First First Friday is here!

The garage is now loaded with 2014 Guides, TLGV maps, Vision 2020 books, 2013 Annual Reports, a great display unit... and anticipation!

Why the excitement in the best house in Putnamania?

This Friday night is Putnam's first First Friday of the season (May through October).

This Putnamaniac will be representing The Last Green Valley at each First Friday event.

Surely, you have heard of First Fridays... and surely, you have attended.

What??? Some of you have missed out?

Here is the scoop:
On the First Friday of each month, May through October, Putnam closes off Main Street to vehicle traffic and opens it wide to welcome in people and culture of all varieties ~ music, dance, theater, architecture, food, folklore... and more. In fact, this year each month will be dedicated to one of these themes of culture.

Filling the streets each month are artists, musicians, hula hoops, chalk, local tastings, information about the local area, friends, fun, laughs... and the list goes on forever.

A good time is guaranteed, for all ages. Families, singles, couples, friends... GUARANTEED!

And best of all, it is all for free, unless you can't resist a tasty treat or a perfect artisans creation.

Try it - you will like it! Let me rephrase that - Try it, you will LOVE IT!

For more information on each month's activities, check out Discover Putnam's event tab on their website, and be sure to "like" First Fridays on facebook.

I am a Putnamaniac that loves First Fridays and the fun in Putnam! 

Putnamaniac Activity Calendar 

Do you see hearts everywhere?

Recently I ran upon an old acquaintance from approximately 20+ years ago.

We met way back when as I worked for the long ago extinct Davisville Credit Union's East Greenwich, RI branch.

I loved that job! What a great mix of using your brain, getting to see great "members", and working with great people. If that place had not gone the way of the do-do bird, I do believe I may still be behind that counter to this day.

This fellow mentioned, upon our recent reunion, that way back then I had given him some paperwork, which he still had. On that paperwork was a blue ink & hand imprinted heart. Yup - I've been adding exclamation points, x's and o's, smile faces with glasses on their faces, and of course hearts to anything on paper for years.... and years... and years.

Today, the hearts are still encroaching my life - check out this tree that I see while looking out my back window and into our neighbor's yard:

Do you see it? I LOVE it!

I am a Putnamaniac that sees hearts everywhere!

Putnamaniac Activity Calendar

Looking for snakes in the grass - and leaves - and rocks!

SNAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - they make me SCREAM!!!!!

I know, I know ~ they are very beneficial....however, one benefit is not scaring the dickens out of me and just about giving me a heart attack every time one sneaks up on me!

 An Eastern Garter Snake from the CT DEEP website

They surprise me in the yard (so far 5 times this spring), while I am jogging, while I am hiking, in my mother's little frog/fish pond....

As I walked/rushed home last Friday night from work, I saw a grandpa rummaging through a pile of leaves with the end of a rake, with a little girl attached to one of his legs while yelling "ahhhh, did you find it, where is it, ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!".

Obviously they were looking for a snake that had surprised them, too!

What fun!

How do you feel about snakes?

I am a Putnamaniac that is always looking for snakes - and hoping I see them before they see me!

Putnamaniac Activity Calendar

Clothes hanging on the line!

It sure has been windy a lot lately here in New England.

Feels like March instead of the end of April, but I guess that is what you get when you have just endured a seemingly never ending winter!

These winds are good for something, though.

Drying clothes on the line!

Personally, I do not subscribe to this practice. I think I am too lazy to do it... but I sure do come from a heritage of clothes line hangers. My grandmother did it, and my mother still does it.

The sight of a fresh laundry flapping in the breeze on my way home from work tonight warmed my heart. I thought of my Nanna, and I thought of my Momma, and then I thought how lucky I was to snuggle into those fresh sheets as a kid ~ courtesy of being dried on the clothes line!

Celebrate the wind, however you can!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves to see clothes hanging on the line!

Putnamaniac Activity Calendar

I am living the life in the town I love!

Surely a lot of you love where you live.

But, do you really, really, really love where you live?

Holy smokes! I DO!!!

Typical day:

Wake up.

Jog around town, hear the birds, wave a few hellos.

Get ready for work, and walk to work!

See lots of nice people, co-workers especially.

Walk to the library and get a new book.

Stroll through downtown, and smell the great smells, and see the beautiful sights.

Coming home, you check out the gardens bursting into life, springing forth.

Once home, you love the best house, yard, home,  and hubby on the planet.

Does it get any better than that?

I think not.

Embrace what you have! If it is not that great, you'd better make some decisions. Life is quite short.

I am a Putnamaniac that loves living the life I love, where I live, with the ones I love!

Putnamaniac Activity Calendar

It is a sad, sad night in Putnamania as I say goodbye to an old pair of shorts I've had since circa 1990...

Booooo hoooooo.....

I bid farewell to an old friend tonight... a pair of sweatpants that I cut off into shorts many moons ago (after I tripped over a sidewalk while jogging at 5:30am one dark winter morning, and ripped not only the sweatpants knee to pieces, but mine as well).

 Here is my old friend, sitting atop the garbage heep... oh so sad!

So many memories in these sweatpants converted into shorts...

When I bought my first house, I wore them every night after work for the 2 weeks I had to paint and clean and fix everything before my apartment rental expired. It was so easy to come home to an empty space, change into my beloved sweats, and work until 2am or so....

Then I jogged for years and years in them. In the early morning hours, no one saw us, nor scoffed at us as we slogged the streets before work.

We spread many yards of mulch together, and planted endless gardens.

We painted more new houses we bought together, and planted yet more gardens.

Tonight, as I adorned the old sweat shorts, and painted yet another garage door on my newest home, I made the critical decision to say goodbye. It is time to put my old friends out to pasture... our last night together.... I mean, they are held up for the most part with a big safety pin.... they are stained with paint, bleach and god knows what else over the years... the crotch has been sewed together more than I've sewn anything else in my life.

Alas, I say goodbye to an old and faithful friend...  Do you hate to part with such prized possessions and life long friends? Let me know if you do!

I am a Putnamaniac that is sad to say goodbye to my old sweats! Friends forever!

Putnamaniac Activity Calendar

The Renegade Garden lives on... along with all the memories of where the plants came from!

Every garden I've ever had, I have loved.

Most plants in the gardens I've had have come from family's and friend's gardens.

Memories....

Then I sell the house, leave the gardens, and start over again.

The Renegade Garden began when I bought the condo. I planted on a steep hill. Really steep. Tons of rocks. Treacherous...

 Here is a picture of Debbie's iris from last summer... soon to be abloom again!

Again, the garden had many plants from many gardens, including lovely iris and day lilies from a friend's sister, who has since passed to greener gardens, and a white rose from a friend and her daughters that I have loved to pieces since forever.

I've been thinking about those plants since I sold the condo last fall. There was no time to take them with us to the new homestead and current best house in Putnamania.

Out of the blue I got an email the other day from the woman who bought my condo. She said that she was not interested in continuing the hilly, rocky, Renegade Garden and that I was welcome to come and help myself to the plants.

WOW!!!! That was the greatest email ever!

This morning I went and dug up iris and day lilies from Deb, the rose from all the sissies, sedum from Rae, May apples and tons more from my mom...

The memories will always remain, but now I have the plants, too!

Long live gardening, gardeners, and their plants. Spread the love and memories.

I am a Putnamaniac that loves to keep the memories alive with plants!

Putnamaniac Activity Calendar