This Is Framingham

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. 

I just saw this article from the MWDN.  Incase it gets archived, Here is it is:

Man reported exposing himself at beach
By Norman Miller/ Daily News Staff
Tuesday, August 8, 2006 FRAMINGHAM — Police say that beachgoers Saturday waited for 40 minutes before calling 911 about a man who tried to touch young girls at Learned Pond and fondled himself on the beach.”A 40-minute time frame is far too long,” said police spokesman Lt. Paul Shastany. “As soon as anyone sees anyone doing anything suspicious, call the police. Don’t assume someone else will do it. Police arrested Romany Mikhail, 19, at 12:39 p. ????? ???? 2022 m. as he rode his bike away from the beach, but Shastany said people should have called police immediately. “This guy was a crime waiting to happen, and he belonged in our Police Department cell,” Shastany said.Shortly after 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Officer Owen Babineau was dispatched to the beach, Shastany said.There, the head lifeguard and several other people said they saw a man, later identified as Mikhail, arrive on his bicycle. When he got off the bike, they noticed he was fully aroused as he jumped into the lake.
“They noticed he would continually go near a little girl as he swam,” Shastany said.When Mikhail of 72 Hartford St. got out of the water, people said they saw him trying to sneak up behind teenage girls and touch their backs, Shastany said.

When I was a kid, this building used to be some kind of New England Telephone space, I’m not sure what they did in there but I remember there used to be a giant telephone in the bay window that I thought was Lily Tomlin’s phone.
I forget  what it was after that, but Borders bookstore was the last occupant and they got kicked out which stinks because they were the less obnoxious bookstore. Now we have to go to Barnes and Noble next to it, which I used to avoid.  Of course if I like it, it goes away (see post below)

I was driving down Rt. 9 yesterday and noticed an orange banner on the building for the Halloween Outlet. 
Most people probably don’t care about H.O. setting up shop here but Halloween is my most favorite all-time holiday.  Even though I can’t trick or treat anymore, I love carving jack-o-lanterns and giving treats to the witches and monsters that come to my door.
I was SO happy to finally see a cool business move into town, even if it is only seasonal.  When I saw the sign I actually gasped with excitement and thought “YEAH man!” Silly?  Maybe, but so are most of the retail inhabitants of Route 9 so I think I can be excited about a fun, small business moving in.

Welcome Halloween Outlet, I’ve been waiting for you! Mwahh-haa-haaa!

This past spring was our first ant season here in Framingham and a few people had recommended going to the Farmer’s Exchange on Pearl Street so I went down there to check it out. 

They had a wide assortment of products (including boric acid) to get rid of the jerky ants and anything that had to do with lawn needs too (you could buy grass seed by the handful if you wanted).  They even had a great assortment of birdfeeders and pet supplies.
It was so great to have such a resource that is a small business like that tucked away in downtown!

Unfortunately, last month it went the way of Friendly’s and abandoned us, (the grass is greener in Ashland?), leaving us who live in downtown without ice cream and now without lawn/pest/pet care products, just more empty stores.
I’m afraid to like something because it might go away (don’t you leave us Chicken Bone!) I really hope this doesn’t become a trend.

Farmer’s Exchange, we hardly knew ye!

On the recommendation of so many people we tried to go to Gianni’s but when we got there we found a note saying they were on vacation.  We were so disappointed because everyone raves about Gianni’s so much but we regrouped and headed to Centre Pizza where we’ve only had subs before so we thought we’d check out the pizza.(That’s half onion, half plain)

I guess I can see why no one has written in and raved about Centre, although it smelled great. I think something is lacking in the sauce or cheese and the dough was a little too doughy but it could have been a fluke pie.  It wasn’t horrible but the quest continues.  I want to add though that their subs are super.

Also I wanted to point out in Gianni’s window is a flyer posted by someone looking for a lost dog 🙁

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