Stealing your line Aretha

Una and I had the good fortune to have some quality time Sunday morning and we decided to hit the playground(s). Sally had an appointment in the South Side of Providence. Since we were unsure of the length of her appointment, we decided to stay close by so we could swing back and pick her up when done. Thus, Una and I set out on a ride. Two blocks away we both spotted it at the same time...From the back seat came, "paygown". That would be playground to those uninitiated in Una-speak. We passed it, but I made a mental note of where it was as I was sure we'd end up there. Two blocks later we passed another playground, this one even larger than the first.

After cruising by one of my favorite South Providence sites (City Farm) we pulled up to the first playground we had passed and I was a little discouraged that the area for small toddlers was sand filled and not the new rubberized material. We had planned to go to breakfast after Sally's appointment and I didn't want Una to get too dirty. We walked into the playground nonetheless. We were greeted by a host of empty plastic juice bottles, empty plastic sleeves which formerly held frozen flavored ice, a couple of empty glass bottles...oh, and the lovely USED Pamper next to the teeter-totter. I carried Una to the swing and she swung for awhile. As I pushed Una thoughts of a blog raced through my head. I was pleased to see such a nice playground in the inner city, but disgusted by the state of it. I was torn as to how to properly voice my outrage about its state without offending someone. I put the thoughts aside and concentrated on enjoying the time with Una. We finished the swings, headed for the slide (six feet from the teeter-totter and the lovely used Pamper.) Una took one slide and I decided it was time to go. We could hit the other playground two blocks away. Una was NOT happy about leaving. Unlike me who focused on the filth, she focused on the fun items in front of her.

We arrived at the second playground which was more impressive than the first. Sponsorship signage abounded. Terrific. Donors thought enough to establish a modern playground in the inner city of Providence. It was one of those nice commercial grade Little Tike playgrounds, with the slides, rock walls, swinging bridges, rubber covered stairs just right for little toddlers, and the cushioned recycled rubber base should such a little toddler take a header. It was lovely...

Except for the graffiti written all over the plastic fire engine Una wanted to play on. I'm sure [fill-in the blank] is indeed hot and can provide a good time, but neither Una nor I really cared. I'm sure the next seven year old who can read will have wonderful questions for their accompanying parent. I was disgusted. In case you're not aware I HATE GRAFFITI. It seems to be everywhere in Providence. Even our new "I-Way" (relocation of a major highway interchange) is plastered with it before it's even finished. What a nice greeting to those visiting Rhode Island for the first time. I digress. I immediately thought of my youth and about how I treated things that were not mine. My parents instilled in me at a young age that you respected other people's property. Perhaps I was naive, but all I knew of graffiti when I was young was from pictures of NYC subway cars. I can't recall or imagine writing such vulgarity on a wall or a plastic fire engine designed for those not yet 3 feet tall. I thought about my youth and what might be synonymous with today's graffiti. It's a stretch, but all I could come up with was trying to carve JS + [some girl's initials] in a heart on a tree while camping when I was 12. I say"trying" because my little pocket knife was never sharp enough to make a dent in some majestic Ponderosa Pine. It's the thought that counts, though.

So, Una climbed, slid down the slide, crossed the swinging bridge (she's got my genes in that regard as the swinging bridge was one of my favorite things to run on at Disneyland). She had a grand time while I noticed more empty plastic juice bottles, empty plastic flavored frozen ice thing-a-ma-jigs, and the rest of the graffiti. No used Pampers here. In their place, however, was the nice 30-something gentleman in his bathrobe and slippers. I fully expected him to flash us, but he didn't. Instead he deposited his ass on the bench right next to the commercial grade Little Tikes structure Una was enjoying and lit up his wacky tobacky.

Come on Una...time to go.
"All I'm askin' is for a little Respect" and we're not finding it here.

Clean Under Your Fingernails

More about the subject in a bit.

We had a really nice weekend kicked off with dinner at Siena on The Hill. It was a thank you dinner from my boss Tom to Sally and I, and Robin and Marvin, for the work we did in opening a new office late last year. Tom's wife Teresa joined us. It was great to get out for an adult night with friends.

Saturday we waited for the rain that was due any minute. You've probably guessed by that comment, that it never arrived. I did manage to get the lawn cut first thing in the morning. We also visited a day care as we're looking to get Una in on a part-time basis for the social interaction. She seemed to like the facilities we checked out, as well as the care-takers. We'll follow-up on that idea this week.

Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day. Since Una made sure we were up early I decided it was time we built that raised garden I've talked about for 3 years. We also were motivated by the plants we'd purchased a couple of weeks ago at the Southside Community Land Trust. Since I had purchased the landscape timbers it should just be a matter of measure, cut, and assemble. Sally was kind enough to remind me, "Measure twice, cut once."

So, out comes the nice 10" compound miter saw (chop saw) that my in-laws had purchased for me for my birthday or Father's Day a couple of years ago. I'm happy to report, and I know Sally's thrilled, I still have all ten of my fingers. The cutting was as simple as I had expected it. Once assembled we had a nice 10' x 3' raised bed. It was time to head to HD for some top soil and some spikes to hold those timbers together. While we were there Sally picked out some nice plants for some planter boxes we had picked up previously.

As you can see from the picture to the left, Sally did a fantastic job with the planters.


Sally also did her fair share of the hauling of the top soil and the planting. (did I mention it took two HD trips and 24 bags of topsoil to fill in that raised bed?) Speaking of the planting, thanks to our neighbor Mrs. G. we now have an extra tomato plant, some lettuce, parsley, kale, and pumpkin. I can't wait to see all the plants and veggies grow throughout the Summer.

The afternoon was a visit to Westport to dine with Nana and Gramps. We had thought about taking a walk or SeaDog out for a cruise, but both Sally and I just wanted to veg. (Hauling topsoil is hard work, you know.) So, that's what we did. A relaxing afternoon / evening on the deck at Candlewood, including a great BBQ and too much desert (Nana's fault). Una enjoyed her time in the swing we'd gotten her a few weeks ago. It dangling from a strong tree branch in the back yard. She loves being outdoors and running around. She always sleeps well on Sunday nights. :-)


Oh, about that subject. It's just something I remember my Mom always saying to me after playing in the dirt. As I cleaned up after the planting session, it struck me and I immediately knew I had my blog subject.

Until next week (or perhaps sooner). Jeff, Jen and Emmett arrive Saturday and we are really looking forward to their visit. Something tells me Nana and Gramps are, too.

Fantastic Finds

So, Saturday started off another dreary wet weekend. Ugh! "But Wait!" the weatherman exclaims. The rain is past and the sun is waiting to shine according to Doppler and PinPoint Weather.

Seeing that everything in the yard was wet from the overnight and morning rain, we decided to cruise around. There's a yard sale we need to hit. Cruise on up Hope St and low and behold a large yard sale on a church lawn. Let's give it a whirl. Sally and I both spot it. Let's take a look What? $10? Let's get it. Una will love it. What is it? Can you guess?









It's a Little Tikes Workbench.

We now have our very own Toolbelt Diva on our hands.








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Despite the near $4/gallon for gasoline (thanks GW aka Dummy), we decided to hit the road again for more cruising. While venturing around the East Side of Providence, Sally mentioned that the Southside Community Land Trust 16th Annual Rare and Unusual Plant Sale was going on today. I had hit the sale a few years ago on my own when Sally worked on Saturdays. I had found the plant sale a fun experience and Sally recalled that. So, off to South Providence we go. No, map, no directions, just a vague memory of making the trip a few years ago. Suddenly, we find it. Tons of cars, lots of people, all there for one purpose, herb and plant finds. We browsed the grounds and game away with 14 plants and herbs. All for the not so hefty total price of $48.

Here are the plants that will find their new home shortly when I finish (well, start and finish, actually) the raised bed I'm making. Sally stacked them on the fence for watering and it made for a cool photo.

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Okay, two finds down. There must be another Providence find to find. So, more cruising (thanks again Dummy). We cruised over to the Armory district and Federal Hill, experiencing some stunning Victorian homes. As we cruised Federal Hill it dawned on me that it would be nice to grab a bite at Venda Ravioli and perhaps picnic in DePasquale Plaza (seen here).

So onto Atwell's Ave we go. We find a prime parking space. This is turning out to be our day. :-)

It's graduation day for Johnson & Wales University so the city and Federal Hill are abuzz with graduates and their families. The outside dining at Venda is right on DePasquale Plaza (you can barely see the tables on the left in the picture). Rather than grab sandwiches we decided to take advantage of the cafe dining. The hostess seated us and to Una's and our delight, right opposite the fountain in the plaza. I think we had the best seat there. Our Picasa photo album of our lunch experience can be accessed here. Needless to say, we had a wonderful lunch. Una showed her good Sicilian heritage by enjoying her plate of cheese ravioli, and of course the Italian bread. Mmmm.

It was quite the day. We'll enjoy these finds this year and future years. The memory of lunch on DePasquale Plaza will be one we will cherish forever. The look on Una's face as she watched other children play at the fountain will be one I will not forget.