Spent
I’m done in. Wiped out. Worn out. It’s all because of a seven-year-old.
Today was the Boston outing with Matilda and my brother, we had a ton of fun, but I’m too old for this!
I got up at 6:30 this morning, which was ugly in itself. I should try to get back into this schedule, as school is starting soon and I’ll be keeping an even tougher schedule in a couple of weeks. But I digress.
I was at their house by 8:15, so my sister-in –law could bring us to the train station. Matilda was quite excited and chattering away. This was, afterall, her first train trip. She’s the one who loves family stories, so she needed to hear about my first train trip. I didn’t recall what age I was, but I couldn’t have been much older than three. My mother and I took the train from Springfield to Northampton to visit my Nana. I was clad in a frilly dress (pink sticks in my head), white gloves, a hat and patent leather shoes.
Ladies dressed for travel in those days.
Quite a contrast to Matilda’s sneakers, t-shirt and shorts. Of course today I was wearing the same type of outfit.
We sat on the top level of the train, and she kept a running commentary going the entire time. Her favorite was "Ha, ha, cars, we’re in a train and we’re going faster than you and we’re not stuck in traffic Ha, ha, ha!"
It only took about forty-five minutes to get into town. We then headed on the subway to get to the Public gardens for a ride on the Swan Boats.
(A literary recommendation here. Read the children’s book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey for a wonderful description of the Swan Boats and Public Gardens of Boston.)
We walked through Boston Common and over to the Public Gardens, getting there just as the Swan Boats opened. This is a lovely ride on boats that are pedaled through a little pond. Only about twenty-five people fit on each boat, and you sit on what appear to be park benches. There is a huge carved swan at the rear of the boat. The entire ride only takes about fifteen minutes, but this is like a calm oasis in the middle of a busy city.
The day was beautiful and sunny and there was a bright blue sky that had a few puffy white clouds. There are weeping willow trees that surround the pond, and their branches dip so low that they touch the water. Children bring bread and crackers to feed the ducks, so the birds follow the boat, making lots of noise, demanding to be fed. They do some nifty gliding and diving tricks if the food is appetizing enough.
Matilda was thrilled.
After we disembarked, we headed to the subway to go to Quincy Market. At one point we were walking down Boylston Street, and there was a statue of some early American minister tucked between some trees. Matilda stopped dead in her tracks and stared and stared at it. Finally she asked. "What did he do and why did they freeze him?"
I totally cracked up. There are no statues in the town where we live, and I think in her eyes he looked a lot like Hans Solo when he’s put in the carbon at the end of The Empire Strikes Back! I reassured her that it was just made out of metal, not the real guy.
We got back to Government center and wandered through a farmers market that was being set up, but Matilda was less than thrilled with us. She reminded us that it was "Matilda’s Day" and we needed to get a move on to get to Quincy market. It was only about 10:45, but she needed a snack.
Pizza.
Oh to be seven again!
We walked through Quincy market for a bit (I went to a stamp store--quelle surprise!), then went to one of the wharves near the Aquarium. They have a very cool cruise every day at noon that costs only two dollars. It’s about a half-hour long and many of the people who work in the nearby offices bring their lunches to eat while sitting on deck and cruising Boston Harbor.
It was so relaxing and enjoyable!
Of course I felt compelled to remind my brother that this was almost the same premise that got Gilligan and his pals in trouble…..
The day was taking on a water theme. Or just walking.
It was then back to Quincy market for lunch, where Matilda managed to down a foot long hot dog. She then requested a cupcake. She didn’t really want the cupcake; she’s addicted to frosting. She just licked all the frosting off --with great relish-- and dumped the cake part after a couple of bites.
We wrapped up the day with two more subway trips and the train once again. Matilda decided that she would talk non-stop all the way home. Sort of a play by play on the scenery and the status of each town we were passing through.
She may have a future as a sports commentator.
She wore me out.
Of course now I’m limping around as if I’m in my dotage. The Achilles tendon is swollen beyond all former proportions and is killing me.
Age is murder.
I leave with my second favorite quote of the day.
Me: "So what is your mother doing today"?
Matilda: "I have no idea, but I think she’s going to your apartment and breaking all your stuff."
How does she come up with these things?
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