Out With Friends

 In September I got together not once but twice with my high school friends. I'm so thankful for them and for our enduring friendship that is over thirty years old now (and even longer for them since I didn't move here until 8th grade).

We met for dinner and we all unintentionally showed up wearing blue! 💙

My dessert was good!

A few weeks later we got together at Jen and Bill's house for their annual seafood fest. They used to invite a lot of people but this year it was just our friend group, which I preferred (I like smaller groups more than big parties). It was fun, and the food was delicious!

We ate all of 'em!

Bill cooked my lobster perfectly. 

I couldn't be around when the lobsters got cooked because I feel bad for them. They taste so good though. 😑 Usually when I order lobster in a restaurant, I get the lazy man's lobster because I am indeed lazy with lobster, and there's also the matter of my aforementioned empathy for their plight, so the less I see of the lobster's body, the better. But there are no lazy men at seafood fest. I had to work to get my meat! And it was delicious. (Truly sorry little guy!) 🦞

I've known Bill since high school when he and Jen got together. He's a police detective in one of New England's largest cities. I've always liked asking him questions about his work and he's great (and very patient!) about answering all of them.

I'm thankful for all of the friends in my life, but especially the ones who have the most staying power.

Life is better with friends, especially when they're lifelong.

September's Escape to the Cape

 Now that the divorce is finally done and I've downsized and moved and John is away at college, I've decided that I'm going to start trying to spend more time at the Cape house each month. I want to use it (since I didn't lose it 😜), and it's good for me to go to a peaceful place that I love where I have happy memories from the time when the boys were young. I go when Sam is with his dad for a couple of days. I bring my editing work with me and get other things done at the house. And it's free! And freeing, too. So far, it's been working out well, and I continue to look forward to my increasingly common "Cape escapes."

One of my favorite walks on the Cape leads out to the seashore of Cape Cod Bay.

The land here reminds me of the moors of England (not that I've seen them--YET--in person).

On another morning, I walked down the street to the beach where we have the shoreline of Nantucket Sound (which is the opposite southern side of the Cape from the above-mentioned Cape Cod Bay).  

At the end of the rock jetty

I took a different route home and was impressed by some of the pretty houses.

Until next time!

💙💙💙💙💙

Sam's 14th Birthday!

 Sam turned the big 1-4 last month! 😃 All he really wanted for his birthday was a ping-pong table, so I worked hard in August and September to get the basement unpacked, cleared out, and organized so that a p-p table would fit down there. It was a worthwhile project that benefited us both - he got his table and I got the basement unpacked and organized! A win-win situation. 

Thank goodness for my mom, who helped put the table together!

Ta-da!

We can play while surrounded by food storage and emergency preps. How exciting! 😆

I wanted to get one big bow but couldn't find one, so several smaller ones had to suffice.

Naturally, Sam was happy with the table. 😊

Breaking it in...

We had a small family party and it was the first one at our new place. Even though there's much less space than there was before, it was fine and we had a good time.

I used the bows from the p-p table on the dining room table and buffet. So creative, I know. 😉

We played in the basement for awhile with the p-p table and the weight set. Good times!

We had a delicious lunch of pulled pork sandwiches (one of Sam's favorite foods) followed by ice cream cake.

It was a fun day and a fun party!

A few days later on his actual birthday, there were some smaller presents for him to open, and we had tacos for dinner (the birthday person always gets to pick what we have for dinner on their birthday), followed by a smaller cake that was practically set aflame by all of the candles on its surface! 

(Pay no attention to Sam's silly shirt! It's John's and Sam found it and thinks it's hilarious. I hid it after washing it so I get the last laugh.)

Candles extinguished!

I hope that all of Sam's wishes come true this year. He's a wonderful young man who means the world to me, and I'm so thankful that he's my son and I'm his mother. We've had a special bond ever since he was a baby and I hope it never goes away. 💖

Bookshelves, Organized

 My books were one of the final things I went through and organized after my move. I was going from my huge dream bookcase and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on one whole wall of my office to three IKEA bookshelves in my upstairs hallway and an old cheap one in the basement. What a difference a move makes! I had to really pick and choose which books I wanted to have on the shelves, and which ones would have to stay in storage containers. I'm happy with how it turned out, and I'm thankful that I still have so many books that I love as well as others that I'm looking forward to reading for the first time.

Non-fictions

The middle shelf holds classics, poetry, my collection of vintage Nancy Drews and other antique books, and historical fiction novels (my second favorite genre). 

Jane Eyre is still my favorite book, and has been ever since I read it in high school.

This shelf holds contemporary fiction, Young Adult, some fantasy and dystopian fiction, my Poldark books, and mysteries (my favorite genre!).

I put my Egyptian knick-knacks with the Amelia Peabody series. Perfect!

My two favorite British mystery authors are Agatha Christie and Ruth Ware.

I love these books! Many of them are like old friends.

Oh look, it's me, John, and Sam! 😉

Here we are again!

I really like my hall of shelves. It's right outside of my room and I see it every time I come up the stairs.
 I'll end this post with a genius gem I just thought up: a home without books is like a night without stars!

😁📚💖

Labor Day in Lexington

 I wanted to do something fun and different on Labor Day, and decided on a historical trolley ride in Lexington (the Liberty Ride Trolley Tour, to be exact). Sometimes you have to be a tourist in your own backyard in order to enjoy the things your area has to offer!

Our tour guide was so good and knowledgeable, and he had a great sense of humor, too. 

This house was important during the Revolutionary War, but I don't remember why exactly. It's so cool that it's still standing and looks much like it did back then, surrounding fields and woods included. Just ignore the anachronistic construction equipment out front. 😆

This was another important house. The opening battles and skirmishes of the war happened right here in these areas. I can picture the troops marching through.

I'll always love and appreciate the beauty and history of ancient stone walls.

This is the famous Old North Bridge where the first shots of the war from the U.S. (or more accurately at that time, "the colonies") towards the British were fired on April 19, 1775. Consequently, this is where the first British soldiers in the war were killed.

More anachronisms, but they work!

As a mother of sons especially, this touches my heart.

Sam and my mom on the bridge

The bridge spans the beautiful Concord River.

I wish I could be a time traveler and see what happened here all those years ago. Who knows, maybe we could see some of these momentous events from our pre-existent state in heaven? And/or maybe we'll be able to look back and see them in the next life, like a history movie of Earth? It's fun to speculate.

The trolley was really nice and the tour and guide were excellent. I highly recommend this tour.

Adorable teddy bears in the gift shop. I resisted the temptation and got a couple pairs of pretty little patriotic earrings instead. But maybe next time!

We ate a delicious lunch at a Bertucci's down the street after the tour. After that, I wanted to hike around Walden Pond in Concord, but it being Labor Day, the lot was full and closed. It will have to be a pleasure that awaits for another day!