I definitely want to check this out when it comes through in June.
Why There’s a Giant Egyptian Statue on City Hall Plaza
I also want to see that huge statue soon before it disappears if possible.
The last time I saw some Tut stuff was in NYC years back.
Sanctuary visit with goats! Eustice is a lovable black and white goat. When he was very young, he loved to jump on things and that included the horse at his former home. He was severely disciplined by his caretaker. Fearful for him, the wife smuggled Eustice out and gave him to the sanctuary. Free from restrictions, Eustice could be found on top of the barn, sheds and anything else he could find. Apache being only a few months old, was found wandering on Route 140 in Norton. She was brought to Sanctaury and although she was initially very shy around people, she adapted to her new home. She is now quite friendly. These two goats love to be brushed!
I was able to install the new mailbox this morning, although I did have to improvise a little bit to match up what was done previously (not really by the book). It’ll work.
I allowed Carson into the sun room today – I think he’s going to like being out there. He’s still a little apprehensive, but all signs point to a future where he will enjoy being out there.
Other than that, it’s been reading, playing video games, and chilling out for a Saturday at home.
Visited a Little Library down in JP while doing an appointment and happened to pick up some new books for my reading agenda. Not sure how engaged I will be or if I like them or not but I’m giving them a chance:
Meanwhile I’m still getting through The Power Broker. Funny how times change – back then, expressways and thruways were all the rage whereas now they are seem as a detriment. It all depends on the time you live in I suppose. Values change.
Also had breakfast at a place called Ula which was pretty good and a hip sort of a place.
Gametime! Currently playing Tasty Jewel. It’s one of those match-3 type games but gets really interesting in the later levels.
I bought a new mailbox to replace the one out front. The door has rusted off it’s hinges and although I could repair it I think it’ll be nice to have a new one. I plan on installing it tomorrow.
I was just thinking, I haven’t noticed their being any Doberman Pinschers around, or at least I don’t see them around anymore, though I imagine they must be. I used to see them all the time but now I don’t see them at all. Have you? I’m not really a dog person anyway having grown up with cats. I haven’t seen any poodles around anymore either now that I think of it, although I don’t know why anyone would want that kind of dog to begin with. Am I wrong with these assessments?
Can’t wait! Supposed to be 62 on Saturday.
Can’t wait for spring to arrive so I can do more outdoor stuff. My amaryllis is starting to bloom, so that’s exciting. Found out another Carson oddity. You know how you play with kids and you do that hide your face game? Well, it works with him too. If you look at him and then move so as to hide your face, he gets curious where you went and has to discover for himself where you are. He’ll leave wherever he was sitting to investigate. Like I said before, quite a character.
I was somewhat saddened to hear that the No Name Restaurant in Boston had closed down after being in business for over 100 years. I had been there a couple of times over the years, but truth be told, I always did find it really hard to get to. Once you got to the area, it literally was on a working pier in the Seaport. They actually did get their seafood directly from down the pier, only a few feet from the place.
I do have one story from there though. I remember going there, don’t remember with who – probably my family, and we were seated next to this woman who had a doll with her which she placed in her own chair at the table and would order for the doll. I think she was a regular and would always order for the doll, even though the doll never took a bite of any of its food. One time the lady’s (what I assume was her) boyfriend arrived and he went along with it all. Strange thing was they arrived separately and left separately too. I always wondered if she lost a child before and used the doll as a replacement. Anyways, that’s my No Name story.
This cat has some interesting behavoirs we are finding out! He really is quite a character:
Are there any strange behaviors you’ve noticed your pet doing? Do they endear you as ours does? If so, share them in the comments!
2019 wasn’t the worst year ever, but certainly wasn’t the best for me either. I think 2020 is probably going to be a bit of a test as well, especially at the beginning, but hopefully over time things will improve.
Anyways let’s look at the bright spots. Here are some of the highlights that I can remember from 2019, in no particular order:
Losing Oreo but gaining Carson.
Visiting Blue in Newburyport in a snowstorm.
Seeing Damone perform live again. Kris Kristofferson too with/for my mom.
Baby Robins! It was a thrill every day to see how they would progress, from eggs, too little alien looking things, to growing feather, and finally saying goodbye. Their mother was amazing in her care of them.
Scoring free tickets to see Jack Nicholson in the Shining at the Somerville Theatre.
Mother’s Day Cruise aboard the Beauport Liner in Gloucester.
Remodeling the bedroom, scoring a free bike on one of the Buy Nothing Facebook groups.
Large Condo apartments being built on either side of Earth-1 property, squeezing a rose between two thorns. Ridiculous!
Michelle coming to visit and doing Alpaca Yoga with her.
Gardening game going strong, and growing “Sean”, our first pumpkin.
Going away to the Cape for a week, getting some good photos, but having to be in a different unit than usual next to the “murderers.” Not really – they were just really quiet and not sure where the rest of their party disappeared to.
Having a short stay on the Jersey shore, in an historic BnB but narrowly avoiding what could have been a massive storm!
Trying another bout of baby goat yoga at a place in Georgetown. Will definitely visit again but also will probably hit our go to place in NH as it seems their babies are really small and cute.
Waquesset Inn overnight stay.
New website design after the old system could no longer be supported.
Boston views as always:
Finally some books I read thus far in 2019:
Spent yesterday at the Museum of Science in Boston. It’s a lot more interactive than I remember it being – I guess they redid a lot of it over. I was pretty impressed actually. Lots of stuff to do there. We took in a 4D movie as well. I didn’t really know what that meant. You wear the glasses so the screen is 3D but then there are environmental effects as well. When a snake goes by on screen you can feel something slithering along your legs, when a blast of wind comes through, you can feel that to, your seat shakes and vibrates with loud noises, and you even get wet with a mist of water during rain and rapid flowing water shots. Something different for sure!
Also played a lot of Air Hockey this weekend, saw some animals at the Sanctuary, watched Home Alone and ate a ginormous pizza. I think all had a good time! I also joined a new group of fellow jukebox owners. Pretty friendly community of folks to chat with!
Spent the afternoon down in Dartmouth with friends and then decided to see the new movie “Uncut Gems” with Adam Sandler. Not quite the movie I was expecting – pretty tense – and not the ending I expected either. Was it good? Yeah, I’d say it was good but not one of my all time favorites.
Been setting up my new Fitbit watch. Pretty cool. My version of Android is too old (I really need to get the S10 in the spring/summer, but for now I can use the iPad to set things up. Overall, I’m really digging the smartwatch features.
Got some very special guests coming for the weekend, so updates might be light until I can back to the computer.
Merry Xmas all!
Had a wonderful Xmas eve and Xmas day hang out with my sister being over. Think she had a fun time too. We had an eggplant ricotta bake on Xmas eve, and then for Xmas day we made some ham, cauliflower au gratin, and a bunch of other fixings.
We created a festive milk chocolate Christmas tree kit using a kit with icing for the tinsel that you stuck the ornaments to – came out pretty good! Ended the night playing some Scattergories and watching A Christmas Story (again).
Christmas day we ate, played some air hockey, and chatted about lots of stuff. After driving her home we visited my mom and hung there for a little bit also visiting Laurel and Hardy (my mom’s crazy cats).
Returning back, we opened our gifts, and Carson played with all his new gifts too. I hope this was his best Christmas yet. He especially likes his little mouse string toy. We’ve been trying to get a good picture of him for a possible upcoming holiday card to send out. He’s so fast and active though!
I got some cool stuff too – clothes I could use and some fun stuff that I wanted – three books to read that was on my Goodreads list (The Power Broker, Highway of Tears and The Big Nine) as well a new Fitbit Versa 2! Thanks Santa!
May you have the spirit of Christmas which is Peace, the gladness of Christmas which is Hope, and the heart of Christmas which is Love!
I read this interesting article in the paper yesterday that a bunch of states were re-instituting the teaching of writing cursive. I mostly always wrote out everything in printed letters and still do so a while back I retaught myself cursive because I had found that I had actually forgotten how to form some of the letters like capital Q. The article said kids these days can’t even sign their signature, bad as I was I never forgot how to do that.
My sister is coming over for an overnight! So planning on having some nice meals and chat and games and downtime. Think it might be fun.
Transplanted my little ‘Ellwoodii’ European Tree into a bigger pot. It’s amazing how fast it dries out so I have to keep making sure the soil is moist. Also just bought an amaryllis that is almost ready to bloom. I also checked up on the bird feeder out back and noticed the usual collection of cardinals, blue jays, wrens, sparrows, woodpeckers, chickadees, finches and juncos all grabbing a snack or two.
Looked over a few little libraries in the afternoon in Waltham, since we happened to be in the area doing other stuff. Picked up a book called Status Update from inside one of them. Might be a good read although probably a little dated by this point. Also cooked up some homemade chicken soup and chili using the Instant Pot. That thing really is a wonder.
In the downtime I ended up binge watching the last few episodes of Watchmen and I’ve since changed my mind on it – it was pretty mind blowing.
Went out for a nice dinner with friends last night over in Dedham. I just wish I could shale this annoying cough I seem to have developed. I know it’s all part of the process of this cold working it’s way through my system, but annoying nonetheless. I think I’ve drunk more tea this week than I ever have in my entire life.
Carson is settling in really nice now. This new addition is making us all very happy, and I think the feeling is mutual!
I started the week feeling a little under the weather, so that’s why it’s been a little quiet around here. I am starting to feel better though so I’ll start updating again. Carson is adjusting quite well, he is really such a love and cute. The little guy has quite a personality. He loves the brush and to be groomed so if he runs away you just show him the brush and he runs right back to you. He can also be coaxed out of hiding by luring him out with his toys. I’ve noticed he also has this thing where when he wants a drink of water he scoops out 4 or 5 pawfuls and drinks it out of his paw before placing his face in the bowl. Never saw anything like that before! Now I just need to get over this cold and I’ll be golden!
Well, here he is. The newest member of the family. He was apparently already done with the room he was in and wanted to explore the rest of the house already, at least he did at 3 am last night by keeping up us banging on the door. So this morning I let him out and he’s slowly checking things out but overall I think he’s adjusting pretty quickly!
Today was the day that we were to meet Carson, the cat that had been living in a shelter in Millis for two months. I don’t know what is was about him when we saw his picture on the website but his big round eyes, dashing grey coat with white paws, and heart-shaped nose cuteness just spoke to us like he could be the one. Around noontime was the appointment and we arrived a little early. When we were finally introduced he looked a little scared at first, but not too bad. He allowed us to brush and pet him and play with him and it was almost like an instant connection. Yes, he is a bit shy and skittish at first, because it’s all new to him, but I could tell he will adjust really fast. I could tell he would be a gentle and friendly cat. Plus, he apparently loves face-scratches which is something LD had become an expert at with Oreo, so right there is a connection that could work for us. He’s shy (but I found not overly so) and he didn’t hiss or scratch, he seemed like a real catch. I knew we could love this cat and that he also has the capability to return the favor.
It was pretty much a done deal after spending some time with the little guy. Carson was getting an all expenses paid trip to his new forever home. After all the paperwork was signed, he got placed in the carrier and I let him say goodbye to his other cat friends at the shelter, who in their own way, probably felt bittersweet. Sad that he was leaving them, but happy that he could find a loving home to be in. I’m sure the volunteers who help out at the shelter felt the same way. Also, I have to say this shelter was amazing so I’m giving a plug to Purr-fect Cat Shelter. They are really a wonderful folks doing good work there so if you’re looking for cat, check them out.
So with that, I’m happy to say that Carson is now a member of the family! I’ll get some nice pictures of him up after he gets a little more adjusted to his new home, that grey and white handsome bundle of joy. Interestingly I had found a Xmas tree ornament while shopping at Target last night with his exact name on it. What are the odds of that? I don’t think that’s an everyday name but it does seem to suit him, so we’ll be keeping that. Naturally we ended up buying it, so I guess it was fate that he would be coming home with us today. The shelter folks told us to keep him in a room for the time being to adjust to his new surroundings and slowly let him acclimate to the rest of the house over time, so for the time being he’s hanging upstairs in the home office room. So far, I think he seems to be adjusting quite well – it being fairly quiet here and no other cat shenanigans to worry about.
Welcome home, Carson!
After going to some doctor appointment visits, I went ahead over to the pet store to get some new gravel, some treats, a blanket, and some pet-safe ice melt in preparation for any newcomers to the family that might hopefully find a new home here tomorrow! I had forgotten how heavy those 40 pound gravel containers can be – it’s been a while since I had to lug those around, but to be honest, I do feel it’s time to welcome a new pet into our lives. I also brought up some stuff from storage that will be getting re-used.
In my spare time I’ve been playing Ninja Rian, which has me pulling my hair out every time I perish, but it is a fun platformer. As for TV shows I had been watching, I caught the 5-episode Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover on CW, which deals with all their DC superheroes and merging all the different universes into one. If you’re familiar with the comic from the 1980s you’ll understand, (hmmm I actually have all those original issues in storage – wonder if they have any good value? At least a few hundred dollars at this point) and I’m liking it so far – part 2 being the best of the first three to me. That was also the inspiration for me way back to designate my two main places of habitation as Earth-1 and Earth-2! 🙂
I had to order some Panasonic rechargeable batteries for my home phone back at Earth-1. I had forgot that you can’t just swap in regular AAAs into the phone as it requires these kinds of batteries. I do have to say, the ones I have in there lasted a hell of a long time. Meanwhile, over at Earth-2 I had noticed one of the lighted reindeers out front wasn’t turning his head anymore. I went out there and investigated. Somehow the connection rod from the motor to the link on the neck had gotten free. Just putting it back together was all it took to make it work again. I went ahead and pulled to trigger on those Mathis tickets for my mom – early xmas gift – 5th row!
It’s officially 2 weeks away from Christmas! People ask me, “What do you want for Christmas?” and I have no ideas. Truth is I don’t really want or need anything, maybe some books on my Goodreads “to-read” list and maybe a Fitbit Versa 2 and a sweater or two, but honesty not really much if anything (!!) When I was a kid, I would like to receive presents but nowadays I get more joy from getting other folks things. I have stuff for LD all lined up (although I always want to get more – especially stocking stuffers) and I think I might get tickets to Johnny Mathis for my Mom (he’s coming to Medford in May – also Damone is doing another show in May, might get those for myself).
In the late afternoon, I walked down and grabbed the commuter rail train down to South Station to meet up with LD and attend the holiday party that her workplace was having at the Four Seasons. I had a good time, I’m glad that I was able to go, and I met some nice people that LD works with. Interestingly, we found the food wasn’t all that spectacular – previous years when it was held a the Intercontinental, we thought it was better. Also it was kinda a strange setup spread throughout multiple rooms but it was a lot of people in attendance. I got to hold a tiny bunny all swaddled up too. I may update this entry with more observations later so check back if you want to.
Have an appointment over the weekend to meet ‘Carson.’ A shelter cat we’ve had our eye on and we’ll see if he comes home with us!
The other day we decided to put the pumpkins that Squibbs had starting boring into out in the back yard. This morning this is what we saw!
Later on went to the Xmas Tree store and got some red bows and then ties them to the lighted reindeers out front. Really brings them out more I think – looks pretty good. Unfortunately I had forgotten that the Patriots were playing at home today so getting through Patriot Place was a bit of a nightmare. After that spent a little bit of time at the Sanctuary – it was really quiet but did get to hang with a few animals for a while.
I’m sweating right now helping out the cooking of salmon, tofu, chicken soup, and chili. Yes, four different dishes so we’ll be all set for the week.
I bought a tiny Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Ellwoodii‘ (Lawson Cypress). Basically a little tiny Christmas-like tree in a pot. Says you can plant it outside at some point as it can grow to 20′ tall and 8’ wide. But right now he’s just a little tiny guy living on the windowsill.