Last Day of Preschool

Well... the next time Nikos goes to preschool, he will be taking Maya along with him! I'm not sure which I have a harder time believing: that my baby girl will be in preschool in the fall, or that we only have one more year before my big guy is a kindergartener! At any rate, today was the last day of school, and they did all sorts of fun things for their teddy bear picnic. And, to celebrate, we went out for lunch at Friendly's. Nikos was VERY excited about his ice cream sundae, though you wouldn't know it to look at this picture. What a stinker!

We spent most of the rest of the day playing outside. It was another gorgeous day! And, despite looking like it would rain all morning, it never actually did. While the kids were outside, I went to take a picture of a Sweet Briar Rose. It's not the best picture, but you get the point! Sadly, a lot of the flowers were pummeled by the crazy storm yesterday afternoon, and there are petals all over the ground. So sad! But there are lots of buds still on the plant, so there is hope for the future!

While I was out there, I discovered that we had a ripe strawberry! The first harvest from my garden!! Though that is totally cheating, since the berry was already on the plant when I bought it (and already turning red). Still! The kids and I split it three ways. It was SO sweet and wonderful! I can't wait for its little friends to grow and ripen!

Later on, when we went inside for a brief snack-and-beverage break, I was struck by inspiration. I cleaned ALL the winter stuff (snowsuits, boots, hats, mittens, etc.) out of our hall closet, loaded them into some rubber tubs, and got them up into the attic. I think it's safe to say it won't snow again for at least a few months, haha! It's been so beautiful lately-- it's already hard to remember what the trees looked like without leaves! So weird! But my closet looks much nicer now. It's just loaded with rain boots, umbrellas, and rain coats!

And that was our day! Let the summer begin!

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On a totally different note... Having lived here almost exactly six months now, I feel the need to document my observations about life in Massachusetts, and how it compares with California! These are things that just pop into my head from time to time. Some of it is completely random. But they are the things you don't really think about when you move across the country, haha!

1. Public restrooms here hardly ever have toilet seat covers in them. I don't know why, since they are available nearly everywhere in California! This is honestly something that irritates me, particularly since my kids aren't tall enough to "hover." I've become very adept at laying strips of toilet paper on the seat. And, for the record, the TJ Maxx near us has bathrooms with seat covers. It was so unusual that I actually NOTICED it!
2. Green onions are apparently called scallions here. I had no idea! And you don't invite someone over for a barbecue; it's a "cookout." Liquor stores are "packeys." There are lots of weird little things like this... I get corrected a lot! I can't even think of them all!
3. It blows my mind how quickly plants grow here. Short growing season = insane super plants!
4. There are cemeteries EVERYWHERE. I feel like they were so much more hidden in California-- lots of people buried in newer "mega-cemeteries." Here, there are tons of old, small ones, along major roads, everywhere! And they are not spooky, haha!
5. The hot dog buns here are different. I didn't think much of it at first. I thought that was just the way they did them at Friendly's. But then the kids had hot dogs at other places, and they had the same weird buns. And then I went to BUY hot dogs and buns at the supermarket, and they ONLY sold the weird buns! They are called "New England style rolls." And they taste the same, so it's totally not a big deal, but I thought it was funny that we had our own regional hot dog buns. I had no idea!
6. Massachusetts drivers have the reputation for being the worst in the U.S., but that has not been my experience at all. I think California freeways are way scarier! I do notice a lot more police officers out patrolling on a regular basis, so that may be part of it. But I tend to think that the horrible driving reputation is due more to the HORRIBLE road layouts in the older cities (Boston, Worcester). They were so not designed with cars in mind, and it is insanely confusing! So if people mess up, then I know why!

...and that is all, for now. Good night! :)