Field of Dreams

view of the backyard

Make a wish!

Cat Grammar

When you need to pause, (paws) use a comma.

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Himself stopped at Harry's and brought lobster rolls home for lunch.

2. Still filled with nostalgia for the cake Grandmaster E sent home with me.

3. Spent the week working in the sun room and loving the hot weather.

4. Had an art date over Skype with my friend, A.

5. Had some old, home movies converted to digital format. The box arrived a day earlier than the estimated ship date.

How was your week?

Throwback Thursday

There's the cake Ma made for my 16th or 17th birthday, 28. July 1971 or  1972.

Because I'm extremely fond of chocolate, Ma must have made a vanilla pound cake with a chocolate glaze. Ma was good like that.

Pictured with me is my second mother, Ma's sister. Because Ma worked, the Brother and I spent a lot of time with Auntie during school vacations until I was old enough to stay home by myself, around 11 or 12 years old.

Wordless Wednesday

Cake Experiment 1

The Taste of Home Lemon Bundt Cake is a nice pound cake bursting with lemony flavor. It's a substantial cake though the texture is drier than the cake Ma made. The Taste of Home recipe makes a good cake, but it is not THE cake. Back to the kitchen.

The Remains of the Cake

Grandmaster E. sent slices of pound cake along with "you have to try this.. It will taste like the cake your mother made." The cake came from the Whole Foods grocery store. One bite and Grandmaster E was right!

Besides the grilled sausage, chicken, and eggplant Parmigiana you'd find at an Italian cookout, the hostess would also have a lemon bundt cake. The cake was moist and flavorful. Just sweet enough and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

Nostalgia set in and of course, I want to make the cake. I don't think I have Ma's recipe. A lot of her recipes were never written down or in the frenzy of trying to get the house cleaned to sell, it was tossed.

No worries. A search on the Interwebs, and I found Taste of Home Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake  I think this might be close to the recipe or THE recipe for that matter. Ma used to subscribe to the magazine. Today, I'll be baking and will let you know the results because I know you won't rest until I do.

The New Neighbors

I have new neighbors. Hidden in the honeysuckle vine is a sparrow nest. The nest belongs to a pair of Chipping Sparrows. The female began building their nest last week. I'm pretty sure this is the first pair of birds that arrived at the feeder. The male flies out of the vine and sits on the gutter surveying the area. When he determines everything is safe his mate flies over to the feeder.

She must have laid her clutch of eggs because I can see the ruddy cap of her head peeking through the leaves.  I can't seem to get a decent picture from the inside of the sun room. I don't want to go outside to try to get a picture. I don't want to frighten her into scrambling the eggs, and the male is pretty aggressive.

Any birds roosting around your yard?

Bugs

usually have me hitting the high notes, but not when they arrive as mail art. Mail artist, Finnbadger, recently sent me a hand-made envelope with brightly colored beetles. I especially love iridescent blue and greens on the back of the envelope.

He even used bug stamps to complete the theme. How fun is that? Finn's postal clerks must have liked the stamps, too,because they are not cancelled. The cancellation mark is on the back of the envelope. Though it does look like someone took a pen and drew a line across the two stamps. I thought each stamp had to be cancelled, but maybe a pen line counts.

Visit Finnbadger's blog, Envelope 100, to see more of his creative use of paper and stamps. The Tucker Tuesday series is hilarious.

The Friday Five Good Things

Back row L - R: Auntie P, Uncle J, Uncle B, Auntie L, Ma.
Front row L- R: Uncle M, Auntie E, Auntie O, Dad.
Uncle T not pictured because he didn't want his picture taken.
Then was miffed because he's not in the picture.

Five good things that happened this week

1. The Young One baked a cake for Himself's birthday. The Eldest decided it needed sprinkles. I was going to reverse the number candles on his cake, but didn't.

2. Himself and I spent the day in the sun room marathoning Arrow

3. Finally got to use my Christmas present from Himself. He had arranged to have my car cleaned inside and out. While the car was being cleaned, we hung out at the mall and had lunch.  And the car sparkled.

4.  Auntie P passed away. The last one of that generation from my father's side of the family. Our consolation is now they are all together.

5. Red wasn't able to connect her old laptop to the new modem. Couldn't get to her Outlook address book. She brought her laptop to my house. Was able to connect, and we exported the address book. Had tea in the sun room.

How was your week?

Throwback Thursday

While trying to find something to blog about for Throwback Thursday, I came across this document.

In history class you hear about Work Projects Administration (WPA) an aid relief program instituted by Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt that put millions of men to work during The Great Depression. When you hear about things like this, it's just a foot note. Something you have to remember to take a test.

My maternal grandfather was employed by the WPA. He was a stone mason. The document, a request for termination of employment. is dated 25. May 1942. Grandpa had been working on Project No. 23255, The Commonwealth Armory on Commonwealth Avenue in Allston, Massachusetts. The building first went up in 1914-1915.

Reason for leaving the WPA was he accepted private employment for the Park Department for the City of East Boston.

There are a lot of odd coincidences to me finding this document today, 21. May 2015. The document will be exactly 73 years old on Monday. The Commonwealth Armory was torn down in 2002 to make way for the next phase of construction to Boston University's Student Village. I graduated from BU on 22. May 1977. Passed by this building a gazillion times and had no clue my grandfather had helped with renovations.

In 2004, the site became the new home of the Agganis Arena, home to BU's hockey team and other events.

Wordless Wednesday

For The Birds

Earlier in the week, we set up the bird feeders. No one was coming to visit until Friday afternoon. A sparrow has a snack while his or her mate patiently waits on top of the trellis for a turn.

A few days after the bird feeders went up, I heard there was a bear in the area.

Mother's Day

a week later.  This little, robin mama made her home in the rhododendron bushes in front of Red's house.

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Last weekend started with a rehearsal Mother's Day wallow in bed followed by

2. a Voyage to the Bottom of  the Sea binge in the sun room.

3. Went to the local nursery to pick out some flowers for the window boxes and planters

4. After a visit to the cemetery, stopped for lunch at Michael's Pasta in the Pan restaurant in Agawam, Massachusetts.

5. Red moved back from New Mexico. We went to breakfast at Panera to catch up. So much better than Skyping.

How was your week?

Throwback Thursday

From May 1961, the Walnut Hill Kindergarten class. Where's CJ?

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Cat's Paws

I saw a picture on Facebook stating the pads of a cat's paw looks like a little Teddy bear. So of course, I had to pester Ink to see for myself. Low and behold, the pads on his paw look like a Teddy bear. A round head with Teddy ears, legs, and feet. I photo-edited the little face.

Superstitions

Baseball players are a superstitious lot.  Growing beards to keep a winning streak going, not changing socks, a lightning patch (go watch Robert Redford in The Natural). Baseball fans can rival their heroes when it comes to superstitious practices.

Himself loves baseball, and his team is the Boston Red Sox. Oh, he'll watch other sports. He'll pretty much watch anything that involves a bunch of people running around and a ball, but his first love is baseball.

For Easter, I couldn't resist this baseball bunny to give Himself. Baseball, chocolate, what could be better? Has he nibbled the ears of the chocolate bunny? No. Though he's come close.

The Red Sox were doing well when Himself got the bunny. So, he couldn't eat the bunny because that would spoil their winning streak. Except, just before this writing, the Sox lost the last 7 out of 8 games. Himself was tempted to give in, but he didn't. Over the weekend, the Sox won a game, and the bunny continues to live in his cardboard and cellophane package.

I wonder how long before I give in to the temptation to taste the chocolatey ears of the bunny?

If you're a sports fan, are you superstitious when it comes to your team?

Mother's Day

Before singing became his love, Dad was fond of gardening. His pride were roses. He would pick the first and last rose of the season and bring the flower to Ma.

Happy Mother's Day, Ma. Miss you.

Perspective

The Eldest: Stop nagging me!

Me: I'm not nagging. I'm a motivational speaker.

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week. This week's theme is the sun room.

1. Finally warm enough to move out to the sun room. After the Spring clean, Himself and I sat in our comfy chairs, chatted, and watched the sunset. No need to go out, we have the perfect date night spot.

2. Though a little chilly Sunday morning, I was determined to have my first cup of tea in the sun room.

3. With warm temps predicted for the week, the Young One and I moved the television into the sun room. We didn't hook up the antenna, but we were happy being able to watch Netflix and stuff on YouTube.

4. Earlier this week, I talked about sorting photographs. A task made nicer working in the sun room.

5. From the sun room window, I saw the first crop of dandelions of the season. I just love the little, sunny faces.

How was your week?

Throwback Thursday

From April of 1960, the Walnut Hill Nursery class. I'm wearing a plaid dress. Age 4.

Wordless Wednesday

Photo Organizing

Trying to find a way of corralling photos from various boxes and photo albums. I found this photo keeper at Amazon. Each 4 " x 6" plastic box holds 100 photos. There are 12 small plastic boxes in the larger case.

After losing a lot of photos in the basement flood during the ice storm in 2009 (who knew that a couple of inches of water would upend boxes), the photo cases will be stored on the first floor in Ma's hope chest. Hopefully, water levels won't rise that high!

So many of my parents' photos were never labeled. when I asked Ma one time about labeling her photos, she said "We know who is in the photograph!" Except now that's she's gone, some information is missing. My plan is to little by little go through the photos and label them with names, year, and activity if I know or can remember and sort them in the little boxes. The next step will be to scan all the photographs to have digital copies.

Have your organized your photographs? How do you go about it?

30 Years of Service

Himself received a lovely, crystal bowl from the college for 30 years of service.

We'll be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary this Summer.

"What do I get for 30 years of service?", I asked.

"Atta, girl!"

He's a keeper.

Full Moon

Oh, no! It's a full moon tonight. Full Flower Moon, Full Milk Moon, Full Mother's Moon. Full Corn Planting Moon. What ever you call it the crazies will be coming out of the woodwork.

We're going out today to look for a new recliner for Himself's birthday. Taking our life in our hands as we drive to the furniture store. Crazies cutting us off in traffic trying to kill us. Lane changing at the drop of a hat without using a turn signal. Tailgating. Right-hand turns from a left-hand lane. Wait, those driving tactics aren't the effect of the full moon. Just driving life in Massachusetts.

May Day

posted a day late and a dollar short.

Yesterday was May Day or Beltane, an important date in the Celtic wheel (calendar). The day marked the beginning of Summer and the planting season.

To celebrate, I fashioned a paper cone, filled it with some flowers from the garden,  added a bit of ribbon, and hung it on the front door. Very Martha Stewart.

Pickings from the garden are slim as it's been cold. The only things blooming are daffodils and some forsythia. I think the chipmunks ate the tulip bulbs. Though for Beltane, yellow flowers are perfect as they evoke the sun and bonfires lit to honor the sun god, Bel. Summer can't come fast enough for me.

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week

1. After attending a wake, we stopped for dinner at Bertucci's. I had Rigatoni Abruzzi, rigatoni and sausage. I love Italian sausage. I usually don't cook sausage at home because The Eldest doesn't like it. When I eat out, I like to order things I don't eat when home. I also had a side of Tums.

2. Eating out means awesome lunch the next day. And Tums for dessert 

3. Stopped at the library to re-instate my library card. Had no clue a library card expires after two years until I went online to log in. Celebrated by downloading an e-book.

4. Himself's 5pm - 11 pm class ended early, and he was home by 10 pm. I didn't have to stay up until midnight to wait for him.

5. The Eldest is working at a temporary assignment. The job was supposed to end a week from today, but the assignment has been extended another month. Fingers crossed that she will get an offer for full time employment with benefits.

How was your week?