Aaaahhhhh... New England In The Spring!

Well it has taken a while for me to get myself together enough to redo this post... somehow I kept losing either the pictures or text, and then I just gave up for a couple of days! I have no pictures to share with you from Boston. Sigh. My camera was not working... actually, to be more accurate, the rechargable batteries were not working. By the time I got batteries for my camera, it was time to head for Hartford. Hopefully, I will be able to get some pictures from some generous person who will share his pictures so I can post them at a later time.

Boston was terrific! It was rainy when I arrived the first day which put a bit of a damper on sightseeing, but we were still able to do a bit and go out for a nice lobster dinner near the aquarium. Thursday I did a bit of recuperating from back problems due to lifting luggage around. I always overpack and this trip was no exception. So, I slept in, did some reading and then we went out to a wonderful restaurant at the Copely called the Oak Room. The dinner was scrumptious... and we polished off a very good bottle of wine! Friday night we met up with my son, Jason and his girlfriend, Sheila, and imbibed a bit to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Saturday, Jason, Sheila and I headed for Hartford in Jason's car. He actually lives in a small town called Old Wethersfield. Yes, I do have pictures...

Jason's abode in Old Wethersfield

Plaque on Jason's home

Jason and Sheila in Jason's livingroom...
Sheila is a former Miss Connecticut... cute, smart and a real sweetheart!

back yard with new plants

more bushes and a new addtion to the patio out back... you can tell where Jason has redone the bricks and where he has yet to straighten them out!

Some more new bushes... notice the rework on the brick patio!

side yard

Cemetery behind Jason's house...

the photos don't show how vivid the colors actually are...

Neighborhood view...

another neighborhood view

Some of Jason's artwork

My first night in Hartford, Jason took Sheila and I to some of his favorite hangouts...

these drinks were yummy!

Breakfast at O'Rourkes... a wonderful Irish diner with the best breakfast!

Posing in front of the odd sculpture next to O'Rourkes Diner in Hartford

St. John's Catholic church... Mother church of the Diocese...
just happens top be across the street from O'Rourkes!

Elizabeth Park in Hartford

Jason not quite tiptoeing through the tulips...

funky trees

Posing under the trained funky trees

These trellises are not filled out yet and the rose bushes are still quite barren...
however, in about a month this will look quite spectacular!

This Gazebo is in the center where all of the trellises meet...
it too will be covered in flowering vines fairly soon!

These trees were in bloom everywhere!



Lilacs

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this cute elderly couple smelling the lilacs!

Sunday afternoon after Elizabeth Park, we toured the Mark Twain house at Nook Farm. Nook Farm was a community of the "movers and shakers" of the time. Harriet Beecher Stowe (who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin) also had a house there as you will see in the pictures below. There is a museum there that we toured before taking the tour of the house. I wish I could have taken pictures inside the house, but it was not allowed.

Harriet Beecher Stowe house

Jason heading towards the Museum entrance

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) House in Hartford (Nook Farm)



Mark Twain's House
The famous bed that Sam and his wife slept in backwards
is in this house which has 19 rooms and 17 fireplaces!

This was a fabulous tour... if you are ever in Hartford, it is worth taking the time for the tour!


I had such a wonderful trip! It was so much fun to spend time with my son and his girlfriend. This was the first time that I have been able to visit Jason in his own place since he graduated from college! It was nice to be able to go when I did... kind of an early Mother's Day for me. I hope to go again sometime... as long as Jason has the room and the time! I'm thinking that the fall trees would be quite spectacular to see!

Post Coming Soon...

Must be a good day for Mimosas!

I am sorry that I have not been able to get a post done about my trip yet. I was having a bit of trouble with Picasa. After finally getting the pictures posted, I lost almost all of them when I went to add some text... sooo, I will work on it again later. It is Mother's Day and I want to spend the rest of my day relaxing... not fighting with my computer! Hope you all have a great day!

Thought for the day 

Daily Scurrying

Hey there! The week has been flying by! I have been scurrying around a bit since Saturday getting ready for tomorrow's meetings and my upcoming trips. It has been busy.

Surprisingly, I have been waking up (sort-of) early this past week in spite of the fact that I seem to be up late at night each night. The early birds may be singing and raring to go when my eyes first open, but I am still yawning, trying to focus, and in need of a morning cup of tea for awhile after the eyes first open! I just need to get the falling-asleep-at-a-reasonable-hour part down better.

Monday, I decided to make a visit to the chiropractor as my lower back has been a bit off and I didn't want it to let it get any worse. So, I got my adjustment, my chiropractor left on a trip, and my back is worse than it was before the adjustment. Sigh.

Spreadsheets and adding machines have been a huge part of my life this past week...

Tomorrow is the Finance Committee meeting in which I have to present the quarter end (3/31) financial statement for review and signature before it goes to the Diocese. We will also be reviewing the coming fiscal year's budget. At 2:00 PM tomorrow, I meet with the pastor to go over the pay raise decisions. Then I get to spend the rest of the time between then and 4:00 PM putting those changes into the budget and printing budget copies up for the finance committee members. I am thinking that it will be a good idea if the 2:00 meeting goes quickly!

I am very proud and happy to announce that today, my son Matthew defended his thesis for his Masters Degree in Computer Engineering. When I talked to him today he was happy to report that things had gone very well and he only has to make a couple of small changes to the thesis. He is on cloud nine! This weekend we will head to "O Town" (Orlando) to celebrate the successful completion of two Masters degrees... his and one of his roommates. It will be quite a celebration!

Yup, I am one proud mom!

Today Fr. Mike surpised us with a cake for Administrative Professionals Day. He also picked up and paid for my lunch! What a wonderful treat! I had forgotten that it was today and was quite surprised when I walked into the lunchroom and saw the cake! I told him that I was probably more of a professional pain in the butt than anything else! And right now my desk looks a lot like the above picture! His response was that I had job security... probably because no one else could find where anything is in my office right now! He is always a lot of fun and a joy to have around!

Things are gearing up for my trip to Beantown (Boston) and Hartford which is coming up very quickly! I have been checking out the sights in Boston on the internet so that I have an idea of some options for sightseeing. There is so much you can see and do in Boston!

I have scheduled a hair trim for Friday... and perhaps a bit of color touch up too. My hair is just the length I like it right now, but it will be too long to manage by the time my trip rolls around if I don't get a trim. You know... it is perfect just before it is awful... one day to the next. I just don't want to be bothered having to spend any extra time fussing with my hair while I could be doing things that are much more fun!

And since I am in that mode, I have also scheduled a manicure and pedicure for next week before I leave. That is something I rarely take the time or spend the money to enjoy...

... But Hey! I plan on leaving all of my life's complications behind me for a few days! The cats will survive without me. Payroll will be done ahead of time at work so that staff will not lynch me when I return.

So far the only hitch seems to be the weather, and it is not a major one. It seems like it will be colder than I had originally thought while I am in Boston and Hartford. Since I had already started packing up my winter things for storage, I have had to dig out some things that I will need to wear. Yup, I have had to change gears. I can do that!

On a high note, I discovered that I will be in Boston on Cinco de Mayo! Son Jason and Sheila will be sharing in the celebration in Boston that night as well, so it should be a grand time! I don't know how they celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Boston, but this tropical girl is ready for some Margaritas and a fun time. I will just have to bring some tropical atmosphere to Beantown with me. That is for sure!

I am especially excited to have a chance to see my son, Jason, in his home in Hartford. This will be the first time that I have been to visit him since he has graduated from college and been living out of state. He has been working on the house he is living in, and I am curious to see what he has done. Maybe now that I will get this first visit in, I will be quicker to get back there for another visit when I have more vacation time.

I am sure that I will do another post or two before I leave. I will also try to take lots of pictures while I am gone to share with you when I return. If anyone has any suggestions for things to see or do in Boston, please leave the info in a comment!

Inquiring Minds Want To Know... Or Maybe Not!

After Girls' Night Out on Thursday and a few manly comments last night at our Friday night gathering, I've been thinking...

What is the point to some of women's lingerie? I mean I like to wear pretty, sexy things. I prefer that they be comfortable as well. I get that. What I don't get is things like underwear that have no remote connection to the reason they were designed. Let's pose a few questions here...

1) Wouldn't is just be better/easier to go to bed naked than put some exorbitantly priced, itchy, uncomfortable nightie on that will be removed within 30 seconds?

2) What IS the whole deal with costumes? I mean really!

3) Why is it that the skimpier women's underwear, sleepwear and bathing suits are, the pricier they are as well?

4) Would any man even consider wearing some uncomfortable, itchy garment to bed to seduce the intended romantic target?

5) Wouldn't most women laugh uncontrollably if he did? (Case in point here... I know of a man that presented himself to his wife dressed only in his newly acquired gold lame jock strap. He did not get the reaction he intended. His next door neighbors even inquired about what was so funny since the wife could be heard next door laughing uncontrollably for an extended period of time No this was NOT me!)

6) What is the deal with the latest trend in women's underwear designed to resemble men's underwear (sometimes referred to as "tightie whities") ? From thongs to those? I just can't keep up! Do men actually consider these sexy or erotic? Who thinks up these changes? Is this all part of some evil plot to keep us all confused? Is Dick Chaney behind it all?

Okay... some of you guys out there give some explanations to the mindsets behind all of this. I know that I may have led a somewhat sheltered life to date, but come on! I guess I suffer from not having grown up with brothers. My mother still tells me that. And my sons don't seem interested is discussing such things with their mother. Go figure! Even after being married for so long, some things still remain unanswered. So I am relying on some of you bloggers out there to explain some of the various male mental musings related to all of this.

Sheesh!

Girls' Night Out And A Planned Trip

Tonight was the weekly Girls' Night Out. We had a yummy dinner and then hit the mall... with a bit of a twist to our usual shopping excursion...

A new store has recently opened up in the mall. A store with a famous name, but one which I have never been in before. Half of our dinner conversation revolved around our anticipated visit to this new shop in the mall.

Yes, Fredericks of Hollywood is quite an interesting place. We did have a fun time and a lot of laughs. I also got a kick out of what looked like a father-daughter shopping excursion that wasn't a father and daughter shopping excursion. I guess I figured that out based upon the following observations: what she was buying and the fact that he kept peeking in the fitting room to see how everything looked. However, I think I still prefer Victoria's Secret because the quality of the "clothing" is much better, they carry wonderful lotions and perfumes, and I don't have to deal with men in the fitting rooms.

In a week or so I will be taking a trip to a more northerly climate. I will be visiting with my son Jason and meeting the young lady in the picture below. It should be a fun trip, and I am SO ready for a bit of a vacation right now! Jason lives in Hartford, CT, and I have never been to visit him there before. I will also be spending a day or two in Boston where I have not been since high school. Maybe I will get to see the USS Constitution "Old Ironsides" in all of it's glory this time! I am very excited about my trip!

The young lady in the picture with my son has a blog called "Siren Soup" that I have listed in my links. Jason has not been blogging of late, but when he did he was the author of the posts found on "Lemming Fodder."

So, that is what I did today and what I have planned soon. I have been busy with reports at work over the last couple of weeks and next week will be presenting the proposed budget to the financial committee. Easter was in there somewhere, as well as some visits to the attorney with paperwork for my divorce... not to mention filling out that paperwork. Yup, I am going to be very ready for that trip!

A Bit Distracted

I have been a bit distracted of late with a few things, and have been neglecting my blogging. Just to keep you entertained until I get my act together again, I give you the following:

Sign in a gift shop window...

Unattended children
will be given a cup of expresso
and a free puppy.

I'll Be Back To Blogging Soon!

Happy Easter Everyone!



Enjoy the holiday with people you love!

Spring Has Sprung!

I had a terrific weekend. I got to spend some time in the warm sunshine while a nice breeze was blowing. I talked to my sister-in-law who lives in Key West, Palm Sunday at church was wonderful, and good conversation with a good friend was the icing on the cake. Today has also been a good day. What more can I say than I am grateful!

Ron Southern at The Rat Squeaks often uses quotes by famous people in his posts. I really enjoy them and intend to start doing the same on occasion. So here is what I chose for today:

All I have seen teaches me
to trust the Creator
for all I have not seen.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope everyone else out there in blogland is enjoying their spring... even if the weather has not been as nice as it has been here. It is a time of new beginnings, and a time to look forward.

Just Wondering

Why is it that great people never quite seem to grasp the enormity of their accomplishments? Seemingly, they tend to view what they have done as just normal everyday activity that everyone ought to be doing. They seem to move ahead from one thing to another, accomplishing one great thing after another or to continue in their original efforts as if they are the most normal thing in the world to be doing. Accolades seem to astound them, and they focus on what they view as their own shortcomings.

Thomas Jefferson Said It

The following quote is one of my favorites that I wish more people would take to heart:

It is in our lives and not our words that our religion must be read.
Thomas Jefferson

A Fun And Busy Week

It has been quite a crazy and fun week... constant craziness and interruptions at work, marathon telephone calls with super people, a fabulous Girls' Night Out, and a 60th birthday party for my boss Cathy. With Friday night's staff gathering for fun and food at a local restaurant still to come, and who knows what else on Saturday, I think the fun will continue for a few more days.

Sunday is Palm Sunday which really begins some of my favorite liturgy of the year at church. It is also a very busy time for staff, so I expect things to settle down as everyone gets focused on pulling everything together for Holy Week. AND THEN the snowbirds start heading back north, traffic becomes more tolerable, and the air conditioners start going full blast.

The weather has been beautiful here... perfect, in fact! However, I just read Dr. Gray's predictions for the upcoming hurricane season and I have to tell you that I am not at all happy about what he has to say. It does look like it will be another busy season, although he does not think that it will be as busy as this past year. I get tense just thinking about the possibilities. In another month, I will be getting my hurricane disaster kit updated and praying that I won't have to use it! I may have to seriously consider retiring to a less precarious area of the country... is there such a thing?

A Friend Remembered

My best friend once said
"Throw flowers with a whole lot of love
And a little bit of sadness"
On some days it was reversed
I always knew what she meant by it
And then one day
She died
And I knew
The way she would have said it
On that day

I was thinking ahead to this coming summer, when I suddenly found myself remembering past summers. In the summer of 1968 my best friend died. We had been talking about her transferring from Ithaca College in New York and becoming roommates the following year. Her parents were happy about that because they considered me to be so level headed and were sure that I would be a check on many of her impulses. We were actually quite different personalities, but we complemented each other. We could talk about anything and often did! She laughed at my foolishness, and I cautioned her on her recklessness. She was out to save the world and I was still trying to figure it out. She was always into mischief, and I was always too cautious. We shared many secrets that we told no other friends... including her illness.

I haven't thought about her in a while, so I guess it was time. She must have something on her mind to have triggered that memory in me again. Perhaps she is once again laughing at some foolishness of mine. I still miss her.

Rhodent's Quiz

Frustratedwriter set up one of these. It was fun to figure out the answers. So I made one up for myself! Good luck!



I made a Quiz for You on QuizYourFriends.com

CLICK on the link below or PASTE it into your browser.
http://www.quizyourfriends.com/yourquiz.php?quizname=060331195845-596192&

Happy Birthday Matthew!

Happy BIG #25 Big Guy!!!

xoxo

Love, Mom

Rhodent Rediscovered

I think that I may have found me again... really!

During the time period from my senior year in high school through my college years, I used to love to write... poetry, prose... whatever. Later, during my late twenties through the first couple of years of my thirties, I began writing again. Both of those periods of my life were times of major changes for me.

Once again I am going through some major changes, and once again I find myself being drawn to writing. It really started with blogging a little over a year ago. Now I find myself going back to some of the things that I wrote years ago. It is like finding myself again. It is also a good release, and it is fun.

So, when I find myself in a negative frame of mind like I indicated in my last post, the writing seems to facilitate my emergence from that negative place. It is especially helpful when dealing with situations that I have little control over... I guess that the writing helps me to focus on what I can control and set aside what I cannot control.

A good rant, is a great way to deal with frustrations. A sappy poem, a fun limerick, or a funny rodent picture... all seem to boost my spirits. Sharing something funny that has happened in my life gives me a chance to laugh again. It doesn't even have to be good writing. It is the process as much as anything, and the sense of accomplishment. I often laugh out loud when I find just the right word for a limerick or rodent picture for a post.

So blogging has not only helped me find a wonderful group of people who share their humor and their lives through their posts, but it has also helped me find me again. That's probably a good thing... right? ;o)