Today is lovely. It will be close to 50°, but a strong wind blows now and again chilling the air even more. The sky is mostly blue. I’m staying close to hearth and home. I have chores. Some Nala trash still litters the backyard so I’ll grab my prisoner stick and get clearing. When I walk through the House, I am ominously surrounded by dust devils. They swirl around my feet. They need to go. I’ll vacuum. The kitchen floor needs sweeping and washing. After days of ark building rain and dogs coming and going, the tile floor is covered in dog prints.

The nuns would call Nala an occasion of sin. She is a bad influence on Henry. Yesterday she brought a small branch into the house, chewed it a bit then lost interest. Later, I saw Henry with the branch in his mouth. Nooooooooo!!!

I am bored. Last night I finished my book and haven’t started a new one. I keep looking but have yet to find anything on TV to watch. I started watching but didn’t finish movies, old TV shows and even the news in case I missed anything. None held my interest. I’m still in my cozies and have no desire to get dressed. I’ll do a few chores then feel as if I’ve deserved the nap I know I’m going to take.

Once Christmas is over, Winter has little to commend it. When I was a kid, the weather determined my activities for Saturdays. On nice winter days, I would do outside stuff like skating and bike riding and sledding if we had snow. On ugly, cold, wet days, I often went to the Saturday matinee, a winter only event. I remember only two movies: The Wizard of Oz and The Song of the South. My favorite scene from The Wizard of Oz was when the house landed in Munchkin Land and everything was in color. That was jaw dropping. In Song of the South it was Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah. I always wished I was right there in the movie skipping and singing along with Uncle Remus, the three kids, Br’er Rabbit, Mr. Bluebird, the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

I just turned up the heat. I can’t seem to get warm. I’m about to layer.