I just happened to notice today a couple of mourning doves nesting over behind a basketball hoop in the neighbor’s driveway. I had never seen a mourning dove nest before, so watching this is actually pretty cool.
The kitchen remodel is moving along really quickly. Yesterday all the old cabinets and countertop and sink and so on were removed and today was some more of that along with getting some more of the flooring squared away and getting ready for the new bottom cabinets to be placed, etc.
For lunch today I decided to hit the local BK and try out that new promotion they’re having with a tie in to the Spiderman Spider verse movie. Essentially a whopper with a red and black bun. It was pretty much just a Whopper.
With a red bun.
I did like it. I just wanted to get in on the novelty.
Currently Reading: On to Book #26 of the year that I’ve read so far. Decided to take it back to the Victorian Era once again this time around. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper. They were more than just names of victims, they were real people and they deserve to have their dignity. These women’s lives had value regardless of their circumstances in life and their life stories are worth being told.
Reservations finally came through for a little get together at a fancy tea house to help celebrate our anniversary. The food was great! I ended up going with a white tea called the Bartlett Pear which consists of White tea, pear, apple and peach pieces, pear flavor, nutmeg, cinnamon, white cornflowers, peach flavor. I must say it was quite good, very pleased with my choice. We were seated in the cutest little room, very pink and very Marie Antoinette-ish, for my lack of a better description.
We actually made it past midnight and got our names into the Lowes freebie which we’ll be able to pick up later in May. They did something like this a couple years back where there was a different free gardening thing every week but you had to register at midnight and the site would always be blocked up with traffic so it would be hard to get access, but this time I was able to get in no problem.
Today was spent cleaning out some of the kitchen cabinets in anticipation of the new work going to be done soon. Basically making three piles, stuff we keep, stuff to give away, and stuff to trash. We need to go get some newspaper though to store some of the glass items in for protection. Might go out and do that later today. While we were in the process of doing that, LD noticed that a mother rabbit was creating a new nest for babies over on the side deck. Not the greatest place to put one since we come in and out of that door all the time, but momma is going to do what momma wants!
We’ve taken to naming this mother bunny Katherine. I’m not sure why but LD came up with it and we’re going with it. Hopefully she’ll go along with this nest and maybe we’ll be able to see some bunny babies again soon. They are so cute!
Momma bunny in action!
Yesterday we got some pizza from Bertucci’s because we noticed we had some pretty good coupon deals that we needed to use since it was expiring today. I’m definitely loaded up on carbs this weekend, getting two large eggplant topping pizzas!
Currently Watching: Pretty Baby on Hulu, the Brooke Shields story.
I’m always looking to find the beauty in everyday locations
Yard work today but instead lazy loaf in the sun. I did move a bunch of stuff out from the cellar to the shed so it wasn’t just a day of nothing, but I did end up spending a bunch of time in a chair just sitting soaking up some sun and even doing a couple of crossword puzzles. Maybe tomorrow morning I’ll head down to the home improvement store and get going on some things I want to accomplish. In the meantime, enjoy this picture I took of a bench just around the Wellesley Town Hall building, which was also the former home of the doctor who first used ether to lessen pain during procedures!
I put my name into that class action lawsuit that’s going around regarding facebook. Probably will only amount to a couple of dollars when all is said and done, and the lawyers will make out huge, but it’s better than nothing I suppose.
I made some shallot fritters tonight, basically just slice the shallots thin and break them up, cover them up in a concoction of tempura mix and water, and then just fry them up in a pan with a lot of canola oil. Maybe not the healthiest, but pretty tasty.
Sunset Baby Goat Snuggles tomorrow! Stay tuned for updates!
We took a quick jaunt out to Revere Beach yesterday afternoon for some roast beef sandwiches. It was a bit cool and breezy as the temperatures went back to what it should be normally for this time of year. I must admit having hit the 90s the other day was a bit too early and too hot. Getting there took a little bit of extra time though as Boston was super busy with the Celtics in a playoff game, the red Sox playing at Fenway, and everybody in town for the Marathon.
Other than that highlight, it was a pretty non descript day.
Oh, in plant news, I somehow kept the orchids we got last September alive throughout the winter, and now one of them is even starting to bud again. Major victory for my amateurish green thumb I would say.
Probably wasn’t the best idea to spend a good part of yesterday doing a bunch of yard work with a hyperextended thumb, but I really wanted to trim back some dead vegetation from the prairie area, along with a bit of the rose bushes out front, and an old butterfly bush I planted a couple years back that pretty much started taking over everything.
I was also super busy yesterday performing a ton of errands, like bank runs, office mail pickups, getting gas, dealing with some bills, etc. By the end of the day I felt pretty physically tired. I still need to buy some birdseed for the feeder out back and some more yard waste bags.
I still did find time by the end of the night though to cook up some souvlaki Greek-style chicken with a garlic-cucumber crema and lemon feta potatoes, which actually came out pretty good.
I’m not sure what I did to my shoulder, but last night I noticed it beginning to hurt a little. As I woke up this morning, it was difficult for me to get comfortable in the bed because it kept slightly bothering me. I’m hoping that moving around today will help it return to some degree of normality, but I believe that what it truly needs is a really good rub. However, my massage therapist is already booked for the near future, so I guess I’ll just have to put up with it. I was able to complete some yard work yesterday before it got cool and cloudy, mostly bagging up leaves from the patio areas. Could this be the reason why I hurt my shoulder a little bit? Maybe so.
Moreover, work has begun on the kitchen’s renovation. The process is proceeding quickly in that direction. We went out in the rain to a local place that deals with kitchen cabinets and things of that nature to get a feel for what we’ll be looking at, getting the concepts organized and choosing specific items, such as new cabinets, etc. To be honest, we think it truly needs an update and that it will look fantastic once it is finished. More to come as that gets going.
Speaking of kitchen things and all I had been keeping my eye on a new non-stick oven safe pan, so we simply got one. Some of the recipes I prepare state that I would benefit greatly from a pan that is also oven safe. The nonstick cookware we now have is fantastic, but it’s not intended to be used in the oven, so I’m forced to use a cast iron skillet, which is typically OK but is not nonstick, making cleanup a bit of a pain. Cast iron skillets are also a little weird to me, even with the correct maintenance. This Ninja design, in my opinion, will be effective. Plus it’s a little smaller than what I’m currently using so I imagine it will be a bit lighter to handle. The one I use now is a little on the heavy side.
I’ll never get tired of visiting or viewing the Nubble.
Tall, steady beacon
Guiding ships through stormy seas
Lighthouse, steadfast friend
How did you like my little lighthouse haiku there? Not too shabby. Also this pic I took of the Nubble was from a little while back, but I still love the way it came out.
Today I started out with a trip to Wegman’s to pick up some groceries. Then later on in our travels taking care of some errands and getting out of the house to enjoy the sunny spring weather, we noticed the local school baseball team was doing a car wash so we had the ball players wash the car. The cost was whatever you wanted to donate, so that was cool. The car really needed it!
Most of the afternoon was spent taking a trip over to Jordan’s Furniture to look for a sofa bed and maybe get some other ideas for the office. Really want to find a sofa bed which they didn’t seem to have although there were some cute little loveseats, which may be a possibility. One thing we noticed while there is that apparently there’s now a Montilio’s Bakery and Pizzeria inside! We were a little thrilled to see that because we loved the food from the Quincy location. We were on the verge of buying some food there, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth the wait, so we left and returned home after donating some books to some small local libraries that we had been hoarding for months. a phase of the recent spring cleaning binge.
Instead for lunch we ended up having some shrimp cocktail that we had gotten the other day so we wolfed that down instead, and afterwards I made some Tofu for LD for eating later in the week for lunches.
I guess we maybe thought we would do more today, but we ended up using the rest of the day to relax. It is Sunday after all! For dinner I did bake a three cheese butternut squash lasagna which I think I’m rather proud of!
Today was spent filing my taxes, which is always enjoyable to do. While I generally finish it by mid-February, this year was probably the latest I’ve ever started. However, I wanted to be sure I had all the necessary paperwork.
Spring Crocuses
I went down to the post office this morning to get some mailing materials. LD plans on shipping out a couple of things so I had to make sure all the required packaging is ready.
Yesterday we tried looking for some of those bunny planters but came up empty at the Trader Joe’s at Gillette Stadium. I plan on going to Somerville toward the end of the week, so if I have time I might try to hit the one down there at Assembly Square and see if they have them in yet. While I’m there I might also try to pick up some Union Square Donuts because the ads they’ve been showing me lately have got me wanting to try some of their more interesting creations.
I’ve started to place some of the plants outside that I’d been trying to keep alive inside during the winter. I think the weather will be warm enough now for them to be out there. I’ll probably head down to the Home Depot later today and pick up some leaf bags because there’s a bunch of leave detritus I want to get rid of and trim some of the foliage in the front of the house. Spring cleaning time.
Speaking of spring cleaning, we did clean out a couple of closets and some of the stuff in the basement, making progress on those tasks. In the evening we made a lot of meatballs.
Currently Reading: Born To Run, by Bruce Springsteen, and The Icepick Surgeon, a book about scientists who did things that weren’t all that ethical. And also The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math from One to Infinity. So I guess you could say I’m on quite a reading tear so far this year.
I was so happy this morning when I saw a bunch of robins frollicking all around the grass in the driveway. I always see this as a sign of spring.
Today being St. Patrick’s Day I wanted to wear something green, until I realized that I really don’t own any green clothing, except for maybe a Celtics hoodie. Green’s just not my color. We did get some corned beef dinner though and also LD was able to procure some Irish soda bread from a gym friend as well. The one time all year that I actually eat corned beef.
We had guests come over yesterday so we baked a bunch of things, plus we had a bunch of ingredients and things we needed to use up so why not cook them up and eat them?
The “mousse”
First up, Blondie brownies and after that butternut squash using the Instant Pot which was then created to be used in a mousse (using a recipe we obtained from the waitress from the Capital Grille that we visited last week), although we did order takeout for dinner and had salads and burgers from a place I hadn’t been to in years and went to only once in town, called Colonial House. It’s sort of tucked away in a residential neighborhood on a side street. The kitchen is literally right there by the entrance when you go in, which I find odd compared to most restaurants where the kitchen is in the back, but it’s okay. Surely a location the locals would be familiar with, as I think most people not from the area would have trouble finding it or even learning of it. We devoured delectable cupcakes for dessert after the main courses, but I believe we overindulged because by the end of the evening we felt a little stuffed. I hadn’t consumed so much food in a while.
Today we also roasted some Delacota squash (I don’t think I’ve ever had this type pf squash before, come to find out, I felt it tasted like butternut squash, with the added benefit of that you can eat the skin which made prep so much easier) , and LD and I also made some cashew based vegan-ish cheddar broccoli soup! A new recipe, one we’ve never tried before, first time! Result? It’s actually not bad. If you’re interested you can find the recipe we used here. (We actually ended up using the Instant Pot because we felt it was easier, you can find details about that preperation further down the page in the comments section.)
It’s nice seeing the daffodils and tulips leaves starting to bust up through the soil. Spring is so close now I can feel it! It makes me so happy I’m wetting my plants!
Have you noticed how recently it seems like everything in our nation is failing? The supply chain is horrible, certain financial institutions are struggling, the medical system is in disarray, the airlines are all in trouble, trains are derailing, the mail sucks, etc. I simply have the impression that things are becoming worse over time when they ought to be getting better, but I don’t really see anything noteworthy being done to address the problems. Is it only me? Am I overreacting?
Today was my first day on the beat, and it was pretty successful, although I am a little tired now, understandably so. However, for dinner I rallied and made some Chicken Sausage Parm Meatloaf with a broccoli salad which I thought actually came out pretty good. Got to regain all my strength after today!
Sunday hang brushing goats and visiting animals followed by a shamrock shake in RI
Early in the afternoon we decided to take a trip to the Sanctuary to drop off some food for the animals and we ended up staying there for a bit. Had to get in some goat brushing time after all. After hanging there for about an hour or so we headed down to Rhode Island, since it was only a half hour away from where we were, to get some vegan shamrock shakes that I place that we like was having as a March special. Minty green soft serve topped with shopmade whipped cream and gold glitter, and it was delicious!
When I went to work yesterday morning I noticed one of my headlights went out. If it’s not one thing it’s another. I’ll try to get that addressed as soon as I can. Also been playing a couple of mega millions tickets but so far, nothing. Had to try though. On a brighter note, I did cook up what I thought was a pretty good risotto dish last night and paired it with some shrimp on the side which was not part of the recipe.
To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold.
We began taking down the holiday decorations, including the tree, today and last night. I also performed a lot of cleaning and reorganizing. We decluttered, organized, donated food to the community pantry, and even stopped by a little library in Canton where I picked up a new book to read called The New England Grimpendium. It is essentially a guide to macabre attractions in New England. Maybe one day I’ll visit a few. I’ll be reading a book about atrial fibrillation as well.
Just me in January
We’re trying to use the Instant Pot to prepare a very sizable chuck roast for supper. We’ll have to wait and see. I don’t think I’ve ever had chuck roast, but it was included in a butcher block package we received quite some time ago, so we felt we should use it up. Update: it came out pretty good!
Thought it would be fun to list what I felt were the top ten moments of my life from 2022!
It wasn’t easy coming up with this list and truth be told, with the exception of maybe the top two, any of these could be in any order. I’m sure I’m missing some things as well here and there, but these are the moments that stood out the most to me from the past year. As usual the images I’ve taken during the year helped me to remember and capture some of the moments. You can click on the smaller ones to see a better view. And now without further ado, let’s get right to the list!
Number 10: Visiting Cameron the baby goat on Easter!
Yes, Cameron was born on Easter, and that white goat which you can see in the left hand bottom corner of this photo is Mira, his mother, which is short for Miracle because when she was a baby she almost didn’t make it. She’s turned out to be an amazing mother to her baby – it was fascinating to watch. So Cameron will be a year old come April of next year. Sadly, we learned that his mother passed away since from eating too many turnips of all things.I would like to see how big Cameron has gotten though, maybe in the spring we’ll get a chance to revisit.
Number 9: My Birthday Trip staying at a Treehouse!
I never saw this one coming!
Thanks to LD I got to be hanging in an Airbnb in Dover NH that had an actual treehouse overlooking the scenic Piscataqua River, watching baby robins being fed by their mother in another tree in the back yard, getting clean in the shower that had two showerheads almost opposite each other which was really cool, grabbing burgers at the BRGR Bar in downtown Portsmouth, getting some shots over at the Nubble, hanging out and swimming at Long Sands beach, eating clams at Bob’s and probably some more things that I can’t remember right just now, but the memories that do stand out to me will be with me forever. It was pretty cool watching the sunset over the river from the top of the treehouse. Hey, I grew up in the city, we didn’t have any treehouses! Especially not any as large as this one was.
Number 8: New Glasses for the Win
I finally got a chance to head on over to the eye doctor for some new eyeglasses this year. I’ve had the ones I’ve had for quite a while and I felt it was time for a change, plus I wanted to get progressives since the way my eyes are currently working these days. It was good to see that my eye health in general is pretty optimal, only a stronger prescription for my near sightedness was needed, which is what I suspected and hoped. Like I said, it was time for an updated look! They’re Versace to boot!
Number 7: February Cape Trip / Orleans House
After travelling down this very narrow private dirt trodden road we had arrived at where we would stay for the weekend at a rather luxurious house on Namequoit Point in South Orleans, Cape Cod. It was all very quiet and rather dark in the cold winter night, although you could see the beauty of the stars above without any light pollution. Once inside I was impressed with the rooms, one with a very large television set, and a cute little day bed to go along with the master.
After a relaxing evening with some wonderful clam chowder and a cod dinner from a place we like down here called Mac’s and a visit to our old standby the Chocolate Sparrow for some hot chocolates I rested up in order to try to get up before sunrise the next day. As the sun was rising, which you could see out the gorgeous picture window opposite the bed, I got to see various birds visit the feeder that was placed just outside. A good selection of black capped chickadees, song sparrows, tufted titmice, mourning doves, and a red squirrel or two, who seemed to have realized that all they could hope for was droppings from the birds above them. Later in the morning we decided to explore down to the Point, past the boathouse with it’s various canoes and kayaks laying outside awaiting the summer days. Although it was a pretty windy day, the sun was shining brightly on the bay and we took a slew of various photos. We walked in the sand all the way out to the tip of the point and have the photos on our phones to prove it. Among the sea gulls and horseshoe crabs that lay on the beach there was a cool looking petrified tree that we photographed ourselves with. I’m kicking myself because while I was packing for trip I had forgot to big my main camera and only remembered it after we were on the road for forty five minutes so I had to make do with my cell, which thankfully does take pretty good pictures and I usually will use just as an adjunct but I’m still angry with myself for forgetting my main equipment.
For breakfast we went to a place we hadn’t been to in a while called Jo Mamas (what a name, right?) that does does a really decent breakfast sandwich. I thoroughly enjoyed mine. After some more bit of relaxing I decided to see if I could get any possible sunset shots from the area whilst LD went off to get a much needed massage. The sky started to look a bit ominous though as perhaps it might rain or even have a possible snow squall. As four in the afternoon came by I looked out the window. It looked like the wind had died down considerably which was blowing quite hard for most of the day, but the clouds in the sky were getting heavier and thicker and more gray with each passing moment. It was beginning to look like there wouldn’t be any really cool pink cotton candy sky colors like there were last night. Instead it would look like various shades of puffy white and gray, which can be interesting in it’s own right. The clock said 4:17 and this time as I looked out the picture window I could see that snow had started falling blowing around in the wind. The flakes looked pretty big as they blew sideways from right to left across my view. Sunset was at 5:18 pm, I had decided that I will wait until five pm and then if it’s rather nasty out that I would give up on this particular quest. There will always be another time, plus I’m just not as young as I used to be so I have to be careful and be smart.
Five o’clock had arrived. it was still lightly snowing out and the sky was gray. I knew I wouldn’t get any colorful sunset shots tonight but I thought it might still be cool to see the Point with the snow falling on the sandy beach so I decided to take a quick trip out the back door and down the hill to the beach. Just as I was putting on my jacket I noticed that somehow a red squirrel had managed to somehow get past the blocker and found himself inside the feeder with the seed. Industrious little fellow! I zipped up my jacket, donned my hat, and headed out the back door. When I approached the feeder the squirrel proactively took off like a rocket even though I had no real intention of shooing him away, I just happened to be passing by. Down the hill back I went, past the boat house and onto the spit of a beach and grabbed a couple of shots real quick and called it a night for my photo adventures for the day. I got back just as the sky was turning dark, although it had looked like it was starting to have a pinkish kind of quality to it but I had already decided to stay put. Also by this time I had noticed that the red squirrel had come back and this time I watched him acrobatically jump from the ground, onto the cone that was supposed to keep them away and from there right into the feeder. To the winner goes the spoils!
For dinner LD was kind enough to pick up some take out on her way back from her massage. I had decided to get a juicy cheeseburger and she got a chicken along with a salad and we shared both! Then it was just a quiet night of more relaxing and enjoying the moments of each other’s company.
Number 6: Lavallette Visit/Yonkers NY
Spent a few days down in Lavallette, NJ at a Airbnb, in fact the same one we stayed in last year at this time. It’s a great location and a pretty good place to hang out. We had a some family stay overnight with us at the beach house and I do think they all had a fun time. We were able to see two sunsets (all three days had gorgeous weather), a full moon one night, and even whales breaching right off the shore. It was quite the sight to see, especially since they were so close to the shoreline. There’s a picture out there of one literally right next to a surfer, like he could touch it with his hand, it was that close. Had some good food (some takeout but we also made some stuff and gobbled that all down over the time stayed). We were able to enjoy the takeout meals while seeing the sunset at the end of a neighboring pier. The following night, we had our guests picked up by driving them to the JBJ rest stop area so that we wouldn’t have to travel all the way back to the Airbnb because we were spending an additional night. There were some amazing pictures taken there of LD belting out the hits with the guests. It was a really fun time!
We had a late checkout the next morning, so we took our time, ate breakfast on the beach at a local coffee house we like called Lava Java, and enjoyed a little more time at the beach as the sun was feeling quite wonderful. As we were about to return to Boston, we decided to take a detour and visit our old friend Chris and his two young girls in Yonkers, New York. There was a park right next door where we could all hang for a bit outside and the kids could play in the meantime. Beautiful looking children too. Quite a whirlwind of a weekend! As LD likes to say #livingalifeIdontneedavacationfrom!
Number 5: Spring Lake “Hut” Stay
Hard to believe that this was even this year, for some reason to me it seems so long ago! We stayed at an Airbnb in the cutest little tiny house (500 square feet!) right by Lake Como in New Jersey. Spent most of the morning getting there but it wasn’t that bad at all. We had dinner with a friend at a place by the shore and then after got to see some amazing sunset that was happening right above our heads.
The next day started out by us getting some bagel sandwiches at a recommended place down the street. We were not disappointed. After that scarf down we headed over to the beach which is within walking distance of where we are staying. Got the chairs and umbrella out, found a spot, and enjoyed the day, splashing in the waves and drying off in the sun, both under the umbrella and later on, out in the full sun of the day and enjoying some fun activities. I guess we ended up having such a good time there that when we got back to the cottage we pretty much unintentionally fell asleep and took a nap. As evening started to roll around we went out for some air and picked up a pizza from a cute little local place which we brought back and ate. This town really is so cute, from it’s little downtown area, to the lake area, and of course it’s seaside beach! This is also when we first experienced the JBJ rest stop.
Number 4: Goat-a-Grams Visit
On this day I was able to get a couple of baby goats to visit LD for a continuance of her celebration this year. They were the cutest things, named Speck and Ziggy, brothers as it were. A nice thing that along with all the goat snuggles is that they were going to town on eating all the fallen oak leaves. I think they had as good a time as we did. It was a fun experience and they came right to the house. We also had a couple of guests visit which was also very nice. It was interesting to watch the goat watch one particular guest and watch that same guest watch that particular goat! I would totally do this again. I’m glad the weather held out and didn’t rain. It was a bit windy (the remnants of Hurricane Ian) but nothing us hardly New Englanders couldn’t handle.
Number 3: Summer on the Cape 2022
Some of the fun things we did with a couple of guests we had over for an overnight as well.
Swimming in the outdoor pool in the afternoon to cool off a bit
Getting lunch sandwiches from a local deli
Checking out our favorite spots at Nauset
Heading over to Macs on the Pier in Wellfleet enjoying a dinner on the beach
Passing by an amazing property and then noticing some crazy cottages and their asking prices for essentially a unheated shack
Heading over to Rock Harbor to catch the last rays of sunset
Grabbing some desserts at the Sparrow as per our usual routine!
Winding down with the charcoal grill doing up S’mores and turkey burgers and washing them down with beers
As always, illuminating conversation!
Falling asleep as midnight approached
Saw some cool whale art installation in Chatham center as well where you could also bid on the artwork. We also got to see a large heron fly over our heads which was really cool.
Hiked the Eddy Trail, probably one of our favorite locations to hike of all time. As an added treat they had the story of The Lorax all laid out along the trail, a page or two every so often along the way. The finale (well, really the half way point since you have to walk back) is ending up upon the cliff face. It just so happened to be high tide, so we got to see various boats floating along the flats. We even got to see a baby bunny along the trail. Of course it was scared but very cute as we said hello and went on our way.
Number 2: Duxbury Photo Awards Ceremony
What an honor!
We got dressed up for this! A while back we had entered some of my photos from Duxbury Beach on over to the Duxbury Beach Reservation Committee and low and behold they actually chose one of the three that we submitted! I was notified that I’d be included in their upcoming calendar why back in the late spring. Imagine my surprise when months later, I was invited by them to participate in a thank you and reception to be held at the Duxbury Bay Maritime School! We arrived and were greeted by the trustees of the Reservation and lead upstairs to the Chart Room where all the winning photographs were on display, printed out and framed around the room! Very cool! After a brief talk and meet and greet with the other folks we all got our gift bags filled with goodies from the Reservation even and got to keep our winning photo, frame and all! They really do look pretty amazing all framed out.
After looking through the gorgeous calendar my shot appears in the month of September. Why did I pick this shot to take? I had just happened to be walking around by the bridge and I saw that most of the water had receded at that time so I wandered underneath. I think at first I was taken with the woodwork underneath the bridge road surface. I thought the texture looked pretty cool, and then the more I looked I thought the ripples in the sand and even the shadows created by the sun underneath was also pretty cool. It’s also something really related to Duxbury Beach as the bridge is a big part of it and I wanted something representative of the area. I also took “regular” beach shots but I felt those could be from any beach, with this, I felt it was something that only exists here and is instantly recognizable to the folks who frequent here.
None of any of this would have been possible without the love and support of the Ladydoc. From getting me here to sharing ideas and looking for opportunities for me. Hell, she even bought me the “real” camera that I used to take these shots way back when! I wanted to give her the credit that she deserves and for making me better in every way. All these shots that I take really couldn’t have happened without her in my life. So thank you LD, from the bottom of my heart.
The Runners Up!
Like I said there were so many things, even in a year when the pandemic is still hanging around, we did get to do a lot of cool things. Here are some more highlights that could have surely been in the top ten but I couldn’t fit them in. But here’s my attempt in a stream of consciousness type format:
As seen in the header image, on New Years Eve of 2022 there was some skating out out front of the town theater, hanging with Lenny at the Yoga studio, Carson coming out of his shell to meet visitors, various trips to the local beaches including Duxbury, Marshfield, and Revere. A cow named Dudley having a birthday party, Kennebunkport prelude this year with fireworks, good eats, and good friends, cleaning out LD’s old office in an adventure I called “Project Extraction.” Visiting our friends’ new house they just bought in Georgetown (we did this just yesterday on NYE), new appliances in the kitchen, a new bathroom in the basement and new flooring in the kitchen and cellar, some of my pix making the local news outlets including Boston.com, attending a couple of concerts this year, Johnny Mathis with/for my mom after being postponed for two years and a Meat Loaf tribute, partaking of food trucks over at a place called the Salvage Angel, a special Xmas Eve dinner from Rosetta’s, growing our garden and starting out with hydroponics, checking out an interactive King Tut exhibit during the summer, biking with a group in Cambridge over the spring, discovering Like No Udder in Providence RI and watching LD become a master swimmer. I also leaned a lot about cooking and grilling this year, making meals almost daily.
I read a bunch of books this year, though not as many as I had hoped. Some of my favorite reads this year however were the following: The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer, Egypt’s Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth, Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, Hell’s Half-Acre : The Untold Story of the Benders, America’s First Serial Killer Family ( a read I found in a little library in Chatham down on the Cape this summer), and The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service.
… And now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for!
Number 1: LD’s Very Special Birthday Party Extravaganza!
The party to end all parties and I think everyone who attended had a great time! We were scrambling a little bit as the party start time drew near, with getting tables set up, and picking up the cake, getting a balloon and such, etc. Everyone who said they would attend did and we even had three dogs visit, including Boomer all the way down from Maine, and Lenny, a dog I’ve been wanting to meet for a long time. (My first time meeting Lenny!) He was one solid boy weighing close to over 50 pounds! We played a game that made you meet and talk to people to learn things about them and it actually worked and everyone was into it. Another one of LD’s friends was kind enough to pick up the main entrees from Canton so that was a great help. The camera was all set up for the selfie station and I set up a shared google drive directory so that folks who took one can download their pictures. (I’d add more here but unsure if people would want their images out there so I’m not posting more). The weather was perfect for a party day! We had some pretty great homemade props which I’ll be saving to use for future events.
People also got to see the new basement and bathroom to help us decide on colors by voting. So we had a lot going on, between everyone meeting everyone, eating all the various dishes, watching LD smash her piñata, cutting the cake, playing the games, and having a good time. LD even went out of her way and cooked some gluten free things for some guests who could not partake of the main entrees. All the desserts were a huge hit, from the cake which truly was delicious to the special ice cream sandwiches we got from Providence. As the party was ending (the last guests didn’t leave till around 10 pm!) we saw the SpaceX rocket in the sky although at the time we didn’t know what it was, circled around the fire pit. The main thing was that everyone who came genuinely came to celebrate LD and you could feel the joy. We have to remember that we really are surrounded by wonderful people who care and love LD and I’m very appreciative that I was also able to partake in that.
So all in all I’d have to say it was a great year. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all tea and crumpets, there were things that sucked, like the various hospital visits and stays, and some other setbacks here and there, but overall, it was a year for the record books. And so, with that, here is my wish for you. I want to pause and reflect and send you special magic wishes for a joyful New Year. Wishing you a year of… new beginnings filled with hope and promise… simple pleasures to enjoy and share… beautiful moments to remember always… and peace and happiness in your heart and home. Happy New Year everyone!
Took a jaunt out to Revere Beach today because it was so unseasonably warm today. We met up with a friend there and partook of some Kelly Roast Beefs as well before heading back to the home front.
Christmas By the Sea Fireworks in Ogunquit, Maine.
Back from a wonderful weekend in Maine during the Christmas Prelude festivities that the town of Kennebunkport puts on. LD got this sweet little Airbnb location right near the center of town so everything was really convenient and accessible to get to. The first night there, which was Friday, we kind of just checked in to the Airbnb and got some takeout and hung with some friends that live in the area. We got to hang with their pups, Boomer and Pippa. Boomer is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever so he’s a pretty big dog. He doesn’t really seem to know that though as his master keeps trying to train him but he has a ways to go. Still, he is a love and LD can’t get enough of him, they have a special connection, Pippa is a Jack Russel and a bit feisty but that’s her personality. I don’t think we got back to the Airbnb until after midnight. For some reason time just seems to fly anytime we are there.
The next day we got breakfast done the street at a little coffee shop and then headed over to some crafty fair thing. They did have some amazing looking gingerbread houses in one of the shops. In the evening we hit a restaurant and checked out some things, like the various lighted trees in Cape Porpoise as well as KBP and did a bit more shopping and browsing. Before that though we drove to Ogunquit to see some fireworks – perhaps that town wanted to get in on what KBP was doing. The weather was great all weekend except that it was a bit on the chilly side.
On Sunday we checked out some Dog parade they were having. Pippa was supposed to be in but bailed at the last minute because it was a bit too cold, plus she’s feisty, like I mentioned before. For lunch LD had somehow managed to reserve a fish shack at this restaurant called Batson River Brewing and Distilling. It was quite an experience. We liked it. And I have to say the food on this trip was really good. Every place that we went was great. I took a ton of pictures of which here is a sampling. Truth to tell I simply cannot remember every single thing that we did!
Driving home on Sunday night kind of sucked because we got stuck in the falling snow so getting home was slow but we made it safe and sound and that’s what’s important.
Love in KPTWelcome to KPTHanging with BoomerMerry XmasGingerbread HouseGingerbread House 2Lit up in lightsJack RusselSanta dog!Cape Porpoise TreeLunch in the fish shack with friendsOne of the fish shacksDock Square
In other small news:
Gametime: Sophie the Slug. A fun little sliding game I’ve been playing with lately. I also borrowed a new book from my Libby App entitled “The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer” about the story of Tony Costa. It’s a pretty good read as I am enjoying it. I learned a fascinating tidbit while reading the early chapters of this book in that he actually lived two streets up from where I grew up. Pretty wild.
Hope you guys all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a pretty low key one but that was alright with us. No need to get all stressed out and all that. We kept it pretty intimate between just the two of us and, of course, Carson. The main fixings we all had prepared for us but we did make the LadyDoc’s signature green bean casserole and she also made an baked apple crisp of which I did most of the preparation of ingredients. I think we actually work well together in the kitchen and I even find it a little enjoyable I also finally put the outside grill into storage for the winter marking the end of our outdoor BBQ season..
The Christmas tree, or holiday tree, if you prefer that phrase, was finally put up. We quickly added the lights, decorations, and everything else. By now, we are experts at it. This year, to give it a more classy look, we chose to use only white lights, and also the fact that the usual lights we use seemed to have shit the bed. Why can’t they make any of those that can last? Of course, we also retrieved Peng, a large penguin, from storage that we like to think Carson makes friends with.
If you’re wondering about the photo in today’s entry, here’s the quick story behind it. I found this shirt in my closet recently which must have been hanging there for years featuring one of my favorite models of all time, the legendary Bettie Page. I always liked Bettie Page. Nearly 60 years after her modeling heyday—which made her the most-photographed model of the 20th century—Bettie Page continues to fascinate fans worldwide. The so-called Queen of Pinups tied with Einstein at No. 8 on Forbes’ 2013 list of top-earning dead celebrities, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people on fashion; her impact is so enduring that Madonna, Beyoncé, and Katy Perry borrow style cues from her (they’ve all donned the U-shaped “Bettie bangs”). It’s interesting to note that her fan base is not just men as it was originally. Such an iconic look. she had a pretty interesting life too, and in many ways, a little tragic. There’s no denying her style or signature look. LD thinks this picture of me looks a little trashy, but I don’t know, I personally thought it was actually a pretty good picture of me. What do you guys think?
,
A Bettie Page fanboy
I finally downloaded the Libby app to my phone so I could take out books from the library right from my smartphone now that I signed up for a library card after having a defunct one for years. Not sure how much I will like reading off the small screen. The app itself is pretty cool though. very well thought out and intuitive. I didn’t mind the Kindle I had but I do find something satisfying about having an actual book in my hands to read, Anyways whenever you want a book you usually have to put a hold in for it and then when it gets freed up you can read it for a limited time. I currently have two holds on a couple of books I think I want to read. Empire of Pain about the Sackler dynasty and their peddling of their products which led to the opiate epidemic. The other tome I’m interested in reading is Caste, about the unspoken caste system in America. Looks like that one I’ll be reading first.
Watched a show on Netflix last night called Stutz about Jonah Hill and his therapist. It was actually pretty good, Check it out if you think you might be interested in something like that. I also watched a thing on King Tut on PBS, a two episode presentation about his allies and enemies in honor of his tomb being discovered 100 years ago this month, Everyone loves the boy king. Besides him and the pyramids that’s probably how most people get interested in this sort of thing. For me, it was the pyramids and the enormous structures and intricate artwork. And of course the mystery of it all.
I know this entry is kind of all over the place but that’s the way I roll sometimes. And remember! Mark Bethoney Photography to check out some of my artwork for sale. Might make a good gift for you or someone you care about that digs things New England and likes to look at pretty pictures.
It’s that time of year again! Just a little gratitude can unlock the great fullness of love. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday full of love and plenty. Happy Thanksgiving!”
All right! The dishwasher is finally installed! It’s all done now, the new appliances are in, the floor is in, everything looks great. I spent some time today with the electrician to make sure the washer is up and running, The guy we use is really good. It’s important to get folks you can trust and are reliable. Especially when it comes to house things and such of that nature,
Earlier in the day I had a chance to finally install the remaining storm door for the side so we are all ready for the colder weather now. I also installed the reflector light poles in the front lawn for when plowing occurs. Hopefully that won’t be for a while and we don’t have to much of that but I figured since I was pulling out all the winter tools I might as well go ahead and get those in. I still need to hang some lights in the sunroom that drape down over the doors and give it a warm glow. The ones we had up for the last couple of years finally died so we got new ones that I haven’t had a chance to get up there yet. Soon though!
I had to forethought to pull in whatever plants I wanted to to keep alive over the winter last night as it got pretty frosty. Big change from the 70 degree temperatures we were teased with over the weekend, I even got out all my winter gear as I needed it today.
I’m currently on Stage 144 of that Pill Escape game I mentioned the other day, the sliding puzzle game. I plan to get through all 147 stages. It’s my mission.
We had a wonderful time last night. LD had made a variety of home-cooked dishes, including meatballs, the “lacy” chicken, roasted veggies, pasta, cookies, and even brownies, in advance of our guests. We had a problem where some of the meatballs and sauce that were being refrigerated started seeping out onto various drawers and things while the cookies were baking, so we had to remove any item that got touched as well as a lot of drawers and shelves and had to wash them down and clean them. It took a little bit of time but any crises were thankfully averted as the cookies balking in the oven at the time didn’t burn.
I think I was feeling a little worried out about the whole situation since there seemed to be too much going on. I discover that I struggle under those circumstances. I suppose I prefer to have control over things and like to act in a measured, linear manner. I don’t seem to do well with a lot of spontaneous things happening all it once, it stresses me out. Even worse, I was reportedly stress eating, which is something I don’t recall ever doing. or at least not to my knowledge or ever noticed before. Go figure!
But because of how exceptional our visitors were, all the worrying and worrying-about was in vain. Although I had some concerns about our visitor’s son, let’s just say that I thought he might be a bit ‘boisterous’, he turned out to be a lot of fun and quite lovely. We even ended up playing a game of Air Hockey in the game room while his mother was playing Ms. Pacman and he was really good. Overall, it was a beautiful get-together with lots of interesting chat, especially after the son found the iPad and started making music on it to pass the time. Even Carson was intrigued and came out of hiding to watch and listen to him play as he sat on the beanbag lounge (something he’s been taking to do a lot lately), and watched and listened to him play. Oh, I almost forgot, we also fired up the jukebox and played a few tunes as well. Yeah, we can be pretty retro nostalgic here!
Needless to say we have quite a few leftovers to eat!
Today’s image is a beach shot from the other day when it was 70 degrees F outside and we decided to hit the beach for a few.
We went to the beach yesterday! In a strange turn of events, the temp today was close to 70 plus degrees and sunny so we had to take advantage of it.
What we didn’t realize until later is that I guess it’s been a while since we’ve walked along sand because when we came back we were all tired and hurting.
Although the tiredness could be due to the open faced turkey sandwiches we got from Gerald’s in Marshfield. Yes, they were delicious and we signed up for their individual turkey dinner for Thanksgiving in a couple weeks. Did that last year and it worked out really well for us.
The rest of the evening was pretty much just laying low, although we do have more stuff to do. We’ll try to cram it in today as we’re having guests later tonight visiting for a few.
Carson and Baby Carson!
Check out this cutest pick of Carson, photo credit courtesy of LD yesterday morning. He doesn’t usually sit next to his doppelganger but for whatever reason he did this time.
