“Just Wait a Few Minutes!”

Posted on by Claremary P. Sweeney

fullsizerender_2Last Wednesday was unseasonably warm. Since it’s February in New England, it should be extremely cold. But that day it reached 65 Fahrenheit  (18.3 degrees Celsius). It looked, smelled and felt more like a lovely, late spring day.

Some friends and I decided to take fullsizerender-2advantage of the break in winter and go  to  the historic seaside village of Wickford to walk around and enjoy a leisurely lunch in the sunshine on the deck of the Beach Rose Cafe overlooking Wickford Cove.

Wickford was settled around 1641 by Richard Smith on land originally purchased from the Sachem Canonicus  by Roger Williams, Rhode Island’s founder. It grew as a port and a shipbuilding center. Captain Lodowick Updike inherited the land from Smith and developed much of the village between 1709-1715.img_1443

Many of the homes, churches and businesses bear historic plaques which date back to that time. The buildings are largely intact and on their original foundations and comprise one of the largest collections of 18th century dwellings in the northeast.

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It was a fantastic afternoon with old friends, filled with laughter.  That evening we sent each other photos of  our day together.

Wednesday night it snowed and the next morning we woke to below freezing weather and a storm that closed schools and businesses along the East Coast.

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Charley and I returned to the Village on Friday afternoon to snap some “After the Storm” photos.

img_2455Friday night we went to hear Tom Rush perform . He’s a folk singer who’s been around since the 1960’s when we were in college.

The concert began with a Joni Mitchell song. Her lyrics seemed to best  describe my feelings about this week’s weather.

The meteorologists are predicting another storm for Sunday through Monday. Charley and I will be snuggled up, once again, reading our Christmas books, Roxie and ZuZu in our laps, cozy inside our home in the woods.  It’s the best way I know to handle the fickleness of our New England winters.

 “I’ll ply the fire with kindling now,  I’ll pull the blankets up to my chin                    

 I’ll lock the vagrant winter out and I’ll  bolt my wanderings in                                        

I’d like to call back summertime, Have her stay for just another month or so          

But she’s got the urge for going, So I guess she’ll have to go….”

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Stay warm and to my friends in Australia – stay cool!

109 thoughts on ““Just Wait a Few Minutes!””

    1. Our snowfall is a fraction of yours in the Ukraine. But it is always an event which sends New Englanders into a tizzy, running to the grocery stores to get in a supply of bread and milk. Thanks for stopping by. As we speak, we are looking out the window to our 3rd snowfall of the week.

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    1. Peggy, I was watching the news, last evening, about the places that are undergoing scorching temperatures and the fire danger that can result. I’m glad to know you’re safe. So, we had a brief warm snap and you had a cold snap? Hmmmmmm. ☀️🌦💨❄️

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  3. My stay in New England toughened me up for life … these days, even living in the Gateway to the Alpes as I am at the moment, I scoff at what is called cold and what is called snow …. New England, I doff my cap to thee and I as ever I delighted in your words and pictures xx

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      1. I’ve experienced a blizzard in Moscow in May …. out of no-where from 70 degrees to below freezing in the time it took to take the metro from Red Square to Tverskaya (about 15 minutes in real money) …. I shall have to check out this lady’s blog – I’m sure I will find it enthralling and educational!

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      3. Oddly I might be able to help her with some contacts. My background was as a Literary Agent with William Morris and I am still in touch with many. Another boss is Chairman of BAFTA these days and they are VERY pro minority film-makers thank the Lord.

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      5. I’ve taken a little trip over there and she is quite adorable. The hugs are always welcome, particularly for fish who don’t quite know what pond they are in at the moment …. 🐟

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    1. I’m getting comments from other countries and one of my Australian friends said they just had a cold snap in the middle of their summer. I’ve actually been in London and Dublin during a snowfall. But it melts so much faster there than here in the states.

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  5. Love the photos, as always, Clare. I particularly liked the historic buildings, so beautifully maintained they look as good as new. I thought the Twain quote was a hoot. This could just as easily pertain to New Zealand, where we’re famous for having ‘four seasons in one day!’ 🙂

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    1. Yvette, you are supposed to be taking a bit of a respite! But I’m so glad you came to brighten up our snowy Sunday. The Village is a place you’d love. People live in all those houses with plaques and in the summer they have a nationally-known art festival along their main streets.

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      4. I’m ok I’m not looking forward to heading back to an empty RV. They called to pick up his ashes… Not looking forward to doing it

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  8. Love the photos and reading about your lovely afternoon out. We say in Scotland we can have four seasons in one day! Where we are has been very mild for most of this winter and though the last couple of days have been much colder with snow on the hills we are expecting it to warm up again this week. The weather is totally out of kilter everywhere (but there’s no such thing as climate change, right?).

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    1. Mary, The coldest night I’ve ever spent was in August in Fort William. The day was lovely and warm but the night in a B&B with no central heating was brutal! Dan Rather is doing a series on science, reason and common sense. Should be interesting. newsandgutsmedia.com
      I think all of Antarctica has to melt and disappear for some people to get it??????

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      2. We were at the base of Glen and Ben Evers, I think??? Someone had died at the top of Glen that week and we were told that it can happen if you’re not prepared properly for the climb. The only electric fire was in the downstair’s sitting room and I hovered over it for hours before heading up the stairs.

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  9. PS We are experiencing our first real food shortages – courgettes and aubergines have disappeared from the shops because of the bad weather in Spain. Lettuce, too, has vanished and garden centres are reporting a huge increase in the sale of lettuce, particularly, cos, seeds as people suddenly want to grow their own.

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  12. Ethel, so very beautiful! Oh, and the village too! Seriously, y’all look like you’re having a blast!!
    I love old historical buildings. (Duh- nothing like being redundantly repetitive, Melinda!)
    My Granny’s house got put on Plant City’s Historical Society list! We were all so excited!
    Love, Lucy

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    1. Lucy, Does your Grandmother still live in that house? I once rented an apartment in a very historical house in Providence but I’ve never owned one. There are restrictions, once you are listed, in regard to work on the building – even down to the color it can be painted. Our church is on the register. I loved the colors of some of the houses in Wickford. We did have a nice day. We’ve known each other for over 45 years. We were teachers together. And we used to celebrate each other’s birthdays and always get together for a Christmas party. For a few years, we’ve not been able to regularly schedule our get-togethers, but we are really trying to get back to seeing each other more often. Love, Ethel

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      1. Sadly, she passed away about 7 years ago. And my aunt sold the house about 4 years ago. She couldn’t afford all the work that it needed. But it has been rehabbed by its new owners I heard. I’ve been too chicken to go look. I’m afraid it would mess up my good memories of Granny. Is that silly, or what?
        That is so wonderful to have life long friends like that! I hope y’all are able to get together every year!
        Love, Lucy

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      2. Yes, friends can make this life much more palatable. I am sorry that your grandmother is no longer with you. Your Mom and Sister must be a comfort to you and I know you all have good memories of her. Some day, you should return to look at the old house. I think the memories would make you smile.

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    1. The last time we were there, a few years ago, it snowed but melted pretty quickly. We should be so lucky around here!
      It sounds like autumn and winter were good times to be there. Next time we go, we’d like to golf the courses on the Ring of Kerry.

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  14. It sounds like you had a lovely afternoon, and thanks for the reminder of Tom Rush’s version of one of Joni Mitchell’s lovely songs. One thing, though: the highest authority in your land has told us that climate change and variations are just a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, so how can we be sure that your pictures aren’t fake news? 😂

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    1. Don’t forget, I have an IN with the Chinese. I Skype with Milanda every Saturday. Do you think someone is listening in? Good Lord! If he is the highest authority, what does that make people who don’t recognize him as their leader!

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  15. I went through a huge Tom Rush phase in college and then promptly stopped listening to his music. That happens, I guess, when you overload on too much of one thing for too long. How cool though that he’s still performing, that you saw him (and apparently met him!). Nice pics and looks like you had fun with your friends. – Marty

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    1. Marty, I’ve always been a Tom Rush and Joni Mitchell fan but haven’t listened to that music in a while. Charley bought me tickets to the concert for a Christmas present and so many memories floated around me as we listened to those old songs. At intermission, he came right out to the lobby and began talking with everyone. He never really took a break. It was a fun day for me.

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  16. The poetry of that song is beautiful. Wasn’t the folk music of the sixties nice! I learned to play the baritone ukulele just so I could sing them. I was a big Joan Baez fan. Did Tom Rush have such a low voice when he was younger. It doesn’t go with that picture of him.

    Love those street signs: Love Street and Pleasant Street.

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    1. That actually was taken right from the old album. He still has a very good range but there is a raspiness that wasn’t there in the old days. I almost cried when he sang that song – it is quite lovely as all of Joni Mitchell’s songs are. I’m going to a concert at Tanglewood this summer with Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitte and the Indigo girls. You know it will make a great post. I had a folk group back in the 60’s and the lyrics just come rolling back to me so easily. Lately, I’ve taken out my vinyl records, guitar and ukulele out to rekindle my love of folk music.The poetry of it is enchanting.

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  17. Clare, I love this trip through Wickford with you – what a beautiful village, so well cared for, the history oozes from the photos.
    Have you read Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks? It’s historical fiction about the first Native American to
    graduate from Harvard in 1665 – an astonishing and difficult feat for the young man. Different state and earlier century from what you’ve highlighted here, but it conveys the sense of early America.
    Love Tom Rush, such a gorgeous voice – thanks for the link.

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    1. Sharon, One of the main settings in Caleb’s Crossing is Martha’s Vineyard, where he was born. You would love this Island, especially the section with the candy and pastel-colored Victorian houses. It does make me think of the small New England villages like Wickford. And there is much Native American history here in RI, too. I read the book long ago but should read it again. Gwendolyn Brooks is from Australia but lives on the Vineyard. You can catch a fast ferry over to the Island from North Kingstown. That’s where Wickford is. And yes, Tom Rush has a gorgeous voice and is unbelievably funny. Charley bought me his CD, “Trolling for Owls” and it has the most hilarious songs. I’m learning one now on my ukulele called “Let’s Talk Dirty in Hawaiian”. Right now, I’m trying to keep up with answering comments and have not had a chance to visit blogs, but I will visit soon.

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    1. Perfect picture! I must say I’ve always loved March. The air is so crisp and biting. I have memories of flying paper kites and getting them caught in tree limbs and telephone lines. So many colorful, tattered remnants hanging above our heads throughout the springtime!

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  23. I grew up in snowy area and always say I would never move back to somewhere it snows. But your before and after pictures remind me how cool it was after snow like that to go out and play in it.

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    1. I remember making snow forts on the front lawn and snow clinging to my woolen gloves. We had a blizzard out here in 1978 that brought everything to a halt for a week. It tuned the interstate into a parking lot. Ever since then, whenever the meteorologists predict snow, everyone runs to the stores to empty the shelves of milk and bread.

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    1. It’s almost spring around here. Charley and I planted bags of tulip and hyacinth bulbs last December and we’re looking forward to seeing them burst up through the ground. I just listened to One More Moment and watched the video. It’s so lovely!

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  28. Lovely to spend time with good friends. The weather here has been almost unbearably hot with many parts of our state over 40C. Being on the coast, most times we are a little cooler. Bring on winter! Loved the video.

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    1. And how are you faring in Dubai? Pleasantly, I hope. Today the March winds have been howling and the snow falling here in Rhode Island. But it is almost spring and the sunlight should melt it all away soon. I read your wonderful interview with Herb and it has made him very happy. Nicely done, my friend.

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