Hope All HAd a Good Mother’s Day
Category: Art
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.
May the 4th Be With You!
Started out the day walking a trail in Wellesley that I’d been meaning to do for quite some time but never got around to it until today. We had to be in the area so I decided to take the oppurtunuithy to get some steps in. The Fuller Brook Trail is really beautiful. Such a lovely trial to walk and enjoy.
After that I decided to treat us brunch over at The Cottage.
It was also Somerville Open Studios weekend so I decided to relive visiting the Museum of Modern Renaissance.
Make For For Ducklings with Umbrellas
Another one from yesterday,
The Museum of Ice Cream
Not generally a place we would normally check out, but we do like to shake things up and try something different now and again. This place surely was that. This was the kind of place you visit just once.
![](https://hatchetation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/491839867_10233678197792149_1307572033211940647_n.jpg "Lobster "flavored" ice cream. Meh.")
Currently Reading: The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty. I happened to see the author of this book doing a talk on C-Span after just flipping around the dial in a moment of boredom and it sounded interesting. I mean we all know the story but this traces the history back to the great-grandfather and all the previous fathers leading up to Alex. Come to find out, they’ve been pretty corrupt all along! When I saw how big it was I started to get a little daunted but the style is perfect and it’s easy to read. I recommend it, especially just to see how corrupt this family was from the start,
Mr. History Post #9: Mourning Victory
Concord, Mass. In 1897, the Boston businessman James C. Melvin had commissioned a funerary monument from Daniel Chester French to honor his three brothers who had died in the Civil War. French was a famous sculpture who has stuff all over, including Lincoln sitting in his chair in the Lincoln Memorial and the Minuteman Statue in Concord among others. The massive figure of Mourning Victory emerges from the block of stone projecting two moods: melancholy, in her downcast eyes and somber expression, and triumph, in the American flag and laurel she holds high. French captured the sense of calm after the storm of battle, which must have referred to the pride, after the sorrow of grieving, felt by the surviving brother. It’s a pretty impressive tribute.
Since I was here I also checked out Author’s Ridge which has a bunch of famous authors buried there. The list of names of famous authors who died while living in Concord is impressive. There are Thoreau and Emerson, but also Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott and her family, and William Ellery Channing, all interred near one another.
Mr. History Post #3: I’ve Got the Whole World in my Hands!
Mr. History Post #3: The Babson Globe. I figured I’d do another one of these posts. Maybe I should rename them more as curiosities than history, but what the hell, plus being a cartographer for almost 30 years, this one speaks to me. Weighing 25 tons and with a diameter of 28 feet (8.5 meters), it was the world’s largest rotating globe when it was built in 1955 but now it’s 2nd place. Still pretty freaking big though! The last pic is me being Atlas helping them move to globe to its current location a few years ago (jk!)
Mr. History Entry #2: Spin Me Right Round baby!
Mr. History post #2! I promise these posts aren’t all going to be about houses. It was just that I happened to be in the area. Anyways… This is the Robinson Round House located in Somerville Massachusetts. It was built in 1856 by hardware manufacturer Enoch Robinson and is considered an offshoot of the octagon house-style popularized by phrenologist Orson Fowler because who needs corners anyway!
Mr. History post #1 here , the oldest still standing house in America, if you missed it… stay tuned for more!
Bonus!
A pic of me exploring the colossal colon circa 2003. I was just passing through! Bringing awareness to colon cancer.
Finding Colorful Turkeys in Town
Went into Brookline today to go check out some of the turkey sculptures! After finding some of them we went to Legal Seafoods and I bought LD lunch as part of this thing I’m doing for her birthday month which is everyday I do a little something, could be big, could be small, like yesterday’s corn muffin. Sort of like an Advent Calendar of the Ladydoc! Haha! We made use of the restaurant participating in Boston Restaurant Week so that was cool. After that we got some vegan ice cream and a place next door called Van Leeuwen. I ended up getting a hot chocolate while LD got some delicious vegan ice cream flavored treats.
Seeing John Cusack Live and In Person!
As one of my xmas gifts, LD got us tickets to see John Cusack down at the Emerson Colonial in Boston. Never actually been inside that theater before although I must of passed it tons of times. There was a showing of his movie High Fidelity and he was going to talk about it after the screening. Of course my all time favorite Cusack movies are Serendipity, Say Anything, and my All-time favorite, Better Off Dead.
Was thinking it might be cool to try this beginner’s pottery wheel (one time) workshop, either with just us or maybe another one of our couples friends. Anyone out there game? Speaking of games….
Gametime: Dungeons of Deadrock (demo). Pretty cool little game. Also Part 2!
Historic Papermill Playhouse and Drumming
Finally got to check out the historic Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ and saw a great show there called “Mystic Pizza” which as you probably guessed is based on the movie/book. I could easily see this show eventually ending up on Broadway. And we can say that we saw it first, haha! I also got to play some electronic drums which I was surprised at how good the kit actually is. Kind of amazing. I also want to explore Millburn more when the weather gets better, it looks like such a cute little town.
We’ve actually been to that pizza establishment a couple of times. Might do another outing to check it with some friends sometime in the future.
The Writings on the Wall….
Currently Watching: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. So poignant, and yet uplifting in a way as well. Well done.
Love Bunnies Hopping Over a Cookie Plate
Took a jaunt over to Andover early this afternoon to pick up our latest addition to the collection – this pottery cookie plate. We don’t see this one very often, if at all, so had to grab it, and at a good price too. It’s also heavy as hell! Also dropped by a little library in the area and found a cute little book about the Velveteen Rabbit for LD. When I saw that, I knew I had to grab it for her. We’ve also been filling the libraries up with a book purge around here.
Gametime: Bash. Finished all the levels but it took me quite a but to solve the Bonus one. Felt very satisfied once I got it.
Currently Reading: The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne by Kate Winkler Dawson. I’m liking this one, such a unique concept. The author comparing and telling the story alongside another author who wrote about the incident over 100 years ago.
So Meta, An Artful House Begets an Artful House begets…
I don’t remember where I first heard about this location but I’ve driven by it at least once a week for years. More info on the actual house here https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/93191. It seems like during open studios you can actually go inside and take a peek at everything inside. I think I want to do that come May!
The house is home to a unique display of creative splendor, lovingly rendered in glass and found objects . Anyway a while back they added this little Friend Smithsonian Museum to house different art projects. At this particular time one creative artist decided to replicate the actual house including all it’s various artworks in miniature form. It’s really quite amazing. If you look in the bottom right corner, there’s a copy of the museum with a model of the house again ad infinitum!
Here’s a better picture actually that I didn’t take with the covering taken off: https://www.cambridgeday.com/2025/01/26/miniature-masterpiece-detailed-replica-brings-martha-friends-house-to-life/
Listen to the Lady
She was made by me in AI.
An observation: When you’ve been walking around in the cold in 4 degree weather all day, 20 degrees feels downright balmy!
Ahhh….Refreshing!
When you want something refreshing, check me out on Instagram!
Winter Doldrums
We are definitely in the doldrums of winter, and I am feeling it every day now. I am getting very tired of this bitterly cold stuff, and it is getting old. The weeks seem to go on forever, and it’s only Thursday? But I am getting excited to visit my old pal Lenny on Friday! I am looking forward to seeing him again – wonder if he remembers me? It has been quite a while.
Here’s a pic from about 10 years ago when the weather was a lot warmer!
BusyBody
Been a busy couple of days with a friend coming over to visit for one of the days and doing a ton of baking and cooking things. Here’s some other shots from the last few days. January is usually slower time of year for me because I like to do outdoor things but it may be too snowy or cold to do so. That said, there does appear to be some cool things coming up that I am looking forward to.
Today actually ended up being kind of a crappy day, between LD needing to get to an emergency dental appointment this afternoon and has to go back tomorrow, to me waiting in two CVS’s for the prescription, to her car not starting anymore and probably needs something. Well, tomorrow is another day!
Follow My Socials!
Remember you can always follow me on my social accounts like Insta. I tend to post to those first before posting them here because it’s usually quicker and more convenient for me in the moment. I do tend to be more in depth on here though,
My Top Life Moments from 2024!
The Year in Review
In no particular order this year because how could I rank them, each one was awesome in it’s own way. Actually the last one I mention was probably the best. Can you guess what it was before scrolling all the way down?
First Up, Baby Bunnies born in the flowerpot on the deck, again!
I awoke, to my utter surprise one morning, to notice that three baby bunnies had been born in the same old flowerpot that previous generations of buns had been born in, running around the deck, in between the various pots. I suppose we were first alerted to their presence when we realized that Carson never came up to the bed last night. He was watching the bunny action apparently. We put out some carrot strings in the afternoon and by early evening, they were eaten, most likely by the one bunny that is still hanging around, although after today, I would imagine it will be on it’s way to it’s life’s adventure.
Visiting my first Salt cave Experience!
We had a “free” couple of days to stay at the Cape which we obtained last summer so we finally decided to use it up this weekend. So back down to Earth-3 we went. (Earth-3 being the place down the Cape that we regularly stay at – a time share that we have). So we arrived Friday night and we ended up using a gift certificate to a local restaurant that we’ve gone to a bunch of times and got rid of that. (The gift certificate was also a “freebie” since they messed up our later last time and this was the way amends were made). So that all worked out quite well.
Some other fun things we got to do on this mini-vacation was, as usual, our multiple visits to the Chocolate Sparrow, a place we love to get our treats from. We grabbed a brunch from a place called Grumpies and they weren’t grumpy at all. In fact, I’d say the food was actually really good. I would go back there. We got much needed massages from a lady we know down there who is amazing, and those felt really good. Late Saturday night LD got me a surprise experience, my first, being in a meditative salt cave. So that was pretty cool. The weather wasn’t all that great, a bit rainy at times and quite windy which made the air very cold, but nature is nature! We used the down time to catch up on some of our reading.
The Saco Maine Getaway Pre Prelude!
This was being back from a relaxing weekend getaway in Saco and Kennebunkport Maine. The sunrises in Saco were amazing and we stayed in the cutest little Airbnb right on the water. Would stay there again for sure! On Small business Saturday KPT had all these sales if you wore your pajamas so that’s what we did! Oh, we met up with our pal Em to hang out this weekend as well, and we got to meet Boomer and Pippa (not shown) again! A lot of shopping and laughs were had. It’s not as busy there as it would be during prelude but it’s pretty much the same vibe more or less so in some ways it’s better. Again, it was fun hanging out with Em, and the dogs with her pops, and again, the amazing sunrises right on the water. Thankfully it wasn’t even that cold, considering. It was nice to be able to have a little getaway to take a break from all the stressors of life.
You can click the pics below for a bigger version. There’s a new version of the gallery tool now even though I preferred the old one but that currently isn’t working with the latest update so I have to use this. The snow globe I climbed in could have been inflated more (thanks town!) and a quick side trip to OOB didn’t really add too much but KPT is always top notch. Ultimately it’s all about the views, the scenery, the friends and the laughs. Oh, the pajama Saturday shot of the three of us was actually taken by someone on the Chamber of Commerce pages for the towns of Kennebunk, KPT, and Arundel so we’re also on those websites. That wasn’t a planned thing, the lady just saw us and wanted to post us!
Oh, and yes, I am wearing Pac man pajamas and believe it or not, I actually got quite a lot of comments on compliments on then from many different people!
Visiting the Island of Nantucket with Great Friends!
Finally got to revisit Nantucket, it had been about 10 years since the last time we went and never over top this particular side of the island.
I loved the Sconset Bluff Walk. This trail is truly loaded with beautiful views. It makes me so happy I got to walk along it! The experience is constantly changing. One minute you’re walking through a quiet neighborhood, the next you’re passing through a yard and the next you’re walking under a canopy of trees. Flowers, birds, pathways to the water, and places to stop and take in the scenery are in abundance. This walk can be quick or long, depending on how much time you have. It’s a great place for a leisurely stroll or a more invigorating hike. Either way, you’re sure to enjoy the stunning views. I sure did!
I have to also express my gratitude to our wonderful hosts who were so kind to invite us to spend a few days with them on this beautiful island. They were so kind and generous with their time and hospitality, and I really appreciate it. We thoroughly enjoyed the beach, seeing the sights, and all the great meals and places we got to see like the Brotherhood and Millie’s and Claudette’s. I hope we can repay the favor one day.
I’m also so grateful for the opportunity to visit the rose-covered cottages in Nantucket. The winding lanes and idyllic scenery transport you to a simpler time. Each cottage has its own unique blend of architecture and blooming roses, which make it a one-of-a-kind experience. The smell of roses and salty sea breeze (and it was pretty breezy at times!) is a relaxing combination that invites visitors to immerse themselves in the serene beauty of Siasconset. It was a perfect place to slow down and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Pig Yoga? You Read That Right!
So much fun! I was surprised at how fun it actually was! Then it was an afternoon by the pool, a night of grilling and doing a fire pit. Beautiful day! One of LD’s childhood friends came up and did it with us while she was visiting, along with some other activities over those few days in the summer.
Rhode Island Trolls and Elephants!
For my Birthday LD and I got to check out some amazing sights in the beautiful coastal areas of Rhode Island. First up, was a drive down to the charming community of Charleston, RI, a place we had never been. We were there to see the trolls Greta and Erik. There’s a bunch of these trolls up in Maine at the Botanical gardens, which I may get to check out and some point, but these two are newer and closer. I had a little bit of a hard time finding Greta, but LD, with her amazing tracking skills, was able to locate her pretty quickly. A nice woman who works at the senior center there nearby gave us some great tips on where to go and find them! (Each picture below is clickable to see a larger version).
We were going to eat at a local place in Charleston but after a while that didn’t seem like the greatest idea so we headed over to Narraganset and ate at a place called The Coast Guard House, which amazing is literally right next to the Towers in a building that used to be a Coast Guard Life Saving Station back in the 1880s until the 1940s. The views there are amazing and the food was excellent, also the prices weren’t that bad! (I did get a little tipsy again on some drinks).
Then it was off the beautiful town of Newport to check out the installation of the elephant migration. We ended up going to the ones at Salve Regina University, although there’s some at the Breakers and a couple of other locations. The amount of detail on the elephants is truly amazing! We spent quite a bit of time there, plus it’s right along the cliff walk which is beautiful.
We finished off the day with a giant pizza! What a great day! Today I’m off to my very first ever reflexology appointment – we’ll see how that goes!
Oh, I almost forgot! I got some great gifts too! A Dunkins gift card from our friend Em, a foot massager, some capybara socks and a capybara shirt (I love capys!) , and some more fireflies to help light up the night in the back patio!
Giant Hungry Hungry Hippos!
This game was amazing, have to see if one exists in our area and if so need to get some pals on board to challenge us!
A Summertime Family Visit
Family came to visit this particular weekend. Sort of an impromptu visit but it was a good one. Friday night I grilled and we did a firepit as everyone got settled. Saturday we went to the DeCordova Museum in the afternoon to check out some sights, get some photo ops, etc. The hearts are the best thing there in my opinion but that slanted house which is a newer installation was also pretty cool. Naturally we had to pose with it, along with some other installations. Had pizza in the afternoon at the hotel, and then headed to the beach in the late afternoon for some swim time. I think the dog had the best time of all!
Sunday was another low key day, breakfasts and then I watched the dog while everyone went to the pool to cool off and/or exercise. I will say the dog was extremely well behaved and such a pleasure to be around. Such a sweet dog. Not sure how Carson felt about everything but he got through it. Late afternoon was another grilling session, LD and one guest helped with some amazing sides, and even had the landlady down the street over to join.
All in all it was a pretty amazing time! Go figure!
.I will admit, I am a little fried at the moment. Geez, it’s tough to get older!
Getting to Meet and Hold ‘4-Day!’
Hanging out with these baby goats this afternoon at a place in Northborough, Massachusetts was simply, “Baaaaaaa-mazing!” The goat from the video below we were told was only 4 days old! He has quite a set of lungs on him! Another goat also got to biting my ear, which while kind of funny, also hurt a teeny bit! And then a third goat fell asleep in my arms- she was a sweetheart. We did get an amazing picture and video out of it all!
Honorable Mentions before we get to the Final!
I’ll just link the entries here because this post is getting WAY too long!
- Meeting Molly the Puppy Dog for the first time!
- Visiting a Cat Café in Rhode Island!
- Making my first Bunny Cake!
- Diane’s Goodbye Party at Emerson!
- Checking out the Purple Sands at Revere Beach!
- Checking out the scenes of a heinous crime from the past! (no link for this one, sorry.)
- Kite Festival!
- Cambridge City Spring and Fall Bike rides (You better do it with me this year Em if you read this!)
- Picnicking with Alpacas!
- Multiple visits to our friends’ new pool in the summer!
- NJ Alumni Reunion trip for LD
- Cape Cod week with LD and Em! (Here and here and here and here!)
- Celebrating July 4 with Liz!
- Pizza Cupcakes for the Birthday!
- Revere Sandcastles visit!
- Walpole Ducks!
- MiniGolfing with pals!
- Wilson Farm Pumpkin Wall!
- Fashion Dresses with Em!
- WNBA stuff! (Still going to root for the Suns this year – maybe see a game live?)
- Mt. Auburn Visit in Autumn
- Old Amusement Park in Rhode Island!
- Running with Charlie along the beach!
…But the Bestest Moment Has to go to….
We got to partake in an amazing experience, getting to cuddle and play with a pair of capybaras! I love them! Their fur feels like straw. I never thought in a million years I’d ever be able to play with a capybara, let alone two. I remember seeing this animal in a zoo a few years ago and only learned about their existence a few scant years ago. To me, they seem to be the next up and coming “big thing.” We also go to see a wallaby which had a baby popping it’s head out of her pouch every now and again, which was cool to see, and a special cat, some yaks, alpacas and, of course, some goats, but the capybaras were the stars of the show for me! We were lucky to even get into this experience as it is currently very limited but I hit it just right and was able to get us access. The location of all this wonder was down in Mattapoisett, a town down on the southern coast. It was a bit chilly.
I’m definitely going to visit them again this year and get even more interactive with them.
Some of the best books I read last year were:
- The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi
- Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
- There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America’s Biggest Catfish
- On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service
- The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels
- Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
- A Murder in Wellesley: The Inside Story of an Ivy-League Doctor’s Double Life, His Slain Wife, and the Trial That Gripped the Nation
- Sociopath: A Memoir
- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
- My Effin’ Life
I hope you all enjoyed looking through some of our memories from the past year, I know I have. Let’s hope 2025 has some good ones too.
If you still haven’t had enough you can check out some previous years:
All Lit Up for the Holidays
This house in Somerville always does up their holiday lights like crazy.
The Solstice Viewing That Wasn’t
Started the day by making lemon orzo soup again! Great day for it as it’s been snowing all day. The star of tonight’s show though was attending the SOLSTICE EVENT this evening down at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge. Unfortunely when it was time to go it really started snowing pretty heavy here. We gave it the old college try but took forever just to get to the highway and then that was backed up like crazy. So we decided then and there to abort the mission. It was becoming too stressful and might even be dangerous. Kind of sucks because it’s hard to get tickets but there’s always next year. We were supposed to meet up with some friends there who actually did brave the snow and got there but they were in the car for like 3 hours. So below would have been some cool pics from the event but since we couldn’t make it, there aren’t any.
Currently Reading: Tits Up: What Sex Workers, Milk Bankers, Plastic Surgeons, Bra Designers, and Witches Tell Us about Breasts by Sarah Thornton and Oh, the Pics That You’ll Post! by Maiana Rose. That ought to finish out my year of books read. I’ll do a post of my favorites I read this year along with my usual top ten or so moments from the year. I already starting looking a little bit about what I’m going to post but that probably won’t see the light until after the new year so stay tuned for that.