Quick Update for the Masses

Just a quick update. Had the old landlords over for a BBQ on Sunday – it was actually pretty nice. Even helped make some chili for later as well. Yesterday I spent a bunch of time over at Earth-1 getting the chainsaw fixed, getting some Portuguese soup from this local place that’s part convenient store that makes it really good and authentic – a hidden gem only us locals know about, paying some bills, and getting my Mom’s cats to the vet for their nail cutting. Today after handing out my usual complement of tickets to scofflaws, I took the AC out of the window. Starting the get chilly these days!

Enjoy this pic of two of the Three Sisters Light Houses down in Eastham. Nauset Light replaced these gals years ago.

Two Days of Whacking

Thatcher Island Lighthouse rises up from the fog of the morning. Rockport, MA

Haven’t been able to update over the last day or so because I took it upon myself to get rid of some giant rose shrub like monstrosities that had taken over over the years and needed to go. So I hacked away at it when I could and then most of the time was cutting it all up into smaller pieces and getting them into lawn bags. It probably would have went a whole lot faster if these things didn’t have these nasty little thorns all over them. Well, into day two of the project I finally finished. I think that was quite an accomplishment for myself. Oh, there were like 4 bird nests in there as well. Thankfully they were all empty.


Unfortunely it appears my Fitbit Versa 2 has finally died for good. I know it’s just the battery but they don’t support replacing them plus it doesn’t seem worth the hassle. So no0w I have a conundrum. Do I get another Versa 2 (mine did last almost 4 years) and keep my stats and all from all that time OR do I go and get a Galaxy Watch which would integrate with my Samsung cell and such so much better. I think I’m leaning toward the Galaxy but I hate to lose that 8 million plus step count. For the record I burned 3,600 calories and over 412 active minutes yesterday hacking down the shrubs! Maybe that’s what put the Fitbit finally over the edge!

Home for Some Quick Updates

Just a little quick update in some photos to explain the week.

First up is this picture I took of the Nauset Light. Now since it’s September, it’s the time of the year that my Duxbury photo is featured in their official calendar . Green Harbor is closing for the season on Monday so we had to get in one last lobster roll for the summer. These two hawks better leave our bunnies alone!

Planning on doing a firepit tonight so there could be an update to this post afterwards and there’s something big happening tomorrow.

Gametime: One Many Nobody – cool puzzle game where you need to clone yourself to escape the levels.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today’s my birthday! First thing I got out of the way was my morning shift. I ended up being a rainy morning so I got a little drenched but it’s all part of the job. I also played a lottery ticket while I was doing my route. Nicely, the sun came out in the afternoon so the whole day wasn’t a washout.

This evening, LD took me out for a nice dinner over at Seasons 52, as part of their Dine Out Boston week, Yum!

Currently Reading: Little, Crazy Children: A True Crime Tragedy of Lost Innocence

A Busy but Relaxing Weekend

Gateway to Nauset

Been kind of a busy and yet relaxing weekend. We had some folks over on Saturday and I got to ride in their new electric luxury BMW. That thing was pretty crazy with the way the instrument panel is and all the geeky electronic stuff. Sunday was a day of relaxing, grilling and using the firepit to read by.

Enjoy another pic of Nauset Light! It’s National Lighthouse Day afterall!

Paying It Forward

Good memories and to making a lot more

I went off to the local food pantry and dropped off a bunch of items this morning. While there I also happened to pick up a lily plant to replace the one that I supposedly killed over the winter this year, although on my defense I did keep it alive for a couple of years longer than otherwise and I did try to revive it. Anyways I thought it a nice gesture to replace it for LD and also as a coming home gift that she can replant on Sunday if she so wishes. I’ll try to take better care of this one!

I do enjoy all the memories we create together. We’ve seen a lot and hope to see much more and continue to enrich eachother!


The power went out here for a couple of hours in the late afternoon which was super annoying btw.

Musings on the Last Thursday of April

Did you miss me? It’s been a little while since my last update, but nothing to worry about—there hasn’t been anything noteworthy that happened in the interim. Here is a throwback Thursday photo of me, on my birthday, visiting what is perhaps my all-time favorite lighthouse (although Minots Ledge Light is a close second). Pemaquid Point in Bristol Maine, not too far from Booth Bay. What’s really cool about this light is the surrounding topography, huge rocky ledges all around that you can explore but need to be super careful. On this particular day the clouds were rolling in which is what I think makes the photo even better.

Meanwhile back on the home front, the wild bunnies are starting to appear in the backyard now, running, playing, and yes, even eating, as bunnies do. They are super cute though. There appears to be three that seem to visit rather often. I wonder if any of them were the ones that were born here?

Additionally, every time I start to feel like my thumb is getting better from not using it, I unintentionally extend it again, which hurts, and feel like I have to restart the resting process. You know what I mean? It’s so annoying!

Currently Reading: All right! Another one of the books I had reserved on Libby finally came through. My next read is called The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture. In it the author “eloquently dissects how in Western countries that pride themselves on their healthcare systems, chronic illness and general ill health are on the rise. Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug; more than half take two. In Canada, every fifth person has high blood pressure. In Europe, hypertension is diagnosed in more than 30 percent of the population. And everywhere, adolescent mental illness is on the rise. So what is really “normal” when it comes to health?” I felt the premise was interesting so I figured I’ll give it a shot. Sort of builds a little bit on that Body Keeps the Score stuff but also with a physical as well as psychological bent.

The Elusive Sunday Search for a Sofa Bed

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!

A Saturday in the Life

Have a seat at the Nubble
  1. First thing this am, went to grab a pickup order over at the local Stop & Shop.
  2. Picked up a hope chest someone was giving away on FB so we went to their apartment and grabbed it. Will probably be used for LD’s future office.
  3. Cleaned out a closet that’s been on the to-do list for a long time
  4. Also got an awesome coffee table for the office off of FB marketplace in Canton this afternoon
  5. Went jewelry shopping today and got the process started for a special creation.
  6. Corned Beef dinner at the old landlords.
  7. Trader Joe’s visit to get a bunny pot but they didn’t have it, maybe try a different location next.
  8. My shoulder is still bothering me, like, wtf? Feels really bad like something is out of whack. Sharp pain at times, wtf??

Confessions of Love from My Younger Self

I confess I love the clouds in the summer blanketed against an ocean of light blue sky.
I confess I love the ocean and the soft cool sea breezes and the things that live beneath it.
I confess I love the snow softly falling on Christmas Eve masking everything in white.
I confess I love the moonlight lighting up the summer night.
I confess I like the look of innocence in a baby's eyes.
But the only thing I'll ever miss
 is you.

I wrote those words something like over twenty years ago. They were about no-one in particular, just a moment of creativity. Maybe they’re more applicable today than ever. I still like them.

Although I’m not really sure what I did, I seem to have tweaked my back just between the shoulder blades. It’s not too awful, but it bothers me enough to make me aware that it’s there. Joys of joys.

Had some things to get down over in Wellesley this afternoon and after we got that done, LD treated me to some Captain Marden’s for lunch and herself, and she also got an orange tea and some cookies from Tatte. Isn’t she the best?

On some even better news, got some excursions coming up that I’m getting all hyped up about. A visit to the Catskills, a tea party ritual, baby goat cuddles at sunset, a summer trip to the Cape, and more! I’m very excited to see and do these adventures! I’m hoping to take some good pictures on these outings as well, perhaps on par with the one I’ve included in this post from a visit to the Nubble a while back.

Playing with Black and White

Playing with Black and white photography

I was a little out of action this last weekend as I seemed to have some stomach problem that pretty much kept me laying low on Sunday but I feel much better today. Strange gastro things happening I guess. I was able to get some things down today including getting some mail out, reapplying for my parking permit, things like that.

Currently Reading: Empire of Pain, The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. You know, the folks behind Oxycontin. When I saw it was available for borrowing on my Libby app I jumped on it. I didn’t realize it was over 1,000 pages though!

Standing Tall

I recently discussed applying for something that will fill my days with a little bit more activity, and I can now report that I got chosen for it. I will learn more about it at the end of next week when I meet with the big Kahunas, to put it simply. It’s too soon to say whether or not it will work, but I have to give it a shot. A little butterflies, but I’m confident I can adapt and it could also result in better things in the future. We shall see.

Welcome to Another December

“Beware the savage rocks,” is a quote from English navigator Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, etched into an informational plaque here.

Got a new desk and roof rake from our friends yesterday who are moving to another town soon and didn’t need or want to move those items so we took them. I think the roof rake might come in quite handy come the serious winter. I went to go pick them yesterday just before the weather really started turning bad but luckily everything came out just fine. Route 93 is terrible anytime but especially in a serious rain and nearing rush hour to boot.

Today’s picture post is a shot I took of the Nubble Light very early one morning. I thought the waves crashing up on the rocks made a pretty dramatic shot, although I’m not totally satisfied with this one but perhaps I’m being a bit harsh on myself. Also the sky had a pinkish hue to it.

A Serious Blast From the Past

I happened to be able to spend the afternoon over at Earth-1 today. While I was there I was tasked by my mom if I wouldn’t mind bringing in the trash barrels after the truck comes by to empty them, which of course I said no problem. As I got out there and was getting ready to bring the receptacles back in to their storage spot, there was a woman at the front door I guess trying to ring the bell? I asked if I could help her and she asked if I lived in this house. At first I figured it might one of those political things. I replied that I had lived in the house and then she wanted to know if my mom still lived her and if she was alive? (She mentioned my mom by her maiden name). Kind of a weird question to ask, right? She then introduced herself as Irene. Apparently she used to live next door, back when there was a house there. We’re talking quite a while ago, they sold that house back in the early 80s. Anyways, I was able to get my mom out there and she knew her from way back and I do remember playing with her son back when I was like 5 years old through the gate in the back yard. Long story short it sounds like the developer who build the condo that’s there now (for like 30 years prior it was part of a laundromat that bought the property in the said 80s) wants to rent the land that it’s on because apparently this lady’s family still owns the land? They would prefer to just be paid outright. Something in all this seems a little whack to me though. I highly doubt the laundry was paying these people rent to use the land all those years. She mentioned something about a cloud being on the deed, which they cannot find. Sounds kind of weird, but anyway, we got to see a neighbor we haven’t seen in close to 50 years! My mon and Irene exchanged contacts and just might stay in touch moving forward.

I actually don’t remember Irene, but I do remember her son, as I mentioned. I seem to also remember that he had an older sister named Maria if my memory serves, But like I said, I was like 5 years old and they ended up moving pretty soon after. After they sold, the laundry rented the house out for a while. I do remember a band that used to practice there because I can still hear this song they used to practice all the time with the words “Katrina! Katrina!” but sung out like “KatreeeeeeeNA! Ka-treeeeeee-NA!” I found it quite annoying. Anyways after about a year of that the laundry ended up knocking the house down. I remember I wanted to stay home from school that day and watch it (they did have a wrecking ball!) but I had no such luck and was sent to school. When I came home it was already down. The laundry ended up building an extension on the land there where their trucks could unload the linens from the various hospitals that it supported. I know this because I worked there for a time, it was one of my first jobs.

Eventually the laundry merged with some other company and moved their HQ to somewhere outside Union Square and this property slowly became abandoned, They must have sold the building to a developer that knocked down the extension and build the aforementioned 4unit condo there that apparently tis woman still owns the land to. I’ll be interested to see if this story goes anywhere.


I think I need to get my hands on these lighthouse bottles. I don’t care about the booze, I just want the containers! Actually I could live without the current three but if they decide to put one out of Nubble or Pemaquid then I’m definitely going to have to take a trip to Maine to get them.

One last note, I’ve been playing around with some fonts on the site. I still haven’t settled on a favorite yet so the letters may look different here and there over time. I’m never satisfied!

Getting In on the Dynamic Island Craze

Nubble from Afar (a Thursday Throwback!)

Yes, I have an flagship Samsung Android phone but I wanted to see what the buzz is all about with this new iPhone 14 feature called Dynamic Island. Just my luck someone has recreated it for Android and you can get it from the Google Play store here if you want to try it out. I do kind of like it, but I know its just some gimmick. I’ll keep it for a while and see how it goes.

Gametime: Currently trying to get through Dying Dreams.

Two of the Three Sisters

Drove to drop off 2 blank CDs in Walpole to someone online who asked for them in a social media group that we belong to. Got a bunch of free stuff off of there that was useful so just sort of giving back. I’m looking for some stuff for the game room that I’m hoping will show up on there at some point.

Made an appointment to take my mom to get her drivers license renewed at the end of the month at the local AAA office, forget going to the RMV! It took a while to get one, you basically have to keep clicking online every 10 minutes or so and hope you bump someone else out of the way. In hindsight now I’m realizing it may be a little tough to be able to make it there on time but I’m going to try.

We got these special lily bulbs from LD’s garden lady friend yesterday. I’ve been soaking them overnight to be able to put them in the ground today. For some reason the lady said they should go in as soon as possible. Just need to find a spot where they’ll actually fit. We have too many things growing! I eventually decided to put split them up a bit, putting some in the main round area and then the rest out toward the back corner of the back yard. Fingers crossed they come up next year!

Here’s a pic I took of two of the three sisters lighthouses in Orleans. These gals were replaced by the Nauset Light that’s there now but they saved these ladies and set them further inland and used to adorn a park now. Thanks to Lighthouses around the World for featuring me!

Love Waking Up to Early Morning Sunsets

Love the shadows on this one.

High point today was watching LD work on her swimming strokes over at the pool at the gym, doing laps and such. She’s become quite the expert! So proud of her! Enjoy this lighthouse pic of the Nauset that I took a little while back as the sun was starting to rise in the early hours of the morning.

A Couple of Rainy Day Activities

Castle Hill Light, Newport, RI

Going through some of my archives and I came across this picture I took of the Castle Hill Lighthouse in Newport, RI that I thought was pretty cool so I thought I’d post it up and see what folks think of it.

Heading over to the supermarket this morning I noticed some chips that I had seen mentioned on the Phantom Gourmet the other day in my channel surfing. They are Lays chips but with flavors taken from other snacks, such as Lays chips with cool ranch Doritos flavor, and one with Cheetos. I picked up those two. They also have Funyuns and Fritos flavors but I didn’t see those. These are supposedly only available for a limited time. I’ve thus far tried the Doritos flavored and it’s pretty good, especially if you like cool ranch flavor.

Like I mentioned in the previous post I started reading a book about the two kids really (at the time) who created Doom and basically started the first player shooter sensation. It’s a pretty amazing read and I highly recommend it. It came out in 2003 so it’s not pricey. Having lived through and experienced many of the same things at the time growing up that these kids did made me really soak up this book. Brought back memories in the 80s of buying computer magazines at the time that had program code in it’s pages that you’d have to type in in order to play the games. And of course, I’d always make a typo somewhere so it wouldn’t work and I’d have to painstakingly try to find where it was, and the code was always a confusing mess of letters and numbers. Anyone remember that? I had totally forgotten all about doing that back in the day!

Calling to Me (Sun’s Out, Hot Dog Buns Out)

Calling to me.

Firstly, here’s another pic of the Nubble from earlier in the week. A classic Lighthouse destination and one of our favorites.

Saw this hot fog food truck was around that I wanted to try. Ended up going with one that had grilled corn, queso cotija, crema mexicana, with some chili lime salt on top, and it was pretty good! Then it was off to Wellesley for a mail pickup where I ended up eating some cod. Guess I was a little hungry this afternoon!

I also spent a bunch of time nodding off in my gravity chair out on the back deck in the sun. Totally relaxing!

Finished the day off with a night by the fire pit. Ah! Finally ended out the evening by watching the documentary “I Just Killed My Dad” on Netflix.

Plug 🔌 time: Smooth Sailing now available for purchase. Wouldn’t it look so nice on your wall?