Maura at Fenway

On Monday June 25th I took Maura to see the Boston Red Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Even though the Sox lost the game we had a great time rooting for them. We had field box seats near third base with a great view of the action. The tickets were courtesy of Jennifer who had them as a perk from her job. We could never afford to buy tickets for seats that good.

It was Maua’s first time going to a game at Fenway and she was excited about it. We rode the T to the park in our Red Sox colors and found our seats about a half-hour before the game started. From the start it was fun to be there. We listened to the music on the PA and watched Wally the Green Monster rev up the crowd. We stood with our hats off for the singing of “O Canada!” and “The Star Spangled Banner” and applauded the people who were honored at the game including one young man who had given away not one but two trips to Disney World to the families of soldiers who had been killed in Afghanistan. I’m proud to say that the applause the crowd gave him was more than polite. He got a standing ovation which was what he certainly deserved for his actions.

Once the game started Maura and I watched it. We’re not huge baseball fans and I don’t pay that much attention to it most of the time (Maura pays even less) but I’ve always thought baseball was a sport best experienced live. You can see the whole field and there is a sense of scale. The crowd and the roving refreshment venders fill the empty moments in the game in a way TV color commentators never can. Maura and I enjoyed an ice cream from one of the venders during the 5th inning. I think it was the highlight of the night for Maura but she clearly was enjoying the whole experience. I certainly enjoyed it both when I was watching the game and when I was watching Maura. The only thing that detracted from the game for me was the occasionally rude fans sitting behind us. I wish they would have watched their language since there were kids present. One thing they did that didn’t bother me was the ribbing they gave the guy wearing the Yankees cap—he took it well since he was their friend and had come to the game with them.

Though the Sox lost they gave us a good game to watch, at least after the top of the first when they gave up four runs to start the game. They fought back to tie things up 5 to 5 before they lost it again in the 6th inning. We left the game when a thunder storm hit in the 7th inning and the game was rain delayed. It was already a late night for Maura and we had big plans for the next day so she needed her sleep. WE would have stayed to the end if it looked like the game would be over on time but with a rain delay it seemed likely to go very late. When we left Toronto was up by two and when I checked the score in the morning I saw that the Sox were unable to make a comeback. That was a shame but there are always other games and perhaps we will someday have the chance to see the Sox win in Fenway.

A Long Walk

Maura’s school year came to an end with a half day on Monday. We have no ambitious plans for her first week of freedom but we took the first full day of her vacation to take a hike in the nearby towns of Hingham and Cohasset. The weather was perfect. It was overcast but not rainy and warm without being hot.

After a few morning errands, including a stop at our local library, we drove to Wompatuck State Park in Hingham were we planned to hike. We parked at Mount Blue Spring, which is near the center of the park. From there we set out on what proved to be a four hour hike that took us out of Hingham and out of Wompatuck. At first we hiked on old roads through the park. We passed through quiet woodlands and damp swamps. Our route took us past ponds where frogs croaked and by the graffiti covered ruins of old military buildings.

Eventually we shifted to unpaved trails and headed over the park boundary into the Whitney and Thayer Woods Reservation, owned by the Trustees of Reservations. We struck a trail along an old rail line and followed that to the Cohasset train station. From there we walked along the shoulder of Route 3A until we came to the main entrance of the Whitney and Thayer Woods Reservation and from there back to Wompatuck State Park and eventually to our car. We made one stop along 3A, at JJ’s Dairy Hut where we took our only extended break of the day and enjoyed some ice cream. Maura had a big cone of Maine Black Bear ice cream and I had a root beer float. The rest of that leg of the trip was a bit nerve wracking. Route 3A is not a good road for pedestrians to follow. The shoulders are narrow and there are no sidewalks. Many of the drivers seemed not to be paying attention and sometimes Maura didn’t seem to be paying much either. I would not take that route again. The woods were certainly safer and more pleasant.

We didn’t have many wildlife sightings during the day. We heard frogs but didn’t see them and mammals were only in evidence from their scat. We did see two turtles sunning themselves on a log in one of the many ponds we passed. When I pointed them out to Maura she moved quickly and then they slipped into the water with a startled splash as they dove from sight.

Maura was exhausted by the time we made it back to our car but she had done a great job. I’m not sure how far we had walked but it was certainly more than a couple of miles. We walked for nearly four hours with few breaks and most of the time we kept a good pace. Maura did complain at the end of the hike but she had walked far enough without any whining that a little at the end of a long day on the trail didn’t upset me. I was glad to get back to the car myself.

Backyard Wildlife

Sometimes the best place to experience nature is your own backyard. You don’t have to travel far and sometimes you see things you might miss if you were outside your familiar surroundings. Though we live on a crowded street with apartment buildings and businesses tucked in among the houses the woods that abut our property are full of wildlife and it is not uncommon for it to wander through our yard.

Last week while I sat at my computer in my upstairs office I looked out the window for a moment and spotted a deer feeding in our neighbor’s yard. The office window was a perfect vantage spot to watch the deer. It never looked up to see me and it couldn’t hear me through the window, though it was not far away. I went downstairs to get my binoculars and then called Maura to come see. Through the binoculars the deer seemed close enough to touch. We watched it, taking turns with the binoculars, for at least five minutes as it contentedly browsed shrubs at the edge of the woods.

Watching the deer was a special moment shared with my daughter but only one of the many encounters with wildlife we’ve had on our own small patch of land. When I used to come home late at night I often saw skunks or raccoons on our driveway when I pulled in. Once I spotted a fox travelling through. A red-tailed hawk hunts on our street. Maura and my mother once saw it take a pigeon off of our lawn. When I saw it dive on its prey its quarry escaped. One summer evening around sundown Jennifer saw a coyote pass through the yard. It came out from behind our honeysuckle bushes about fifteen feet away from her and was as surprised to see her as she was to see it. I’ve only heard the coyotes’ eerie howling in the woods on cold winter nights.

I’m sure there is much more that we haven’t seen. I’d never seen the deer until this year but I expected they were there and I know there are wild turkeys in the woods because I’ve seen them elsewhere around its bounds but never on our property. I look forward to many more wildlife sightings in our own yard in the years to come.

Growing Up and Moving On

This afternoon I went to Maura’s school for my very last Field Day lunch with my daughter. Every year since she was in kindergarten I’ve gone to school on Field Day to sit with her and have a hotdog. This will be the last year. Fourth grade is the final year of primary school in Weymouth. Next year she’ll be at Abigail Adams Middle School. I don’t know that they have a field day but I suspect if they do they don’t invite the parents to lunch.

Maura and I are both looking forward to middle school. The school is closer and Maura is older so she’ll be walking herself to school next year. She’s already made plans to walk with some of her friends. I’ll have more time because I won’t have to drop her off or pick her up. The school day is also more convenient for me. I’ll be able to get started sooner and I won’t be forced to take breaks at awkward times. Change is always disruptive but my life will be easier once I am used to the new schedule.

Though I’ll be happy when Maura is in middle school the end of primary school is a bittersweet time. Maura is growing up and it is happening fast. It seems like yesterday that she was starting school for the first time. Maura had just turned five a week before when we took her for her first day of kindergarten. She was eager to get started but also a little scared. Her mother and I felt the same way. Now in just over a week I’ll be dropping her off at Seach School for her last day as a student there. It hardly seems like it’s been five years.

Along the way Maura has learned a lot. She’s quite accomplished at reading, writing and arithmetic. She does her homework with little prompting (she still needs to be reminded to do her chores). She calls her friends on the phone and has an email address. Before she heads to middle school we will get her a cellphone of her own. Five years ago all of that was in the future. I can hardly imagine what the next five years will bring.

Flowers and Flags

We really enjoyed our Memorial Day weekend this year though we stayed close to home. Memorial Day weekend for us has traditionally been used for one of two things. We either work outside around the house or we take a short trip. Last year we went camping but this year we did the yard work. We worked very hard Saturday and again on Monday making our yard look as nice as it has in a long time and probably as nice at it will look all year. The lawn is mowed, the flower beds weeded and bushes trimmed. Everyone pitched in, though it was hard to get Maura motivated on Saturday morning.

On Sunday we took the day off from our labors to visit friends. We went to a barbecue on Sunday evening where we enjoyed the company of friends old and new as well as plenty of great food outside in perfect weather. There were dozens of people at the event so I found it stressful. I’ve always been a shy person and I’m not always comfortable around strangers, particularly when I meet many at once. Maura, fortunately, is not shy and she had a great time. She makes friends wherever she goes.

On Monday we had more work to do but first Maura and I went to the Town of Weymouth’s Memorial Day Parade. The East Weymouth Congregational Church, where I am a member, is directly across the street from the small park where the parade route begins. As a public service the church offered water to the parade participants and also made our restrooms available to any who needed them. I was there to pass out water. Maura came along to help but she was mostly interested in watching the parade. She waved a flag as it went by. It was good to be at the ceremony at the start of the parade that commemorates those who lost their lives fighting for our freedom. We stood respectfully while the flags were raised, taps was played on a lone bugle and a salute was fired. It can be easy to forget the meaning of the holiday amid the sales and barbecues but this simple ceremony helped us remember.

The church lawn is not a bad place to view a parade. The parade route starts there so we can see it all before it starts moving. There was a small contingent from the National Guard, the police and firemen in their dress uniforms, local veterans’ group chapters and service clubs, the high school marching band and the Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, led by Boy Scout Troop 2 with a spectacular, and loud, flag and drum core.

After the parade it was back to work. While we were there Jennifer had gone to buy plants and they had to be put in the ground. She bought tomatoes and herbs. We’ve had good luck growing both of them in the past and they will add great flavor to our summer and autumn meals if we are as successful this year. The herb garden is in the spot recently occupied by Maura’s sandbox which she had stopped playing in. We’ve laid it out to be attractive as well as useful. The varying greens of the different herbs are set off by a ring of blooming marigolds, which also help to keep rabbits away. The garden is decorated with a fairy house made from an old chimney pot. Maura made furniture for it so the fairies should be quite at home there. The garden is guarded by a concrete cat, always poised to pounce on anything that might make trouble. Maura helped with the planting, particularly of the marigolds, and so far she’s been doing a good job of watering every day.

Mother’s Day Adventure

Mother’s Day was Jennifer’s day and after breakfast we went where Jennifer wanted to go. She chose a trip to the SoWa Open Market. Open Sundays 10 to 4 from May to October, the Open Market is a showcase for artists and artisans. It is located in a parking lot off Harrison Avenue in the South Washington neigborhood of Boston. There are all manner of original artworks and handmade goods on sale to match almost any taste. Food is provided by an array of Boston’s gourmet food trucks, with enough variety to offer lunch for almost any taste as well. In the next parking lot is a concurrent farmers’ market and the SoWa Vintage Market, selling antiques and vintage clothing, is indoors next door. Also nearby are a collection of artsy stores and galleries, most open for business during the market.

Jennifer and Maura enjoyed the trip immensely. They both enjoy shopping and there was plenty to look at. Jennifer particularly enjoys knitting and textiles. Jennifer looked at clothing that she could use in a Steampunk costume. Maura likes anything that features cats. She found a set of handmade magnets with cartoon cats on them that she liked and could afford to buy.

I mostly looked for a place to sit down but I didn't find one. In a perfect world I would fill my space with cool handmade items but as things stand I can’t. When I’m not able to buy I find shopping a bit depressing. I get no thrills from looking at cool goods for sale that I can’t possibly afford. For me the highlight of the day was a snack of hot dill pickles from the Grillo’s Pickles Cart. We buy them at Whole Foods to eat at home but they are every bit as good on the street. I hope I didn't bring Jennifer down by being unenthusiastic about shopping. It wasn't my intention to throw a wet blanket on her fun day.

Saying Goodbye to a Friend

Mother’s Day was last Sunday but I’m not writing about that this week. On Saturday there was a sad occasion that marked my weekend more. We had to say goodbye to a beloved family pet.

Our cat Elmo had been with us since long before Maura was born. He was an affectionate and usually gentle animal who liked people and was often to be found on someone’s lap. Most often the lap was mine. Elmo was 16 or 17 years old (we aren’t quite sure) and had been sick for months so we knew the end was coming. It was still hard on Saturday morning when it was clear his condition had taken a turn for the worse. We took him to see the vet, half hoping that she would tell us that he would respond to treatment and improve. We were not surprised when she told us that he was unlikely to get better and the best thing we could do for him was to have him euthanized. He was clearly suffering; the decision was not difficult.

I stayed with Elmo until the end while Jennifer took Maura to the garden store to purchase a plant. It is a family tradition to mark the final resting place of pets with a planting. Elmo is now under a lilac bush. It is small now but it was already covered with flowers when we planted it and if it thrives it will add beauty to our yard in the spring. Not far away is the maple tree we planted over the ashes of another departed friend which gives great color to our yard in the fall. On a happier occasion the planting would have been a fun family activity. We have gardened together before and it is usually very enjoyable when we all work as a team. The weather was perfect and it was better to be outside than indoors.

We are all missing Elmo now, especially me, because I am home alone much of the time. Our remaining cat Houdini has his affectionate moments but he is not as much of a snuggler as Elmo was. It has been lonely around here this week. It won’t be for long. We have room in our home and hearts for two cats and we have already been talking about getting another. Elmo can’t be replaced but there are lots of cats looking for good homes. If one doesn’t come to us from a friend or acquaintance the way most of our cats have over the years we will adopt from an animal shelter, probably before the end of the summer.