This Is Framingham

UNDESIRABLE: ARSENAL RD, (CK OK)
RP STATES A MALE WEARING HIS UNDERWEAR AND
HEADPHONES WALKING IN THE AREA…

FIRE BUILDING: KENDALL AV (CK OK)
CALLER STATED THAT THERE WAS A HOUSE FIRE, THEN REPORTED THAT IT WAS A BBQ FIRE

EXPOSING: WORCESTER RD, OFFICE DEPOT (ARREST)
WAREHAM MAN EXPOSING HIMSELF IN
A TAN TOYOTA…

EXPOSING: BEAVER ST, AV’S MARKET (SEE REPORT)
CALLER STATED HISPANIC MALE WEARING A
GREEN RED SOX HAT WAS URINATING OUT SIDE OF AV’S MARKET RP
THEN STATED THAT THAT MALE THEN BEGAN TO YELL AT HER AND STATE
THAT HE WAS GOING TO HIT HER

WELL BEING CHECK: DAVIDSON RD (CK OK)
[RP SAYS FEMALE AT 68 DAVIDSON IS YELLING LOUDLY]
V/ RESIDENT WAS YELLING AT A SKUNK.

Another place I’ve been by a lot but have never been in is the candy shop on rt. 9 west right by the 126 overpass called “Sweet Boutique”.
I go in and look around, they have what I call “old people licorice“ so I get some for my mom who loves these things and will see if she really reads this blog.

I pay for the candy and ask the lady at the counter if it would be ok to take a picture.  She’s the only person I met so far who immediately responded with “oh, sure”.  I take a couple of pictures and we start talking about Framingham and have a nice conversation.  She told me about downtown in the 60’s and how she used to be a hairdresser at Gilchrist’s (now the Salvation Army).  She also offered me a sample of their chocolate covered potato chips. 

I thought it was such a bizarre combination and almost didn’t try it but I figured why not. Not only was it bearable but it actually tasted good.  It’s almost like a thin Kit-Kat and the potato chip has just enough salt to compliment, not ruin, the sweetness of the chocolate.

In addition to bagged candies, they have novelty items and many hand-dipped/molded chocolates, like the potato chips as well as marshmallows on a stick and “sweet scribbles”; a chocolate-drizzled caramel popcorn mixed with pretzels and other stuff.

Jean, the owner,  is such a sweet (no pun intended) lady.  If anyone needs treats for a party or wants to satisfy a sweet tooth, please go there and support a nice small business.

We decided to venture away from our usual Chinese restaurant and try Sichuan Gourmet.
Everything was really good.  The beef teriyaki was just ok but there was a dish called Rainbow Chicken that was really good.  It’s like a chicken and vegetable but the vegetables are julienned and it has a light tasty sauce, really good.
We also got fried shrimp and Kung Pao (old style) chicken.
We just got take-out but it looks nice to dine-in too.
Thumbs up for Sichuan Gourmet!

I was reading this article in the MWDN. 
It’s so great to read that someone with money cares about downtown.  It’s important to have us, the residents, care too. We keep our microscopic yard nice and picking up any trash in the street, etc… but what the Fitts’ and the Hulme’s are doing is a huge help.  I really do hope this starts a trend of restoration and interest in making downtown nice again. 
Thanks for caring guys!

See this cartport and carts? It’s outside the Whole Foods on route 9.  There used to be a bike rack here that I would use to lock up my bike. Now I just squeeze it in wherever there’s room out front, like between the bench and the plastic bag recycle or that and the seasonal outdoor items while trying  to keep it out of the way of pedestrian traffic.

I’m not sure why they’d get rid of a small area for people to park their bikes.
The obvious answer would be that no one rides their bikes and they needed to make that area available for carts but I would often see other bikes parked there, so people used it. 

It seems like such an environment friendly store would keep an area to park bikes.  Maybe they figured you will buy more if you don’t have to worry about fitting your purchases into your backpack.

I don’t know, it not a big deal but you’d think they’d want to make it more accommodating for bikes since the parking lot gets so packed sometimes you can’t even find a spot (which has actually happened). 

I got to spend some quality time in my car while trying to get through downtown the other day.
I don’t know what I was thinking, this is exactly why I avoid driving through downtown in the first place.
I’m not sure how city planning works or if traffic light timing is involved in that, but it seems odd that the green lights would be on when you have no where to go because you have to stop 2 seconds later and/or the cars in front of you have stopped (and there actually wasn’t a train). It’s such a tease to see green and not be able to go. ??? ??

For people driving, downtown is just a haven for frustration.  You have the trains, the oddly-timed traffic lights and people cutting you off because they’re in the wrong lane or being in the wrong lane is part of their master plan to cut you off when they are far enough to be able to get back in their lane to take a left and cause people to step on their breaks, causing yet more delay.
I can just tell when someone is going to do that too. ???? ???????   Then you have to decide if you’re going to play the game and inch up so they can’t cut you off adding to the stress of just trying to get out of the gridlock.  It’s so dumb, which again is why I avoid it. ??????? ????? ????????

 

It started maybe 2 weeks ago, Ethan and I noticed this loud chirping from outside and didn’t think anything of it because that’s what birds do.
Then we started to notice that the loud chirping would go on for extended amounts of time. 
Next we became aware that it was only when our cat, Clyde, was outside. 
We’d see that when Clyde was sitting on the front steps, the bird would sit on the closest telephone wire and stay there chirping. If Clyde walked across the street the bird would move over to a wire or a branch across the street and continue the harassment. Anywhere Clyde went, so would the bird.

Now even if Clyde is sitting in our window, the bird comes over and starts chirping.

This isn’t a little tweetie bird chirp either, it sounds like the sharp noise a smoke detector makes when it’s battery is low. 

So, the other day Clyde was out and went around the back of the house.  Of course the bird followed him and I don’t know exactly what happened but Clyde came running from around the corner with the bird flying right next to him.  Clyde ran up the stairs to the front door and I let him in. 
He just sulked around the house for the rest of the day and when I offered for him to go out he just stood in the doorway.  Now he’ll just sit on the front step but won’t venture much further because the bird is even worse now and it will take dives at him.

Here’s a photo (with his commentary) Ethan took of the little guy we found the bird is protecting.  Cute, but it’s depressing Clyde that he can’t enjoy going outside like he used to. ?????? ??? ????????? Too bad he’s a big wimp and won’t defend himself. ??? ?????? 2023

Note: I just wanted to apologize for the fact that my camera is a piece of junk. beuotq   The top photo here was the last straw, so I’m saving up for an upgrade.