got a new camera...

the moon June 21,2021 10:00 pm Brockton, MA

 

easter sunday 2020

It really doesn't have anything to do with the current state of the world.  It doesn't really feel like any holiday without my Mom here to make it special.  We do our best but no one did it better.  She is glad we try and is with us all everyday in our own way.  I sat in her chair today and looked at the view she had in her final days, but it was fall and all the leaves were dying.

The trees are ready for a new season the garden is ready for new plants and vegetables to add to the dinner plate.  Something gave me a very uplifting feeling and more positive than everyday before.  I transplanted 4 seedlings and one was so dry I thought I might lose it.  I knew that if I got to it fast enough I could save it on Easter morning.

Within an hour all four seedlings were enjoying the real sun and fresh air for a few minutes before the go back into their house for another week or so before the warmer air arrives.  My Mom visits in me in different ways.  Today she showed up in a picture I was taking of my Dad and Ana & Emilia in the Easter dresses...

I have an amazing family and we are blessed in so many ways.

We miss you Mom thanks for letting us know you are still keeping a watch over us.

so this happened today

 

well this ridiculous phase of reality has begun, people literally think a cloth mask is going to protect them from getting the Flu.  I swear I know everyone wants to be careful, but covering our faces to avoid germs, then how does our body build strength and immunity.

I will not mention the name of the friend from work who sent me this today, but really I do not want to pretend I am afraid of something that is not ever going to pan out to be anything more than a strain of the Flu.  This isn't to blow up the spot of the person who sent this to me it's just for future reference.

Who knows I could be wrong...

My Mom & I

Today was kind of a big deal for my mom & I.

After months of battling cancer with chemotherapy and the help of the nice people at Dana Farber in Weymouth, MA she received some not so reassuring news.  That the chemotherapy was really not going to be able help anymore.  There is still going to be another scan to double check and make sure that there are no other options available in her particular case, but I think my mom's body is tired of the chemotherapy.

My mom & dad got the whole family together the other day to prepare us for the inevitable.  I know my mother is a fighter and will not give up.  I know that the RickSimpson Oil has helped already and will continue to help her immune system recover from the abuse the chemotherapy causes.   That being said, as we were having the meeting delivering the awful thoughts of the cancer winning this battle, I was making my mom an appointment at MedWell Health in Brockton.  I told her that I was taking her and we just got back.  

My mom got approved for her MMJ card as I knew she would but the Dr approach to someone who had been a nurse her whole life is quite different from that of a regular guy like me.  The things he explained to her were not different per se but they just used words she was used to hearing from her days as a nurse.  Before 1937 he explained, every good Dr had cannabis oil in their medicine cabinet.

Anyway this not exactly how I hoped to get my family introduced to the world of cannabis, but sometimes you can't chose the how and why of things only how you handle both of these things.

April Fool

I know I didn't even tell anyone at Trader Joe's that I was taking a vacation until a couple days ago, but it was necessary and if they asked, they knew.  It's no big deal I am one of many on the morning crew at Trader Joe's and everyone else has time off planned or taken, so I do not feel bad at all that I am not there.  That is huge for me, because in the past I have always taken my responsibilities at Trader Joe's waaaaaaay too serious.  Today starts 10 days off from the store we call the 513 (or I do anyway).

And of course I am not going away on some lavish vacation, I took the time off so I could help Rodrigo, my brother-in-law and boss-man at my other job.  Rodrigo started a landscaping company seven years ago, Gardenin' Angels.  Look back at my last post to see why 7 years ago was a turning point in my life.  Anyway his company is now flourishing and for the last 4 years I have helped him with his office in some capacity.  It started with helping with the lawn mowing & fertilizer schedules and invoices associated with those jobs.  From there it just took off, I mean I have learned what I can as I go and figured the office out as much as I can. 

Gardenin' Angels is a great company and they are so young.  Rodrigo is an inspiring dude!  I really don't know how he has done it, but I can tell you first hand that he does it, every day. 

Seven Years Ago

My life completely changed 7 years ago tonight...  At that time I lived in Hanson, MA and worked a part time job in Plymouth, MA.  For the sake of re-hashing everything in my mind which happens from time to time anyway, let's just say it was the worst 6 hours of my life.  In that time though I realized that everything about my life was about to change.

And did it ever change.  Shortly after that night I moved to Pembroke and rented a room from my friend Joe.  After 2 years I decided to move back to Brockton with my family in the compound we all call home.  

Since 2014 I have been back at my childhood home in Brockton.  The house is double the size it was when I was a kid and my sister, her husband and their 2 girls all call this place home along with myself and my parents.  We all share the cost of living in such a huge place and we all have plenty of room.  Not far down the road my brother and his two boys live in the house where my grandparents lived for nearly 50 years.  I love my family and the fact that we are all still so close.

There are parts of my pre-2012 life that I will always miss, but walking away when I did and not looking back is something I will never regret.  I am in a better place with myself and now hold down 2 great jobs that keep me busy enough to be more than content.

and now for my Zen moment

lil sprout

I like it when the seed sprouts like this, 

I dunno it just kinda looks cool, no?

garden update

everyday something new to see

watch everyday as the babies push 

through the soil and become green knuckles

week 3 of flower for GC #1 & #2

the canopy spread is the best I have been able to achieve

trying to use all the available light 

and create many bud sites 

they will all have an equal chance of getting big 

the light is as high as it can be without changing the hardware 

this is day one of the flower cycle

these two pictures were taken yesterday on day 18 of flower 

these two pictures are taken at a different angle on the same day

I am really enjoying all the time I get to spend in Black Sheep Garden.  I am not quite in Club 15, but I am surely not part of Group-85.  There aren't many people who would know what I am talking about here, but I have been doing a lot of reading about growing medical cannabis.  That explains random references to things that might not mean much to those who don't garden.  

front porch again

front porch again
back to when sat 2nd floor
front porch on the floor
waiting for friends to arrive
not too sure where
all those friends are now
but my hope is they are doing well
some remember me and some 
probably don't and that's okay too
front porch where I belong again
have but one path to travel
and it always lead me back to this spot
in my mind that travels with me
while I travel within it
grabba & ganja ready to eye spark
that journey tonight only the mind knows
and it reveals it slowly as reality can only 
handle so much until it becomes 
a wave of tiredness that allows the body 
to come to rest after maybe one more
revelation for the day and it is to be 
more disciplined...

the journey it is

something necessary 
to stop
the monotony 
that regular life 
becomes somehow 
someone asked and got an answer
that led them here 
and then he is two people
and things just got interesting again
and that too is necessary 
because someone
has to remind everyone 
to wake up and live
or they forget the purpose
the journey 
it is...

Happy Birthday Nando

ok so I missed a few days but back before the month hit double digits...  At Trader Joe's the customers are buying the shit out of produce which works for me because I work the produce and it makes the days go by super fast.  Rodrigo, my brother-in-law is in Brazil right now visiting family.  He owns Gardenin' Angels Landscaping and I work in his office.  Part of that responsibility involves manning the phone while he is away.  It's hard when he is away in Brazil because the internet in Brazil, where he is staying, is not great at it's very best.

some of the plants I am working with at Black Sheep Garden are starting to show some pretty flowers.

here are a few picture of Zsweet Insanity

Today is my nephew Nando's 16th birthday so of course I have to shout him out here even if no one he knows, know me.  It's the thought as they say.  I probably won't see him until the weekend and he has a fight.  He is a boxer.  I have seen him lose once, and of course redeem himself a few months later and won a unanimous decision.  He is fighting again this Saturday in Foxboro and I hope to be able to go and see him do it again.  Happy Born Day Nando!!

first day of the current year

of course every year I do this... make some sort of promise to think more with the pen and keep track of the days...  maybe it should be correctly termed keeping track of the daze...  life is interesting to say the least and some day I hope to fill in the last year and a half on my blog...  my life has been completely without writing...  every now and then I would not work long enough to put down some thoughts...

here are a couple pictures of ZSweet Insanity and they seem to be coming along just fine...  Black Sheep Garden has allowed me the opportunity to try out my gardening skills and keep the garden going all year round...




along with 2 full time jobs and gardening I like spending a lot of time with my family... my brother has two teenage boys and my sister has 2 wonderful little girls...  Ana the oldest girl and I took a walk today because it was nearly 50 degrees on the first of the year...

I talked to my friend Dawn in Virginia today via the book of faces... she mentioned she had begun a new journal in an older journal going back many years... I, in fact, had done the exact same thing this morning while puffing this morning to ring in the new year after a night of good rest... she is a friend I never want to lose she is too far away, but I believe we stay in touch for a reason and that reason some day will reveal itself to me...

hottest day I can remember

It started out really nice today but then it got ridiculously hot and humid.  By the time I took this picture at about 10:30am it was already 88 degrees.  It's my day off today and I did do some work for Gardenin' Angels but only a few hours.  My nephews came home from a month in Colorado with their mom last night.  They came by for lunch today and we all got Buffalo Wild Wings and Mat went to to pick it up and we ate here.  The burger I got was was as ridiculous as this day is hot.  

I went to In Good Health today because they grow some of the best medicine I have ever known.  I know cannabis is not for everyone, but it surely is for me.  I got some more of the Light Saber Hybrid strain.  The buds are small and compact but it is loud and strong so that's what it takes.

This is my 3rd full year as a MMJ patient and it has helped me change my life for the better.  I have also introduced it to my parents.  My mother dealt with Ovarian Cancer and Chemotherapy and then the cancer came back on the cellular level.  She has become a believer in the powers of the herb and has given multiple versions of edibles a try and she really like the CBD gummies for nausea and helping her sleep at night.  

When I say believer I mean more that she believes it can't hurt to try it.  She still has the mindset that most do that the Dr's know best and are really trying to help her when in all honesty they are just doing their job within the guidelines given and most who know and believe in the benefits of cannabis have to start their own new practice.

back at it again

          It's hard to believe it's almost been one year since I posted on my blog.  The last time I posted was right after the super fight between Floyd and Conor.  Most of my writing lately has been more journal style than anything else.  The last piece of random thoughts & poetry I put down were the last thoughts on my former girl friend Jolena.  She passed away a little over a year ago and she is still someone who is on my mind quite frequently when I write.

          I am going to try to fill in the passed year with posts from things I have written during the year.   I also planning on adding a few more pictures than I have done in the past.  

          Vacation from Trader Joe's start in five days and hopefully I will be able to rest a bit.  

imagination

 the sun

moves across 

south east in the sky

it clearly moves above as the day

minutes tick away

an imaginary tale of spinning

a bit unnecessary 

in an age of high tech devices

showing us

what once depended on 

our imagination...

passed the shortest day

nearly cold enough to freeze the ink

picked a great day to pull a book off the shelf

all dusty with old thoughts in them

the pages that came before 

should have warmed the book up 

when the weather was more outside inviting

most of the writing done under the natural sky

and tonight it couldn't be any clearer

thankfully passed the shortest day of the year

don't mind the long nights

but the shortest day 

can be someone else's favorite

day because it is not mine

if the wind wasn't blowing

and would maybe stay still 

for 20 minutes

it wouldn't be so hard to enjoy

winter and get some thought out

brought back twenty year thoughts 

of walking campus end to end

and result was a frozen moustache

as wind picks up and freezes the corners

of my eyes

glad I am not at the south pole

it never warms up

allegedly... 

most of the day

great day

pretty low key

nothing over the top

simple tradition

of thankfulness

amazing meal with

the greatest people on earth

the family circle is tight

like clothes straight

out of the dryer

outside since 8 am

fire blazing most of the day...

vacation fire #6 and super fight

     Today started a day that has been planned for months now.  My longest oldest friend, Mark Altieri came down to hang for the day and then stay for the "money" fight tonight.  Aside from my family Mark is the person I have know the longest in my life.  We have known each and hung out for almost 30 years.  

     We had to eat, so we decided at Mark's request to go to an old spot that most Brocktonians know all about.  The Italian Kitchen, a place that everyone in my family loves so much that we buy their stuff for all of our family parties.  Today was a special night because it's been a long time Mark, my bro and I have seen a great super fight in the boxing category.  Growing up we were lucky to have a grandfather who was into boxing.  Historically my brother and I saw many amazing fights.  Hagler vs. Leonard, Hagler vs. Hearns, Pazienza vs Camacho, Tyson vs. Holmes, and so many more.  

     This was a special kind of fight.  Connor McGregor, the two time UFC champion challenged the retired, but undefeated Floyd "Money" Mayweather.  After months of back and forth initiated by a challenge from Connor to Floyd, the fight was made.  It was a boxing super fight and the build up to the fight was epic to say the least.  Connor convinced a huge portion of the boxing fan base that he had more than just a chance to take away Floyd's unblemished record.  

     The fight was better than most imagined and Connor stood his ground, but Floyd has so much composure and stamina and experience in the ring that in the 10th round Connor could not recover and went nearly a minute getting banged around the ring without throwing a punch and the referee stopped the fight.  Winner by TKO the undefeated Floyd "Money" Mayweather!!  50-0!!  Not only was it a great fight but it was a great day.

vacation fire #6

     I got a fire going.  Then we ordered pizza for the fight.  My cousin David came over and our friend Claudio came by and Mat, Kristen and the boys (Nando & GG) were here.  It was a great night and no one regardless of who they wanted to win went home disappointed.  It was a great fight and an amazing night.  

vacation fire #5

fire #5

     Tonight's fire was started with my brother Mat here and my brother-in-law Rodrigo and our friend Claudio.  Rodrigo picked some of the corn from his property in Easton and was cooking it for dinner.  It's really good corn.  

     Tomorrow night is a big night in the combat sports industry.  Connor McGregor the UFC champion has challenged and is fighting Floyd "Money" Maywether, in a boxing match super fight.  The WBC has sanctioned the fight and it will be under boxing rules and there has been weeks and weeks of hype surrounding this fight.  Floyd retired 2 years ago undefeated at 49-0.  Connor has lost in MMA but not when standing and throwing punches.  Connor is super confident and swears he will leave Floyd unconscious in less than 4 rounds.  We shall see Floyd wasn't 49-0 because he fought weak fighters.  He has beat many legendary Hall of Fame boxers.  This is Connor's first professional boxing match.  It's gonna be an event.  Mark, DJ, Mat & the boys will be coming over.  I know I will have a fire too, but watching the fight will be exciting.  

     I will end tonight's thoughts with a picture of the moon as it set in the western sky tonight.

vacation fire #4

fire #4

     Tonight's fire was started with a visit from my long-time friend Julie Grant.  We went to high school together but a year apart in grade.  I knew her earlier than that though back when my brother and friends were all young teenage skateboarders.  

     When she left I added a few more logs and watched them get eaten by my fire.  I am going share a few picture from the garden this morning as the sun came over the tree line.