Red Boot Deli . . .

Went to Clinton for lunch at F.S. Williams Red Boot Deli. I thought I knew what a Muffaletta tasted like. Wrong'O! Today Grampa and I shared Manship's Muffaletta:  ham, salami, provolone cheese, mayo, Creole mustard, Muff Mix on French Bread. Astoundingly good. Also shared a fresh giant chocolate chunk cookie. We will go back for lunch Monday! Too good to miss.  Only open Monday - Friday 10:00 - 2:00. Run by a sweet family of ladies. How kind and gracious it is to be in the Old South. Saw a couple hold hands and give thanks before they ate their lunch. Comforting to know some folks still give their respect to the Lord.  I even find myself saying "Yes, Ma'm." Some how I really do like it down here - never in the city but the little towns remind me of Moosup in the 1940's.

Puppies and Dante's Pop is out grading the gravel drive. He enjoys using son's toys! I'm relaxing on the veranda reading my life away.

Southern hospitality . . .

We made it just fine from Providence. All flights were on time and at the right gates! The roses I helped to plant last year are amazingly beautiful. There are also at least a half dozen crawfish holes on the neighbor's property. I took some pictures for Kiddo. We had brought one home a few years ago when we had driven down and he brought it to school for his Louisiana project. All his friends thought it was pretty cool. We won't bring one home this year although we always send packages of stuff we buy down here back North and I suppose we could include one of these fresh made clay holes! I did get bitten by some fire ants as I forgot to pay attention to where I was standing to take the photos and was wearing sandals. Not too bright on my part. You don't wear sandals or heaven forbid go barefoot out on the lawn. One would think I should know that by now! A and M have both just returned from separate trips. A from Shanghai for BASF and M from Clarkesville, TN to visit with the new baby, Taylor. He is a doll. I have seen him in action on Skype. That's pretty neat but I don't think I'd really like it for myself. It certainly isn't very flattering! But if you have little ones and want to keep track of them I'm sure Skype is a great convenience. Cooked up some red beans and rice for supper last night and had my de rigueur Muffaletta Sunday evening at Sammy's. Perhaps we'll go to Clinton for some good southern comfort food. I've already eaten my crisp pecan waffles and crispy bacon at the Zachary Waffle House. The manager still comes and says hello to us! We were some of her first customers when they opened in late 2007. Seems impossible that we've been coming to southern family's home twice a year since 2006!  Keeping an eye out for properties but much too early to know what we'll want to do in the future. Still it's an interesting exercise!

That was kinda funny . . .

First fish in 2013

I was bringing Kiddo home this morning and asked him what I should bring him from Louisiana. He said, "Souvenirs." So I said, "A souvenir? What kind?" And he said, "With an "s", Memere." So I guess it must be plural souvenirs!  He cracks me up.  Said he'd settle for a Louisiana t-shirt. Grampa and he went fishing in the rain yesterday and he caught a couple of good sized branches and one pumpkin seed. We had a good time as usual. He's really enjoying hanging around with Grampa.  He missed him bringing him back to Groton today.  Grampa was out helping clean up the West Thompson Dam where the Yankee Flyers put on their float fly.

Got some news from the APRN.  Besides some kind of wicked allergies causing me to cough it seems that my thyroid is acting up.  So she's upped the dosage of Synthroid.  As I thought about it I think she's right.  I've been dragging for a while.  Maybe this will get me perking along as I should.

It's been a rather bleak day but the sun is finally staying out.  We went to late lunch/early supper at the Roadside Diner.  Now I won't have to cook!  I like it like that. Getting down right lazy. 

Quote:  Be rather bountiful than expensive; do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good.   ___Penn

Tired . . .

A place to hang out and contemplate the world.

The vinca are starting to look pretty good.  Trying for a good ground-cover up on the hill.

The throw away daffies now blooming on the hill!  Yay!

Tired of the social media politics; tired of the journalists and their politics; tired of the asininity of the social elites. This is war, no matter who they declare perpetrated the Boston Massacre. We will talk and pontificate and we will still be vulnerable because there is evil in this world and we don't attack it in the small ways that count the most. I can't even go on a rant. I am drained by the nonsensical  rhetoric and the monstrosity of evil people. Depending on who is caught someone will defend them and like Bill Ayers they will be considered conscientious terrorists. I quit.

Was going to see younger sister today but a cold has taken hold of me so I'm going to lay low. Younger brother and his wife will visit her. I'm sure it'll be a great day for them. The weather is fine and dandy! I needed help to finish the clean up I started near the spring. Can't believe I tried to do so much. Have to remember that I'm over 40! Puppies and Dante's Pop cleared out the mess I had raked and thrown in wild abandon on the lawn. The spot looks good. Hoping Kiddo will be able to play around the rocks one of these days. Neat place for contemplating the world from above.

My newest gardenia is in bloom again. I really love to see it healthy. Matante Rose and Matante Blanche would laugh at me for showing so much concern for a plant! Looks like youngest will be coming home for a visit in September. That is the best news! Well time to work out with the Wii Fitness Coach. I've been lax the last few days. Am black and blue from playing baseball with Kiddo and his friends. I pitch a whiffle ball but boy can he hit that sucker. I'm not always fast enough to get out of the way of the grounders! My right shin looks ugly as sin!

Quote:  This is the course of every evil deed, that, propagating still it brings forth evil.  __Coleridge

Finally made an appointment . . .

Rufous-sided Towhee visited the feeders yesterday. Haven't seen one in quite a while.

Decided I can't stand this whatever cough thingy any more so I'll go to see Jessica at her new digs on Case Street. I might as well include her in the routine checkups that seem to pop up at this time of year! Don't want her to feel neglected. Spent Tuesday and Thursday cleaning out sticks, poison ivy, and other noxious plants near the spring. What a monster chore. There are a lot of fallen branches and rotten logs too! I only managed to get as far as the ice age boulders but it's looking pretty good. Of course this is early and the stuff hasn't really started to grow yet. So far just one spot of poison ivy on my inner wrist. Puppies and Dante's Pop went out and got me a nice big bottle of Tecnu! I was well dressed but those branches and vines can sneak in on you. I threw all of my clothes including my sneakers and leather gloves into the wash yesterday and did it on hot with a double rinse. Think I'll quit this job for now and when the weather allows just pick up all of the stuff I've thrown on the lawn and chuck it over the wall. Visited Matante Blanche's property a couple of days ago. It's really getting beautifully landscaped. Third Cousine said they'd help clean up on our side of the wall that goes up to the old well. In exchange we're giving her rocks that are piled up near the spring. Now that is a win-win situation!

Visited with younger sister at Meadowbrook Wednesday. Stinker that she is she wiped me out at cribbage! We had a good visit. We even went to the second floor and put together all of the edges of a German Shepard puzzle but it was too warm to stay and work on it so we came back down and went for a stroll in the courtyard. Very nice visit.

We're thinking of getting a new furnace. Ours is only about 60 years old but it's getting a bit cranky. If we can manage it in this old house we will probably convert to natural gas. The line goes by the house. We're waiting for calls from Yankee Gas and the plumber. I hope this all works out for the best. It sounds like a good idea at this time.

Southern Family has welcomed Taylor, a very beautiful baby boy into the family. All are thrilled. Not sure if I'll get a chance to hold him on our next jaunt. He lives in Tennessee.  I do miss rocking babies! There should always be babies available to rock! That is a heavenly thought. Makes me smile. Kiddo sat on my lap last week. I hate to see him getting so grown up. Eight more inches and he'll be taller than I. Good grief. The time is slipping by.

Quote:  I like the laughter that opens the lips and the heart, that shows at the same time pearls and the soul.  ___Victor Hugo

Busted . . .

Memere and Pepere Bonnin

Spoke with younger sister yesterday and she made me laugh out loud. Seems she finished reading the book her daughter had brought so she could while away some time while in rehab. She decided to walk her way to the elevator and up to the second floor to the library. When she got there her PT person had a fit that she was out and about on her own. So sister told her to turn around so she couldn't see her! What a riot. The physical therapist got her a book and escorted her back to her room. I wonder if she's in "Time Out?" It looks as if she will be at the rehab center for another week. She's improving each day. Yay!

When Kiddo was here the other day he was trying to help Grampa out by banging the window near the fridge to scare one of the squirrels who was hanging on to a feeder in a feeding frenzy. The banging didn't do any good so I went out on the porch and said in my sternest voice,"Get away from here, you little turkey."  Kiddo looked at me and said, "Mémé, you know they don't talk, right? " Good gravy I almost choked to death. I didn't even have a come back.

It's so beautiful outside today that I'm going to go clean some more up by the wall. Grampa is off flying. Can you believe that man didn't stay up last night to watch UCONN  women beat up on Notre Dame. C'était incroyable! Lui et le match. What a joyous night I had savoring the win and hearing everything so clearly with my stupendous headset! Woot! Woot!

Quote:  Jealousy is the sister of love, as the devil is the brother of angels.  ___Boufflers

Wondering . . .

Man in his present state is not perfectable.  Perhaps our only hope of perfection, if it indeed exists in any human form, may come when his soul goes out for retooling.  Then he may aspire to goodness, love and beauty eternal.

Quiet times . . .

I just really like them and miss the pink one! Damn.

Nothing special going on this week but a pleasant week in this cool start to April. I cleaned out some dead leaves up on the hill so I could uncover the poor daffodils I threw up there in disgust some years ago. I was itchy to go for a ride somewhere and since I know that Puppies and Dante's Pop can always find something at a hobby shop we set off for Sturbridge and Hog Heaven. Before we left I looked up antique shops in the vicinity and came up with a couple that were on the same road as the hobby shop. I'm determined to fine a matching pink bud vase for the beautiful blue and yellow vases that were Mémère Caron's. There was a pink one here when we came in 1969 but it was broken and the patch looked ugly so I discarded it. What a dumb bell I can be. I really missed the darned pink vase and now I'm just slightly obsessed with finding one. We stopped at the YankeePeddlar, a long, two story, ancient building near Hog Heaven and found more junk than anyone has a right to own! Mon doux seigneur! It was outrageous but we did walk around and bump into things, all sorts of things. I was almost overwhelmed with grief that there was so much piddly crap in existence! These were not antiques but junk and reproduction junk and garbage ( prononcé en français, bien sur!) So we left there in amazed silence and proceeded to the hobby shop where we bought a couple of spinners. On the way back we stopped near the entrance to Sturbridge Village and went to a real, honest to goodness, very expensive high end antique store! What a snob I am! We walked around and found some pink hob nail vases but none to my specifications. The store is so beautifully set up that we enjoyed looking at all of the odds and ends. Even though we have gotten rid of a lot of "stuff" in this old house of ours we still have crocks, statues, photos, dishes that are worth something but I can't part with them. I still feel very attached to certain pieces because I know that our forebearers held these lovely things and used them in their daily lives. Just plain neat to know that some of the old ways are still with us. Very comforting. I imagine that they will be consigned to a junk pile someday but for now they are a part of our daily lives and I like them. The future is immaterial; the past remains in whatever pleasant thoughts I assign to it and the present is now for us to enjoy. Neato! That being said I have a $12 bid on  eBay for my pink bud vase! Modern marvels are fun!

Had lunch with younger sister at Meadowbrook Rehabilitation Center. We sent out for pizza and cake and played cribbage. I think I tired her out so left a bit earlier than usual. She looks fine and is working hard on getting her stamina back. Hoping she will be home in a week or so but the time doesn't matter. Getting stronger is what's important and she's a trooper and will continue to work on it. Haven't made an official date for next week; we'll play it by ear. Her surroundings are very pleasant. Lots a beautiful, sunny windows with views of Granby farmland, at least on her side of the building!

Grampa and I went for a walk up the street when I got back home and after the walk I was sitting on my swing relaxing with Grampa having a beer at the picnic table when a car pulled up in the driveway.  Wonder of wonders my Church Street cousin and his wife stopped in for a visit! It was so nice to speak with them. They came in and L. had a beer and E. and I had some white wine. He offered me some dahlias but if I take them I'm going to insist he give me some of his rebar so I can stake them properly! He may not want to share his rebar! They look great. Their oldest son is a vice president for Novartis and is in India at this time. He was home for Easter. Their younger son is still in Texas with a home in San Diego also. I don't think they have gone to Sweden in quite sometime but do go out to California.

Puppies and Dante's Pop is off to the flying field and I must get ready to head out to Groton.

Quote:  Recollection is the only paradise from which we cannot be turned out.   ___Richter

A few bits and pieces . . .

Of course this is not the mink we saw!  I found this photo on line but it's a darned good likeness!

Easter Sunday dinner was fine and dandy. We had chocolate cake from Gregg's for lunch today. That's pretty neat! The weather was so good today that I was able to do some raking up on the hill near the wall and uncovered the vinca older sister-in-law gave me a couple of years ago. It's spreading out pretty well. I hope it blooms this year. I even have a few daffodils that will bloom up there in all the rocky mess! Might get a few decent photo ops! Saturday when Puppies and Dante's Pop and I were coming back from Groton, via North Kingston, RI ( had to pick up the cake!) and Big Y ( had to pick up the roast beast!) we were amazed as we came down the crooked hill on Starkweather Road to see a beautiful, dark, sleek mink ambling across the street to get to Savo's Pond where we used to go ice skating when Matante Rose and Mononcle Joe lived in the Caron homestead! We've never seen a mink before. I bet it has a nice home and some little ones nearby. Hope to see it again. Trying to figure out who I can call to ask how long the minks have been living off of Starkweather.

Hoping to get good news today that younger sister will be starting some rehab to improve her walking at McLean in Simsbury. Sounds like a pretty impressive place and it's near one of our favorite breakfast places! Actually, pretty soon we'll be able to go to the Farm in Granville, MA for ice cream! Yay!

Quote:  What is often called indolence is, in fact, the unconscious consciousness of incapacity.   __H.C. Robinson