1) So yesterday was . . . interesting. Things seemed to happen simultaneously, and you know how much I enjoy multitasking. The morning’s pest control inspection, which confirmed an uneasy suspicion, was interrupted by the announcement via text that the second floor sold to a couple that has no children . . . yet. In the afternoon a surprise phone call from someone at Interlochen led to a productive conversation. During it, however, I got the first of many private messages that the unthinkable had become inevitable: DOYLE’S WAS CLOSING.
1a) Now anyone who knows me well knows that I eat at Doyle’s a lot - often twice a week - since I moved into the neighborhood 16 years ago. And even before that, whenever I would come out to JP to visit my friend Michael, I’d want to meet him at Doyle’s. There’s nothing better than one of those small box booths for two in the center room, with a good book or a good friend, for a cocktail and a chat. And it has been there FOREVER.
1b) First they came for Brasserie JO, and I had four farewell dinners there, and mourned, and moved on, ‘cause I no longer lived in the neighborhood. Then they came for Durgin-Park, and well . . . they’d been cooking for the tourists for YEARS, so in spite of its storied career, its actual importance was a myth. NOW, though - DOYLE’S is not just part of the fabric of everyday Boston, it’s part of the fabric of my every day.
1c) I will not miss walking by the bacchanalia of Saint Patrick’s Day, but I will miss the hoopla of the annual road race.
2) Up late this morning, back porch coffee and for devotional, this essay called “Life Is Short.” Quotable Quote: “The things that matter aren't necessarily the ones people would call "important." Having coffee with a friend matters. You won't feel later like that was a waste of time.”
3) Accomplishing a little task, especially one that’s been put off, can make you feel great. For years we have not had proper name plates over our doorbells. When I was in London I found exactly what I wanted at a “traditional” hardware store on Kensington High Street. Yesterday waiting for the pest control inspector I finally tacked them into place, and it feels great to have that done now.