3rd House Journal

Find Your Own Bit of Sanctuary

[At Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary, Belmont MA; 3/26/12]

I discovered Habitat, the Audubon sanctuary in Belmont, soon after I took on a full-time job here after having my own freelance business for 13 years. That first year, I commuted 45 miles each way from my condo in a semi-rural town, where I used to take long walks every day past acres of farm land and woods. Although Belmont is a lovely town with some well-appointed homes (Mitch Romney lived here when he was governor), most of the area, even in Belmont, is more densely packed and urban than where I was living. But after languishing as a single woman out in the hinterlands for so long, I craved the urban life with all its culture and activity. I soon grew tired of commuting and, after a year, the opportunity to move close to work arose and I emptied my condo, rented it out, and moved to the big city, or at least near the big city. Still, over the years, Habitat has offered an antidote to urban overload and has also provided a haven from the stress of my job, a place where I went to grieve my mother's passing and other heartbreaks, to delight in nature, and to ground myself in the natural world. Just a 20-minute walk from the office, its woods and meadows a hidden treasure.

[Bits of nature, at Habitat]

Habitat was the first place I went to on Monday after getting laid off from my job. Yup, although I have been looking to leave for a long time, they beat me to it and booted me along with six coworkers on Monday. Since then, I've been busy letting my former freelance clients know that I'm available again, updating my resume and LinkedIn profile, and fielding lots of emails from former colleagues, both those still there and others who have gone before me and find themselves happier than ever. I still have to go into the office tomorrow to bring back my keycard and sign paperwork, but otherwise it's over. I do feel freed, although of course there is the issue of money to worry about.

[Turtle Pond, at Habitat]

Walking around the trails on Monday afternoon, I realized I didn't have to rush. I could stay and enjoy it as long as I pleased. There was noplace I had to be. There was also a strange sense of having been uprooted from my home and deposited, or maybe chewed up and spit out, washed up on this strange shore, not sure where to go but at least with my feet under me again.

Spring Arrives

[Spring blossoms, Smith College Plant House Bulb Show; 3/17/12]

We drove out to Northampton for the Spring Bulb Show at the Lyman Plant House at my alma mater on Saturday. Even though crocuses, scilla, and even daffodils are already beginning to bloom on lawns outdoors in our continued unseasonal warmth, it was lovely to see (and smell!) all the beautiful flowers in the show. The drive out was dreary - gray skies and dull brown landscape all the way out, no sign of the predicted sunshine breaking through on the western horizon - so walking into the plant house was like walking into a candyland of color.

[Lilies, tulips, jonquils, and more]

The sun did finally come out later in the afternoon, and we enjoyed walking around campus and the shops in  town, along with a delicious mid-day meal at Viva Fresh Pasta, our favorite Northampton eaterie.

Yesterday, I'd planned to sort through and clean my spring/summer wardrobe and put away winter clothes, plus other spring cleaning, but another warm sunny day intervened. D and I went to Harvard Square and walked along the river and before I knew it, it was late afternoon before I got back to my apartment, too pooped to do all I'd hoped for. But I did get most of the clothes sorted, which will make getting ready for work (and packing up on weekends) easier. And yes, I did save some warmer layers for the inevitable cold snaps. But the forecast is for more record-breaking warmth - into the 80s this week - just so utterly wrong for March in New England. Not a good sign for the coming summer.

[Harvard crew team practices on the Charles River; 3/18/12]

It's been a busy few days - my group at work went out to lunch yesterday, then last night I met up with friends I haven't seen in a long time for dinner. Tonight I have to go the hair salon after work. I could use a rest. At least the daylight lasts longer into the evening - I may get home before dark.

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You can see more spring blooms from the Spring Bulb Show here. Happy Spring!

 

Indulgence

[Tiramisu at Caffe dello Sport in the North End, Boston; 3/11/12]

The North End seemed as good a walking destination as any on Sunday, especially with Italian treats awaiting. Along the way, the Public Garden was full of people, dogs, and squirrels. Alas, the poor ducks were confined to an ever diminishing strip of puddle in the drained lagoon, awaiting refill (last year, it was filled in early April, so they have a few weeks to go). For the record, that's D's tiramisu in the photo above  (I tasted it - delicious!). I had the traditional North End cannoli (excellent) along with a cappucino.

It was a very indulgent weekend. After visiting the Mapparium with my girlfriends on Saturday (see previous post), we headed to Newbury Street, where we were enticed in by the Mayan Weaver shop's 50% off jewelry sale, then we stopped at Swiss chocolatier Teuscher for a heavenly champagne truffle, followed by some art gallery browsing, and eventually cocktails at the Met Back Bay. After my friends headed home, D and I tried out the new creperie on Newbury St, which was very good and reasonably priced, topping it off by sharing a delicious chocolate mousse crepe.

[Lemoncellos in a North End grocer; 3/11/12]

Despite our indulgence, we did not set the Back Bay on fire. However, yesterday evening, a transformer blew out and caught fire, spewing out billowing black smoke and cutting power to over 20,000 residences across the city, including D's. He called me as the smoke was blowing heavily through his neighborhood and I told him to grab some things from his apartment - pitch black by then - and come out to my place in the suburbs. As of tonight, power is still out for over 12,000 residences, half of which are expected to still be dark until tomorrow, so I believe he'll be a refugee here for another night.

[Caffe dello Sport, North End]

In other news, I had a very enjoyable lunch interview today and need to send off some writing samples. I thought things went well, I liked the guys I talked to very much, and it sounds like good work in a much more pleasant working environment. We'll see...

Just Before Spring

[On Newbury St in Boston; 3/11/12]

Although the vernal equinox is still a week away, the "spring forward" time change seems to mark the beginning of the season, even as the Memorial Day holiday weekend marks "summer" before the solstice. At least here in Boston. In the other half of the world, of course, it's another story. This past Saturday, a couple of friends came into town and we met at the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library. (Although photography isn't allowed, here's one I found on Flickr.) It's a magnificent place, and the tours are all too short as I could stay inside the giant stained glass globe perusing the old maps for hours (the maps date back to 1935). We tested out the whispering gallery effect -- you can stand at either end of the bridge through the globe's center and hear someone as if they're standing next to you. Voices from the other side of the planet.

Alas, that one stolen hour overnight from Saturday to Sunday is getting its revenge early this week, with Monday morning coming all too soon and Tuesday as well. Off to work...

Cagey

[Racing clouds over Boston; 3/4/12]

Extreme winds buffet these days. Last Friday brought two heartening interactions on the career front, followed by an uncalled-for harangue in the afternoon in my present job that left me rattled and riled and woke me in the night, not for the first time. Then yesterday I found out that a colleague who brings great creativity and spark to the job, who frequently works into the night and on weekends albeit is a chronic late arriver in the morning, was confronted with records of her late arrivals pulled from our office key-card entries. Who knew? And since they are now consolidating office space, my group will soon be moved such that we'll be right under management's noses. Last night I dreamed I was being fitted with a body-shaped iron cage where I sat, and I woke gasping for air.

[Birds roosting in their favorite shrub on Newbury St in Boston]

Yesterday morning I contacted a former client from my freelance days asking if I could use him as a reference for my interview that was scheduled for today (they've since postponed it to next week) and he sent me a lovely note back that it was a pleasure to hear from me and of course I could. It's good because he's in a senior level position at his company, a marketing target of the people I'll be interviewing with. Meanwhile, I sent a note to the woman I interviewed with a couple of weeks ago, at the job I'd really love to get, expressing my continued interest in the position. She wrote back late yesterday saying they're still interviewing candidates, but it was a nice note and at least I've heard something. Then when I got home I had a phone conversation with a recruiter who pretty much denigrated my experience and skills. So there you go.

I try to keep breathing.

Abeyance

[At Weeks Pond, Habitat Center in Belmont, MA; 2/28/12]

This goose at Weeks Pond stood stock still as I approached, photographed, and moved around the pond. The surrounding area was still mostly brown sprinkled with the washed-out residue of last year's green, as it has been all winter, but there was a flourishing of fresh greenery where a small stream puddled near the pond. Promising, despite a snowstorm forecasted for the next day, which did come but wetly, hardly covering ground before melting. Thursday morning I noticed tall sturdy shoots from the daffodil bulbs coming up in my front yard, and snowmelt catching in the spiraling tulip stalks.

[Front yard, March 1, 2012]

No word yet from the interview I had two weeks ago, but I've lined up another one elsewhere for next week. Meanwhile I had to endure a particularly bad day at the office on Friday. I hang in. Spring will come.