Category: Memories

Happy Gotcha Day (Plus Booster!)

Posted on by Markman
Carson and his friend Peng

Three years ago today was the day that we were to meet Carson, the cat that had been living in a shelter in Millis for two months. I don’t know what is was about him when we saw his picture on the website but his big round eyes, dashing grey coat with white paws, and heart-shaped nose cuteness just spoke to us like he could be the one. Around noontime was the appointment and we arrived a little early. When we were finally introduced he looked a little scared at first, but not too bad. He allowed us to brush and pet him and play with him and it was almost like an instant connection. Yes, he is a bit shy and skittish at first, because it’s all new to him, but I could tell he will adjust really fast. I could tell he would be a gentle and friendly cat. Plus, he apparently loves face-scratches which is something LD had become an expert at with Oreo, so right there is a connection that could work for us. He’s shy (but I found not overly so) and he didn’t hiss or scratch, he seemed like a real catch. I knew we could love this cat and that he also had the capability to return the favor.

It was pretty much a done deal after spending some time with the little guy. Carson was getting an all expenses paid trip to his new forever home. After all the paperwork was signed, he got placed in the carrier and I let him say goodbye to his other cat friends at the shelter, who in their own way, probably felt bittersweet. Sad that he was leaving them, but happy that he could find a loving home to be in. I’m sure the volunteers who help out at the shelter felt the same way. Also, I have to say this shelter was amazing so I’m giving a plug to Purr-fect Cat Shelter. They are really a wonderful folks doing good work there so if you’re looking for cat, check them out.

So with that, I’m happy to say that Carson is now a member of the family, this grey and white handsome bundle of joy. Interestingly I had found a Xmas tree ornament while shopping at Target with his exact name on it. What are the odds of that? I don’t think that’s an everyday name but it does seem to suit him, so we’ll be keeping that. Naturally we ended up buying it, so I guess it was fate that he would be coming home with us. He’s since got a bunch of new ornaments with his picture proudly displayed on our tree.

He’s become quite comfortable with us now and his personality really shines through now. He loves to squawk and get brushing, he loves to play with his toys, he likes to squawk to tell me to open up the front door so that he can look outside. He spends time with his momma and keeps her company, whether at home or at work. He really ended up being the perfect pet for us.

Hope you love your forever home as much as we love you Carson!

This afternoon I went and got my booster shot, over at a CVS in Canton. Glad that’s done. In and out, really quite easy. They just ask for you name and DOB and then you get the shot and they update the card. Will I have any side effects? I don’t think so because when I got my second all I had was a little fatigue but nothing bad at all. I sort of tried to time things in such a way that it wouldn’t interfere with my daily duties. Maybe a little arm soreness at the injection site, quite a common reaction.

I checked my work email and we got a message saying that we’d be having to take a mental health first aid training within the next year or so. Interesting. Sounds like a 2 day course as well.

Sparkle (Goats in Coats)

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Brushing Sparkle

Visited the sanctuary yesterday and even though they’re closed on Sundays the owner lets us walk around and stuff because we’ve been so supportive over the years, I imagine. I got to brush Sparkle pictured here which is a gentle goat that I don’t get to brush very often, but for whatever reason, this day she wanted some, so I obliged. She was wearing a red coat to keep her warm.

I had a weird dream last night which was an amalgam from school days to writing reports to me being in a chemistry lab in the 90s. I had to get this report done and I remember I stayed up all night, and also that I was mad at my cowriters for not contributing anything. For some reason I tried to finish it by writing it up in the hallways of the chemistry lab that I worked in in the 90s. Not sure why I was lying on a cart and trying to get the font right for the very long report title. Then I went to turn it in in a mixture of a classroom from my 5th grade and a conference room from the 90s over at Acorn park. Also strange was Hilary Clinton was there and was the professor, but all the desks were pushed back so that most of the room was open. I think the dream brought up feelings of pressures from having to get reports done but also career choices that, for good or bad, lead me to where I am at the moment. Part of me felt sad about it, but just a part. Figured I’d write this down before it fades from my memory.

Illuminations

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Illuminations

How about that shocker on “And Just Like That?” Didn’t see that coming! Decided to watch it last night since it had just premiered. Good thing we did because the spoilers from it are all over the net now. It’s not generally my type of show, I’d rather watch Stabler’s show (which this season has thus far been amazing), but with so much hype you have to check it out. They definitely made a mark to start things off.

My hometown is doing their tours of the houses all decked out in lights for the holidays again, so I figured I’d share one of my favorites from last year. Not sure if we’ll take a spin around the neighborhood this time around, but there is an art installation that I do want to check out soon.

Ready for Mad Magazine

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What Me Worry?

For some reason I feel the art style of this caricature of me would fit right in with the art style of the Mad Magazine issues of the 1970s of which I used to own a few. I distantly remember having one that came with a record that you could place on a player and depending on where you placed the needle would have 6 or 7 different endings to the song. It was some paper thin like vellum kind of a thing. I remember you had to be careful not to bend it because then it was pretty much ruined. I even remember the name, It’s a Super Spectacular Day. It’s amazing what our minds can remember. I can remember that but can’t remember my schedule from last week.

Well, what do you know? Thanks to the magic of the Internet it still exists!

Love, Kennebunkport Style

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  1. Hanging at the Boathouse in Dock Square
  2. Love from KPT
  3. Enjoying the sunset on Goose Rocks Beach
  4. Hanging with Boomer (a really big dog!) at Em and her dad’s place
  5. Playing piano at the Breakwater (any requests?)
  6. Together on a trip down the Kennebunk River
  7. Sipping coffee brandy on the lobster boat tooling up and down the river.

Enjoyed the hospitality of Em and her dad and hanging out while meeting Boomer and Pippa, dining at two great restaurants, our Airbnb stay in Arundel, the sandwiches and coffee at a Taste of Paris, checking out the sunset at Cape Porpoise, hopping on a real lobster boat and exploring the river, and getting some gifts for Christmas.

Off to the Prelude!

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Keep checking back to see updates from this weekend’s Prelude adventure!

12.04.21 10:12 AM Update: Here’s a quick picture of the main room in the Airbnb location that we’re staying in in Arundel, Maine. The location is pretty much off the grid (but not too far). Strangely there’s no microwave or television but the WIFI is pretty good. Pretty nice sunrise views here too but since it’s a pretty farm-like rural area there’s lots of old tractors and machinery around which I feel obstructs the view otherwise. Also, the water here is well water so you can only drink it if it’s been filtered and it tends to smell like sulfur. Like I said, a little off the grid. The owners here apparently do a lot of social work with the Wabanaki so I sense a Native American motif throughout the unit, whether it be sculpture, art on the wall, or the rugs on the floor.

Never mind my crap on the floor.

Today’s Entry is _________

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I finally got up enough motivation to dig the light-up reindeers and holiday trees from the basement and set them up in front of the house. One of the deers is being retired because he just doesn’t work anymore and this may be the last year for these other three. They’ve served well throughout the years but time and the elements have really taken it’s toll on them. Maybe next year we’ll get a new herd. We’ll probably need to rearrange their placement as I just got them out there and wanted to test to see how they perform.

I’ve also started watching reruns of the gameshow Match Game from the 1970s. What’s old is new again. I find it funny to watch because some of the things they do would be considered inappropriate by today’s standards, like the women contestants getting hugged and having to kiss a celebrity that helped them win. Still overall, I find it to be a rather enjoyable show. Guess it was quite the hit back in the day. As an aside I read that the MC is actually buried up in Gloucester MA of all places.

I changed the layout of the site a little bit, which you may have noticed. Will it stay? We’ll see.

This Elfland place that is making a buzz is not too far from my mom’s house. I drove by it last week in fact – it’s basically an empty lot where a gas station once was. (As a side note, we knew the owner of the station, he also owned a car repair place in Malden. He’s since passed but he always reminded me of a grumpy Santa). All that’s been removed and I assume another condo development will be going there, In the meantime some kid decided to place little buildings around the lot and little by little it’s growing by other folks adding to it. There’s even a movement to defend elfland but I’m pretty sure the developers are going to win this one as they would probably generate a lot more revenue. Maybe I’ll take a photo of it when I visit next week sometime.

Finally, I got my booster shot scheduled in about a week and a half. Might as well just get it over with and be protected. However, is this stuff ever going to end?

Pics on Acorn Street or It Didn’t Happen

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Acorn Street in November

Yes friends, it’s that time of year again. The time when we dig out the tree and begin decorating things. Our tree went up fairly quickly this year and, I think, came out rather well. I also set up the lighted wreath on the door and set the timers for the various lighted things. We also went looking for a bookcase but ended up coming home with a large terra cotta cute-looking penguin, which LD has named Peng. Carson already had his picture taken with it and may end up on this year’s holiday card. I still need to set up the outdoor reindeers and such but I’m going to wait until later in the week when the temperatures are supposed to be better.

I picked up a new book from a little library we passed on the way back from where we found Peng called Automating Inequality. I’ve heard about this thing before where computer algorithms basically make decisions and tend to penalize certain populations. I’ll give it a go and see how it is.

Thanksgiving Eve

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I had a half a day today so was able to get a bunch of stuff done. We got all our turkey fixings for tomorrow at the turkey farm so that’s going to be real good in my stomach tomorrow. Traffic getting down there in the afternoon wasn’t the greatest, but coming back wasn’t bad at all. We actually arrived there at a good time as most people either got there’s already or hadn’t come yet. Right in a sweet spot.

Also it’s National Jukebox Day so here’s another pic of our juke to celebrate. Haven’t played it that much lately, I think the cat is a little bit scared of it, loudness factor and all. But we’ll turn him into a rock and roller yet.

Happy National Jukebox Day!

Duxbury Redux and Expressionism at It’s Finest?

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Redux

Went back to the wooden walkway and reshot the area again last weekend as this particular day had different lighting than the previous weekend visit, as it was more cloudy whereas last time had a lot of sun. Lighting differently can make some significant differences in appearance for sure. I plan on entering this shot along with 2 older ones to Duxbury for possible inclusion into their town calendar.

I don’t know if anyone else ever plays any of these puzzle games that I enjoy but here’s a new one: Long Haul Space Flight. I need these things to keep my brain going. Now if only I could get better at remembering things.

Guess who swung by this afternoon? That dude that wanted to draw my picture (again, why?) He gave me the drawing and I brought it home. It sort of looks like a mix between a kid’s drawing and some expressionist art, sort of a mix between an Alvar Cawén work and some 5 year old. It does look like me a little bit though? I’d take a picture of it, but it really needs to be seen in person. On the plus side, the canvas is rather large.

Apparently NECN featured another one of my photos, LD saw it flash up on the tv, by strangely this time I didn’t get notified. They do seem to feature my stuff now and again, I guess they like what I’m doing.

I got a golden ticket in the mail to the local BK, scratch off the card and see what you’ve won kind of deal. The big prize was free BK for the year but this kind only entitles me to a free Croissan’wich, which I got in the mail back at the end of October but expires Friday so I got to use it or lose it soon. Wasn’t that one of the most interesting stories you’ve ever heard me relate to you all?

Might add more to this post later tonight…

Assembly Row Visit

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The high point of yesterday was heading down to Assembly Row to pick up the gift card that I had won. While there I ate some overpriced pizza slices and LD bumped into a colleague! What are the odds!? We did come home with some Mike’s Pastries though!

Once home I watched a DVR’d 20/20 about those kids that escaped from the “House of Horrors.” What an amazing story!

I sent a message to the Reelz network saying that I never received the Alice Cooper Bobblehead that I had won a few months back now, which I never did. The darn thing never arrived. I’m not really expecting an answer and it’s no big deal, but I am curious as to what happened, if an explanation could be found. Stay tuned I guess.

Choices for Today (Inspiration)

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Attitude is a choice. 
Happiness is a choice. 
Optimism is a choice. 
Kindness is a choice. 
Giving is a choice. 
Respect is a choice. 
Whatever choice you make makes you. 
Choose wisely.

It was such a nice day outside today that after my shift I decided to do a lot of yard work, like mowing/mulching the leaves in the front and back lawns, clearing out the sewer out front from leaf debris (could the next door neighbor even attempt to help with that task one year just once for God’s sake?). I decided to store the grill away for the winter and cleared out the patio and rearranged some of the furniture and the outdoor heater to make maximum use of the space. I had moved the heater temporally due to that crazy rain and wind storm we had last week and I didn’t want it to damage anything or get damaged itself. Toward the end of my tasks though I did somehow manage to twist and tweak my knee a little bit. I’m ok but man, it sucks getting older. I even organized the shed a little bit and put some pots away for the spring – still have more of that to do though.

For lunch I headed down to the local deli and got us a sandwich. I then had to get gas for the car and went on a Dunkins’ run. The weather was really great, I wish everyday could have been like today but alas, I hear it’s back to ass cold tomorrow.

For dinner I cooked up some burgers with a French dip sauce and sides of arugula salad and fresh cut potato French fries. After dinner I proceeded to lay down on my heating pad face up, it’s my nightly ritual these days. LD got these great heating pads last year from Sharper Image and it’s awesome. It has a massager function too but that doesn’t work that well, but the heat this thing gives off is amazing. It has a tendency to make me fall asleep actually but it has this nice soft cover over that I just snuggle into and don’t get burned. Also it has some kind of beads or something inside it that heat up that differentiates it from a regular heating pad. Ok, enough plugging on that.

Follow my Love of Boston

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Follow me to Boston

Here’s a pic I took of Faneuil Hall in Boston. Often referred to as “the home of free speech” and the “Cradle of Liberty,” Faneuil Hall hosted America’s first Town Meeting. The Hall’s vital role in revolutionary politics had not been part of its original plans, but it became home to an intricate collection of events that shaped the nation’s history. The 10 foot statue in the foreground is of former mayor Kevin White. I like how this picture turned out overall and I’ve been to the hall many, many times.

Spent most of yesterday at a friend’s house for a pancake breakfast outing on her back deck. As a bonus here boyfriend had a pizzelle iron and made home made pizzelle cookies, which was pretty neat. Then we hung by her firepit and her gazebo until it approached late afternoon. We got home just before nightfall and I ended up watching that Adele special that was on after watching some DVR’d episodes of true crime dramas.

And hey, what do you know, I actually won something for a change. It’s been quite the dry spell until today. I won a gift cert to Assembly Row – gonna head down there sometime this weekend and pick it up. Nice to start winning things again. Let’s hope that kind of luck holds out.

Gametime games that occupied my brain and reflexes for a few: A cute platformer called Sulka (which I finished in about 20 minutes) and a puzzle game called Tres Undos (which for some reason I can’t figure out how to solve level 2 yet).

Duxbury Love

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The planks to the sea

Visited Duxbury Reservation this afternoon. Then spent some time in Braintree. The reason for the Duxbury visit was to maybe get some photos for an upcoming contest that LD saw advertised and to spend some time outdoors, go for a walk, enjoy the sunshine and get some much needed exercise. At one point I decided to walk under the Powder Point Bridge which we discovered is closed to pedestrians and traffic as it’s apparently been undergoing repairs since mid-August.

Duxbury Love

LD had some business in Braintree so that was the reason for that visit. I walked around and grabbed some pictures from around the nearby lake (which I may share at a later date). In between the two place visits we hit Gerard’s for a open faced turkey sandwich lunch in Marshfield. We managed to get home just before sunset which was good as a rainstorm was approaching. Didn’t seem to do anything here but did put the Cape on a tornado watch for a few.

Under Powder Point Bridge

I ended up watching some documentary on PBS this early evening about the Boston radio station WBCN – how it started, it’s history, etc. I found it pretty interesting – especially the really early days.

Nubble Lights the Way

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The Nubble lights the way!

It’s so much fun working out in the rain.

No, not really,

Enjoy this shot I took of the Nubble back in March/April. Looking forward to visiting Maine again next month.

Been a good evening to catch up on some more Season 1 reruns of The O.C. Can you believe that the first season is 27 episodes!? Today that would be like 2 or 3 seasons even of a show.

Want to Show Me Some Love?

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Want to own your own copy of my puffin photo? Click here for direct link!

Figured I’d try to give my favorite puffin photo I ever took some more exposure. Would make a great gift for a puffin bird lover – just saying. Support local creators!

I finally got around to digging out the tubers from the garden and bagged them into storage for planting next year. Got to make the most of the weather this week. I even decided to plant some garlic bulbs to go along with the onions I planted last time. We also hung some more icicle lights inside the house – they do provide a nice warm glow to the rooms that they’re hanging in.

Finished watching the 10 weeks of Impeachment: An American Crime Story. I thought it was really well done. The actress who played Coulter was uncanny – like, exact. And yeah, Tripp was one crazy lady. I also finally finished reading about Dewey. It ended up being pretty good after all. I haven’t really read all that much this year – nothing really has caught my eye too much or made me interested enough sadly.

Getting It (Sorta?) Done

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Not anything too exciting to report on lately. I don’t know if it’s the time change or what but I do feel sleepy and it’s only late afternoon as I write this. I did cook some meals, a shrimp dish, a pork dish, and a turkey dish. including a tofu dish. When I make mashed potatoes now I like to add in some mashed parsnips – really does enhance the flavor in my opinion. We did sort of go antiquing for a bit today and went for a walk around Wellesley. Been binge watching season one of The O.C. Anyone remember that show from the early 2000’s? I had never seen it before but LD remembered it. It’s actually not bad – at least this first season. I have a bunch of stuff I want to get done this week and was planning to do a bunch of it today, but I’m not feeling it right now. I need to transplant a tree, maybe bring in some potted plants before they die, deal with the grill, hang up some lights, pull some tubers from the ground, etc. But like I said, I’m just not feeling it at the moment.

Frosty Mornings

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Frost on the ground

Looking down at the ground toward my feet this chilly morning I saw a patch of grass with leaves and frost on it and for some reason I thought it might make for an interesting photo at least, so here are the results of that endeavor. Almost looks like sage in the grass but it couldn’t be that, but does make the photo more compelling I feel. What do you all think about it? Am I out of my mind on this?

Castle Hill Diaries

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Castle Hill Inn

Oh boy was it a chilly one this morning. Shock to the system! But I find that if you bundle yourself up properly, it actually isn’t so bad. The photo above is one I took while visiting and staying at the building in the photo in Newport RI. Interesting side note is that the actress Grace Kelly stayed here while filming High Society in the 1950s; the rocky cove she cherished visiting is now named after her. Renowned novelist Thornton Wilder was also a frequent visitor and describes the turret suite as a “magical room” in the autobiographical novel, Theophilus North. I didn’t stay in the turret room (at least not as of yet) but the library suite that I did stay in was really nice. You really can’t go wrong with any of the rooms. I like this location due to it’s rocky shores – makes for great photos I would say.

Beach Waves 4 Days

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Beach waves (our happy place)

I ended up finally removing the door screens and replacing them with the glass panes this afternoon. Ah, another sign of the changing seasons. Bummer. I don’t like the cold weather, but that’s New England for you. Instead I would rather relive this scene I captured on Sunday when it was unseasonably warm. I also went ahead and removed the outside hoses and shut off their respective water valves. As it turned out we didn’t really need to water things much this year as we basically got too much rain over the last few months.

Halloween Day Beach Trip

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Beach Outing

Yesterday afternoon we headed out for another beach trip since the weather was so nice, especially after 5 consecutive days of no sun and one of the days producing a nor’easter which produced a lot of wind damage around the area. We took a walk along the shore and came into this rocky outcrop where a bunch of birds like to have lunch apparently as I saw many gulls eating clams and crabs and we saw this little birds scurrying about. I originally thought they were piping plovers because they were white and pretty tiny, but after looking them up in my bird book, it appears they were just little sanderlings. Still pretty cute though!

Lunch time for the birds!

In the early evening we set up shop in front of the house with candles, the candy we had all placed in goodie bags the day before and a skull on the table while we sat in chairs behind. LD dressed up as a witch and me as a, well, I’m not sure what I was but I did have a boa. There were a bunch of kids, the high point being between 5 and 7 pm. At close to 7 it started to rain with a think may have cut things short a little early but I think it was all pretty much over by then anyway, so it worked out pretty well. A kid who got some candy recognized me from my time being out and about in the neighborhood and gave me some props, which was nice.

This morning LD had an appointment at Faulkner so I tagged along for the hour or so. Afterwards we headed to JP and got some breakfast an Ula café. We hadn’t been there in quite a while. Got it to go and had a nice breakfast! In the late afternoon I decided to mow the lawns – not so much to cut the grass because that wasn’t really necessary but more to suck up and mulch a bunch of the fallen leaves. Fall clean up season is starting up. Finally I used up the last of the propane in the gas grill to cook up some steak tips and marinated chicken for dinner. Stuff we had to use up before it goes bad and all.

Spooky Vibes

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Old Graveyard

In the quiet space below, is laid out an aisle similar to those in any library. The gravestones like rows of books bearing the names of those whose names have been blotted from the pages of life; who have been forgotten elsewhere but are remembered here.

A Dream That Had Tears Streaming Down My Face

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Mum show! Our mums are popping with color at the moment!

Met a new dog on shift today. Her name was Lucy and she is just 4 months old but wants to become a therapy dog when she gets older. You wouldn’t believe the number of times people will walk up to me and just start talking, but it’s cool. I get to meet all these local people and I get to be more social. There’s also this younger woman that comes by and always tries to joke with me (and I’m thinking in my head, uhmmm, okay….)

I had a weird dream last night where I saw my grandparents. I rarely seem to have dreams about them. Anyways in this dream I’m with my grandmother in the house I grew up in and were just hanging out and heading into another room. My grandfather is in the other room, with no shirt on, old, and looking like he was going to hit my grandmother with a stick or something. But he stops himself in time. He looks like I remember him toward the end of his life. He appears to be a little demented which I think he was becoming toward the end of his life. I step into the room and he looks like he’s going to hit me with the stick but in an instant there seems to be some recognition of me as his eyes widen, smiles, and appears to come out of the demented state. Then he falls backwards flat on his back and whacks his head solidly on the floor and looks knocked out. I ask my grandmother if we should do something but she says no, it happens all the time and he’ll be fine, seemingly not really caring in the least. He then gets up like nothing happens and heads over to a table that somehow appeared in the room. I look at him, bare-chested and all and tell him that I am worried about him. He tells me he’s ok and there’s nothing to worry about. I must have placed my eyes downward for a second because when I looked back up at him he was young, like when he was in his early twenties that I had seen in old photographs. I tell him again I’m worried about him but he just smiles, and says everything’s ok and then he starts wise cracking, like I imagine he did when he was that age. I then woke up out of the dream with some tears rolling down my face. What this dream could mean I have no idea, but I felt it was worthy of writing down because it was weird, it was of my grandparents, and it made me feel something. So I want to remember it.

Might add more to this post later tonight.. check back ..