Patriots’ Day…

I have mixed feelings about Patriots’ (a/k/a Patriot’s or Patriots) Day.  Those who live in Massachusetts, Maine and, of all things, Wisconsin, know that it commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War (Paul Revere made his wild midnight ride April 18/19).  But for New Englanders, Patriots’ Day really means the running of the Boston marathon.  The marathon starts Monday morning in bucolic Hopkinton and the runners follow Routes 135 and 16 through the ‘burbs of Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and into Boston proper.  When my kids were little, we visited a friend in Wellesley and held cups of water and orange slices out to passing runners…what a rush!

I was lucky enough to get a job as a legal assistant with a Wellesley attorney in 1988, where I helped him leave a firm and start a solo practice specializing in mergers and acquisitions for a venture capitalist.  He also owned a flurry of closely-held companies in Idaho and Montana…companies that owned placer gold mining ground and trees…lots of trees.  I spent a happy 10 years in a relaxed and nurturing environment doing something I was really good at.  And, best of all, our office was right on Route 16 at the Newton end of Wellesley.  There was absolutely no way I could get to work on Patriots’ Day unless I got there early and left late.  It was like a stolen three-day weekend, always cherished.

Then came Patriots’ Day 1998.  In the very early morning, I got a call from Mrs. Wellesley Attorney, telling me that Mr. Wellesley Attorney had suffered a massive heart attack and had died.  He was 59. And the world tilted.  I spent the next months closing the practice, then moved on, doing a bit of job hopping.  I am happily working with another friend, another solo practitioner (real estate specialty this time) for years now.  And a little snapshot of Mr. Wellesley Attorney taken in Sanibel days before he died sits on my window sill. And I am back on Route 16 in Wellesley.  So, once again, a stolen long weekend.

And a beautiful weekend it is…

I love Fridays…

I love Fridays because I love weekends.  And, sure as shootin’, one follows the other.

It is getting lighter again and that makes me happy.  More sunlight seems to bring out the gardening-hunger in me…I’m already looking forward to cleaning out all my garden beds after winter, trimming the grape and raspberry vines.  But that means sun and we aren’t going to get that much of it this weekend, I fear.

We have indoor/outdoor cats.  Their latest passion is to catch birds and mice and bring them into our bedroom to show off and to use as fun toys.  Uck…I’ve gotten really good at spotting the characteristic slinking posture, funny little meowing noises from normally silent throats and fixed attention by two enthralled cats on something hidden from us.  I hope this is a passing fancy and we go back to our quiet nights of cats curled into curves of our bodies.

A lot of my friends and acquaintances watch reality shows…stars and strangers dancing and singing and swapping their way through the night.  Those shows leave me cold.  However, I do have someplace to be on Thursday nights, now.  I mentioned before that I tweet…my Twitter name is StarStrukLynna, for those who tweet.  Thursday nights, 9-10pm, you will find me on tweetchat.com, logged into the Age of Opportunity (#ageop) room.  #ageop is a weekly chat for all on topics of particular interest to 50+ Twitterers around the world.  Sounds tame, but it is amazingly fast and furious and fascinating, all at 140 words max per post.

Well, time to go enjoy my Friday…enjoy yours, please!