cats and lamps

What is it with cats and lamps? Do they deliberately want to knock them over for sport?
Or do they just want to toy with me? Maybe they really have no intention of harming any lamp.

This lamp has been moved three times. It is actually too big for the tea chest where it sits in this photo.

You can just imagine this lamps fate.

Even in her pre-condo days, Molly was drawn to lamps. Oh how I miss my screened balcony!

Molly misses it too.

This lamp by my bedside was removed because a cat who will not be named persisted on

jumping on this table to gain entrance to the bed.

This seemed to be the safest place for this beauty of a lamp. Sadly, Oscar knocked it over and it

no longer works but it is still pretty.

They may look innocent but don't fall for it. They are vicious lamp killers.

Feelin the Love

Today is my birthday. Usually I take a vacation day and do something fun but since I just started my new job on June 4th I thought I should just work. I like to make a birthday trip to Rockport and I still may do that but not today.

It was a good day at work. No one there knew it was my birthday and that's just fine with me. I like them but since I have only been there two weeks it's not enough time to form work friendships. At least not for me.

Birthday wishes flooded in from the people at my former bank. So thank you to John and Dom for nice birthday emails. John even called me to make sure I knew he sent a birthday email! And Leticia for singing Happy Birthday to me in Spanish. And Maria for a very sweet voice mail message. And Jen and Jayne for lovely birthday text messages.

Thanks to Jeanne for inviting me for a breakfast smoothie and Jayn for having lunch with me today. Jayn sent me an honest to goodness real birthday card which I received on my actual birthday. Kudos Jayn!

And to Debbi for calling me today. And Kim for buying me a birthday cappuccino last night.

To the 21 Facebook friends who sent birthday wishes.

My sister bought lobster BLTS for dinner tonight. We had a family dinner, Dad and Sheila and me.

Work was good too.  I had 3 loan closings from my old bank and got 1 new application for my new job.

Dad and Mom gave me a lovely card, some $$$ and a laptop travel kit. Sheila is designing a business card for me. ( It has to do with photography). Mary is baking my favorite goodies for me so I can freeze them and enjoy them later. Don is helping me organize my downstairs room and set up a home office.

And then there was a perfect ending to my birthday. I went to visit my Mom at the nursing home tonight and most of you know her speech was severely impaired due to a stroke. I asked her to sing Happy Birthday to me and she shook her head no. I waited a while and asked again and she said no. So when I was leaving I said, "Last chance to sing me Happy Birthday".  And then it came out, "Happy Birthday to You!" she sang it with a sweet smile on her face.  Made my day.

Exploring the coast

After we went to the tearoom we explored Rockport.  I wanted to check out some new areas.

I always go down to Bearskin Neck and the dock by Motif No 1 so I decided to check out

some spots off the beaten path.

We found a path to the side of an inn and walked down it to see what we could find.

We found such vibrant colored flowers and a small pond and stairs used for horses way back when.

A lovely beach was across the street and this father and son enjoyed some time alone.

When I was a kid I always liked looking for shells, starfish and beach glass while walking along the shore.

The day was overcast then sunny then overcast. The weather couldn't make up it's mind.

No matter every day is a good day in Rockport.

We walked around some of the small streets across from the beach and stumbled upon this cute cottage. It looks like it was cut in half. Where is the other half?

There was a very old cemetery with irises bordering it.

And beach roses or rosa ragusa as well. We stopped to smell the roses and the fragrance was heavenly.

This little watch dog came to greet us as we walked down the street.

We saw some bearded iris in a fantastic color.

And more iris with a chippy fence as a backdrop.

The houses are old and painted in cool colors. What a great deck on the back and a not too shabby view of the Atlantic.

I love when it's overcast.

On the drive home, I took the scenic route versus taking the highway. I snapped this shot in Gloucester while waiting for the drawbridge to come down.

Another moody sky.  I love it!

Join me in a spot of tea?

Yesterday, I went with a friend for tea in Rockport. Hmm, afternoon tea and Rockport, two of my
favorite things.  We went to Heath's Tearoom. We had wanted to visit this tearoom for a while and now that I have some time off we decided to make the trip.

The presentation of our afternoon tea was lovely. I could not believe how much food we received!  Six tea sandwiches each.

And three desserts each. They were all delicious. I especially liked the lemon one.

The scones were warm from the oven. Oh the smell was divine! I always put lemon curd on one half of the scone and strawberry jam on the other half. I topped it off with clotted cream.

The tea sandwiches were delicious.  Egg salad on one, cucumber, ham salad and I think the other was

chicken. I devoured them!

Small bites for the sweets. A perfect size after the scone and sandwiches. I think one of the cookies had ginger in it. I should have asked what everything was. They said if we came back with the group we could select our own menu. And we do plan to come back with our tea group. We had to check it out first to make sure it was up to tea group standards.  We are very particular when it comes to selecting a place for a tea event.

I am happy to say the Heath Tearoom passed the test. Delicious food, friendly service and a lovely

atmosphere. We had a wonderfully relaxing experience.

There were customers eating lunch as well. I could smell the shepherd's pie the people next to us had ordered. It was served in a ramekin and it looked delicious!

After our tea, we explored Rockport. That's for another post.

If you're in the Rockport area, stop by Heath's Tearoom at 43 South St, Rockport. 

Eat, Play, Sleep

               

                        There is more to life than increasing its speed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

photo credit- Pinterest via beautydoesmatter.blogspot.com

3 weeks off

I do not start my new job until June 4th. So I have a bit of time off.  So far, I have taken power walks around the lake with a friend, met friends for coffee and lunch, participated in a little retail therapy, and signed up for a photography class.  And I've taken a few catnaps!

A friend offered me tickets to the theatre and tomorrow another friend is helping me set up my new home office. One of the perks of my new job is the opportunity to work from home. I am looking forward to it!

As you can see, I am thoroughly enjoying my vacation.

Elaine has left the building

Last Friday I left my job of nearly 20 years. The final conclusion of an emotional roller coaster of a week. The months leading up to my departure were tough. I must have changed my mind at least once a day as to whether I should leave or not, but, in the end I know I made the right decision.

My job search did not take as long as expected. I interviewed with three companies and the one that I liked best also liked me best. I will be the first hire in a new department so this is exciting. I will learn from them and they will learn from me.  I start on June 4th.

It was incredibly hard to say goodbye. Anyone who works in the same office every day knows that you spend more time with your coworkers than your family. I knew everything about my coworkers, about their kids, boyfriends, what food was their favorite, how they take their coffee, and what they did on their weekends. 20 years on the job means you share incredible highs and lows, death and illness, and plenty of happy moments and laughs. In many ways, they were an extension of my family. So it was difficult to face the fact that I had to give up all that love.

Now the hard part is over. I cleaned out my office, turned in my laptop and said my goodbyes.

I've got 3 weeks to prepare my home office, get my wardrobe in order and get in shape before I

start my new job.

 Elaine has left the building.