Stepping back in time

I've walked by Irving's Toys and Card Shop too many times to count--always intrigued by it but never taking the time to actually go inside. It turns out that I've been missing out on a hidden gem. The following is an online review from Yelp.com:

"You'll see this place but never think it's real. You'll walk past amused but not stop in. And my dear Yelp reader, the loss is yours. Irving's has been run by the same lady for possibly decades. She sits in the front of the store, proudly wearing a badge that reads "I love my customers." Framed pictures of her in the store through the years hang above her on the wall, and she is surrounded by trinkets and toys of another time. The board games in the back seem ancient but are neat and probably collectible. The selection of forgotten games is amazing. I bought Pin the Tail on the Donkey when I visited this goldmine a few weeks ago, and I stared in awe at the wide array of goodies. School kids came running in and out, paying for gum and candy with nickles left over from lunch. A friend and I inspected pop guns and boxes of Lemonheads. We were in heaven. Go while this place is still around. Help support an awesome local business and a sweet lady who keeps joy alive for kids of all ages."

"Let Us Be Your Jewish Mother"

I've spent many a Saturday morning looking at this outdoor mural while waiting for a table inside Zaftigs's Delicatessen in Coolidge Corner.

Readaholics Rejoice!

For all the avid readers out there, you'll understand the joy that only a bookstore can provide. Brookline Booksmith is one of the few remaining independent bookstores in the Boston area and is well worth a visit if you've never been. It's a magical place where hours escape you and your bank balance diminishes...or is that just me?!

Rain Rain Go Away...

No matter what you call the good old rain boots (wellington boots, wellies, gumboots or rubber boots), anyone who owns a pair has been putting them to good use this past week. Everywhere I go I see people wearing them and not once have I seen the same color or pattern. Amazing! This window display is in Coolidge Corner at a little shop called Downtown Shooz. The shop is owned by the nicest man in the world who's brought a smile to my face on the most miserable of days.

Happy Easter!

Friday morning Whit called me and said "there's this crazy religious man who is literally in the middle of the intersection in Coolidge Corner!!!" Yesterday, we met up and spent a good 15 minutes sitting on a bench watching this guy sing, dance, and shove his cross at cars and pedestrians passing by. The thing to note is that Brookline is known for it's large Jewish population. Want to buy a Red Sox gear in Hebrew? Coolidge Corner is your place! Whit and I did some browsing, and then hit up Trader Joe's, where we found our crazy religious man, carrying his "Jesus the Messiah. Why not?" sign around while he picked up groceries.

Waiting, watching, hoping for you baby

I spent some time in Coolidge Corner today (okay, not technically Boston) and I couldn't help but love these guys. Such sweethearts!!! Someday I'll have one (or a rottie, or a some kind of lab), and I won't leave it sitting in a car for long enough to make it look this sad!

Gobble gobble!

I'm trying not to think about how Spring left us again and I was wearing my winter jacket again today, so no weather related photos! Instead, I'm posting on behalf of Whit, who found this wild turkey in her back yard last week. Awesome! Apparently it's a bit of an invasion, as there's been a number of news stories about wild turkeys lately - one that broke the windshield of a car on I-95 in Rhode Island last weekend, and one that led police on a "wild turkey chase" in Ohio last week. A coworker that drove up for the RI office last week told me that she was actually stopped in rush hour traffic because there was a group of wild turkeys crossing I-95!

I've just been informed by my son-of-a-hunter (you totally thought I was going a different route with that, didn't you?!) boyfriend that it's spring and this is when wild turkeys mate. I guess that explains it, but I still thinks it's strange! I don't remember wild turkeys causing so much commotion in past springs!