Go slow, my life, go slow. Let me enjoy the beauty of silence, serenity, and solitude
I crossed over into a dimensional portal and got to take a selfie with some of the heroes of that world.
Could Use a Quiet Break Right Now
Category: Art
What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?
What would I tell my younger self? I feel for me it would be to figure out what’s important in life. and just let myself be, everything happens in good time.
Yesterday was an action packed day, from doing to usual day to day, to getting a rental car, to decorating a hotel room for a friend who is visiting Massachusetts, (Salem actually, uhmm that’s so nuts this time of year) it was pretty busy. I think the hotel decorating was probably the most stressful as we ran into a bunch of issues with the front desk (and it’s a place we would never ever stay at in our lives, just saying) but we got it done and hopefully the recipient was pretty surprised to see the room all decked out. Stupid of us not to get a picture of the stuff but we were pretty cramped for time.
The rental is pretty sweet though, one of those decked out Pallisades! Going on a road trip this weekend, really hope the coming storm doesn’t affect us too badly! 🤞
Bloom Boldly
Here’s a shot from the church I like to shoot now and again before I go on those bike rides.
Here’s a page from our upcoming graphic novel!
Biking and The Bridge of Happiness
Started out doing the Cambridge city bike ride but toward the end peeled off and went to the Charlestown Navy Yard to check out the massive Bridge of Happiness animal sculptures. Also got a chance to bike over the newly opened Bill Russell bridge to get there – very nicely done. I had never actually been inside the navy yard before. The USS Constitution was there but like I said, I was there to see the sculptures. I might check them out again sometime when I have more time and it’s not so crowded with families taking pictures with it. LOL. Pretty cool to see it in person, it’s pretty big.
Haven’t been much updating lately – busy busy, car shopping and a bunch of other things getting in the way.
Gametime: Wild Willy 2. If you liked Super Mario Brothers, you’ll like this with a Mickey Mouse theme.
Grab a Handful of Little Ol’ Me!
Who wants a copy of this little doll of myself?
It’s been quite the busy week thus far, IYKYK. Tonight we were supposed to go to another outdoor movie on the rooftops in Cambridge with one of our couples friends but it looks like it’s going to be raining all day, so we’ll be nixing that. It’s ok though, I’m glad we went when we did last month. (Was that only a month ago?? It seems like so long!)
Possibly more later today as it goes along…
This Fluff Festival was Fire (We Getting Burned!)
We checked out this year’s fluff fest over at Earth-1. It was it’s 20th anniversary and boy was it packed! We also brought along our friend Emily and her dog Pippa which was nice seeing as we haven’t seen her since March. We would have checked out more things but there were just too many people and some of the lines looked just way too long for us. That said, we able to score some fluff treats which were delicious including some Fluff croissant from Union Sq. Donuts and some cookies and fluff cannoli from some other vendors. Speaking of vendors, one of the ones there was the niece of one of LD’s best friends in life. I would have loved to try the product, but once again, the line was just too long. Man, they must have worked like crazy! After trudging through the festival we drove over to Revere Beach for a much more quiet hang and some sandwiches. The beach was a completely different vibe, very quiet and hardly anybody there which provided a nice balance to the day. It was also more Pippa and LD’s speed, LOL! We finally got back around dark and needed to decompress. In in all, we’re all glad we went though. It was a fun afternoon!
Currently Reading: Murder in the Dollhouse: The Jennifer Dulos Story. Another one that popped up on my Libby app. I remember seeing a Dateline about this story, but this book goes much more in-depth into the victim and her life, really tragic and sad.
Sort of a Quiet Little Saturday You Could Say
Well, I got our Powerballs in for the night. We’ll see what happens, you never know. I’d be satisfied with one of the smaller prizes actually. Still playing around with AI imagery as you can tell. Watched the Conn. Sun game this afternoon against Phoenix and it was a real good one. The Suns won’t be in the playoffs this year but the rookies they have are pretty amazing. They need some time to mature. I think if they can keep them together the team could be a contender in a few. Really excited to see how the Valkyries do as well. Yeah, I’m into the W now.
Currently Reading: Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women’s Health by J.C. Hallman. Say Anarcha excavates history, deconstructing the biographical smoke screen of a surgeon who has falsely been enshrined as a medical pioneer and bringing forth a heroic Black woman to her rightful place at the center of the creation story of modern women’s health care. You can learn a little bit more here if your interested.
A Preview of Some Good Stuff Upcoming
Got some good stuff to look forward to in the coming months. A preview of some: another movie hang on a rooftop with friends, another goat snuggling session, hanging out at a fair and hanging out with the stars from the 80s movie Stand By Me to just name a few. Looking good!
Currently Watched: Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence. What a bunch of nuts!
Fox and Flowers
You never know what you’re going to see in the back yard here. This morning we witnessed a little red fox in the yard. He quickly scurried out an opening in the fence though but it was still pretty cool to see. I finally got the remainder of the plants in the ground for the fall including a witch hazel that we had sitting around in a pot for a few months. Hopefully with a little TLC it will take and provide a nice addition.
Speaking of plants I think next year I’m going to focus almost exclusively on little flowers. Chamomile (we grew some this year), Alyssum, Lobelia (got some of those this year too), things of that nature. We’ll see!
Small Late August Update
I definitely want to take a ride sometime down to Providence again to check out the new trolls. More specifically the one by the river holding a canoe over it’s head. Then maybe a trip to Charlestown to get a pic next to some statues of a hippo and a rabbit woman playing chess. I’m kind of weird that way.
I did enjoy going to out friends pool yesterday afternoon, and playing with their dog Mollie, I needed a bit of late summer relaxation after finding out my sister was in the hospital and I visited her in the morning before. Apparently it was some kind of anaphylactic shock by the appearance of things. More tests to determine, but she’s good and out of there now so that’s a relief.
Of course after all the hanging around my exercise goals for the day was low so I had to go around the block around here a few times last night to get my steps, activity minutes, and calorie burn set to meet my goal which I did in the darkness of the street lights. I never used to care about those things but I’m on a roll having met my goal everyday for close to 6 weeks now and I don’t want to stop.
The tv finally crapped out last night. I’ll need to buy a new one. It did appear to going on the fritz lately, So that’s on my docket to get over the next few.
More later today…
Currently Reading: The Secret Life of a Cemetery: The Wild Nature and Enchanting Lore of Père-Lachaise
Umbrellas in the Skies of Newport RI
I wanted to take a jaunt over to Newport Rhode Island yesterday to check out this marketplace that has umbrellas all set up hanging above one of the walkways throughout the complex. Got some amazing deals of some hoodies and shirts while we were there, so bonus. I also learned that two of the elephants from last years migration along the Breakers are now permanently installed over at the library a few blocks down so I had to check them out as well.
On the way back we hit our favorite vegan ice cream place in Providence. They have a vegan deli next door and I tried the “fake” ham and cheese. LD found she couldn’t eat it – it was just too “wrong” but surprising I was able to chow it down just fine, which is rather unlike me. I guess there really is no replacing the real thing!
Biking the GLX Once More
Went biking along the path again this afternoon. It was hot, but it felt good to get the endorphins pumping. The pics in the middle are about 1/20th of all the cat candidates running for mayor of the bike path in Somerville. (Don’t ask me!)
Mr. History Post 15: Visiting The Real Mother Goose
It’s been a while since I did one of these. I had some extra time this afternoon to hop the subway on into Beantown to visit a very special lady. This grave in an old Boston cemetery is promoted to tourists as Mother Goose’s burial site — the 1690 tombstone of Mary Goose, first wife of Isaac Goose. His second wife, the Mother Goose who is said to have actually inspired the fictional character might be buried here too, but no one is sure.
While there I checked out a few other nearby sights, such as the Greenway Carousal. There’s a new display in Faneuil Hall towards the end of a minstrel like being. Click the pics for captions.
A Rooftop Garden Oasis in the City
I wanted to check out this rooftop garden in Kendall Square because we might see some free outdoor movie there sometime next month with another couple possibly. (Pretty in Pink, if you must know!)
I had some business at Earth-1, so after that was done I decided to bike on down there and scope it out. Found it pretty easily. Basically next to the train stop a door down from Legal Seafoods. It’s cute but small. I’d be down for hanging out there tho. Google has a huge office space there and there’s a bunch of MIT stuff.
On the ride home I trolled thru Central, passed by some places I hung out at back in the day. Although it looks pretty different now. The Middle East is where I’d see local rock acts in the early aughts like Angry Salad, Tootsie/Jaded, Waltham, and Damone. And at TT the Bears next door (long gone now).
There’s a Target in Central now??? Guess I’ve been out of the loop for a while!
Just Need Some Tasty Waves Whether Ocean or Pool
Above, another shot from Cape Porpoise, Maine. I might attempt a quick jaunt up there tomorrow morning if I can get up early enough for an event, but that’s iffy. Going to spend the afternoon today at our friend’s pool. Ahhhh!
If I Ever Make the Cover of Men’s Health
Mark stood in front of the bathroom mirror, adjusting his favorite t-shirt and let out a long, exasperated sigh. “This is just perfect,” he muttered, running his hand through his thinning hair. “Twenty years ago I could play basketball for hours, now I throw out my back reaching for the cereal on the top shelf.” He stretched gingerly, feeling the familiar twinge in his lower spine that had become his constant companion since turning forty-five. The irony of his shirt choice wasn’t lost on him as he contemplated the growing list of daily aches and pains: his creaky knees that predicted weather changes better than the meteorologist, his shoulder that protested every golf swing, and his neck that seized up from sleeping wrong on his supposedly ergonomic pillow. “When did my body become a walking complaint department?” he wondered aloud, though deep down he knew the shirt was both a badge of honor and a cry for help—a middle-aged man’s way of announcing to the world that he’d officially entered the phase of life where comfort trumped style, and ibuprofen had become a food group.
The Perfect Shirt Doesn’t Exist…Oh Wait!
This shirt embodies how I feel (occasionally!)
I did take a ride down to the Chicken on the Road food truck yesterday and it tasted just like I remembered it. Then I watched the Valkyries game and was pleased to see them play so well. Fun game.
Free Donuts
Today was National Donut Day so I made use of the opportunity this morning and got my free donut. (Is it really that free though? You did have to purchase a beverage first). Anyways, I went down to a local CVS to pick up some LD meds but they weren’t in stock yet, even though they said it would be there last night. Annoying, I’ll have to go back later tonight. Anyways, there’s a DD across the street from the pharmacy and that’s where I picked up the D. I ended up going with a maple glazed, which I had not seen at other DD establishments.
More Garden Stuff and Fence Installations
Been a crazy 48 hours between a work dinner and some other pressing things, but after it was all said and done I decided to do some lawn maintenance before the supposedly rains come again. The fence panels arrived yesterday ready to get in the ground soon, and I noticed some new things while I was out there, including new blooms of blue irises and the rosebushes out front in bloom. They aren’t fancy roses by any means but they are resilient.
Tonight I’ll chill out by getting a massage which is sorely needed and maybe grab some take out tonight as I watch the Suns try to get their first win of the season. Playing Indiana tonight but no Caitlin Clark as she’s injured.
The Garden So Far (Late May 2025)
Currently Reading: No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson
How many specimens can you name above?
Swinging into the Weekend Like…
I was able to find a book of some of Edgar Allen Poe’s most famous stories in a little library while I was hanging around, It’s been a while sine I read those. This version looks to be nicely put together, with illustrations and editorial thoughts in the margins. Afterwards we picked up some more plants, which we’ll get into their pots this weekend, along with a stone cat figure that reminds of of Carson. Probably put it near where the bunnies lay their nests in the pot as he is the protector of the baby bunnies!
Hope All HAd a Good Mother’s Day
A Little Back Yard Love going On
Yesterday was a pretty busy day! In the morning some guys we got to replace some of the falling fence panels in the back yard came by to remove the worst of the offenders. These panels are just so old and waterlogged, one even fell down. Those will be getting replaced piecemeal as time goes on. By the end of a week or two they should be done with the work. Good thing I had finally mowed the lawn a few days ago. We then had our previous massage lady come by and pick up the supplies she had left here, by now a few years ago, like her table and heater and bolster, and it was fun to reconnect. Maybe we’ll do a lunch or something in the future. We then hit the town’s garden flowers sale, something that we do every year. It wasn’t as big this year and it was a bit rainy but we got a few things. LD had a bunch of things to do while caught the Celtics game and then we planted the plants we got earlier, but then the sun had come out and it was a nice day.. We then cooked and baked some things as well, and I ordered a pizza. That’s that, a typical Saturday around here.