Weekend Wrap-up

Odd Celebrity Sighting

At my daughter's end-of-year dance recital (for a studio she won't be attending again because one, she doesn't like it, and two, the instruction is very poor -- I can understand 5-yr-olds not knowing their routines inside and out, but high school kids?) we were sitting five rows back from the stage on the left, when I saw out of the corner of my eye a flash of little kid run down the aisle. Her mom chased her down to the front and caught her, picked her up and walked back up the aisle toward us, and you'll never guess who it was. Go on, try. Nope, it was Nancy Kerrigan. Really. I told you it was odd.

A Day at the Beach

We needed to drop off something in Gloucester at an acquaintance's house, so we decided to make a beach day of the trip. First, the woman's enormous house is in Annisquam -- a quaint coastal New England village that is impossible to find unless you know exactly where you're going -- on a hill looking out over Ipswitch Bay. Breathtakingly beautiful. Then we drove over to Gloucester proper, and showed the kids where we got married.

Finally, we drove down to Beverly and had a picnic lunch at Dane St. Beach, a place T. and I used to go all the time when we rented an apartment a few blocks up the street, lo those many years ago. After a quick stop and Dick & June's Ice Cream for old time's sake, and a stop at a playground, we packed two tired and dirty kids back into the car and headed home.

Unexpected Yardwork

I thought Sunday would be a day to continue decluttering the basement, but we got a call from T's sister, offering a bunch of mature plants if I wanted to come help dig them out. They're putting in a new front porch -- work starts today -- and needed some rhododendrons, azaleas, and lilacs removed. As we have plenty of room for more plants and some plans for significant landscaping in the front yard, we said "sure!"

I moved two hostas from from the patio to line the front stairs, and then drove the mini-van over to the in-laws house. A few hours later, with a 7' tall lilac tied to the roof, two large azaleas behind the front seats, and an 8' and nearly 200 lb. rhododendron sticking out the open back hatch, I drove home. I moved two more hostas from the patio to the other side of the front stairs, transplanted a stunted azalea from the patio to the front yard, and then planted the lilac and rhody around the patio. Luckily the neighbor's kid was around (T and the kids were at a birthday party) and he helped me get the rhody out of the van and onto the wheelbarrow. That thing was HEAVY.

By the time T and the kids got home after 5, I had planted the other azaleas in the front, watered and pruned everything, and was cleaning up. Today, I feel like someone beat me mercilessly with a shovel. But the yard looks great!