Friday, May 31, 2024

The Friday Five Good Things

 

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Beautiful weather inspired me to clean the sunroom to open the room for the season.

2. First breakfast of the season in the sunroom

3. I put the portable air conditioner/heater out by the road as we're not using it any more. Within an hour it was gone.

4. I chatted with the Young One two days in a row

5. At the doctor's office for a check up, the nurse measured my height. I'm 5 ft. 1 in. tall. I lost 1/2 in. I always told people I was 5 ft. 2 in.

How was your week?

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Whatch Doin?

 

Today, I have a routine cleaning and check up at the dentist. Whatcha doin?

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

T Stands For The First Cemetery Hop of the Season

Spring her in Massachusetts has been mostly wet and chilly. Last week, we had the first of Summer like weather so Teague and I decided to do something on our weekly visit.


The weather was my kind of weather. Temperatures pushing 90 oF (32 oC) and an increase in humidity. Just look at that incredible, blue sky Before it got too hot, we headed to St. Patrick's Cemetery in Watertown, just outside of Boston. Teague was looking for a great aunt. 

As is my habit while I help look for the relatives, I visit some of the neighbors and take photos of interesting headstones like the beautiful Celtic cross above.


This little stone belongs to Baby Angelo. The stone is weathered with age and hard to read. Little Angelo didn't make it past his first birthday. I loved the cherub carved in the stone.


As many times as we have visited the cemeteries, I'm always surprised how few visitors have stopped by. I started noticing a few graves with flowers so I took pictures of them. This one had a mix of artificial flowers and someone left a pot of fresh flowers. I wonder if the visitor was there for Mother's Day on May 12.

We searched the area of the cemetery where Teague's relatives were supposed to be buried. We couldn't find a grave. Teague had a map and asked a groundskeeper if we were searching in the right area. He said we were and he couldn't locate the graves.

Teague said it wasn't unusual for her family not to have a stone marker. 


She thought this empty plot was where he relatives were buried.


In between Sullivan and 


Morrison.


This cemetery allows planting and these iris were just about ready to bloom


Another Celtic cross along with a mix of fake flowers and real flowers


Some pretty purple petunias in front of this stone featuring St. Joseph and the Christ child. I also liked the carved lilies on this stone.


I really liked this stone with it's carvings coming out of the rough hewn stone.


Almost like the stonecutter was still working on it.


After the hot work of roaming the cemetery and just past the noon hour, it was time to find some place to have lunch. Since the weather was perfect, my request was some place where we could get ice cream. To me, ice cream is a Summer treat not eaten year round.

Teague consulted Mr. Google and found Cabot's Ice Cream and Restaurant in Newton. Perfect


It was cool inside the small establishment and incredibly noisy. Lots of families with school age children. A surprise mid-week why these kidlets weren't in school.

We started off with some beverages. A Raspberry Lime Rickey for me and Root Beer for Teague. I loved the Pilsner glasses.


I wanted something simple and not something huge. I opted for an egg salad sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and sweet potato fries. I ate half and took the rest home so I could get


an old-fashioned, hot fudge sundae with coconut pineapple ice cream. Teague had a sundae with mint chocolate chip ice cream, caramel or butterscotch topping, and Reese's pieces. The ice cream was a perfect ending to the day.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Monday, May 27, 2024

Cinnamon Apples Recipe

 

For last week's Friday Five Good Things I mentioned I had made Cinnamon Apples. Iris asked for the recipe.

Follow the link to: Cinnamon Fried Apples. The recipe is easy. I don't chop the apples into bite-size pieces. I just sliced them. Iris, I know you don't like really sweet things, I suppose you could cut the amount of sugar.

Not only does this recipe pair nicely with pork, but it can also be a dessert or dessert topping for ice cream or pound cake.

Sunday, May 26, 2024

How Does Your Garden Grow?



I was following a bumblebee trying to take her picture when she disappeared into this hole. Mr. Google told me that bumblebees sometimes build their hives underground.


Alpine Bells


The solar cat windchimes/mobile that


changes color.


Petunias in the boxes


Geraniums in the cat planters. There's a geranium in the fox planter, too.


The snowball bushes avalanched. Quill is sitting in the window.


Ink in the garden


A new birdbath


The Clematis survived the Winter


Iris

How does  your garden grow?

Saturday, May 25, 2024

A Happy, Little, Time Waster Tribute: Happy Towel Day!

 

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Chapter 3: Towels (narrated by Douglas Adams)

Towel Day celebrated on May 25 is an homage to Douglas Adams, the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Don't panic, but do you know where your towel is? 




Friday, May 24, 2024

The Friday Five Good Things

 

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Between work and Himself's birthday I wasn't able to make the weekly play date last week with Teague. We video called, the next best thing.

2. I had a Skype date with the Young One.

3. I was able to connect my iPad to the monitor in my classroom studio. Surprisingly easy to connect especially when the Head of IT loans you the correct adapter 

4. Teague and I went headstoning. Then we stopped for lunch and ice cream

5. I made pork chops with cinnamon apples like the ones at Cracker Barrel.

How was your week?

Thursday, May 23, 2024

Results of the Straw Poll

 

Most comments on the poll the other day said the above planter looked like a fox. We thought so, too.


It was supposed to be the companion to the sweet sleeping kitty. Himself called Wind and Weather  
They quickly corrected the problem and sent a kitty planter and didn't want the fox returned. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Whatcha Doin?

 

Because today is supposed to be the pick of the week with the arrival of Summer weather, Teague and I swapped our usually Thursday play day to today.

I'm not sure what we will be doing. There was talk about going to a cemetery. Whatever we do, I'm pretty sure ice cream will be involved.

Whatcha doin?

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

T Stands for a Cheap Dinner

Earlier in the month, I had a late afternoon appointment in Boston. One thing I hate doing is driving in Boston because I have no idea how to get around the city. I can get most places using the T, Boston's subway system, but driving. Nope. If you ask me which way is North, I'll point up. So I asked Teague if she would mind driving me in.

I went over to her house around noon and we hung out in the sunroom and then she drove Miss Daisy to her appointment. The appointment wasn't long, but we got out in the middle of rush hour traffic. The appointment was on a Monday and lots of people told me, the traffic won't be bad coming home because no one goes into work on Mondays or Fridays. They lied.

Teague was following the GPS and trying to get in the correct lane to head to the Pike, but traffic was too heavy and she had to miss the turn. We ended up following the River Road and finally connecting with Route 20 as the (old) Boston Post Road. 

We had decided we would go out to dinner so we were in no hurry to get home. Meandered our way, reminiscing about places we used to haunt (the Marriott Hotel in Newton had the best Philly cheese steak sandwich. The steak and cheese was okay, but the braided Brioche roll made the sandwich outstanding.Sadly the hotel is no longer a Marriott). 

Because we've been doing weekly breakfasts and sometimes lunch, we decided to try to find a cheap place to eat.

Driving through Sudbury, Teague said, "We could eat at the Wayside Inn."

"We could, but that's not cheap eats. Besides, I didn't think it that good the last time we ate there."

"I know. Let's stop at Stephen Anthony's".

The restaurant is just up the road from the Wayside Inn. I remembered it as an ice cream/sandwich type shop.


It was a lot fancier than I remembered.


Even though it was the dinner hour, the restaurant was empty. Only one other patron besides us. We were shown to a booth with a view of the Sudbury River.


On the ride over, I decided I wanted dessert. So I was going to order an appetizer so I would have room for dessert. Of course, that would depend on what the dessert menu was. I asked the waitress if she could bring over the dessert menu and saw a dessert that appealed to me. Perfect.


I had my usual unsweetened iced tea (or it could have been an Arnold Palmer, I forget) Teague had a Sprite.

I ordered the crab cakes appetizer and 



the waitress brought me the crab cakes dinner with mixed vegetables, rice pilaf, and a delicious corn relish. Oh, well.  I ate less than half and would have an awesome lunch the following day


Service was a bit slow, but we were in no rush. We watched the swans on the river, and talked and talked.



This swan found something tasty.


My dessert a beautiful presentation of strawberry shortcake on real biscuits, not those spongy cake shells.

The bill came and the dinner was decidedly not cheap eats.

"Kid, the next time I say, "Let's go someplace like Cheap Eats, let's go someplace like Cheap Eats."

"Next time."


A beautiful sunset on the way home.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Monday, May 20, 2024

Straw Poll

 

What kind of animal is this planter?

A. Cat

B. Dog

C. Fox

D. Other

Sunday, May 19, 2024

How Does Your Garden Grow?



The perfect wish


Wild daffodils. Some bunny must have planted them


Bells garden stake


Dianthus in a hanging basket


Tomatoes?


Bluets in the Zensical garden


Lily of the Valley


No Aurora here, just us clouds


Buttercups


Something green that needs to climb

How does your garden grow?