The First of Many Lasts

… dotted by Meghann

It’s that time of year; when parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles all over Dorchester and the world at large will sit back, scratch their heads and think, “Where did the time go?”… so at least I know that I’m not alone in what I’m feeling.

Tomorrow is my 3-year-old son’s last day at the daycare he’s attended for the past two years. And while he’ll undoubtedly miss Miss Cynthia and her staff, he’ll be attending camp at the Hyde Park YMCA this summer and next fall he’ll start at Ashmont Nursery School; he’s über-excited about the prospect of both.

Me on the other hand? I want to sit down and cry big, fat, salty tears because I know that this is just the first in a long line of “lasts” on the long/(short) road to his adulthood …

We Fancy … Summertime Plans

… dotted by the DottieHotties

“… and the livin’ is easy.”

Songs about summertime are never in short supply.  With longer days, and higher temperatures, even the meekest songbird is prone to belt out a tune about jumpin’ fish, two bare feet on a dashboard, or sitting back to rewind.  With the glow of July and August before us, we share with you our “hottest” Dorchester plans …

Leslie fancies … shaking it.

… ordering the best summer take out meal when it’s too hot to cook: fresh tofu spring rolls and pineapple shakes from Pho Hoa.

… tuning up and outfitting my new bike at  Ashmont Cycles, then cruising the Neponset River Trail and the closed Chickatawbut Road on Sundays.

… shaking my tail-feather at the Dot YMCA during Monday night Zumba!

… and being determined to make it to the Ashmont Grill’s buttery-shellfish-fest, “The Lobstah Bake” on August 12th.

Meghann fancies … filling up.

… make it to A Sweet Place in Fields Corner for some sugary treats.

… check out the new PS Gourmet Coffee – a South Boston chain – in Adams Village and try one of their famous breakfast sandwiches.

… trying Karma Longtin’s yoga classes at The Stitch House.

… and stopping in at Repeat Boutique on Pope’s Hill to see if there are any bits and baubles to supplement my boring maternity wardrobe.

Bekki fancies … splashing on.

… treating the kiddos to a creamy treat from the Sugar Bowl – we’ve never been!

… becoming splash park experts; our standby is the Spray Deck at Neponset Landing II, while there is a wonderful buzz about the new park off Centre Street behind St. Marks.

… meeting my newest fantastic facebook friend, Katie Ryan, of Katherine Jane Photography, in real time.

… and joining fellow DottieHottie Leslie in signing up for our first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and becoming a regular at the Peabody Square Farmers Market every Friday afternoon (3pm-7pm).

Poetry by Barbara Roper

… dotted by Bekki

“The Yard Sale surely proves one thing … ”

The loot we scored at this year’s Ashmont Hill Yard sale includes: a bright red bookcase, two rugs that appear custom-made for my hallway, an Aloha-worthy Hawaiian shirt, $22 worth of mouth-watering ribs, and — in a moment of weakness — an eerily realistic mechanical cat named Snowflake purchased with someone’s “piggy bank” money.

The best things in life truly are free, and not even Snowflake the Wonder Cat can compare to the Dorchester-inspired poetry generously distributed by Yard Sale enthusiast, Barbara Roper.

Barbara Roper is full of DotLove

The Lure of Ashmont Hill

It is a thrill to see crowds mill

Around our yards on Ashmont Hill

To buy our wares – to stop and stare

And say, “Dorchester? We can’t be there!”

*

Many I’m sure are flabbergasted

To think that these beautiful homes have lasted

Through all the conflict and departure

To Suburbia and “greener pasture”

*

Some people come with the expectation

Of run down homes and desolation

The image of Dorchester is badly smeared

But after the Yard Sale we hope some of it is cleared

*

The looks of amazement at turrets and towers

Victorian homes, shrubbery and flowers

Carriage houses and lawns manicured

Stained-glass windows, many folks are allured

*

People are friendly – cars are few

Cause for many heads to turn askew

Where in Boston could you find today

Such beautiful homes within view of the bay?

*

The noise, the pollution, the utter confusion

They call city life – what a delusion

Bumper to bumper some crawl every night

And fight their way home to “suburban delight”

*

There are many advantages to living right here

We have lots of parking space and good clean air

We enjoy city living and suburbia too

Those who have both are certainly few

*

We can hop on a train at Ashmont Station

And get connections to all parts of the nation

But it is great to come back home again

And know that it is nicer than any place you’ve been

*

The Yard Sale surely proves one thing

There is a place in Dorchester where things really swing

Between young and old there is communication

No generation gap – just regeneration!

The Landmark Roper Yard Sale on Ashmont Hill

The Ashmont Hill Yard Sale occurs annually each May and includes over 40 families.