Above is another one of my photos that I had lying around and decided to post up.
So, between work today, I managed to do some stuff around the house. The new network is up and running, and all the cameras are connected, once I had noticed that they were still looking for the old network and basically wouldn’t work. The set-top box is running Android TV, which works perfectly with the new TV remote and Google Assistant. It’s such a relief to have everything set up and working properly. I still want to play around a little bit with using my voice to control it. i know it’s nothing new but since the old box didn’t support it we never had those features.
The guy who was due to install the railings to the front steps finally showed up today, too, and got started putting up the new rails on the new steps. It was a bit of a surprise since I wasn’t expecting him, well I was, but a head’s up once in a while would have been nice. They didn’t take long to install, and I have to say, I think they really look great! The new rails are much safer than the old ones, and they also add a nice touch of style to the front of the house.
Overall, it was a productive day. Work on the garden and other areas around here continue apace. We’d like to get everything in order for when our guest arrives to hang out for a few days with us. There’s going to be a bunch of hopefully fun adventures lined up!
And now for something totally bananas! I used A.I to create a song in a bout a minute. Check it out.
Just got back from a weekend in New Jersey. It was LD’s college reunion so we attended. She got to get together with some old freinds, some she hadn’t seen in quite some time.
It was a fun outing. The weather was nice. Before the actual dinner they had a mass at the connected chapel to the college. What a beautiful chapel, I had never actually been inside before. Picture doesn’t really do it justice. You have to be in there and admire the high ceilings and stained glass and sculptures. Excellent attention to detail. We then took a little tour of the campus and the girls reminisced of their times there. It was cool to hear the stories.
The actual event itself wasn’t run too well, too many little things for listing now, but one funny story is this woman who joined our table and I guess was part of their class except she was like not a regular student, more like a weekend college kind of thing. She kept getting in all the pictures and interrupting but I suppose just wanted to be a part of the festivities. She said she was some sort of couples counselor but when you pressed her on certain things, it just sounded weird and off. There’s a lot more, like the time I handed her a photo prop that had the word Princess on it and she looked at me like I had three heads. (she had said her name was Princess, like I said, a bit strange). Anyways there’s way more to be said about these various encounters but better to tell it in person.
We had pizza at a local place by a train station and got to hang out with another friend who decided to come down and meet us, which was nice. We stayed at The Madison, a place we used to stay at often before the pandemic (since the pandemic we never use hotel rooms anymore, mostly Airbnb’s now) but for this particular trip is was convenient. Except the place is kind of going downhill, which is sad. I mean, it always had it’s foibles but now with it being sold to some company and not run by a family anymore, you can tell the difference. The food’s not the same, the service is definitely not the same, they even removed the pool to build another space for weddings (since that’s it’s main gig these days) and having a pool was one of the main reasons for choosing that place – for us. We didn’t check the reviews beforehand because we thought it would be like it always was. Won’t be making that mistake again!
The next day he hit the town center and met up with two other friends from LD’s graduating class at a diner called The Nautilus. Another place that I probably hadn’t been to in over 10 years if not more. That was pretty much the same. Again, fun meeting them and listening to the stories. Then it was off to grab some Jersey Boy bagels for the road and head on back.
The Verizon guy finally came this morning and upgraded everything, including a new set top box, which is what started this whole rigmarole. But now we are blasting with giganet speeds so access quality should be really good now.
Currently Reading: Staying with the computer future for the moment: Quantum Supremacy (review).
We had a good day at the beach yesterday, meeting up with some friends. Good times. The weather was also amazing. I did not wade in the ocean, but everyone else did! We noticed a bunch of people playing what must be some new beach game. It looks like there’s a mini trampoline and you biunce a ball off of it to the other person. Never seen this before but a bunch of people had there own games set up which makes me thing maybe it’s the latest thing?
We all got a little sunshine. Afterwards, LD and I went to Green Harbor for some lobster rolls and clams; we were there, so why not? When we got home, I made some teriyaki rice with vegetables and we watched some more The Shield episodes.
This morning, I went to town to mow the lawns, and we jointly mulched several of the lily beds. Mulching appears to be an endless task. I also cleaned off the Adirondack chairs and patio table to remove the pollen that had accumulated. This gardening stuff is a lot of effort (granted, it’s a rather big back yard). It looks great when everything is finished. I feel fairly accomplished this morning, despite the fact that I’m little sore.
I mowed both the front and back lawns, (that back one is such a large area!), but kept the buttercup area in the middle of the lawn since it appears that a bunny has placed a nest right smack dab in the center of it. I don’t mow those down anyway until they’ve finished blooming. Looks sort of comical having a neat lawn and this outcrop of buttercups right smack dab in the middle of it.
On a sad note, the garden lady that helped us with many questions and gifted a bunch of her lilies over the years from her garden suddenly passed away this week, so we’ll go to the wake on Monday and LD will probably also attend the funeral on Tuesday. She was a wonderful woman to all who knew her and will be sorely missed. We were going to visit some pals down in Fairhaven that day, but decided to take a rain check to attend these services instead. We’ll also do some more garden cleanup around her lilies that are here to honor her and keep the memory alive.
I was going to fire up the grill tonight for the first time this season and do up some steak tips and zucchini but instead we decided on pizza and takeout. I’ll grill those things up tomorrow afternoon.
June is looking to be an extremely busy month with a lot of activities I’m really looking forward to. They’ll be some rather unusual new animal encounters, a couple of friendly visits from some folks we love, a new pool party invite, an island excursion, and a lot more. Can’t wait to experience them and share!
Game Time: Cargo Lines. This game is actually pretty fun, I like using my brain to try and solve the puzzles. I’m on the red crated levels now and the difficulty has really ramped up!
Kind of a weird day today, thunderstorms, then sun, then rain, then hot sun. At least the good news is that I didn’t get too wet outside today.
We went today to go check out the 8th Annual Revere Beach Kite Festival. It looked like it rained a little bit, but mostly it was just overcast, and though it first it sounded like it might not have been the right decision to go, that changed as time went on, and it was actually a really fun time! And of course afterwards I had to gobble down a Kelly’s Roast Beef. I even got a gift for LD’s friend who’s coming to visit next month.
A video from last night’s Trixter show that we almost attended: YouTube link. Also some of the bikes at the ride yesterday looked pretty rad to me, including this Urban Arrow Bike, which costs an amazing 8,000 dollars. Personally, for me, I think I’d rather buy a car for that money.
Currently Reading: Another coming through my Libby app, Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture. (review here) I really got to get cranking on finishing these books before I have to return them!
We were supposed to go to New Jersey this weekend, Teaneck to be precise, to see the band Trixter play at a place called the Debonair Music Hall, (we had the tickets and lodging all squared away beforehand) but with LD’s concussion healing and due to the lateness, stimuli and whatnot, decided to bag that for now and maybe go again at a later date. The time just didn’t seem right for right now.
Passing by this statue I had to photograph – I thought it looked really cool! (Sanctuary Theatre)
So instead, I went on the Cambridge City Spring bike ride! This particular ride’s theme was passing by all the locations and neighborhoods of the Cambridge African American History trail, stopping at two places, one being the boarding house that Harriet Jacobs ran for a while. While there I learned of her book written in 1861 and decided to add it to my reading list next.
Currently Reading: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs (1861).
We went over to the town’s annual garden club putting and picked up a bunch of plants for the gardening ahead. It was in Walpole this time, just over the city line, at a conservation land that I’d never been to. It actually was a pretty good place to have this event. They usually have it at one of the town pool areas but that location is being redone over the summer so they had to have the event at a different place. We got a couple of beautiful hanging plants and a bunch of smaller little plants that we’ll be putting into pots and adorning the decks with.
We then grabbed a quick breakfast at a place not too far away called Blue Moon Café, which I had been to once last year. Got a bunch of things there but unfortunately while LD asked for an ice coffee it arrived as hot. Ended up drinking it anyway.
Here is a photo I took in April. The osprey nest in the window’s reflection was something I had not noticed until someone pointed it out to me! We ate here a few years ago when it was previously owned by what I assumed at the time to be a local family. It has since been purchased by new owners, who intend to reopen it this summer – it has been closed for a couple of years now but things seem to be looking up.
Speaking of the coming summer, June is looking to be a very busy month for us – the calendar is getting crazy filled up with stuff – very exciting times! I’ll give more details into each of the events as they appear.
We started out the day actually going to a trainer space out in Weston to do a free weight strength training exercises with a trainer for a hour to help get a little bit in shape. We did squats, and dead lifts, curls, and all kinds of stretches. Not the worst way to spend a free hour in the morning. Then it was off to what I wanted to check out, this fine dandy of place, right in my hometown. It’s only open to the public once a year. It’s run by a couple who have transformed their house into this place. It’s quite a sight. The crown jewel of the house is surely its Grand Hall at the top of the staircases. Every inch of the walls and vaulted ceiling in the auditorium is intricately painted with bright colors featuring the artists’ interpretation of creation stories from different cultures. There are 57 murals of about 5,200 square feet in total.
(The last pic above is actually from Weston next to the town green where we worked out.)
After that we decided to try a place in the Ville that I had always heard great things about and since it was in the area we went to try it. A little place called Three Little Figs. It was good. Then we came home and bought some flowers to be planted soon as part of our gardening tasks.
Can you guess by this picture? I plan on revisiting this place in the very near future and this time I hope to get many better pictures! Place kind of reminds me of Dr. Strange’s house from the comic books of the 1970! Strangely I thought that I had some more from this location but I can’t seem to find them. They may be lost forever, but no matter, as I plan to take new ones that will be better hopefully anyway.
I spent the late afternoon bagging up some thorny branches that I cut down last fall and finally made smaller and bagged so that the city can come take them away. I need to get to the home improvement store soon though because the f***in thorny tree like thing is starting to grow back again. Not the greatest thing to be doing with my knee acting up but things need to get done! I cut it down some more but it’s only a matter of time before it rears it’s ugly head again. Stubborn little bast**d! Anyways, enjoy this much nicer scene of spring that I took over in Wellesley, Mass!
Sometimes, the best plan is no plan at all. Today, I’m embracing the art of doing nothing. No deadlines, no rush, no stress. Just a day to unwind, relax, and recharge. Actually I still check the bunny occasionally. One did decide to stay for a bit longer. Seems like there’s always one lone straggler that takes a little longer to leave than it’s siblings. When I saw Carson sleeping back in his house and not watching anymore I knew the bunny had left. Now we have empty nest syndrome again after one day!
I awoke, to my utter surprise this morning, to notice that three baby bunnies had been born in the same old flowerpot that previous generations of buns had been born in, running around the deck, in between the various pots. I suppose we were first alerted to their presence when we realized that Carson never came up to the bed last night. He was watching the bunny action apparently. We put out some carrot strings in the afternoon and by early evening, they were eaten, most likely by the one bunny that is still hanging around, although after today, I would imagine it will be on it’s way to it’s life’s adventure.
Springtime in Boston
Yesterday I spent much of the day over at Earth-1, helping my mom out with various tasks that she needed down. She had a cataract operation last week and is progressing great. Probably going to have the other eye done in a couple of weeks as well. While I was there, one of her cats, Laurel, decided to wear his bowtie. I wish I could Carson to wear one but there’s no way that’s going to happen at this stage in the game.
The iconic swan boats of Boston start up another season tomorrow in the Public Garden. I didn’t get a chance this winter to check out the clown heads at Winteractive this time but maybe sometime in the summer I can check out these boats again.
Currently Reading: Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History. Great television show from the 90s, especially the first few seasons. I only got to see the whole series a couple of years ago on streaming, having never watched it when it first came out.
We had a “free” couple of days to stay at the Cape which we obtained last summer so we finally decided to use it up this weekend. So back down to Earth-3 we went. (Earth-3 being the place down the Cape that we regularly stay at – a time share that we have). So we arrived Friday night and we ended up using a gift certificate to a local restaurant that we’ve gone to a bunch of times and got rid of that. (The gift certificate was also a “freebie” since they messed up our later last time and this was the way amends were made). So that all worked out quite well.
Some other fun things we got to do on this mini-vacation was, as usual, our multiple visits to the Chocolate Sparrow, a place we love to get our treats from. We grabbed a brunch from a place called Grumpies and they weren’t grumpy at all. In fact, I’d say the food was actually really good. I would go back there. We got much needed massages from a lady we know down there who is amazing, and those felt really good. Late Saturday night LD got me a surprise experience, my first, being in a meditative salt cave. So that was pretty cool. The weather wasn’t all that great, a bit rainy at times and quite windy which made the air very cold, but nature is nature! We used the down time to catch up on some of our reading. Speaking of which, my next read is called A Murder in Wellesley: The Inside Story of an Ivy-League Doctor’s Double Life, His Slain Wife, and the Trial That Gripped the Nation mostly because we now know a person who was directly involved. And I mean, you can’t get any closer than this person was! More details to emerge as we delve into this case much deeper over the next few days.
Yesterday I tagged along and helped moved stuff for LD and her colleagues from one office to another and also helped get rid of a bunch of stuff. Very exciting to see the new space! I didn’t realize it at the time but later on in the day I had noticed that it really tuckered me out! Got some lunch later from the Cod Squad which was very tasty.
I’m ready for those warmer weather beach outings now! This picture I took a little while back makes me yearn for those days right now, but I know they’re coming. Just have to be a bit more patient.
Today’s brief adventure was checking out a dollhouse in Wellesley that I found for LD (it’s amazing what you can find on Facebook Marketplace, I do like to look over the listings) to perhaps buy for her new office location. This thing was quite large yet nice and not flashy, and it came with the prettiest furnishings. She fell in love with it right away, and it’s now part of the family! Then we took a little side trip to see something macabre, which I’ll tell more about later.
Later on in the afternoon I ran a couple of errands, put in a Powerball ticket (had to try, right?) ate some more lemon orzo soup that we made again last night and updated this page with this latest entry.
One of LD’s Birthday gifts from yesterday. A 100 piece jigsaw puzzle of us!
Currently Reading: The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology. Getting all science-y with this read!
Went to Earth-1 to run some errands, visited my grandparent’s grave in Malden, had a treat at Kelly’s Roast Beef, visited LD’s old landlady who recently lost her husband who was a very nice man, celebrated LD’s birthday, and yeah, that’s about it.
We made a quick visit to the beach today since it was kind of nice out. When we arrived we were amazed at how active the waves were and the water itself was quite close to the entry points. We had never seen the water travel up that high before.
Today we plan on making the lemon soup again.
Currently reading: Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers and Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself by Hef’s last wife.
I realize I haven’t updated in a while but that’s mostly because there’s nothing really to update with over the last week. It’s just been business as usual, but don’t worry, that’ll be changing soon.
Gametime: Space Expedition. This was really fun! Very well done! And also for the puzzle minded, Fixban. That game is not easy!
Wavy this weekendWe’ve arrivedGotta find this by usWinnings!
Day 3: Coffee and Meetups
Fun couple of days away. Got to see some family, hang out at a house by the beach, partake in the local activities, take a side jaunt through New York State to catch up with a friend (shout out to The El Dorado Diner in Elmsford!) and grateful for the good times. Didn’t get back from travelling until late last night, hence the sparse update- have to recuperate!
Currently Reading: Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes
Went searching for and got a new piece for furniture which is due to arrive in about a week and a half. That was today’s most exciting part! Now we just have to figure out where to place it!
