“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.”
The sun comes and goes. Partly cloudy is a misnomer. It is warm, mid 60s. Everything is quiet, calm. We have definitely left winter behind. My sweatshirts have been retired, at least during the daytime. Long sleeves are in.
Today I have a concert at the Farmer’s Market in Harwich. I love going there. We sit in the shade of trees and play. The market is small but one table always has a line. The woman sells the best scones. I’ll be in that line!
When I was a kid, we had donuts on Sunday mornings. My father was an usher at an early mass so he’d go to Dunkin’ Donuts after mass. He only ate plain donuts so his selections were limited. He’d pick the more common donuts like jelly and powered. He went heavy on the jelly. He never bought my favorite, butternut. It was probably too exotic for him. Instead, I’d eat a lemon or a glazed if he had bought them. My father always ate his plain donut with butter slathered on the top.
My mother never learned to swim. I remember she once went to the Y for lessons but didn’t finish. I only remember her dipping her feet in the water. My father was a great swimmer. He used to body surf in the waves. He taught us to swim, my brother and me.
One of my favorite family vacations was when we went to Islesboro, Maine. I remember the ferry ride to the island, and the house my father rented. It was down a dirt road and was steps from the water. The house was isolated. We had a dock and a row boat to use. My mother used to pack a lunch, and my father would row us to a small beach within sight of the dock. We, my brother and I, would jump off the boat when we got close to the beach. The water was freezing. Duke, our dog, was with us. On one trip to the beach, our dog Duke was out and saw us in the boat. He followed along the shore. My father was afraid Duke would jump into the cold water and not be able to swim so he went back and got Duke. I remember we shopped in the small town. We were each given a little money. I chose those white and black Scottie dog magnets. I thought they were neat when they repelled each other. The best thing on that vacation was the sort of scavenger hunt all around the yard and road. My parents had planted clues. We’d read them then figure out the next step. I remember Hershey Bars were the prizes. They were in a fallen tree trunk. The worse thing on that vacation was I got a bee sting. I still remember I was in a field. I also still remember how much it hurt.
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June 8, 2023 at 3:18 pm
Hi Kat,
Today is mostly cloudy and cool with 88° forecasted for the high temperature. Since it’s still June there’s a chance of thunderstorms later today.
Every Friday morning at work, the training managers take turns bringing donuts for everyone. I always eat two glazed and one with chocolate frosting on top. If I eat four of them my stomach gets upset and I’m not hungry for lunch. I figure that three donuts once a week won’t shorten my lifespan too much. 🙂
When I was a kid living in Dallas Texas, we always vacationed in the month of June by driving to NYC to visit the relatives. On the way back we would take a long detour to Miami Beach. Gasoline was very cheap and airfare was expensive in those days. My parents were not good tourists. My father was more interested in making good time to the destination rather than stopping or seeing anything interesting. My father considered any place of historical interest, or fun, or of any kid interest along the route as a tourist trap. My father was so stingy or cheap that Lincoln would scream because he held onto a penny so tightly. 🙂 While in Miami Beach, my sister and I would spend our days swimming in the hotel pool or in the Atlantic Ocean. One year I developed an ear infection and couldn’t swim for a few days. My father instead took me to see a movie called “Hercules”, with Steve Reeves. Funny how things like that stay in my memory. 🙂
June 8, 2023 at 10:20 pm
Hi Bob,
We also stayed cloudy. It got to 68° and stay there until late afternoon. It started to get cold while we were playing at the market.
Three donuts a week may just expand your lifespan! I figure a taste satisfaction is a good thing. I like a Boston cream donut periodically. It is quite the treat!
Your father and mine would get along as my father too was interested in making good time. He drove all the way from Canada to home without stopping. My mother wasn’t pleased. We all slept.
We never drove as far as you did. That is quite the long trip, but at least you stayed a whole month.
My father did take us to museums when we did staycations. He developed a love of museums of all sorts in me. I remember the first time he took us to the Museum of Fine Arts. The sarcophagi were my favorites. When we were older and out of the house, my father made quite a huge salary. He was always generous.
Other than drive-ins, I never went to the movies with my father.
June 8, 2023 at 11:29 pm
My dad made a good upper middle class salary while we were growing up, but he was very frugal. He hated buying things at retail prices. He had lots of friends in the jewelry and discount retail businesses who were also his customers. He could buy a lot of things we wanted at cost. Our joke was that your birthday present will be late again this year because dad has to get it at wholesale. 🙁
June 9, 2023 at 1:52 am
My father never shopped. He never went to a department store or a supermarket.
I remember one Christmas I gave him a pair of those brown suede shoes. They were quite expense but he loved them. The price was inside. I missed it. He was horrified. He said I should have gone to Thom McCan. It didn’t exist anymore.