Got to love all the wind and rain we’ve been having over the last couple of days, right? Enjoy this nice New England spot I discovered a while back instead. And the little love down below.
Late October and the Loving is Easy
Category: Memories
Pencil Envy?
All my stuff arrived today, the grill cover, the patio cover, my new headset, my gloves. We put the covers on their respective devices since it looks like rain for the next few days. We also got caught up on some gardening chores, like weeding and mulching and planting some more bulbs before the rains come. We also lopped some errant rose bush leaves that had been extending out into the driveway. LD also got a flu shot this afternoon. Also I was pretty proud of myself tonight with the dinner I concocted: Roasted chicken with a rosemary gravy long with sides of roasted broccoli, mashed potatoes, and a cranberry and apple chutney.
What do you think about my big pencil? It’s quite the handful, believe you me.
Getting the Hang of Things
One neat thing I did around the house yesterday afternoon was to hang a thing to put our keys on by the door. It had these indentations on the back on where you would put the screws in the wall. I learned a new trick how to hang things like this. You get a piece of tape and stick it to the back of what you want to hang and mark on the tape the locations of where the screwheads or whatever would go and mark them on the tape. Then remove the tape from the object and stick it to the wall where you want to hang the item. Drill your holes where you placed the marks on the tape. Then remove the tape and hang your item. So much easier than having to measure out and keep trying to look behind the thing.
Summer Returns for a Day or Two
Today chose to be in the 70s which was a welcome change compared to what I dealt with a bit yesterday. I went on a bit of a spending spree today buying some needed things: a new cover for the grill, some gloves, and a new USB headset for my laptop since the ones I had been using since my corporate days finally bit the dust. I got one that also incorporates a 3.5mm jack so I can use it with other devices as well, so I’m looking forward to that being delivered.
Out on the afternoon shift today a woman came up to me and gifted me some lotion. I had been bringing in her barrels on trash day since she lets me use her driveway and she just wanted to meet and thank me for doing that. That was nice – actually most people that I’ve dealt with have been quite friendly to me. I am out there dealing with the public all the time now so it’s different than what I had been used to, but overall, I like the folks. Over the last couple of weeks I have been getting more and more comfortable with that.
I felt like posting a new photo today so I chose this sunset from Orleans down on the Cape to for the weather we had today.
Gametime: Apples Contain a Lot of Iron. Another puzzle game right up my alley. Seem to be stuck on level 17 at the moment.
Autumn Feels
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away; Lengthen night and shorten day; Every leaf speaks bliss to me Fluttering from the autumn tree. I shall smile when wreaths of snow Blossom where the rose should grow; I shall sing when night’s decay Ushers in a drearier day.
- Emily Brontë
This morning was the first morning in a while that it really started to feel like autumn, being cool and all.
What a Weird Day
As I was finishing up my shift today, a gentleman wearing a hat pulled over and came over to me and stated that he was an artist and drew various people around town. He even showed me some of his work. I suppose they were ok, but this guy was no Picasso. Anyways he asked if he could take my picture so that he could draw me, I guess, I mean I am rather adorable and cute, right? I obliged and let him take his shots. We’ll see what comes out of this one. I would have never believed all the weird stuff that I see these days out in the field.
Heater Activated
I spent the afternoon assembling the patio heater out in the back yard. The directions said it should take an hour or so but it took me a little while longer. Although I was initially hesitant about assembling it after seeing all the various parts and hardwire, once I got down to brass tacks and started working my way through the instructions, it actually wasn’t so bad. All that’s left to do now is attach the propane and give her a test run. I’ll attempt to get that done tomorrow between shifts. The whole thing itself is actually quite tall at around 87.5 inches. Then I went ahead and mowed the back yard, giving me another ~6,000 steps according to my Fitbit, so it’s a bit of a workout.
I went ahead and added two more of my designs over at the shop. One recent, the other a little bit older. Check those out if you are interested.
Anyways it ended up being a rather productive day for myself.
Last night I made a shrimp and white bean sauté and tonight I made some pan roasted cod. On a seafood kick this week.
Love from Lavalette
Spent the long weekend in Lavalette, NJ in a very cute beach house only steps from the ocean, so that was pretty amazing. The weather was a little rainy off and on, but mostly off, just windy and cloudy. It made for some pretty spectacular waves. I don’t know if the waves are like that there all the time, but like I said, it was pretty wild to watch the height and power of them. Another thing I like about Lavalette is that everything is right there. The main boulevard is right there and there’s lots of options, which is why Lavalette has quickly become my 2nd favorite place in Jersey now (Cape May being Number 1). The weekend didn’t go entirely as was planned but we made the best of it and we really enjoyed ourselves. I would definitely stay there again. (You can see some of the sights on my Insta stories before they disappear).
While I was there I also was able to pick up a new book to read from a little library that was located at a local coffeehouse that we checked out. The place was Lava Java, and the book is Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Changed the World. We’ll see how the book is but the coffee place was pretty good. We also frequented a place called Lenny’s for take out dinners. Have to say their pasta dinners were really good. So plugs out to those places – check them out if you’re ever down there. Also got to watch some Netflix while we were there in the evenings, a thing on Britney, some killer documentaries, and something about LSD and the stories from celebrities who’ve done it from time to time.
Meanwhile back at the home front I need to start assembling that patio heater this week, and fill up the propane for the outside grill.
Still Rocking and Rolling
Just me.
Smile, It’s Free Therapy!
Smile! The heater and tank have arrived for the patio finally! I’ll start assembling it after the long weekend. In between I’ve been doing a bunch of errands and other little things that had to happen, visiting HQ, the bank, working my shift etc. For some reason PayPal decided to gift me 5 bucks. Not sure why but I’ll take it.
I’m a little concerned about our pine tree out back, as he appears to be browning its needles. I think it’s probably due to all the wet weather we had this season. Hopefully things will dry out and he’ll be able to survive. He does appear to be growing new things at the nodes and he did produce a new pinecone, so fingers crossed.
People are Weird Sometimes
A weird thing happened today while I was at my job. A woman pulled up to the light and did what appeared to me to be taking my picture on her cell phone. Uhmmm….why? It only took a second. I suppose she could have been looking at her phone for directions but to me it seemed more like she was taking a photo. I normally don’t mind having my picture taken but it just seems a bit unnerving when someone does it who who knows what purpose. Maybe I’m overreacting. It just seemed weird.
Otherwise it was a pretty good day! Fall is definitely in the air, though – bit chilly in the morning. After my shift I went to the reopened gas station which had been closed for renovations and got some gas for the mower as it was empty. I’ll probably do some lawn maintenance tomorrow in between commitments. I also have an appointment to get my windshield repaired tomorrow. Should be a fun day!
No More Shutdown Worries for Me
I heard another government shutdown may be looming. I’m so glad I don’t really need to care about that anymore, My previous job did much work for the government but when it shuts down most projects are put on hold and then it would be a stressful scramble to try to find work. And unlike the true government workers who get paid for while they were away for however long when they get back, we did not. It would be on another project, if you could find one, or overhead which would be a big nono because the place nickel and dimed everybody so much. Anyways, it’s just nice to not have to worry anymore about crap like that.
My long sleeve jacket came back from the tailors today and it looks super spiffy with its new accoutrements. In a couple of weeks I’ll need to go back and drop off the short sleeve for the same treatment.
Have you heard of these things called kiwi berries? I just tried some and I really like them. They are like tiny little kiwis but you eat them just as is, peel and all. And they taste really good. I had no idea this thing existed.
Heart Rock Love
Nothing too special happened today. I had to go down to HQ to get some more paperwork just detailing their IT stuff. Now I have another email address – great. I don’t think I’ll ever use it though. Gmail works just fine for me. I also needed to reschedule my windshield repair. They hadn’t got the deets from the insurance company yet so I figured I’d give it a couple of more days and set it for Friday morning, Still plan on going to the tailors tomorrow though for my pickup. We also went to the pharmacy this afternoon because LD needed something.
We’re trying out a new meal delivery service this week. New cards and all. This particular one seems a little more upscale and with some better ingredients. We’ll see how I do trying to prepare the first one tonight, although generally, these things aren’t too hard to put together.
I still have the rock in the picture above. It’s sitting right on the windowsill next to where I have my laptop. For the longest time I could never find heart shaped rocks on the beach it seemed, but when I saw this, it was amazing and I was thrilled.
Monday Motif
Today I started my shift solo – finally out of training and in the field all by myself. It’ll be this way from now on. What a journey it’s been so far, with all the various hoops to go through – I finally made it.
I set up an appointment this morning to have the car windshield guys come down to repair the crack that appeared last week. Figured I might as well get it done, the sooner the better, before it gets any worse. They had one appointment each day if I wanted them to swing by but with my schedule it didn’t seem ideal so I set it up that I’ll go down to their place on Wednesday and just wait down there while they work on it. I’ll be in the area anyways to pick up some things from the tailor that’s nearby.
Return to Rexhame
The calming movement of the sea along with the restless ocean breeze gently caresses me creating a soothing trance which lulls me to a place of peace.
Spent another beautiful afternoon out at Rexhame again. So peaceful today and relaxing. We also like watching the dogs play in the water that people bring along.
Somerville Sojourn
While I was in my hometown this afternoon I decided to take out one of bikes and go for a ride around town, just to see how everything was looking. You can see some of these if you follow me on Insta under my stories. Some of the highlights were hitting some little libraries, catching some of the fluff festival down in Union Square – although by the time I got there it had appeared to be winding down, a visit to the Round House (which looks likes it’s finally being renovated and looks really nice), and going through Davis which is a mess due to the outdoor dining – not much room for the cars to pass through. I also passed by the place were the Ladydoc and I first met on our very first date. There’s a bit of trivia for you! The rest is history!
I guess I am a bit not used to riding though, because now I’m so tired and sleepy. I didn’t intend to do as much riding as I did but once I got going I wanted to keep checking out other things so I ended up doing an hour and a half of bicycling around the town.
Piers
So far the week’s been going good. Getting the hang of it all. Still under observation this week but I took the helm midweek because I wanted to. Next week I start all by my lonesome.
Looking to have to get a new kitchen faucet installed. We noticed it leaking over the last few days.
Relaxing in the Peaceful Dunes
Tomorrow’s my big first day, wish me luck. What else? Not too much going on, just having some chill time around the firepit, watching tv, etc. I do need to make another appointment for a windshield repair. Darn thing had a pebble hit it while I was travelling down Route 1. This is the 2nd time now, last time being May 2020. I think this one can just be repaired though, as opposed to last time when I needed the whole thing replaced.
We went to Rexhame beach again this afternoon. The waves were killer. We didn’t go in the water of course, just sat in our chairs after a little hike around the river marsh in back. We found a nice secluded area above the river up a dune that was really peaceful and hung out there for a while. On the way back we got some open faced turkey sandwiches from a turkey farm place that’s on the way. We were going to eat them at home but ended up eating them on one of the picnic tables they had set up outside. It was really good too.
A Quick Look Inside
Feelings That I Love:
Seeing the sun rise in the morning
Making someone laugh
Listening to a snappy song
Being recognized for a job well done
Being counted on to come through, and succeeding
Getting personal emails
Getting lost in the amazement of this universe we inhabit
Getting the chill up my spine from a dramatic or surprising scene of a movie
Hugging a soft warm body
Growing Up
Feelings That I Hate:
A song that ends too soon
Feeling Pressured
Feeling Stressed Out
Regret
Being Frustrated
Biting Winds nipping at my face
Saying Good-Byes
Growing Up
Dancing the Paperwork Shuffle
Enjoy this picture from the Nauset Light that I took back in early spring while we stayed next door to it. That was such a nice trip. This shot was just sitting in my archives – figure I’d pull it out and finally post it.
Spent a good part of today filling out and going over all the paperwork for the HR department. Kinda crazy how many things there are. I’ll be handing that in on Thursday after I finish the CPR training. Looking forward to actually getting started, feels like it’s been weeks (which I suppose at this point it kind of actually has been).
Watching: Season premiere of Ice-T’s In Ice Cold Blood. This series is pretty much like all those shows on the ID network. I was intrigued by the description of some kid’s great grandparents “melting.” I feel that the best episode is one from the first season called Money Pig or some such. That story was so whack how could it have all been true. Worth searching for.
My new beach chair I ordered finally showed up today. This was the one that I originally wanted with the built in head pillow rest, lumbar support, side cooler and tons of pockets/storage. I’m giving it to LD to replace her old one which is needing to be retired already.
Did Someone Say Wine Slushies?
Last night we went to a winery with another couple friends of ours. We had seen this place featured on an episode of Chronicle which I just happened to randomly catch. The two things that caught our eye was that we saw in the video people that we knew and that they had this stuff called wine slushes, which is what you think it is. The place is really cute and we had a great time. We will definitely be going back there, especially since out friends became members, I personally sucked down two slushies while our friends did the traditional wine tastings. They liked their flavors so much they even bought a bunch of bottles. After staying there for a couple hours, we all headed back and sat around our fire pit for a few hours more. I didn’t get to bed until 2 am, I really enjoyed myself and I think everyone else did too.
This afternoon we went to the beach again. We are really becoming late summer beach bums this year. We ended up going to Rexhame, The water was pretty cold though but yet refreshing in a way. Must of stayed there around 4 hours or so. Once back home, I decided to use the grill to fire up some burgers from this week’s Hello Fresh instead of following their directions to fry them on a skillet. I think it worked out rather well, with the basil pesto and tomatoes. I did follow the directions to bake the potato fries though and used the oven for that.
Weeding It All Out
Yes, I’ve gone back to the previous design. Maybe I’ll change it again if the mood strikes but I really like to show off my photos and this design I think does that pretty well. So for the moment, we’re back to this view.
I spent a little part of the afternoon weeding out the raised boxes. I’m a bit ashamed to say that I pretty much let that go this year, but in my defense the weather we’ve had all summer was not that conductive to our plantings. Still, I have been a bit remiss with the gardening. Getting ready for fall cleanup soon anyhow.
In the early evening we went and got some Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza and watched the last four episodes of Chicago PD which had been sitting on the DVR since the early summer.
A Parade of Schooners and a Hidden Grotto Makes for a Lovely Morning
Checked out the Parade of Sail up in Gloucester this morning. Like I mentioned before I hadn’t seen it since 2018. This year didn’t seem to have as many boats as that year but still a good time to view some scenic boats float by. LD came with this time and liked watching the dogs play in the water down below the boulevard, fetching balls and pieces of wood from the water thrown by their masters. Good thing we had the foresight to bring our beach chairs, which we set down right along the boulevard and watched the action. Toward the end I ventured over to more mountainous area and discovered what I like to call the hidden grotto. Pretty cool location. There was talk of maybe hitting the beach but the weather didn’t look that promising, plus we went yesterday, and there’s always tomorrow as a possibility.
We then headed for lunch at a place we like to go when we’re in the area. No wait! Got there just before it started getting busy. And it was outside with umbrellas! It spitting rain at us off and on but really nothing and didn’t effect us negatively. We ordered a bit too much this time so we’ll be having the leftovers for sinner tonight.
Finished off the early evening with a fire pit for a while. Did that for a few until the skies decided to start to drizzle again but thankfully I had been done with the fire by that point. After that we finally finished our leftovers while watching some 48 Hours reruns we had recorded from the night before and a movie on HBO, which was a recommendation from some friends of ours. I didn’t watch much of the movie as I had fallen asleep on my heating pad. Yes, it’s getting close to being that time of year again where I lay on this thing and end up napping for an hour or two.
End of Summer Beach Outings
I had to go out and buy some black work sneaks and boots for my upcoming position so I did that yesterday afternoon. I lucked out in that there’s a DSW not too far from here and I was able to find what I needed right away, so that was nice. I’m the type of person who likes to have everything I need at the ready, even if it won’t be needed for months in advance. That’s just me.
Spent the day at Duxbury beach again. Went into the water a couple of times. I ordered LD a new beach chair as we noticed hers was starting to be too worn. I actually ended up ordering for her the chair that I myself originally wanted but got sent something else that I ended up staying with because I actually liked it. Anyways, while we were in the water we noticed these weird gelatinous beings all around that your skin would brush against. Picking them out if the water they looked like some translucent sort of worm. Come to find out after looking it up, they were salps. I found these beings to have a fascinating life cycle – I had never heard of these creatures before. I assume the recent storm blew them more inland than they usually are.
By the time it became after 5 o’clock we were getting hungry so we headed over to Green Harbor – our go to place after the beach there. They are closing after Monday to end their season. They were out of lobster rolls but LD got shrimp and I went with the clam plate. The wait took over an hour which was annoying but we didn’t have any other plans so we just waited and got a little hangry. We finally got the food and ate it while watching a sunset over by a nearby marsh.
I had originally planned to do a fire pit tonight but we’re too tired now and it’s rather late. Perhaps I’ll light one tomorrow night.
Tomorrow my plan is to be getting up early to check out the schooners in G-town!