We celebrated Easter outdoors with the kids today. Jeanine prepared a lovely strawberry-pecan salad, French lasagna, and strata with mushrooms and chard. For dessert, we enjoyed a collection of fine chocolates. Later, we planted four Spartan blueberry bushes on the river bank. We hope that in the years to come we will enjoy the fruit of these plantings with the next generation of Calabria’s. Earlier in the day, I travelled to Peabody for my soccer season-opening match. Our pre-season preparation served us well and we secured a 4-0 win. I am still struggling to gain back the level of fitness I had last season but managed to survive the match with no injuries and no mistakes.
Easter is one of Jeanine’s favorite holidays. When the kids were young they looked forward to the Easter baskets that she would create for each of them. As they have grown older, she has modified her Easter gifts appropriately. Pictured here are a number of air plants “potted” in small animal-themed sculptures which she will surprise them with tomorrow.
In the coming days, we are expecting a bumper crop of rhododendron blooms. There are dozens of mature trees on our property and we are waiting with great anticipation to see what the color pallete will include.
You know that spring is just around the corner when the first crocuses bloom. It was extremely windy today so I decided to pick this flower from our yard and photograph it inside. I choose a textured background to play off the patterns in the petals. I rather like the finished image which almost looks like it might have been painted.
When I returned from work last night, I noticed that the state of charge on my electric Audi was extremely low. When I plugged it in on my home charger, nothing seemed to happen. I eventually traced the problem to a damaged connector used in the service disconnect panel. You can see where the plastic housing has started to melt which led to misalignment of the connector and eventually to an open circuit. I was able to bypass the device and expect my car will be fully charged when I leave for work this morning.
My sister-in-law, Marie, shared this picture of my mother taken over the weekend. The two-hour in-person visit to her Minneapolis assisted living center was the first since the beginning of the pandemic. During that time they discussed health, wealth, politics, and dancing. Apparently, my mother also demonstrated her exercise routine which included doing push-ups against a wall while on her tippy toes in preparation for a return to the dance floor and her beloved tango.
The purchase of my new Apple computer and monitor included a 1-year subscription to Apple TV+. Based on the recommendations of several friends we checked out a series called Ted Lasso. We watched the entire first season in one sitting last night and can’t wait until the second season is released, reportedly this summer. Needless to say, we can heartily recommend it to others.
Last week my iMac computer died. I took it into Apple and was told it would need a new motherboard. Given the age of the system, I decided to replace it with a new Apple-silicon-based Mac Mini computer and their 6K XDR display. All of the hardware arrived today and it only took a few hours to set up and restore my working environment. Pictured above is the back of the passively cooled monitor which looks like high-tech swiss cheese.
Scavengers made quick work of this unfortunate deer which did not fare as well as the car which took its life. With no wolves, mountain lions, and only a small number of coyotes in the town of Concord, the automobile may actually constitute an apex predator in the food chain. I am sad for this deer, but take comfort in knowing that its body has nourished so many other members of our local wildlife.
While listening to NPR, I learned of a flamboyance of pink flamingos that appeared overnight in the Seaport district. While returning from Dorchester yesterday, Jeanine and I made a short detour to investigate the unusual migration which included some 2000 birds.
I drove Jeanine to Dorchester this afternoon for her first shot of the Pfizer vaccine. She became eligible by virtue of her role in a food relief organization. I also now qualify given my age and have scheduled my first shot for this Saturday. We both felt a powerful sense of relief after she received the painless injection. While waiting her turn, I stepped outside to photograph the former Congregation Adath Jeshurun synagogue.
Nicolai recently competed in his first road race, the Bionic 5K. He is planning to do so again on April 25th and has invited the entire family to join his team, New England Amputee Soccer, for the virtual race. All proceeds from the race will benefit the Bionic Project Inc, a Cambridge-based 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to promote active lifestyles, athletics, and inclusive environments for those who have to overcome physical challenges. Click on the image below to read an athlete profile on Nico and please consider joining his team as well.
My spring soccer season starts on Easter Sunday. Today we had our first preseason tune-up match. We played a Division 1 over-48 team which put their average age about ten years below ours (and a good 14 below mine). We held our own for 80 minutes with the score tied at 0-0. By the end of the game, however, their younger legs made the difference and they produced a pair of goals before the final whistle. Our side actually played very well leaving us satisfied with the outcome. Next week we play another over-48 squad and then it is on to the official season where we will compete with teams our own age.
After the match, the kids all came over for our regular Sunday get-together. Normally, it is a time to relax and catch up on the latest happenings. Today, our gathering took the form of a work party during which we gathered down limbs from all over the yard and burned them in a very large bonfire. In a matter of a few hours, we cleared the property of years worth of deadwood.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
