so it became a family tradition. When I joined the senior drill team, I was eleven. Many of the other members were much older, 18 and above. I remember the bus rides to competitions. I didn’t know any of the songs at first. I have no idea why, but the one song I remember is called Junior Birdman. My favorite lyric was, ” For it takes: 5 box tops, 4 bottle bottoms, 3 coupons, 2 wrappers, and one thin dime.” You had to hold the dime note, dimmme, for a while which is why I liked that lyric.

I still have friends with whom I marched close to sixty years ago. We do have occasional reunions which are always like old home week as my mother would have said. My friend Maria calls periodically so we can keep in touch. When we see each other, it is as if no time has passed. Old friends are like that.