Copley was very good at making his subjects look like they had a secret but I think Ward Nicholas Boylston really is ruminating over the fact that he has this amazing ensemble and YOU DON’T.

Somebody broke the handle off a little teapot I had in a display case, put the handle in the pot and turned it around you couldn’t tell. It’s fixable but now I’m wondering which of my guests thought subterfuge was better than honesty.

I did something* that annoyed my coworker and instead of talking to me about it she complained about it apropos of nothing in a department head meeting with our director. *canceled a drop in movie without telling her staff, because apparently people were calling about it, which no they weren’t.

Did you know that Paul Revere’s father was a French Huguenot named Apollos Rivoire?

You know how you feel when you’re doing research and you come across the name of your favorite social-climbing colonial governor and you whisper “Francis Bernard, you scamp!” No? Just me? I am a rare and wondrous creature, I guess.

I spent the weekend obsessively finding place name origins for your amusement and edification.

I was looking at some receipts and realized that some places have been giving me a senior discount. I am 53. This is stolen valor.

Our life is sort of up in the air right now. We know we’re moving within the next year but not exactly when. We are getting painting done so we basically started packing nonessentials. It’s pretty weird.

Reposting for the daytime crew. (I think it’s hilarious. Ymmv.)

I think I’m going to start drafting my blog posts by hand, especially longer ones. I heard that can help with memory and cognition. Well, first I’m going to need a new notebook and then I’ll have to research the perfect pens…

British Colonists: We’re from Oldtown. We hated Oldtown. Oldtown was the worst. We were starving in Oldtown. We were persecuted in Oldtown. We’re so happy to be out of Oldtown! Massachusetts Legislature: What do you want to call your new home? Colonists: Um, Oldtown?

Ok, why does the WordPress iPhone app make formatting so hard? I’ve two blog posts in need of separators and no matter what I do I can’t drag them where they need to go. Why do I blog on my phone? So I look like a regular person and not a big ol’ nerd. (I still look like a big ol’ nerd.)

There is still goodness and beauty here.

Besides the weird scuttlebutt from my D-I-L we had a lovely day. Played some patriotic music, played some games, ate good food in the AC and admired my grandson.

Found out from my D-I-L today that Phil’s ex told people that he left her for me and that he fathered a child with me while he was married. Uh. No. She left him and I met him when my kid was 9 months old. I kind of can’t believe that my step kids talk to me at all if that’s what they think.

Heads up: if you have Spotify there’s plenty of fife and drum music to stream.

We have repurposed our Thanksgiving bowling set to make a game where you throw pretend snowballs at the redcoats and try to knock them off the table.

There’s a big parade in the next town and people save their places with lawn chairs and tents along the route. We happened to drive that way last night and it looked like everybody’d been raptured.

Massachusetts simply does not need a Medford, a Medfield and a Medway. That’s it, that’s my hot take.

My daughter in law texted me that the baby’s not tolerating the heat and can we take lots of inside breaks tomorrow? Oh, sweetie, the whole shooting match has been moved indoors. I’m not tolerating the heat either.

New grandbaby lewk just dropped. #crochet

Any day is a good day when you get to tell your colleague all about sucket forks.

The Google AI summary was giving stranger than usual answers so I searched something I knew was incorrect: was Boxborough, MA named for a box? Look what happened. I’m an information professional. I’m not swayed by chatty hallucinations. But imagine I’m a Boxborough 6th grader doing a history report.

Some towns are very eager to tell you how they got their name and some towns are like “we’re probably called Watertown because we’re on a river but honestly, you shouldn’t have to ask and we’re not going to explain it.”

I think there are 2 kinds of parents - those who look at their child and see a reflection of all the world’s children and try to improve the world and those who look at their child and see a reflection of themselves and remain selfish.

I had some books due at my library so when I walked in I put them in the book return. An hour later the head of circ sent the whole staff an email telling us we should check in our own returns! Uh, you’re (literally) not the boss of me.

I did some reading on hometown hero Deborah Samson and I think I might put together a thread tomorrow. I walk past her statue twice a day, so maybe I’m biased, but I think she’s a fascinating person.

What am I doing wrong? I crash at night, falling deeply asleep I wake suddenly and am instantly awake My mind runs in circles, ruminating and worrying I get out of bed after 20-30 minutes and go do something quiet I end up falling asleep on the couch It’s a viscous cycle I am stuck in

Best part of my day was meeting a pair of 11 year old Finnish-Ecuadorian twins who love Moomin. I showed them all my little guys and we bonded over Little My.

There’s something making a weird trilling sound in the break room.

I used to sing with a woman named Beth. She had a powerful voice and could get a bunch of Episcopalians to raise their hands in the air and sway. She was diabetic, and developed kidney disease and couldn’t find a donor. She passed this weekend. Godspeed, Beth. Your chains are gone.

I went in early to do my erroneously scheduled program and only 3 of the 12 registrants showed. They were delightful, but I was a bit disgruntled. I don’t get why it’s ok to ghost a library program. It’s so disrespectful.

Every Tuesday for the past 3.5 years I have worked from noon to 8. So tell me why, dear reader, why did I schedule a summer full of Tuesday programs at 11am? Am I truly losing it?

The best moment of my procedure - I was lying there a little nervous while they got all prepped and ready when somebody turned on music and it was Mr. Jones, which is not my favorite Counting Crows song but it is still a banger and I bopped away for a verse until they knocked me out.

Procedure was fine. Now I’m a little loopy and going for a cheesesteak.

Please please please

Up two hours early worrying about my colonoscopy prep. I’ve been on clear liquids for 2 full days and I’m still not ready, if you get my drift. I have one dose left and it’d better work. Otherwise they’ll probably just tell me to forget it.

I’m walking around my house apologizing to the foods I’ve turned up my nose at before. I would eat any of them, all of them, a great banquet of wheat thins and butter beans and tuna and boullion. Washed down with milk, cocoa, smoothies, anything but clear liquids.

Between juice and Gatorade and jello I have had nothing but artificially sweet things since yesterday morning. I just found out my local market sells pickle juice.

Yesterday I had a thought nagging me all day. The thought was that I had forgotten something I was supposed to be worried about. And every time I was like “nope. We’re good. Nothing going on here.” I finally shut it up by wondering if I got whiplash last week. That’ll keep it busy for a while.

Here’s a great example of Google’s AI rapidly making stuff up as I try to find the origin of the name of Williamsburg, MA. I am still looking for the answer.

Milo has a noisy bird toy that he doesn’t play with…except for last night when I was sleeping in the living room to be closer to the bathroom. That thing woke me up at least 3 times and it only makes noise when you activate it so I know it was Milo.

Guys, the Sheep Detectives is so good.

If you’ve never sucked down 64 oz of blue Gatorade mixed with MiraLAX you haven’t lived.

OMG I just got the best idea for my patriot games next weekend- guess who! But not just any guess who! It’s Liberty’s Kids themed! I have a game at work I can make cards for.

Another gem from the attic: My fourth grade gifted class used to submit stuff to the Providence Journal’s kids page. Here is lil dorky Amy in her enormous glasses being credited for one such entry.

Does my whole house count? It’s from 1906. Other than that it must be the dressing table that belonged to my great grandmother in the 20s. She probably wouldn’t love the fact that we store weed in it.

We are cleaning out the attic and I found this, which I have been beating myself up about losing. Wasn’t lost! Just in a random box in the attic. The doll is new, but the outfit was crocheted by my great grandmother Ethel Ernestine Bryant.

I’m at the clear liquids stage of colonoscopy prep and they started me a day early so I am looking at 2 days of Gatorade and Italian ice. They won’t let me have broth. The only clear nutrition drink I can get my hands on is red, which I also can’t have. I’m hungry.

Just woke up from a dream where I had something called a “blood sinker” and I do not know what that means.