Mercury Retrograde

I had so many miscommunications and disappointments this weekend that I figured the planet Mercury had gone retrograde.  I looked it up and sure enough, Mercury is retrograde from August 3rd until August 26th.

What does Mercury retrograde mean?   Well, I looked at Astrology.com and it states: Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray or awry.

So that it explains it.  It started on Saturday morning.  I had my morning all planned out.  I had to do a number of errands before going to visit my mom at the nursing home in the afternoon. I was hosting a small birthday party for my Sister in the evening.

I mapped out my route for maximum efficiency, a quick stop at Pondview Florist in Winchester to place an order for flowers, a stop at Cake in Lexington to select a cake, and then on to Bedford for a stop at the tea shop Tea's Studio and Jack and Toba for a gift for my sister.

Things went well at the florist shop, then I went to Cake and picked out a cake and paid for it.  I told them I would be back in about two hours and they were going to write Happy Birthday on the cake.  I drove off to Bedford to the tea shop, walked up to the door and it was locked!

Guess I won't be serving my favorite tea blends with the cake! Then I drove the length of the town and never found Jack and Toba.  The owner had mentioned she wanted to move locations. I guess she did!

So I went back to Cake to pick up my cake.  You know the cake I had already paid for. When I got there I told the clerk I was picking up my cake and she said, "We don't have any cakes." I told her to check out back because I already paid for this cake. She did but still no cake. They had sold my cake!  Luckily, a cake had just come out of the oven so I had to wait for them to decorate it but it would be mine.  They told me 7 minutes, it took longer.  While I was waiting, the man who took my order and my money walked in the door. I said to the clerk, "he's the one who took my order!" He said he didn't remember me until I reminded him with more details.  So I waited for the cake and I was not offered a discount of any kind or even a free cupcake while I waited.  Poor customer service, Cake!  I will say the cake was delicious.  It was hot out so I went home with the cake and then headed back to the florist's to pick up my arrangement.

They are so sweet at Pondview Florist.  The flowers looked wonderful.  They always do a great job and they are not expensive and no attitudes there.  They are professional and very accomodating.

Anway, despite my troubles prior to the party.  It all went well. Here's a few photos from the party.

Of course, I had to take a close up of the fruit and cheese tray.

Remember the lavender table runner I used at Easter, it had lights running down it's center? Well I bought more colors of the same style runner.  This one was green.

I used my crystal glasses with paper plates and napkins.  I call it casual elegance.

Shortbread cookies made to look like cameos served as favors.  

The cake was beautiful and delicious.

Although, it was a little warped.  Probably because they decorated it while it

was still warm!

Percy waited for his cake but he never did get any.

 And there you can see the warp of the cake again.

Did I say it was yummy?

Another birthday?

Well how can that be? It's my birthday again! Wow did the last year fly by!

Time to do some celebrating. First of all,  I took a vacation day from work so I would have the entire day to play and do whatever I wanted.  My Sister had the day off too because her last day of school was last Friday.

I told her I wanted to go for dinner in Rockport.  I wanted to see a beautiful Rockport sunset. But then the Bruins made it to the Stanley Cup finals and wouldn't you know it game seven was scheduled for the night of my birthday. So we decided to go for breakfast in Gloucester instead so I could watch the game at night.

I picked the place for breakfast, Sugar Magnolias.  This was my second trip there. I had the goatie, an omelette filled with goat cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms and maybe spinach.  Can't remember but I know it was delicious.  My sister opted for the eggs benedict with spinach.

The decor is nice and easy.  Nothing fancy but welcoming. We got there at a good time for a late breakfast.

As I was sitting there watching the waitresses fill the ketchup bottles and write the lunch offerings on the menu, I was reminded of the movie Mystic Pizza. Maybe it was because the girls all seemed to be friends or maybe it was the setting in a seaside town in New England. I did not see Julia Roberts.

Here's another view of Sugar Magnolias or Sugar Mags for short.

There's Becky our waitress. Turns out she's originally from Winchester the next town to mine! She had some funny stories for us.

Love this sign.

Here's the front of the restaurant with a beautiful stained glass window.

After breakfast we drove along the coast to Rockport. The peonies were in bloom and so fragrant. We've had so much rain it's been good for the flowers. 

For the last few days the weather has been more like April than June.  It's been cold and windy. But today it was absolute perfection! Sunny and in the 70's, can't get much better than that. I guess the birthday gods must have been looking down on me. Wouldn't you love to have an oceanside seat in one of those little chairs at the bottom right of the photo?

We walked to the end of the wharf and found this beauty of a boat or I should say ship.

And don't I always run into a kitty no matter where I go?  This one was really friendly and definitely not a stray.

Of course we had to sit on the rocks since we were in Rockport.  Just look at that water.  This is the
place to relax.

This woman told us this rock is the best seat in the house! She called it a Rockport Lazyboy.

This spot at Bearskin Neck is popular fror picture taking. Is this going to be a Christmas card?

This is surely a Christmas card. Mom just needs to get someone to take one with her in it too.

Walking all the way out to the end of the jetty is a favorite pasttime. Some can do it with grace. Others can not.

Don't forget, there's a game seven to be played tonight. Bruins fever was alive and well in Rockport.

After soaking up some gorgeous sunlight, we headed to the deck at Helmut's Strudel Shop

for a bit of refreshment.  Ice coffee for me and tea for my sister and of course a warm from the oven slice of apple strudel.  It was beyond delicious!

So here is my happy place, the deck at Helmut's. I could sit here all day sipping my ice coffee and watching the seagulls fly by. I love the feeling of a soft breeze on my face and listening to the boats rock to and fro right in front of me. Nirvana! 

Oh I do not want to leave this idyllic spot but I do want to get back and see my mom at the nursing home. I have to see her on my Birthday. And then there's the game tonight.

This man came to Helmut's on a break from work. What a nice respite from the work day! He is lucky to work in Rockport.

And the woman with him is Christine.  She works at Helmut's and she is hysterical.  She was going to make a Stanley Cup out of tin foil for the Bruins game. And last night, she stayed up until 2 AM making a Bruins sign to be hung on Rockport's most famous building, the Motif No 1.

And there it is, Christine's handiwork. It looks very professional. 

And a closeup.  You know my best birthday present would be a Bruins victory tonight.  They're up 3-0 as I write this. 20 minutes to a World Championship! Cool.

A celebration

We had a little party for my friend Mary this evening. Actually, Mary likes to celebrate her birthday by making dinner for her friends. So we enjoyed salad, roast beef, roasted potatoes, corn, and rolls courtesy of Mary. We brought dessert. I found this cute candelabra candle yesterday. We put it in Mary's creme brulee.

My sister showed us this video in honor of Mary's birthday. We found it hilarious and I hope you enjoy it too!

Memorial Day Weekend- a flea market, a birthday and Scott Brown

I hope you all had a nice long weekend. Did you visit a cemetery or go to a memorial service? Attend a parade or gather with family and friends?



My weekend was full. Saturday I did errands but the rest of the weekend was busy with activities. Oscar of course, relaxed this weekend.



As did Molly, no stress in my household.



On Sunday I went to a flea market in Rowley. I had never been to Todd Farm so when my friend Kim said she was going I said me too! I really like these chairs but I just bought a sofa and chair so no room for any more furniture.



This is lovely.



I love the color of these chippy paint chairs.



I would have loved to buy a steamer trunk like this but I didn't.



I am told these dogs are here often. Watching over the field of vendors from their rooftop perch.



Do you remember Pez candy? Well this vendor had a large selection of Pez dispensers.




Do you remember Charlie from my post about Art & Tiques in Exeter? Well, Charlie and Linda were checking out the goods at Todd Farm too.



After the flea market, I went to my "Italian Mother's" 80th birthday party. Clara isn't my mother but she always calls my sister and I her Irish daughters and she is like a second mother to me. She already has 8 of her own real kids.



A few short months ago, Clara became a great grandmother but the parents live in Wisconsin. As a surprise, Sarah, her husband Jeff, and baby Emma showed up at the party. What a wonderful surprise! Clara was beaming.



And baby Emma stole everyone's hearts from the moment they met her.



Now, for the cake. Well let's just say when I walked by the dining room I thought there was a large stuffed elephant on the table. But that was the birthday cake!



Clara collects elephants so it was only fitting to have an elephant birthday cake for her. Wow, was this cake well done. Food Network, here we come!!!



Clara was like a kid in a candy shop. Look at her excitement.



She posed for photos with her kids. Here's one daughter.



And she posed with the grandchildren. Four generations under one roof and about 65 of her closest family and friends. And the weather cooperated. Who could ask for more?



On Memorial Day, there was a dedication at Buckley Park in Stoneham. And US Senator Scott Brown was a part of the ceremony.



A lovely memorial to one of Stoneham's citizens. Mr. Buckley worked for the CIA and was taken hostage in Beirut in 1984. He died while in captivity.



I wanted to get that prize winning photo of Senator Brown. I lined up my shot. All of a sudden he yells, "Hon" or was it honey? I'm not sure. But he was calling to his wife, Gail Huff, a Boston newswoman.



My next prize winning shot attempt was of him holding up a water bottle and asking her if the dogs needed water.



And so the water bottle was passed down to Gail Huff and her two dogs.



Scott Brown and his wife are animal lovers. I like that.



Stoneham Town Hall was all decked out with the red, white and blue.




That is quite possibly the biggest flag I have ever seen.