Memorial Day , May 30, 2013

My lonely poppy.  It always blooms on May 30 and doesn't last very long.

Summer has arrived in its humid iteration . . .

Jack in the Pulpit

Accompanied Puppies and Dante's Pop to the flying field this morning and sweated my way up and down the hill and dale for about 45 minutes. Phew, that was hard work. Have no plans for today so I may sit on the porch glider and catch up on my reading and also play with the keyboard. I've decided to follow the Yamaha lesson plans just for shits and giggles. It's really fun.  Kiddo called last night to tell me about the solar system project he and his Mom have completed for school. He was so excited by what he has learned that I had to get him more books about each planet. It's amazing to see him and hear him light up when he's telling me what he knows. They watched the Triangle Sunset Sunday evening: Venus, Jupiter and Mercury in the western sky. I imagine that when I pick him up from school tomorrow he'll want to stay home and go in their new pool for an hour or so. That'll be fine. He loves the water and it's supposed to be in the 90's, worse than today.

Forgot to mention that I spoke with Jeanie D. the very kind lady who gave Pa the crazy Misty dog who liked to lick the butter that was left on the table! She's looking good and after having both knees replaced is getting around very well. She is a volunteer at St. James in Danielson. One of the pleasures of age is recalling the good, gently worn, beautiful episodes having put asunder the bad and the ugly.  Reminded friends, through Facebook, that the only way to dust is to open the doors and windows and let Nature do her job. Our Mother (Ma) was the best teacher. We've learned to live well.

Quote: The instruction received at the mother's knee, and the paternal lessons, together with the pious and sweet souvenirs of the fireside, are never effaced entirely from the soul.    ___Lamenais

Amazing . . .

No caption needed.  Smells so good.

Former sister-in-law, numéro deux, invited me to go see the Connecticut Sun play the opening game of their WNBA season against Coach Laimbeer and the New York Liberty. What a lot of fun! Not sure I've ever enjoyed a sporting event as much as I did last night. The Sun won but they really had to work hard in the second half to pull it out. Did lots of yelling and clapping. Felt good.

Early breakfast, late Mass this morning before heading out to the cemeteries where I placed some beautiful flowers on our plots. It is so windy that many of the pots at the cemeteries were already knocked over. I'll check on them tomorrow and bring some water too. Puppies and Dante's Pop  brought me to Oneco to visit Gram's grave but we couldn't find Old Grandma Rose's. So we left and journeyed through the dirt roads and woods to West Greenwich, RI and Plain Meeting House Cemetery. We were amazed at how beautiful this historic old cemetery looked. It seems that one man has taken on the task of  putting together the old broken monuments and those that some thugs had pushed over. He has also cleared every grave marker and stone. He found graves that had long been forgotten, whose stones were buried under mounds of soil and weeds. What an impressive job. Great Grampa Rose and Grampa are  at peace there with three young nineteenth century children. On our way home we came upon a lady in the middle of the road trying to save four ducklings that someone had just run over. It was an awful sight. The mother duck was on the side of the road quacking furiously. Poor thing. Don't understand much about human beings any more. I used to be an optimist. I'm not a pessimist yet but on my way to being an agnostic when it comes to mankind, if that is possible.

While I was at the basketball game last night Puppies and Dante's Pop had visitors. A young couple from RI stopped by to pick up the rest of the rhubarb. They stayed and chatted; I'm sorry I missed them. Mary is a wonderful photographer full of curiosity, fun and interesting takes on how to live. She is a character in the best sense of the word.

Quote:   Science has sometimes been said to be opposed to faith, and inconsistent with it.  --But all science, in fact, rests on a basis of faith, for it assumes the permanence and uniformity of natural laws ---a thing which can never be demonstrated.     _____Tryon Edwards

New wedding ring . . .

Dogwood looking down from decoy Bluebird house.

 

Poor old ring finger is arthritic enough that I had Grader's in Norwich saw off my very thin, worn wedding ban yesterday. The tool Mr. Grader used is neat. It seems to work like a manual can opener; he turned a little handle and the tiny saw blade cut through the ring. He needed to use pliers to separate the ends so the ring could be moved over the swollen knuckle. It didn't break but he couldn't guarantee that, if they fixed it and re-sized the ring, it would last. He suggested I'd be better off with a new one. It would have cost $125 to have the old fixed and the new one cost $225. I love the new ring, a size eight, plain gold band a little thicker than my old one. If my knuckle swells even more Grader's will re-size it for free. I will get some money for the old one but not too much: fourteen carat gold, 0.8g. Might not be worth the gas money to return to Graders to pick up the check! I do like gold. I wish I could indulge myself and buy at least one 24 carat gold coin! I would just put it on the desk and admire it. That's not going to happen until our ship comes in. So it'll be a while.

After getting the new wedding band younger brother and wifey treated me to coffee and conversation at their home:  all flowers and gardens looking fine! Stopped at Hart's in Canterbury to pick up the cemetery pots. I've got some beauties. Last night's rain made them look bedraggled so I've set them under the garage overhang as it is going to rain all day. While dragging them to the garage I noticed that we now have more than one bat living up above my mood swing. Yay! I'm impressed. Still won't take pictures of them because the flash is too bright. They are hanging under the board Puppies and Dante's Pop put up and this time they're all the way to the top so I can't see them with out flash. But their neat little excretions let me know that they are alive and living the good life ! I wonder if a big chemical company would like to buy the guano to help me pay for the new ring?

Quote:  Good nature, like a bee, collects honey from every herb.  Ill nature, like the spider, sucks poison from the sweetest flower. . .   _____H. W. Beecher

Contracts going out tomorrow . . .

They smell good.
 

Yay! Think we're finally under control with the oil to gas conversion. We found a little bitty ad in the classifieds with a phone number. Puppies and Dante's Pop called Mike Izbicki and the day after the call he came and gave an estimate of $7,800 for full installation plus taking out the oil tank and old furnace. He will buy the oil that is left in the tank. We received the contract today. It's obvious that he's not a newbie. He will deliver the Triangle Tube Excellence  High Efficiency Boiler after he receives half of the bill. When Yankee Gas brings the gas and meter to our house he will come back and do the work. We are sending both contracts out tomorrow with the half payment, bien sur. I'm excited. We'll actually have something pretty new and hopefully less costly than the poor oil boiler which has given yeoman service for  nigh 60 years!  I imagine, knowing me, that I'll be complaining when Yankee Gas doesn't get the meter set up soon, soon, soon!

Found out I really like Sirius XM now that I've fooled around with it and found Classic Radio, Book Radio and NASCAR besides Bluegrass and Canadian music (not very good.) The Garmin has learned how I like to go to East Granby! I think the latest downloads have really improved it a lot. Grampa had no trouble following its directions to Fairfield, NJ and back. Of course we're also getting better at knowing which roads we don't want to take!

 R and I were trying to remember a song from Oklahoma today and she finally started to sing it after we finished eating our ice cream at Granville Farm. "With you, it's all or nothing. All for you and nothing for me!" I had my iPad with me so I put Pandora on, typed in Oklahoma, connected it to the Hyundai radio and we were golden! It wasn't only songs from Oklahoma but we listened and sang along to some good "stuff!"

Expecting possible thunderstorms tonight. 72 degrees, humid and overcast. We haven't gotten the rain we were promised, at least not here in Moosup. Hope we get some rain but will gladly do without the thunder and lightning!

Quote:  One hour's sleep before midnight, is worth two after.   ____Fielding

Almost ungrouchy . . .

I like it!

Not sure what's hit me this week but I've been super grouchy. I cut out the medicines I was given for the cough and I seem to feel my normal self  for now ( just the usual grouch!) Having another run in with one of the paraprofessionals who works at Kiddo's school  didn't help my mood either. That's for sure! But I'm at the point that I don't give a damn. I shall try to be a good Do Bee and keep my thoughts to myself.

It's been a good day. Had breakfast at Roadside; blood drawn by the best technician ever; walked at the Yankee Flyers' Field as Puppies & Dante's Pop was flying. On our return  a friend of Mary C. came from Providence to raid the rhubarb. Not sure why but our rhubarb is in demand this year. We also brought a large bunch to the Roadside and, naturellement, we give it away but they gave us breakfast! Oh well. C'est la vie. We'll bring them some more next week and try to save some for Mary C. if she gets time to stop in. She lives in RI and works at Meditech in MA.

Just joined Grampa watching the neighbor's marmalade cat stalking a squirrel under the bird feeders.  The squirrel finally took off but the cat is now looking to grab a bird. Don't think he'll do too well.  The birds are not coming in!  Goofy cat thinks it's really hiding! It's lying as low as possible in the just mown grass. Now it's trying to get under the porch!

Quote:  Irony is to the high-bred what billingsgate is to the vulgar; and when one gentleman thinks another gentleman an ass, he does not say it pointblank; he implies it in the politest terms he can invent.  ___Bulwer

Breakfast, Float Fly, PC Fix, Roses . . .

Kiddo out climbing.

Used the wrong camera for these photos but they're still okay.

Mother's Day doesn't get better than this. Best waffle ever at the Roadside Diner, going to Thompson Dam for the Yankee Flyers Float Fly, English Kiddo fixed our computer using GoToMyPC and my roses are in the fullness of their ephemeral glory. Yay! And that's the way it is Sunday, May 12, 2013.

Quote:  Observe how soon, and to what a degree, a mother's influence begins to operate!  Her first ministration for her infant is to enter, as it were, the valley of the shadow of death, and win its life at the peril of her own!  How different must an affection thus founded be from all others!    ___Mrs. Sigourney

My cup runneth over . . .

Poor proof that our bluebirds really do exist!

Busy week. Good week. Had to see the dentist Monday. That was okay. Stopped in to see younger brother and took a tour of all the beautiful flowers. That was wonderful. I ate lunch at DQ:  Reese's Peanut Buttercup Blizzard, chocolate ice cream and an extra scoop of Peanut Butter Cup. Magnifico! Went to stay with Kiddo Tuesday late afternoon to early evening. That was superior. We went out riding bikes for a while before his friends came over and I was no longer needed! He came in doors when called to get his homework done and go over his lines for the school play. We're doing fine! Wednesday I left a little earlier than usual and younger sister and I found our way to Simsbury for her doctor's appointment which went well. Then we decided that we should begin lunch with ice cream at the farm in Granville, MA. Had their sundae special of the day, coffee ice cream, caramel, hot fudge, crumbled up brittle, whipped cream and the ubiquitous cherry on top. Fantastico lunch, for sure. And then we went food shopping before we headed back to her place for pizza, chit chat and charging her new Nook. She'll have it all working and registered this week end when she gets connected to the WiFi at her daughter's home. The grand kids will have a blast showing R. what to do. Then to top off the fine, cloudy, day I went to see Good News at Goodspeed Opera House with Oneco friends. The play was excellent. We had great seats; could see every smile, snicker, frown, grin, eyelash on each performer. And there was tap dancing! Yes! Who could ask for anything more? Takes place at Tait College, Connecticut 1927 and I knew some of the songs:  The Best Things In Life Are Free, You're The Cream In My Coffee, Keep Your Sunny Side Up, Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries. As Kiddo would say, " Good times, good times!"

It was so bleak outside today that we went to see Iron Man 3.  I really liked Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes and he is a great Iron Man. Fun movie as long as you don't mind explosions and maiming all over the place! Had lunch at The Roadside Diner, Macaroni & Cheese and Tiramisu for desert. Getting spoiled.  Even Grampa had a fresh Lemon Square after his Tuna Club. Decadent! He's off to the Yankee Flyers' Meeting at the field and I'll probably play the Yamaha.  Haven't tickled the ivories in quite a while.

Quote:  Life is hardly respectable if it has no generous task, no duties or affections that constitute a necessity of existence.  Every man's task is his life-preserver.   ___Emerson

Tax agreement approved for housing for multiple sclerosis patients - Simsbury - Foothills Media Group

Tax agreement approved for housing for multiple sclerosis patients - Simsbury - Foothills Media Group

Dona nobis pacem . . .

Canteen cap circa WW I

Mothers' Day Roses

Ten thirty Mass this morning and the choir sang Dona nobis pacem a capella as a round with variations. It was wonderful. Made the day even more joyful. Not quite 70 degrees but dry, sunny and blue skies up above. And to top it off Grampa brought me roses for Mothers' Day. They will last through to next Sunday so I'll be smiling all week!

Was digging up a place near the garage to put the irises that refuse to bloom on the hill and I found a cap to a canteen that dates  back to WW I. I put the photos on Facebook to see if anyone could help me figure out what I had. Leave it to two of my former French students to figure it out in two shakes of a lamb's tail! Good sleuthing! I was impressed.

Think I'll try to get Puppies & Dante's Pop to bring me out for ice cream!

Quote:  In idleness there is perpetual despair.   ___Carlyle

Think I've got the photos! ! !

Garage tulips.

Violets in danger of being mowed down.

Reverie . . .

It has been a glorious day at home. This will be a short entry as I must go and sit on my garage swing and dream, ponder, enjoy, relax and allow reverie to overtake me. Returned from our southern sojourn yesterday, happy and content with our comfortable visit. I always smile when I picture each of our three kids and their goings on. I'm a bit crazy, I know that, and wistful at times wishing I could be with all three again when we were all at home. Also think often of Pépère Bonnin, little Louise, Ma, Pa, Ma Tante, Gram and Angie. The memories are all good and keep me smiling and thankful that I've had such a nice bunch of people in my life. So now I'm off to my mood swing - always leaves me feeling joyous and in repose.

Quote:  The test of every religious, political, or educational system is the man which it forms.  ___Amiel

How's this for a PS?  I can't get  to  my blog on the computer!! So no photos.