“How strange it is to view a town you grew up in, not in wonderment through the eyes of youth, but with the eyes of a historian on the way things were.”
For two days Boston has hit 70˚. We hit a high of 55˚. The sun has deserted us. It is cloudy again and damp and chilly. Last night it rained a little. I was lying in bed reading and heard what I thought at first was a mouse gnawing. It wasn’t. It was the patter of rain falling quite slowly at first then more heavily, but it quickly stopped.
Yesterday I went to the deck and did a bit of cleanup. I also filled the bird feeders. The cover for the barbecue has disappeared. I checked the yard from the deck but didn’t go under the deck. My first thought was an army of squirrels has set up camp somewhere close and my cover, which already had a huge section chewed off, was perfect for their tents. Two bricks were on the top to prevent the cover from blowing off. I found those on the deck. Maybe a spawn of Satan will be back to get the bricks for their camp walkway.
I actually cleaned most of this room. I polished and washed all the curios on shelves. I did such a good job I need sunglasses now because everything shines. I also caught up with the laundry. I feel accomplished.
When I sleep, I look a bit like a question mark as I still make room for Gracie to sleep beside me.
When I was a kid, my town was my world. I never thought it was small. Uptown had wonderful stores, and the library and the post office anchored the beginning and the end of the square. Some days the square smelled like fresh bread from Hank’s Bakery or popcorn from the candy makers behind the square. O’Grady’s Diner was across the street from the library. Once in a while, my father took me to breakfast there. We sat at a booth with red vinyl seating. I used to beg for dimes or a quarter to play the juke box. Every booth had a small box, and I’d turn the pages in our booth to find a favorite song. On Saturday mornings seats at the counter were mostly filled with all men. Saturday was their errand day with stops at the Chinamen, the barber and maybe the drug store or the Redmen then finally the diner. I loved my little uptown
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February 22, 2018 at 12:57 pm
It was 14F here this morning and it is dropping down to it again now, I’m not too happy about it but I think I would suffer if we had spring temperatures for two days and then it turned cold again 🙂 Still I did see the sun after I’ve stopped working for today 🙂
One never knows with squirrels 🙂 I guess Gary Larson could have drawn something great with that Info 🙂
The only Diner I know off when I grew up was where we had our summer cottage. It even looked a lot like the ones we could see in films and tv series from the US. I can’t remember that I ever ate anything there though but I do remember buying an ice cream 🙂 I know the building still is there but I doubt the diner is, they shut down all the factories in the area and so they must have lost all their customers.
Have a great day!
Christer.
February 22, 2018 at 5:20 pm
Christer,
It has stayed cloudy. and damp all day. Boston had a bit of snow and it has gone from 71˚ to 32˚. That’s what they get for all that warmth.
I’ll check under the deck as that is the only place I haven’t looked. It would have taken an enormously strong wind to get that cover off the grill then blow it down stairs and undertake deck.
We have one diner around here.I sometimes go for breakfast. If I travel around, I aways eat at a dinner if I see one.
Enjoy the evening!
February 22, 2018 at 10:01 pm
Once again you are warmer than we are here in the rain soaked Dallas. We haven’t been warmer than 40 degrees since Sunday. It’s been a crazy winter weather. Cloudy, cold and more rain tomorrow.
For nearly a year I lived in the town of Big Spring Texas. It’s a one cigarette town. You can drive from one end to the other while smoking one cigarette. 🙂 I was working as a pilot for an oil company and hated Big Spring. They rolled up the sidewalks at seven at night and the Dairy Queen was late night entertainment.
February 23, 2018 at 11:12 am
Bob,
This has been a winter of crazy weather. We have had only a small amount of snow but lots of rain. Most days have been in the 40’s. We are expecting rain again tonight.
In the 60’s the cape was like that. Everything closed after Labor Day. One movie theater was open and only a few restaurants.Our high school haunt was Jerry’s for burgers and fries so I know about Big Spring Texas. I like that, one cigarette town.
February 23, 2018 at 1:03 am
Hi Kat!
My little town, the borough of West Long Branch NJ (pop. around 10,000), is bordered on one side by the much bigger City of Long Branch NJ (pop. 60,000). Many who are not from the area get confused as to which is which, which annoys me no end. They are 2 separate towns. Your post jogged my memory of when I was a kid and my Dad and I would take off on Saturdays and go down Broadway in LB running errands. The barbershop for his Marine-style haircut, the bakeries, the little newsstand called Giglio’s to pick up all the newspapers, a trip to Coast Hardware to pick up nails or a tool…most are gone now.
I do not specifically remember going to a diner with him, but in these days there is a great little breakfast and lunch spot in West Long Branch called The Hungry Hobo…it would be my honor to buy you breakfast someday!
Hope your search for a boxer is coming along!
Waving,
Coleen
February 23, 2018 at 11:17 am
Hi Coleen,
It is always amazing to me how much all these little towns resembled each other. Fathers were the same all over. All those stores are also gone from my town. I used to love to go to the Chinaman’s.It was steamy hot from the big shirt ironer and j=had packages of shirts wrapped in brown paper waiting for the customers to return. Luckily there was just one town and no other similarly named places or I too would have been annoyed.
I do love those small spots! You’re on!
I think I’m on the list for a dog from the next Puerto Rico load.