I’ve been using the above image to experiment with different Instagram publishing timings, but I can’t seem to get it perfect. Even though the dashboard suggests 3 p.m. is a good time, it appears that morning is the greatest time for me. They also keep altering the algorithm, which is quite annoying. I’ve gotten to the point where I just post whatever I want whenever I feel like it. It takes too much time and effort to find out how everything works. I simply want people to see what I upload and perhaps spread the word about my photographs.
Anyways the reason behind the repost is that the city wants to replace gas lights with LED lights in areas like as Beacon Hill and Charlestown, claiming that the new lights are more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Some residents who live near these historical streets argue that this will not happen.
What do you think. Personally I feel the gas lights give real character. I understand the reasoning behind the thought but I don’t think the LED light would give the same glow. Sure seems different in the light fixtures around the house. (I know they have various temperature color options these days). I’d be interested in knowing what are your thoughts?
Currently Listening to: Santana covering Van Halen’s “Dance the Night Away”. This is freaking awesome! This song was on the album Van Halen II which was released 43 years ago today hence why I’m including this.
We spent the first half of the day at Revere Beach, the second half in Boston wrapping up some business, and the third half of the day trying to recover from said business, which has left all of our bodies in pain. But at the very least, the job is done. Maybe I’ll go into more detail about this later.
The last of the numerous lettuce species from the hydroponic garden was finally pulled out. We gave the remainder to our friend whom we met at Revere yesterday to feed to her guinea pigs. I think they’ll enjoy them. Anyways next into the hydroponics we’re going to try a bunch of flower species and see how that goes. It is spring time after all.
We opted to get a variety of stuff done outside yesterday because it was such a wonderful spring-like day, like cleaning out some dead vegetation and seeing plants like tulips and daffodils start to spring up. Toward evening we even constructed a fire pit. I burnt some wood, as well as some old paperwork, which was really a cleansing experience. Picked up a few things and the supermarket. Ordered a pizza for take out last night. Trying to rest my knee at times.
Now for today’s exciting events. I was searching through my photo archives and came upon this lighthouse photo that I had forgotten about from Mystic Seaport. So I figured I’d share it with you today. I like the tones in this one, but I think it could have been a little better.
Our stickers from Random Acts of Kindness Foundation finally arrived. If you remember, you had to color in an image in order to get them. It’s now simply an issue of deciding where they’ll go! Whatever the case may be, it’s still a good sentiment.
Good day for a cat nap
I waited for the sump pump people to come over and finish up some work this afternoon. Had they arrived by 2 pm? The answer is No, despite the fact that I wasn’t certain they were meant to show up today in the first place. They need to come back at some point though, some of their stuff is still here. In the meantime Carson and I had decided to kind of lay low for a while and rest, especially me to take some pressure off my knee. I think Charles Shultz said it best: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, look to tomorrow, rest this afternoon.”
For lunch I decided to air fry some hot dogs. I haven’t done that in quite a while. It’s so easy too, just pop them in for a few minutes and it’s done – no muss, no fuss. We also prepared some pasta bake that we’re going to delivering to a dear friend tomorrow who hasn’t been feeling too well as of late – sort of like a care package you might say. The house was filled with the aromas of cooking!
Everyone have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day. To make our own corned beef and cabbage, we got takeout from a nearby restaurant.
I appeared to have strained some of the ligaments in my right knee; perhaps it’s patilla tendinitis. I’ll just have to be a little more patient with that for a while. Things take longer to mend these days than they did in the past.
It was a good thing I spent the morning after my shift down at Earth-1 running the normal errands. I got a notice from my dental insurance in the mail, and it said it didn’t cover anything. And the reason was that they were billing my old insurance, despite the fact that I had given the new receptionist all of my new information when I went down there in January. Since I was in the area, I decided to swing by and have this corrected in person. When I showed her the information again, she claimed they will redo it and fix the issues. Then she had the audacity to tell me that the next time I should let them know that my insurance had been changed. I told her I did tell them, in fact, it was her that I gave my new card to and she typed stuff in at the time, or so I thought. Don’t make it look like I messed up when it was you who screwed up, I thought to myself. She said maybe it was a miscommunication (ok?) and I left it at that. Just as long as it’s all correct and that I’m being covered properly.
My auto manufacturer also sent me a notification in the mail regarding a problem with my particular model of vehicle. Basically, the wrong size battery could be installed when being replaced, so simply apply the sticker they supplied me to the battery holder to ensure that anyone changing the battery does not use one that is too small to fit the housing properly. That’s not a huge deal.
I also received a slew of emails advising me that I should enroll in some cyber-security training. I’m not sure if it’s truly required for my job, but I assume it is. Also not a big deal, but I’d say 99 percent of the mail I get in that inbox is spam or phishing, or a message telling me not to address the message because it’s spam or phishing attempts. Other employees, I suppose, just click on those things all the time, despite the fact that even a cursory glance at the message indicates that it isn’t legitimate. I’ll take it anyway, supposed to only make half and hour.
As for shows I’ve been watching lately, it’s been all the usual. L&O’s (I’m willing the give the new one a little time to establish although it hasn’t wowed me), Forensic Files 2, Secrets of Playboy, 20/20, 48 Hours, Dateline (hmmm, do you see a pattern?) On the subject of Dateline, I’ve been watching The Thing About Pam, although I’m not sure why they chose to make it so campy. I believe it would have been much better if it had been done more seriously, like the Dateline episode on which it is based.
Boy oh boy, is it just me, or did the morning appear to be coming at a faster pace today since the time change? Well, no matter, I’m all for extending the daylight hours.
I went ahead and sorted the wood from the demolished old shelves from the basement which was done to make room for the sump pump. The objective is to burn the wood in the fire pit. I’m planning on doing a burn later this week, mainly to get rid of the wood, but also because it’s been a while since we’ve had a fire and I’ve been itching to have one.
I had some time earlier today to relax in the sun and clear off some old dead vegetation. It’s encouraging to see new greenery sprouting from the earth!
Haven’t had much time to update over the last few, getting errands as such done between work shifts. I had a dentist appt. today over at Earth-1 to get a filling replaced that fell out a little while ago. I got stuck in traffic on 95 which made me about 1o minutes late due to an accident with a truck on the highway but they took me anyway when I arrived and the procedure itself only took about 20 minutes. I did learn that they are moving to Wellington Circle in about 8 months from where they are now and have been for years in Winter Hill.
All that snow that fell yesterday afternoon and made warming up and dusting the car off this morning a pain was all gone by the afternoon. I think that’s the last of the snow we’ll be seeing – fingers crossed. What a difference a day makes in New England! One day snow, the next 50 degrees. Just as well, I’m starting to get spring fever.
“With the coming of spring, I am calm again.”
– Gustav Mahler
I saw on the news a couple of days ago that you could send away from more covid tests from the government so I went ahead and ordered a couple more. I guess the demand for them is not as high as last time as this time they arrived in 2 days, and they’re the Binax ones, whereas last time took over a month and a half and was some other brand. Hopefully I’ll never have to use any but I figured why not just have some around since it’s on Uncle Sam.
You can see why this is the most photographed street in America! I love taking shots of Acorn Street. I never get out there enough.
The spring in Boston is like being in love: bad days slip in among the good ones, and the whole world is at a standstill, then the sun shines, the tears dry up, and we forget that yesterday was stormy.
Cob” is an Old English word for a rounded mass or lump, something that was easy to find in Boston’s rocky soil. Builders used these troublesome stones to erect walls, provide balance to ships, and of course, to pave the roads. These “cobbled-together” streets became known as cobblestone roads.
While cobs were free and easy to use, the uneven ground led to many a broken wheel and twisted ankle. Most of Old Boston’s cobblestone roads have since been replaced, but a few still exist in Beacon Hill, including Acorn Street!
Finally went and saw a live show last night in town, something we haven’t done since 2019! It was for a show that we originally had tickets for back in 2019 but got pushed back a couple of times due to the pandemic. Originally we believe it was supposed to be some sort of musical using the music from the Bat Out of Hell album, but I think since Meat’s passing it got changed into a tribute concert.
The man behind the microphone singing Meat Loaf’s signature classics was Caleb Johnson, an American Idol winner from season 13. There was even a couple of times when he would leave the stage and mingle into the audience while singing, including going way up into the back of the balcony. The band was super tight and sounded great, especially the two female singers. I cannot deny that it was amazing to see a live show again after so much time had passed. We were a little apprehensive but we played it safe. There’s just something about live performances that you just cannot capture any other way. It was a smallish local theatre and I’d say most of the crowd was middle aged or older. Let me tell you, some of these older women in the audience go nuts when they let loose. (Uhmm, you do know that’s not actually Meat Loaf, right? Although to be fair, the guy does have his own career.) It was a fun time!
When I was little and going to school, I was what you would call tiny. I was shorter than all the other kids and that sometimes made me the scapegoat of their jokes and teasing. I can remember in kindergarten, there was this kid, Basil was his name, and he would always push me up against the fence and cause me grief. At first I complained to my mom and not my teachers, because that’s not what you do (at least back in those times you didn’t), plus I was super shy and unassertive in myself. Eventually, though I’m not sure how, I figured out that maybe cracking a joke, or being self-deprecating, seemed to lessen the blows. It’s then I figured out, at that early age, that humor could be a useful tool to me.
Around that time the town had decided to close to school that I was going to and so I had to go to another school, a little further away but not really and that’s where I met Keith. Keith was another bully. I didn’t know why then that they focused on me. Now I now it’s probably because they felt powerless in their own homes and such but back when I was in first grade I had no concept of that. I just knew that they were really being a pain. Keith was more malicious than Basil and my humor didn’t really seem to work on him all that much. I lucked out in this case due to another kid in class, who I remember was into the Boy Scouts, his name was Chris, and he stood up for me – when no one else in class did. In fact, he took it upon himself to sort of be my bodyguard. I’m not sure why he did this, but was glad he did. I learned later that he had an older brother who was special needs so maybe that played into it. I sometimes wonder what happened to Chris. He was always looking out for me, even up through high school. I tried looking for him a while back but came up empty. I had heard he had fallen on some hard times though so I hope he came through alright. I would easily return the favor if I could.
Back then, you had to look out for yourself…
Speaking of high school, it was more of the same, although by this time I pretty much had my routine down, and there were other nerdier kids than me that were easier targets. Again, there was this one kid on the first day of probably being a freshmen that would give me a hard time. Actually made me move to a different table than the one I had originally chosen, but I ended up hanging out with kids that were more in my clique eventually and it was all good. I don’t remember that particular kids name but I do recall he had been held back more than once. Sort of like he’d been in High School for seven years already (I’m exaggerating, but it probably was something like that). Looking back now, I feel pity for the kid – probably had a rough time of it all. But like I said, back then, you had to look out for yourself. Some of the kids in my clique had come to call me “Cookies” because they thought I was so small that when I went to the counter to get a cookie, the lady would have to reach across the front of the counter and look down to see what was going on down there (me). Of course, this was a gross exaggeration – I could reach the counter just fine, but I learned to roll with it and just laugh it off. I’m not sure if I found it hurtful at the time. It was more of a playful teasing than a biting remark, but those things do stick with you. Thankfully I think I’ve learned to look past those events, although who knows, maybe deep down there’s still some insecurities. We all have them, right?
I hear it’s not like that there nowadays. I even learned when I visited the old stomping grounds a while back as they were knocking down the old place to build a new state-of-the-art school, that they have a mediation room, where if two kids have a problem with each other, they go to this room, with an arbiter or some such, and work out the problem! Come a long way since fist fighting after school in the parking lot. I mean, I can even remember a teacher being beat up outside after class in the parking lot. Those were the days. Luckily I never got into any of those altercations. I suppose nowadays its all about cyber-bullying which I thankfully never had to experience. I had learned to keep my nose clean and use humor to get me out of scrapes. Now I’m not saying I was a laugh a minute comedian, or class clown, but I had used self-deprecating humor enough to know how to navigate through life at that time. I’m proud of myself that that little 5 year old kid that I was had learned and used that lesson to help himself, and on his own.
It’s hard to imagine my life without you because you brought so much change to it. You’ve transformed my life, and every day with you makes it glow. Happy birthday to you, my sweetheart. Today isn’t just your special day; it’s also mine. It’s a day a unique person with a fabulous personality was born. Your presence in my life has filled it with so much joy and brightness. You’ve made my world better, and I can’t appreciate you well enough. You’re the perfect woman anyone could ever ask for in life. Happy birthday to you, my darling, my everything! I hope this day, this year, this life we’re building gives you the fulfillment and happiness you desire and deserve. I love you!
Ended up getting a bunch of things done today, most in anticipation of LD’s birthday. Checked out a bakery that specializes in dairy free and vegan pastries which is kinda cool and is only down the street to boot. I also bought some flowers and have been putting together a little something for her upcoming birthday. It was rather nice out today weather-wise, felt good to be in the sun while out in the field and out and about all day. I was able to get a lot of it done but there’s always more I could do! And hopefully will over time – it’s going to be a year long celebration.
For dinner tonight I’m going to try my hand at crafting an Asian type dish using furikake, a Japanese seasoning. Expanding our taste bud horizons you might say. For the longest time growing up you wouldn’t even see me eat a vegetable, just a juvenile junk food junkie. One can only get so much nutrition from pizza and mac and cheese and Campbell soup and chips. I still love and eat all those things but they’re not the only things anymore. Over time I guess I grew up and wanted to try new tastes on my palette and that’s been a good thing. I’m still never eating pea soup though.
Here’s another photograph I took early in the morning down the Cape from a week ago. It was pretty cold but I think that somehow it makes the colors look better sometimes, although I don’t know how or even why. I would guess that since there’s less moisture in the air, it may make the scene crispier. In this particular shot, I liked how the limpets were attached to the rocks, the geese are floating down the water, and the sun’s rays are streaming out from the clouds to the top.
When was the last time you woke up and realized that today could be the best day of your life?
So while I was sitting there, waiting for the sun to rise up little by little, minute by minute, the cold nipping at my nose and fingertips holding the shutter button of my camera, I wondered at the smallness of myself and how lucky I’ve been and appreciative that this was one of the good days of my blessed life. It offered the promise of a day full of possibilities. But then I realized something else. Here’s the thing about what could be the best days of your life: They’re even more fun if you stay fully present while you’re experiencing them.
Anyways, looking forward to possibly some more Cape stays in the future later this year.
Didn’t have any time to update yesterday, between having someone look at a sump pump installation and then a trip into Boston proper to visit some friends of ours named Boomer and Pippa. Awesome dogs. For dinner, a nice take out burger from the Corrib Pub in JP hit the sweet spot, and then I did a quick Target run. So, that’s it in a nutshell. Oh yeah, Boston was crazy yesterday because of the Ukrainian support protests.
After two days of shovelling, I’m a little beat. Yesterday I did a bunch of stuff here and this morning very early I got up and headed over to Earth-1 and took care of some of the stuff over there, which was a bit tougher to deal with, both by being in the city and the fact that some of it had hardened up somewhat. But it’s all done, both have been taken care of, and everyone is happy. Sure my back and the shoulders are a little sore, but it’s good for the soul, right? I’ve been relaxing on my heating pad to help with my minor complaints.
Here’s a pic of me looking all mischievous from this afternoon while waiting to pick LD up from the salon. Well, I might look all mischievous but to be honest I just ended up doing a bunch of crossword puzzles while I patiently waited.
After spending most of the week cooking up meals, tonight I decided to order a pizza for take out. I’ve been jonesin for some lately and I figured it would be a little treat for myself.
Imagine if you will your afterlife. You are taken to a halfway house, and then you are told that you have three days, no more and no less, to take one memory with you as your only memory for your entire afterlife. What would you pick? It is a tough question. I have lots of good memories. But I could only take one. Which would it be? It’s odd, I’m trying to think of some right now and I’m finding it so difficult. I can’t pick just one probably because I’ve been blessed that there have been so many.
It’s always the happy memories we take, haven’t you ever noticed? What does that say about us? Seems like its easier to state the memories you would never want to take with you. I’ve got a bunch of those too, yet those stick out in my mind much more clearly and defined. I have no trouble remembering what those would be and would love to forget. So I am choosing not to take those with me and am leaving those behind. I have no use for them, even though they helped me to see what the good ones are.
Would it be the time I made my Mom so happy and proud, the look and emotion on her face? Would it be a pivotal moment from my childhood? Would it be a memory that taught me a lot about learning and helped discover and make me who I am? Or a time I faced adversity and won? Could it very possibly be seeing the happy smile on the face of my partner? Our memories make us up to who we are, how can I pick just one? One thing I do know is that it has got to be one that made a difference to someone, more than just myself.
With today having a temperature in the high 60s one would have to take a quick trip to doing something outside, and for me it was a visit to the beach. While there, enjoying the sunshine and listening to the crashing waves, I went ahead and created this zen stone structure by the water and snapped a picture of it, creating my own moment of zen for today. Because stone stacks are built using unaltered stones, they require your full attention on the task of the present moment to find the perfect connection of the stone’s center of gravity to its foundation to balance the next layer. And let me tell you, it wasn’t that easy! The process is meditative; even the simple act of choosing the stones heightens mindfulness, which is what I was after. Hard to believe we’ll be getting up to 9″ inches of snow in a couple of days – the teasing of the nice weather is really getting cruel!
In the afternoon I made a mean spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot, if I do so say myself, plus using that tool makes cooking it up so easy and fast. We were going to eat it tonight after assembling it into a bake but then I decided to try my hand at cooking up some shrimp fried rice with snow peas and carrots, a recipe I had done before, so we’ll have the bake sometime tomorrow. I also noticed it starting to get colder and windier outside so I shut all the windows that were open and the back patio doors, no doubt to Carson’s chagrin. It was great while it lasted but it looks like it back to typical February New England weather…unfortunately.
A light blanket of snow coats the sandy shore as sun rises
Here’s another shot from yesterday’s sunrise excursion from Namequoit Point, early in the morning. I thought the light dusting of snow blanketing the sand with the sun rising up from the clouds might make a cool looking shot. Morning’s are probably my favorite part of the day, especially early mornings. I used to be a late riser but I’d say over the last 25 years or so I got into the habit of waking up fairly early. Even in the days when I go to rock clubs and listen to the headliners until 2 in the morning, I would still somehow manage to get up by 6 am. Sure I may have been dragging but just staying in bed just wouldn’t do it for me. My body over time just seemed to adapt to it. Even to this day, no matter how late I stay up I can still get up on time early and without the help of any alarm clocks. My body just seems to want to get up early now.
The morning, which is the most memorable season of the day, is the awakening hour. Then there is least somnolence in us; and for an hour, at least, some part of us awakes which slumbers all the rest of the day and night.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Another reason why I like the early morning is the stillness of it all. It’s quiet and I can just think and prepare myself for the day, and I don’t need to rush things usually, which is good in my case because nowadays when I rush I tend to forget things that I may need. There’s just something about the quiet serenity of the early morning that I just seem to gravitate toward these days, plus it has the added bonus of making the day seem longer (which could be a plus or minus depending on what one’s doing I suppose). They say nowadays that, young people especially, need to just take a time out, sit with their feelings, allow themselves to listen to their thoughts in quiet contemplation. That’s what early mornings do for me. Maybe my brain doesn’t work the same way as others as I’m able to tune things out when I need to, probably from growing up in a house where one could be surrounded with constant noise, a story for another day, but the mornings do soothe me. The only negative part is that it never seems to last too long and before you know it, the hectic necessity of the day has begun.
I finally got an email early this morning that the government issued COVID tests would be arriving in my mailbox by the end of the week. That took long enough, by this point everything seems to be on the downswing anyways. I also ended up watching a 2 hour special about the Station nightclub fire that happened down in Rhode Island. I thought it was really well done. Sad story that.
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.
The house on the Point!
After a relaxing evening with some wonderful clam chowder and a cod dinner from a place we like down here called Max’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.
Just me sitting on a petrified tree
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.
Petrified tree in the snow as the tide approaches
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.
I finally got a chance to watch this PBS show called “Finding Your Roots”. The premise of the show is that they get two celebrities and basically trace down their genealogical tree. On this particular episode they looked at John Leguizamo and Lena Waithe. What struck me as so impressive was far back they were able to trace these people’s roots. In the case of John they were able to go to like the 1400s to the time of the freaking conquistadors and Lena’s went way back too, to early Barbados. It’s also fascinating to see just where their last names originated from.
“You must always know your roots if you are to know how sturdy the tree will grow.”
Zoraida Córdova, A Crash of Fate
It made me wonder a little bit about my own history because basically I only know on my mother’s side up to my great grandparents and of that very little, nothing before them, and on my father’s side I don’t even know his parents having never had any contact with that side, although I’ve heard tales that they may have been lawyers, but nothing about their story or where they came from. So my history is pretty much blank. I guess all those hereditary genes will end with me, a mystery before, an unsolved mystery after. However with my last name there is something about the Lebanon area and of course Bethany, a town near Jerusalem, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, so there’s got to be some middle eastern descent in there somewhere although I am mostly Portuguese on my mother’s side. I would definitely watch this show more moving forward.
Imagine my surprise when I was notified that Boston.com shared my photo on their Instagram feed! Credit where it is due, LD did get me to go out there and take some shots of which this is one, so she deserved some credit as well!
I think most people probably focus on the statue of Washington in the center framed by the two snow covered tree limbs however what no one seems to notice is the couple taking pictures over to the left of the shot which I thought was kind of cool.
I used to hate Valentines Day or least be ambivalent towards it. I was never one of the “beautiful people”. I was somewhat of a nerd growing up. Some might say that I am still (being nerdy is in now of course, I missed that window by about 20 years). I was like Charlie Brown in that I would never get a valentine from anyone unless it was that thing you used to do as a kid in elementary school, but that wasn’t real. It took a while, but somewhere along the way, after much time, a couple of failed relationships, and a lot of just learning to love myself and maturing, that Valentines Day became something I could enjoy. It was all about finally finding that right person, and it took a long time, but like the say, the wait really is worth it. When you find someone that “just fits” it’s pretty incredible. Is it always perfection and sunshine? Of course not. But when it’s right, you learn to work with it, compromise at times, and maybe better yourself and your partner in your thoughts , views and feelings. Someone who thinks more or less the same way that you do, but in a healthy, conductive and sharable way. At least that’s what I believed happened in my particular case. Your flaws are perfect for the heart that’s meant to love you. So whether you like this holiday or not, whether you’re in a healthy relationship or single, just remember your own worth and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We all want to be loved, we all want that connection. It is out there but like the cliché says, it only reveals itself when you aren’t really looking. The truth is, it’s been inside yourself all along. And once you can find it within yourself, then the person looking for the same will find you. I’m living proof.
General Washington in the snow, Boston Public Garden
Oh what a joy waking up to snow falling this morning. Not. At least it looks to be not more than a light coating to maybe an inch. I’ve noticed that the metatarsal in my right foot appears to be hurting me when I put weight on it when I first walk around for a bit. I think I pulled a ligament around there the other day. Joys of aging. It seems to only be most pronounced in the morning when I first get up, after walking around for a bit it’s ok, until I accidently pull the muscle there again and reaggravate it. But enough of my little ailments, not as bad as learning that my sister seems to have some kind of heart racing and high blood pressure issue which is finally starting to get treated. All things considered, this year hasn’t started off too great with various issues around friends and family but I suppose things could be a lot worse and hopefully as spring nears things will improve. and speaking of spring, the other day I saw my first robin of year which I always take as a sign that the warmer weather is just around the corner and I see as a first sign of spring. Yeah, I know that some of these robins stay through the whole year but don’t burst my bubble! When I see that first robin, I take it as spring is getting close.
Later in the day LD had to get some stuff in Beantown so I went along with. Afterwards she cajoled me in to maybe trying to get some pictures while we were in the area, and of course she is always right. So here’s one from today. I took a couple from the Common and the Public Garden which I may add later on as the days go by. Boston is pretty in this kind of light snow blanketing the trees and such. After eating lunch at a local Panera to go, and putting away some groceries, we settled in to watch the Puppy Bowl (neither one of us cares about football).
It being unseasonably warm today and almost hitting 60 degrees we decided to hit the beach today for a walk. It was a beautiful day, you wouldn’t know that it’s supposed to snow tomorrow! And just for the record, we did have a pizza last night (roasted eggplant!)
