Kimball's: pretty much our home away from home

multi tasking

The garden lettuce is multiplying!

So so much.

School is still in session.

Teresa is integrating into the junior class with Rooney at the High School.

A friend offered to give me some rhubarb.

I told her I didn't really know what to do with it, except maybe look up a recipe for pie/crisp. She told me she had a great recipe for curry.

I jumped on it.

It got mixed reviews.

I really liked it.

Some didn't.

 While juggling final exams, work schedules and garden produce, there is now this new element of the exchange student in the house. And fifty hikes that aren't being racked up as fast as I'd like.

So Monday afternoon Leeli and I took her for a small tour of the local area, and hiked around the pond at Coggeshall park while we were at it.

Checkety-check.

Wandering on Wednesday

I partnered up with this handsome guy for a fun and educational outing to the National Heritage Museum in Lexington.

It was his Spring break after all. Actually, unlike many of his peers who were bombarding the social media networks with images of beaches and fun in the sun, Enrique spent it writing a paper and heading back to work (on campus) before the week was half over. Reality can be cruel.(He also took advantage of mom's laundry service, a few extra hours of sleep and some home cooked meals) It was good to squeeze in a tiny bit of extra curricular activity.

The Scottish Rite Free Masons own/run this free museum (suggested donation) that is filled mainly with artifacts having to do with customs, costumes, artifacts and relics related to the Masonic organization.

 We both learned quite a bit. The Masons are a fraternal service organization. We are most familiar with the Shriners, who are a part of the Masons. They run the free hospitals for children. They also organize a stunning parade. For many years we took the kids to their annual parade at Dartmouth in August. They know how to parade like nobody's business.

 I was intrigued with how a Mason earns various degrees in the fraternity... this galloping goat came up a couple of times in their display cases, and I couldn't help but laugh a bit as I read some of the descriptions.(I hope that's the response they were going for.)

I have a few ancestors who were Masons.

The Masons have an extensive library at this museum as well. After my first visit here, my sister and my mother were able to solve a family history mystery because of the Masonic records. More on that in a future post. 

We capped off our morning with a visit to my new favorite middle eastern cafe.

I was delighted that Enrique also found it to be definitely worth the trip.

Wednesdays are for getting out

Last week I sent a note to a friend of mine who I haven't seen since early November of last year. I was thinking about her, and wanted to let her know.

She sent me a text on Monday asking if I'd like to meet up at the temple, and then go to lunch.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day to be out and about!

The temple was a perfect place to start.

 We drove into Cambridge for lunch, and while looking for on-street parking, saw this poor vehicle that is just thawing out from our rough winter. And a sign encouraging hope that our wicked winter is melting away:

We ended up at Sofra--a bakery/cafe that specializes in Middle Eastern cuisine.

We decided to share some plates from the Mezze bar, which allowed us to choose many types of foods in small amounts.

I like going somewhere for the first time and not having to over commit to something I might not be particularly fond of.

And the price was more than reasonable.

 It was fantastic!

I can't wait to bring Enrique, the Middle Eastern Studies major, back to sample some of the delicious fare.

You decide

There's a lot of stuff going around out here in cyber world about why the Patriots won their big game on Sunday; some of it good and some of it not so good. Only you can decide for yourself why this is the case. But while the rest of us were busy with life, this faithful ten year old fan was getting his game on in our New England kitchen, and made a hot bean dip for the occasion. I'm chalking the win up to a devotee and his dip.

being thankful

Just in case my blog posts were leading you to believe a wedding was all we were thankful for this year, we DID manage to gather, and share a Thanksgiving feast. 

Although there were many extended family members who were able to come, there were at least as many who could not be there. We were thoughtful of those not with us, and grateful for those who could be. We were not few in numbers, so we met at my parents' church.

 There were some greeting rituals unfamiliar to me.

 It was good to be together, and it was good to hear laughter.

 There was much hugging.

And, in a family who does not drink, there was a Druncle who liked to stir things up, I suppose to keep the young adults guessing.

 Thanksgiving duck-duck-goose

 and of course the FOOD:

 There were a few games after dinner; my personal favorite was Moriah's "boom-boom-pop."

 It was fun to be together.

 I am thankful for gatherings.

 And for family.

 And fun.

Thank you, Columbus.

Columbus Day is that holiday Monday in October that just cannot be ignored in Massachusetts. Even if it's cloudy. 

Mid October = PEAK foliage.

On Columbus Day, there's NO excuse for staying put.

You must drive. And LOOK all around you.

But, as the woman who said the prayer at church this week put it when she sent her words Heavenward, "Thank you, God, for this beautiful Fall Foliage. BUT. I would ask all the drivers: PLEASE. Keep your eyes on the road. AMEN."

Yes. AMEN. But DO look. Safely.

If you haven't visited our neck of the woods this time of year, put it on your bucket list. NOW. And call ahead for reservations. Or you might have to settle for the overflow guest accommodations in the basement. I'll be HAPPY to host a Fall foliage tour!

As we were running errands (ALL.DAY.), I would look out the window and gasp, and point, and find myself saying things like "Who gets to drive around in this colorful place doing mundane things?--Oh right.  WE DO."

And so we did.

Taxiing students, shopping for wedding apparel, repairing eye glasses, picking up contacts, visiting the barber shop and BEST of all, delivering our UMass student Enrique, back to his place in Amherst; with clean laundry, some honey crisp apples and a few tupperware containers of food.

He hadn't been home since this summer.

We love him!

 And we love his wheels.

We also love his taste in food...

He introduced us to some Syrian Falafel sandwiches.

Falafels are a traditional Middle Eastern food--they looked like mini donuts, but are deep fried balls of ground chick peas.  The man who ran the shop gave us the FULL verbal history of the Falafel, and insisted that the Syrian version is the best. He kept giving us samples with his signature cucumber yogurt dressing (with mint) that was DELICIOUS.  The Falafels were then wrapped in Syrian bread (YUM) with a choice of fresh ingredients inside.  DOUBLE YUM. If you haven't tried a Falafel, I am happy to heartily recommend the Syrian version.

 I am also happy to heartily recommend the drive home from Amherst. We stopped no less than six times to take pictures.

 And, as a reward for his patience, I took my traveling companion to Kimball's, where we purchased our LAST ice creams of the season. They always close up shop on Columbus Day. For that one tiny thing I am not so grateful, however, the whole Columbus Day package in this area is pretty fantastic.

Come SEE!!