random thoughts – Day 2,378 (Friday) – farmers' market

Westminster Farmers' Market.

I woke up this morning thinking it was Saturday. I was about to call Mom to see what she was up to, but then I remembered it’s Friday and she usually has plans on Friday. And then I forgot the day again. This went back and forth until mid-morning and I was finally fully caffeinated and had the day straight and was able to proceed.

Since May when I learned of it, I have intended (in general) to attend the Westminster Farmers’ Market. It’s held on Fridays from 3:00 to 6:00 and features a musical act along with the produce sellers and other vendors. Many weeks I forgot, and in some of those cases, when I remembered, it was too close to the closing time to bother. Some weeks I reconsidered because I didn’t like the weather. Some weeks I was just too lazy.

This afternoon, still cognizant it was Friday, at 3:15 I remembered about the Farmers’ Market. I sprang to action, meaning I put on shoes, grabbed the keys and phone, and left the house. It was a gorgeous day for an outdoor market – sunny and warm, but not too hot.

The market is on the town common which is large and sprawling. Tents shaded vendors selling local fruit wines and mead, art work, baked goods, local honey, granola, cut flowers, vegetables, knife sets, alpaca socks and gloves with alpacas for petting and feeding, and an ice cream truck. Regional band Chuck and Mud played on the gazebo. A cornhole game had some well behaved children tossing bean bags towards the boards painted with an ear of corn.

Across from the Farmers' Market.

Across the street from the common a stone wall ran along the edge of a yard, and between the giant pine trees sat a swing and a view of nearby Mount Wachusett. It was the perfect New England setting for a Hallmark Movie. If I lived in the fantasy of rom-coms, I might have expected to meet a handsome local as we both reached for the same ear of corn, pair of socks, or loaf of bread, but I don’t live there (most of the time) and that did not happen. Despite the absence of a movie worthy cute-meet, it was still a lovely event. It runs for another three weeks, so maybe next week.

random thoughts – Day 2,377 (Thursday) – surprises

September blossom!

During the morning exercise of standing at the bay window and looking up and down the street, then opening the front door to check the weather, there was a little surprise. Three months after blooming, one of the rhododendron bushes has a random new blossom! That was about the last thing I expected to see this time of year.

In the latest installment of the mostly unplanned recent art supply accumulation project, 4” x 4” block canvases were the acquisition target. I bought some from the massive Internet retailer a couple years ago and that was the first place I checked for more. A pack of nine canvases was listed at $21.

New art supplies!

To practice some due diligence and also because I love a bargain, I checked the chain store retailers, starting with Michael’s. It was my lucky day and they had the same item on 70% off clearance for $7.79 for the nine pack. Two packs were showing in stock in Leominster, the closest location. I exercised the buy online pick up in store feature and a couple hours later I was headed back home with twice as many canvases for less money. Score!

The afternoon featured a spontaneous visit with a couple friends and going through some belly dance costume parts. Now it is time to get busy making costumes. And creating on small canvases. And a dozen other things.

random thoughts – Day 2,376 (Wednesday) – day time

Even though I haven’t worked for more than a year now, I still kept the morning alarm set for 6:30 a.m. Many mornings, I hit snooze and sleep in ten-minute increments until I stop snoozing and hit stop instead. Then, when I finally wake-up wake up around 8:00 or 9:00, the first thing in my head is “oh-crap-the-morning-is-half-over.” But I keep doing it.

Sometimes I wake up early. Like, 4:00 this-is-too-frigging-early early. That is annoying, but I can usually fall back to sleep to an hour that feels more reasonable.

This morning, Kiki was meowing. She’s been very vocal lately, walking around meowing and only stops when I give her the Temptations Treats to which she seems to be addicted. I hoped she wasn’t demanding her morning treat early because that is just rude. I noticed a pinkish glow through the bedroom blinds and got up to check things out from the living room windows where the blinds lower from the top.

Morning light, 9-16-2026.

The sky over the trees and houses across the street was pinkish and getting pinker. I thanked Keeks for meowing me awake and watched the sky. The view was better from the front door, which meant I was on the front steps in my pajamas at 6:20 this morning, taking pictures of the sky, hoping no neighbors were up looking out their windows and glad that they were at least the nice matching pajamas. I knew better than to dress first because I would miss the entire morning spectacle. And sure enough, it was over in just a couple minutes.

After the sunrise the coffee was put on and I dressed for the day. By 10:00, I had eaten the current favorite scrambled egg, cheese, and veggie breakfast burrito and visited with Mom next door. There was a long-overdue appearance by the contractor who usually has many excuses and very little concrete, helpful information. He dropped off scaffolding to allegedly soon start the siding, just three months after the initial timeline.

The early start meant the day felt long and luxurious. A book was finished. A new one was started. There was a noontime walk and a 2:00 oil change. Trees and shrubs were trimmed. There was a second walk at 6:00 p.m. There is a lot to be said for being up early on a beautiful day. I need to start doing it regularly again.

random thoughts – Day 2,375 (Tuesday) – changes

Grass grows lush where
 it isn't wanted.

With the yard mowed on Monday, a bit of time today was spent pulling out the grass that grew back in the planting area under the tree out front. It wasn’t a perfect result, but it’s better than it was before. 

The whole time, I marveled at the ability of grass to grow back lush and healthy where it isn’t wanted and was previously pulled out, but not where it used to be, specifically the still partially bald rectangle where the dumpster sat for three months and was hauled away two months ago. Amazing.

Later in the day, it was a shift in schedule and tempo as Tuesday ballet was traded out for the return to Tuesday belly dance. The place in Hudson where we danced the past couple years was sold and we are in a new to us space in the neighboring town of Marlboro.

New dance space.

The new space is large and lacks columns throughout the room, and for that we are most grateful. Constantly being mindful of not crashing into a wood column is not something I will miss. The old space has a wood floor and the new is multicolored tile, which will be helpful for keeping lines straight and evenly spaced.

It was nice to be back in the coin belt and to see familiar faces and a couple new dance mates. We have a different instructor who has a long association with our regular teacher, so it is mostly familiar. Some things might be a bit different and that is okay and a good way to grow. We had a warmup and followed it with starting to learn an unfamiliar choreography. Suddenly, our time was up. It was short, but good.

random thoughts – Day 2,374 (Monday) – new old things

Worcester Center for Crafts.

It was a day to try new old things when I started in a three-week stained glass class at the Worcester Center for Crafts, where I studied darkroom photography once upon a time many moons ago. There was construction and the street was mostly closed, but the Center had sent an email with instructions about it last week. After navigating the police detail and the equipment, I accidentally parked in the wrong lot and was on the far side of the building and had to walk around to the main entrance. I was assured it would the accidental wrong parking would be okay for today.

While in Tennessee, I took a class and went on to make and sell glass a lot of pieces. When X2 and I split up and I moved from his house, the grinder, tools, spool of lead came, and inventory of glass sheets came with me. And then it all came to Massachusetts and lived in storage for three years while I looked for a job and a house, where it wasn’t touched again until nine years later when I moved from Lowell to Gardner.

And now, it’s time to get busy again, but first, I wanted a refresher in the tools and cutting technique, and while I was at it, figured I’d learn something new with the copper foil method. I tried it on my own once, and learned it requires a steady hand for all the lines of solder. It felt more productive to stick with the method I knew. But after the next few weeks, I’ll know both methods.

It was fun being in the glass studio. I chose a template and selected some bits in various textured from the clear glass scrap bin. I got an instant reminder about cutting textured glass. It’s trickier to cut a clean edge than smooth glass and I spent most of the class time at the grinder, working all the edges so they will fit snugly during assembly and soldering.

Grinding glass is kind of fun and meditative. I was in the zone, intent on smoothing edge after edge and rewetting the grinding head, checking the fit of the pieces, and only half hearing the conversations going on behind me. Before we all left the studio, there was a chat about Worcester restaurants including Korean, Indian, Thai, and Chinese. I was a little hungry and by the time I go to the car, food was all I could think about.

Supper.

The ride home was spent thinking about dinner and all the things in the pantry I didn’t feel like cooking. Chinese food was the winner of the debate, partly because the other food types don't exist in Gardner, but only after I got home and checked the pantry and fridge to make sure I hadn’t forgotten about something easy and delicious. There was definitely no scallion pancake, crab rangoons, or pad thai.

It must have been the sweet spot for ordering and delivery, because the food was at my door in next to no time. I was already done eating at 5:09 when the clock ticked with the early side of the delivery window. That left me plenty of time to mow the yard. And the best part is, there are leftovers.

random thoughts – Day 2,373 (Sunday) – snack pendulum

The snack pendulum has swung back to the produce department. There was a brief flirtation in the salty snack arena involving a family size bag of potato chips. Mid-August had a summer romance lasting a few weeks with homemade carrot cake cupcakes and a grocery store carrot cake. Prior to that, it was dairy heavy with Greek and Icelandic yogurts, and before that, there was an extended infatuation with fruit salads made with combinations of cantaloupe, pineapple, grapes, strawberries, and blueberries.

Back on the green grapes.

The past few days have seen a renewed obsession with chilled, crisp, green grapes. About 1.5 pounds were consumed from Friday night to Sunday. So delicious. A restocking run will likely take place Monday, but the ongoing appeal of the grapes will be closely monitored. 

The last grape kick saw the trashing of a colander full when maximum capacity intake was reached. Without warning, the pendulum had swung, and despite an aversion to food waste, my palate had shifted and suddenly green grapes were out of favor again.

It’s anyone’s guess what the next snack attack will be. Based on the absence of a Costco in the immediate area, it’s likely to be the seasonal favorite and historically affordably priced big ole Costco pumpkin pie. I hope celery and ice cubes come around for an extended turn soon. Sometimes, I wish I had loyalty to one, low calorie, high nutrition snack which would make life a lot easier. 

random thoughts – Day 2,372 (Saturday) – seasonal gifts

Turning to gold.

The season is changing and nature is delivering gifts. The leaves on the tree out front have a couple spots where the leaves have already shifted from green to something akin to the Harvest Gold color that was popular in the 1970s. The yard needs mowing again, but there won’t be too many more needed and before too long, shoveling the stairs and walk will be the required yard activity.

Out back, the goldenrod is hanging on with golden color and is still attracting pollinators. I’m so glad I didn’t mow it down. According to some guides, the first autumn frost is roughly six weeks after the goldenrod begins to bloom, and based on that lore, we'll be waking up to frost almost any minute now. There are a couple random plants with fluffy balls like dandelion puffs mixed in the goldenrod crop. 

There is a massive pine tree in the woods that stands two or three times the height of the house. It dropped a couple large and lovely pine cones in the yard. Soon the showers of pine needles will commence.

Still golden.

A bear passed, unseen, through the back yard and left offerings of scat two days this week. At least a dozen holes of varying size and depth appeared seemingly overnight, dug by unknown critter vandals.

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, acorns litter the edge of the street and the tips of a few tree branches have turned red. One tree I passed today has been suddenly liberated of its leaves, but the branches still have some crabapple things dangling like holiday ornaments.