summer

Summah

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments
Boiled lobsters for sale at Woodman’s in Essex, MA
The tip jar at Woodman’s—a family-run business since 1914
The “Italian garden” at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA (my Italian is on the far right 😉)
The property is now owned and managed by a nonprofit organization: The Trustees of Reservations
The Great House (with a wedding reception underway on the lawn)
The “rose garden” at the Crane Estate is now mostly filled with more sustainable plantings.
The Crane Estate’s salt marsh is part of the largest continuous salt marsh system north of Long Island, spanning nearly 25,000 acres across Essex County.
Everyone around here knows that the one big drawback to this part of our beautiful state is Greenhead fly season. Those little buggers love the salt marshes and their bites really hurt! I was not being bothered by the flies, but they were really going after my poor husband. Maybe they prefer 100% Italian-Americans. (I’m only 50%.) My Irish was protecting me ☘️ 😊

“Summah” is Boston for “summer.” The truth is I’ve never had much of a Boston accent and my husband has mostly lost his, but I do like to hear it when I’m away from home. There are different versions of it, based largely on socioeconomic class. In my opinion, the upper class “Kennedy” version is fading away. You rarely hear it. (Listen to JFK say “summer” at minute 6:00 of this speech.)

The middle class/blue collar version of the accent is way more common. Former Boston Mayor Mahty Walsh had a good one.

We’ve got four distinct seasons here in Massachusetts and there’s just no doubt about it…

Summah’s the best.

Strawberry Shortcake

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What are you most excited about for the future?
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I’m obviously SUPER EXCITED to become a grandma this fall!

I did not make this cake, but it was a big hit. It’s a Whole Foods quarter sheet Strawberry Shortcake. It also comes in smaller (round) sizes. If you need a cake for a party this summer, I highly recommend this one. It’s really good.

The luncheon set-up on my porch
The roses were also from Whole Foods, arranged by me.

Related:

The Future

Etsy and the Thank You Gift

I like my porch

Outdoor swimming season

~ MaryG ~ 3 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite season of year? Why?
View all responses

This is an easy one for me. I’ve been at the outdoor pool every day that it’s been open since Memorial Day weekend. Starting this week, it’s open every day. The lifeguards are mostly high school students and the seniors are out for summer. Woo hoo!

That’s “my” lap lane in the foreground of the photo.

Related post:

Summer is our glory

Summer

The JCC Pool

Oases for all