This Is Framingham

One of the very few nice things about being unemployed  is that I actually have time to be around to check out places like Gerard Farm.  I’ve heard so much about their food but was never around to go when they’re open because of work (they’re closed on the weekends).  So today stopped by to get a couple of sandwiches. 
Inside is nice and clean and organised, with an impressive amount of homemade meals, soups and appetizers at in freezers by the entrance.  They sell their own salad dressing and have an assortment of desserts as well as the sandwich counter.

I always like try a product that a place is known for or sells a lot of so I got the “Turkey Deluxe” which is so popular, it is the only sandwich that is already made and you get yourself from the reach-in fridge, the girl at the counter assured me they make these fresh every morning. ????? ???? ???????
The deluxe is turkey, stuffing cranberry sauce and mayo.

This was pretty good, I know it sounds silly but even after all the post-thanksgiving lunches I’ve had, I’ve never tried a turkey-stuffing sandwich before.
There was a generous amount of turkey and stuffing. ???? ???? just enough cranberry to give it a little sweet taste and just enough mayo to moisten the top.

Ethan liked his ham sandwich, again they gave a good amount of ham (which the bake there in their ovens).  The only thing he thought might be better, and I agreed with him, is if they used something other than the cafeteria-style bread, but it was soft and fresh so it was okay. ????? ??? ???????

I’m looking forward to when the ice cream pavillion opens later this month.  It’s always a nice to take an evening drive “up north” and get a cup of Kahlua Brownie or Moose Tracks 🙂

So I’ve picked up waitressing while I’m looking for permanent work and after the first week, everything hurt: Feet, knees, hips and back.  I was dreading the dinner shift one day when I thought “Panza MUST have something”. One of the few luxuries of living downtown is that I didn’t have to get in the car and go to the mall or somewhere to look for quality shoes.
Ethan and I walked down there and I asked one of the store clerks what she recommended for waitressing.  She brought several shoes and cheerfully got different sizes when I requested.  I found these clogs called “Klogs”.

I tried them on but they were a little too loose.  The nice lady helping me fitted them with a different insole and they were prefect.  I was so happy  about my new super-awesome (and comfy!) shoes, it was such a relief to come home at night and not be in pain.  Thank you Panza for you great selection, friendly help and for just being there 🙂

I went to get my oil changed last week and I was kind of in a hurry.  I usually bring it to the good folks at Sullivan Tire but it was going to be an hour wait and I was headed up to NH and was way over due for a change and just really wanted to get it done before I went.
So I went to the gulf station on Hollis St. ivermectina hepatite fulminante because my mom used to bring her car there when she worked in the area. 

You go around the back to enter and I was greeted by a very polite gentleman who asked if I had come there before and explained how it worked and what the choices were.  He held the door open for me when he walked me over ot the waiting area.  The waiting room has nice big windows and you can see what they’re doing the whole time. 

Towards the end, another gentleman came in to tell me what some of the maintenance is “recommended” for a car with my mileage, I didn’t partake in any of it since I had already had that stuff taken care of but his apporach wasn’t the usual scare tactics that some places use to make you feel like your car will blow up if you don’t do it, so I appreciated the delivery of the options.
When i went to pay, everything that was done was explained and was told their work is guarenteed so if anything weird happens after to please bring it back and they’ll look at it right away. will ivermectin kill mange   Which is what you’d expect but again, it was said so nicely like they care about the work they do. ivermectina farmácia de manipulação   It’s been over a week and nothing weird has happened, infact  I feel my car is running better than it usually does.
They also vacum your car for free and offer a discount on a carwash with the oil change.

Last week we decided to try the subs at La Cantina,  I got Eggplant Parm and Ethan got Chicken Parm. ????? ??? ???? At about each they come with choice of salad or fries (we got salad). ?????? ???????????
Chicken Parm:

Eggplant Parm:

These were both pretty good, not spectacular but definitely not a disappointment and what would be expected when getting a parm sub.

The highlight was the jar of sauce I got when we picked up the subs. 

For what it’s worth, this jarred sauce is really good and I like that it’s just simple ingredients, no high fructose corn syrup or even sugar and it’s just a great tasting sauce.  Ethan thought it was just okay but I recommend picking up a jar and trying it. ???? ??????

I never really noticed but I wonder if Stop & Shop puts Fanny’s and Ken’snext to each other on the shelves because they’re both representing Framingham restaurants?
Somehow Fanny’s never tastes quite the same as when you get it at La Cantina but it is very good and it’s our “house dressing” we keep at home.  I used to love Ken’s Thousand Island (or as I’d call it, thousand calorie) but have laid off of it in recent years.  Occasionally when I’m in the mood,  I’ll get a bottle of their ranch dressing which is really good too.

 As a quilter, it’s such a treat to have Fabric Place in walking distance of my house.  I really like that it’s a business near me that I can use and has a wide variety of anything sewing related.   It’s also a business that brings people who normally avoid downtown, down here so I consider it a shiny gem of the neighborhood.
They have bolts and bolts of all sorts of fabric, all kinds of threads, notions, books etc…  It’s two levels of sewing paradise!
 

They also offer classes, designing services and make custom draperies.  This summer they are offering a free class every Saturday of various topics, you can check out the schedule here.

The other day I was working in the yard and realised I’d need some grass patch stuff.  My first instinct was to go to White Hardware, conveniently located a few blocks away but the pain set in when I remembered that they recently closed.
For some reason I had it in my head that Monick wasn’t open Sundays (but they are) so I was weighing my options.  I really don’t like going to mega-store Lowes or dealing with all the traffic lights and the whole atmosphere of Home Depot so what came to mind was taking a trip “up north” to lovely Saxonville and going to Robinson’s ACE.

When I first moved back to Framingham (3 years ago now) I was bummed that Lincoln Discount Drug was gone ( I just had a “thing” for Lincoln Drugs, particularly the Milford store) but I have to say that Robinson’s uses the space well and it’s kept up nice.  The few times I’ve been here, I found that the place is well organized and the staff is really helpful and friendly.
Such was the same for this visit, it might have been a little further to drive to than Lowe’s but the pleasant shopping experince was worth it. 

The plaza parking lot is probably just as big as Lowe’s but it’s not an ocean of cars and there’s not a frenzy of people trying to find a good spot.  I just parked and went in, got what I wanted, walked up to the register, paid and left.  No lines, no wandering a warehouse packed to the ceiling, moving out of the way for an employee riding through the store on a motorized forklift- just a simple, straightforward shopping experience.

I’ll place Robinson’s Ace in the coveted “yay” category.  It’s worth a trip up north any time!