This Is Framingham

 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!

My friend Yana told me about “Boneoke” on Wednesday nights at the Chicken Bone on Waverly Street.  It’s Karaoke but with 2 musicians and no screens to read the words from. ??????? ??? ??????   It sounded interesting so I went with her to check it out.
Scott Damgaard is the guitarist and runs the show every week.  I got to talk with him last night and he’s also one of the nicest guys around. ????? ????? ????? ?????    He has a book of 500 songs that you can pick from, but he’s also open to suggestions and may know a song you’d like to sing that isn’t listed in the book. 
Somehow I didn’t trust myself to know all the words to any of these songs, I couldn’t believe it – but I know now what I will study for next week.  Although, you don’t have to study as some people brought a lyric sheet or read the lyrics off their cell phone. ???? ????? ???????

It’s a very comfortable atmosphere, even I (who hates getting up infront of people) wanted to get up and release my inner rock star (although it doesn’t exist, but I really wanted to try!).   Scott will even let you take over the guitar if you’re so inclined:

Here’s some more pics of Boneoke:

We had so much fun, I’m so glad Yana told me about this and I’ll definitely be back (probably with a  lyric sheet).  I’ve always loved the Chicken Bone’s wings but this gives me a whole new reason to this gem of downtown.

For more info on the Chicken Bone, check out their site:
 http://www.thechickenbone.com/
 and Scott Damgaard: http://scottdamgaard.com

The other day, the Metro West Humane Society was kind enough to let me come in and take some pictures and tell me about their cat shelter.  They run a no-kill facility and have set adoption hours on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.   This is right on the Framingham/Ashland line on 126.  Technically it’s in Ashland, but again, this is a “very special” TIF post : )

Before I came here I was afraid I would be depressed seeing a bunch of cats in cages and meowing to be let out, but this wasn’t the case at all.   I was surprised/impressed with the free roaming space for the cats.  Some cats were just walking around in the halls and other cats are kept in community rooms.  Only those cats that have to be, are in cages but even then the cages are very roomy and are like a double-suite rooms with a bed on one side and a door they can walk through to get to the other “room”.

The cats here seemed so content and comfortable and the MWHS does such a great job at keeping the rooms clean and supplying them with multiple food/waterbowls, litterboxes, toys and beds that the cats that share a room do not have to fight over anything.  In fact it was interesting to see so many cats getting along.  Maybe it’s just because my cat hates other cats and won’t let us get a new one, but it was nice to see so many cats getting a long in the same building.

Here’s some pictures from my visit:

There is also a gift shop where manufactured and hand-made items are for sale and all profits go to the shelter of course.

There is also a wall you can buy a tile in memory of a pet and it have their name up on the Cat Walk wall.

They always welcome financial donations but are just as grateful for any dry and canned food donations as well.

And finally, I’d like to mention their event on Saturday, June 7th.  The 11th annual Walk for Animals

For everything you would want to know about the Metro West Humane Society, including adoption hours, cat profiles and other events please visit their website http://www.webpaws.com/mwhs

I’ve done a post on Anastasia’s (12 Union Ave.) before when we got a steak and cheese from there but last night is the first time I’ve had their pizza.

Ethan and his friend had it a few weeks ago so when we were deciding on where to get pizza from he suggested here.  We were kind of pressed for time between just getting home from work and then I had Town Meeting to go to, so when he called, Ethan asked how long it would take to get a pizza delivered they said “No time at all” and it really seemed like it- it was about 15 Minutes from the call that we got the pizza delivered.

 We got half pepperoni and half eggplant.

Personally, I don’t care if a pizza is Greek or Italian style but I thought it was interesting that even though this is a Greek place the pizza was Italian style.  I have to say this pizza was excellent. I just really, really enjoyed this pizza.  At first I thought maybe it was because I was very hungry (I ride my bike to/from work in Westborough and often come home absolutely ravenous)  but then I found myself thinking about how good it was during town meeting, it was just so good. I figured if I was still thinking about it later in the night it must have been my tastebuds, not my hunger that made it so unforgettable.  Here’s a nice deliciously greasy detail:

Mmmmm-mmm!  The sauce, the cheese and the light crust were perfect.  I’m so happy to add this to our small list of good pizza places in Framingham but especially’s since it’s just a few blocks away.

Panache Coffee recently opened at 680 Worcester Rd. (Ski Market Plaza).   My mom was over and it was so nice out, we decided to walk down to check it out.
Inside has been renovated nicely with lots of neutral colors, big windows and a little nook with a fireplace. vacuna ivermectina
 

The guy at the counter was very patient with my mom who likes to ask lots of questions.  She asked about all the different “fancy” drinks, what kind of syrups they use and what “WiFi” is.

She ended up getting and iced coffee (w/ cream, pictured on the right) and I got an Iced Americano with a shot of chocolate.

My mom, who is very particular about her coffee, said her iced coffee was “really good”.  I was very happy with my Iced Americano as well.  I don’t know where they get their beans from but it tastes like they chose a good quality supplier.  There is also a case with a typical pastry assortment if people want a little something to go with their coffee. la ivermectina daña el hígado humano

I’m really glad Panche opened here.  It’s so nice to have a small coffee house that has great coffee, looks good inside and is close by.  I’m looking forward to supporting this local business.

A new Italian style pizza and dessert place opened up on route 30, (661 Cochituate Rd.) called “North End Treats”.
It is a take-out only place that serves pizza, pasta, sandwiches, pastries and gelato.
Inside is small but large enough to serve it’s purpose since there is no seating.

We got 2 individual 9″ pizzas.  One Bourbon Steak Tips with peppers and one Caramelized Onion with feta and pine nuts.
Steak Tips:

Caramelized Onions (they forgot to slice it and the picture is blurry)

The steak was good but I really, really enjoyed the caramelized onion pizza.  It was excellent. The natural sweetness of the onions with the salty feta was a perfect match. how long does ivermectin keep killing scabies    
These are especially good pizzas for people that like crust because there’s plenty of it.  I feel like a plain pizza would be very satisfying as well. 
Of course while I was  waiting I couldn’t help but look at the pastry case:

I decided to bring home a little assortment of a peanut butter brownie, cannoli and mini-lobster tail:

I never had a lobster tail before but it was awesome, pastry filled with whipped and Bavarian cream.  It was light (tasting) and so creamy- a very nice treat!  I’d tie that with the peanut butter brownie which is intense and I recommend letting it almost get to room temp before eating since the top layer of chocolate is so thick.  The cannoli was pretty good two but if I had to choose 2 out of the three, it would be the lobster tail and brownie.  I will be back to try the gelato and some pasta dishes. ivermectin demodectic mange

This is such a great addition to Framingham pizza/food options. ivermectin 12mg tablet uses in hindi   My only wish is that it was downtown, it would be perfect in one of the storefronts down there!