the morning commute

This morning, there were big white tents set up along the river. One had stage in it. Was it part of Harvard graduation (not on Harvard property)? Was it part of a festival along the river that I didn't find out about? Or is there something coming up? I suppose I'll see if the tents are still there tomorrow...

I take the Pike outbound in the morning, which is usually not too horribly traffickus, since it's not the more popular direction. This morning, the traffic was incredibly backed up. A police car with sirens flashed by, then another emergency vehicle. Traffic inched along, and I finally saw: 5 accordioned cars, in the left lane. I hope everyone is ok... Plus there was another 3-car incident on the other side of the highway, just after the Newton on-ramp, though that looked more like a fender-bender, since the cars seemed more intact.

And on 128, there was a still-three-dimensional raccoon roadkill. RIP.

All this in addition to the construction on Rte 16, the construction on Comm Ave in Newton, and the usual idiots on the road.

t

some weekend highlights

Rereading "The Lions of al-Rassan" in almost one gulp.

Eating nice food I'd made for myself (rather than just settling for a meal-in-a-pot as I usually do when it's just me), plus finding it was food I was really in the mood to be eating (thanks to queue for the dumplings-in-cooked-fruit suggestion, as well as the dumpling recipe).

Lots of conversations.

The Israeli Independence Day fair on the Common.
( more details )

Playing a new game, Xactika, for the first time.
( more description )

thinking of bitty...

...as I eat a pbj confection: no-sugar-added pb, quince j, on organic spelt bread.
I put on too much of both, so there are drips to deal with (this peanut butter is not as solid as the mainstream brands).
t

nature notes from the office

The lavender is finally picking up after being transplanted weeks ago: lots of new green leaves along previously bare branches.

The chive plant has a flower bud on it! (The ones at home are at the end of their flowering, but I didn't expect the one at work to flower at all.)

A butterfly went by my window.

The trees (or some other plant) are having wild t imes: there's lots of fluffy white pollen floating around. If it weren't summer, I'd think of light snow showers.... The fluffy stuff gathers along people's yards, also in the underground parking garage under the office, looking like huge whitish dust bun nies.

On a walk at lunchtime, I saw a tree with a leaf shape I've not noticed before, rather rounded in a very pleasing sort of way.

And the trees I can see from my window always amaze me with how different shapes give the trees a different visual textu re, not to mention all the subtle color variations in green.

n