#26 Boston - Domestic Bliss, December 1, 2006
Something rare and unusual happened - I pretty much spent all weekend at home basking in pre-Christmas domestic and retail bliss. Yes, you read right - I have been cooking, ironing, doing the laundry, reading the newspaper, shopping for Christmas gifts to be send overseas, and am currently sitting on my couch watching a somewhat strange (but probably fairly realistic) film where a Kurt Cobain look-alike runs through the woods and hides out in a greenhouse, drugged out of his mind. It is actually a pretty acclaimed movie by Gus van Zandt, "Last Days" and based on Kurt Cobain's last days, so I guess I'll give it a bit of a chance.....
A little late my update this time, but as mentioned it has been a busy weekend, Friday night my friend Elaine came over for some home-cooked vegetable soup, a decent glass of wine, and a showing of "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" - a must-see classic. Elaine are now the official cheerleaders for the "Run Blanche Run!!" fan club. The cooking mayhem continued yesterday - I had invited Ellen and Irene for a scrumptious dinner:
Artisan Bread with Olive Walnut Tapenade
Baywolf's Mushroom Barley Soup
Vegetable Quiche with Herb Crust
Mixed Green Salad
Vanilla Ice Cream and Lemon Sorbet Parfait with Sweet Pine Nut Sauce
Pecan White Chocolate Drops
Sheldrake Point Riesling and Assorted Teas
Sound good?
Needless to say my planned menu was a bit ambitious and I slaved in the kitchen all day, but I just loved it!! Oscar did too, since I was chopping and fussing around him all day, plus my friends, we got heat!! The furnace got fixed on Friday, and we can look forward to the upcoming cold season with renewed confidence. Of all the times for the furnace to break, these past three weeks were probably the most suitable, as Boston experienced a serious warm spell. Matter of fact, on November 30th, the 69 degrees we had at a little before 2PM broke an old heat record from 1881. The Boston Globe featured an editorial with the title "Jack Frost Call Home," asking the question "How holly-jolly can we be when the vinca vine and tea roses are still abloom?" ....the dogs still bring ticks into the house,.... the crab apples are blooming in the Boston [Public] Garden."
As every year fall and winter are our two favorite seasons, where we just looooove to grip about the weather, snow might be coming as early as late tonight or tomorrow morning, and I think we'll stick to the low 40s after that.
I returned to Boston on Monday from my visit to my cousins in upstate New York. Post Thanksgiving was spend with tons of activities - went to the movies to see "For Your Consideration", the new Christopher Guest movie, shopped, spent quality time with the family. On Sunday, Barbara and I hopped in the car and hoofed it up to Skaneateles, NY (http://www.skaneateles.com/) where the whole town was dressed up and decked out for "A Dickens Christmas". It was wonderful!! Folks in period costumes paraded down the main drag, Marley and Scrooge included, and at 2 PM, everyone gathered from some fine singing of Christmas tunes, with a superb rendition of "The 12 days of Christmas" as the high note at the end. Skaneateles is a rather affluent little community located at Lake Skaneateles in the Finger Lakes region, and it is extremely quaint and charming there.
Monday Oscar and I took on the long drive home, and it was back to the old grind this week. Work has been very busy in a good way, and let's hope it stays that way. I went running with the hospital's running group (which I host once a week) on Wednesday, and Thursday I was up to my old ushering shenanigans, this time at the Lyric Stage Company. The performance for the night "Exceptions to Gravity" was given by none other than "Avner, the Eccentric" - a true old-style comedy master. A combination of Buster Keaton, Vaudeville, magic tricks and some serious balancing acts - this was a gem of a night!! It reminded of how a truly gifted stage artist can entertain a crowd with a few simple props and a step ladder. Boston friends, this one is a must-see. You will fall in love with Avner - http://www.avnertheeccentric.com/. Called once "master of small catastrophes" by a German critic, he IS the quintessential entertainer and now can look back on an illustrious career in theater and film (he was the Holy Man Jewell in "Jewel on the Nile"), and has certainly not lost one iota of his appeal.
I think I am going to sign off now, I would like to head out for an evening stroll (maybe with a few snow flakes???), plus there are more Christmas cookies to bake and pictures to upload. I am still not done with the Germany photos, but hope you have enjoyed the other two albums I have sent. Next weekend, I will join a whole mob of people and head to Franconia, New Hampshire - there might be first snow activities!! Yiiiihaah!
Until then, stay warm and stay dry!
pet:)
A little late my update this time, but as mentioned it has been a busy weekend, Friday night my friend Elaine came over for some home-cooked vegetable soup, a decent glass of wine, and a showing of "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" - a must-see classic. Elaine are now the official cheerleaders for the "Run Blanche Run!!" fan club. The cooking mayhem continued yesterday - I had invited Ellen and Irene for a scrumptious dinner:
Artisan Bread with Olive Walnut Tapenade
Baywolf's Mushroom Barley Soup
Vegetable Quiche with Herb Crust
Mixed Green Salad
Vanilla Ice Cream and Lemon Sorbet Parfait with Sweet Pine Nut Sauce
Pecan White Chocolate Drops
Sheldrake Point Riesling and Assorted Teas
Sound good?
Needless to say my planned menu was a bit ambitious and I slaved in the kitchen all day, but I just loved it!! Oscar did too, since I was chopping and fussing around him all day, plus my friends, we got heat!! The furnace got fixed on Friday, and we can look forward to the upcoming cold season with renewed confidence. Of all the times for the furnace to break, these past three weeks were probably the most suitable, as Boston experienced a serious warm spell. Matter of fact, on November 30th, the 69 degrees we had at a little before 2PM broke an old heat record from 1881. The Boston Globe featured an editorial with the title "Jack Frost Call Home," asking the question "How holly-jolly can we be when the vinca vine and tea roses are still abloom?" ....the dogs still bring ticks into the house,.... the crab apples are blooming in the Boston [Public] Garden."
As every year fall and winter are our two favorite seasons, where we just looooove to grip about the weather, snow might be coming as early as late tonight or tomorrow morning, and I think we'll stick to the low 40s after that.
I returned to Boston on Monday from my visit to my cousins in upstate New York. Post Thanksgiving was spend with tons of activities - went to the movies to see "For Your Consideration", the new Christopher Guest movie, shopped, spent quality time with the family. On Sunday, Barbara and I hopped in the car and hoofed it up to Skaneateles, NY (http://www.skaneateles.com/) where the whole town was dressed up and decked out for "A Dickens Christmas". It was wonderful!! Folks in period costumes paraded down the main drag, Marley and Scrooge included, and at 2 PM, everyone gathered from some fine singing of Christmas tunes, with a superb rendition of "The 12 days of Christmas" as the high note at the end. Skaneateles is a rather affluent little community located at Lake Skaneateles in the Finger Lakes region, and it is extremely quaint and charming there.
Monday Oscar and I took on the long drive home, and it was back to the old grind this week. Work has been very busy in a good way, and let's hope it stays that way. I went running with the hospital's running group (which I host once a week) on Wednesday, and Thursday I was up to my old ushering shenanigans, this time at the Lyric Stage Company. The performance for the night "Exceptions to Gravity" was given by none other than "Avner, the Eccentric" - a true old-style comedy master. A combination of Buster Keaton, Vaudeville, magic tricks and some serious balancing acts - this was a gem of a night!! It reminded of how a truly gifted stage artist can entertain a crowd with a few simple props and a step ladder. Boston friends, this one is a must-see. You will fall in love with Avner - http://www.avnertheeccentric.com/. Called once "master of small catastrophes" by a German critic, he IS the quintessential entertainer and now can look back on an illustrious career in theater and film (he was the Holy Man Jewell in "Jewel on the Nile"), and has certainly not lost one iota of his appeal.
I think I am going to sign off now, I would like to head out for an evening stroll (maybe with a few snow flakes???), plus there are more Christmas cookies to bake and pictures to upload. I am still not done with the Germany photos, but hope you have enjoyed the other two albums I have sent. Next weekend, I will join a whole mob of people and head to Franconia, New Hampshire - there might be first snow activities!! Yiiiihaah!
Until then, stay warm and stay dry!
pet:)
posted by My Boston at
2:49 PM
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