Tag Archives: InCity Times website

Fashion

Always in style: THIS WEEKEND! Worcester World Cup! (Cultural exchange through soccer!!)

August 10, 2016 admin

This weekend!

AUGUST 12, 13 and 14

Foley Stadium
305 Chandler St.

We’re celebrating the 11th Worcester World Cup this year!

Let’s say that again, we’re celebrating the 11th anniversary of the best darn celebration of soccer this City has seen!

Kid Zone – Games, Moonbounce, Skill Building, Facepainting

Affordable authentic food from:

Somalia, Mexico, Iraq, Liberia, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Vietnam, China and Nigeria

BRING YOUR VUVUZELA ! ! !

Admission: FREE! – for kids! (under 18 yrs old)
Adults: $6 for Weekend Pass!

Friday, August 12:

5pm OPENING CEREMONY

5:30pm Honduras v Ecuador

6:45pm Jamaica v Somalia

8pm El Salvador v Albania

Saturday, August 13:

9:30am Iraq v Guatemala

10:45am Myanmar v Togo

12:00pm Youth Exhibition Game

1:15pm Nigeria v Brazil

2:30pm Liberia v Ghana

3:45pm USA v Kenya

5:00pm Men’s Quarterfinals

6:15pm Men’s Quarterfinals

Sunday, August 14:

9:00am Men’s Quarterfinals

10:15am Women’s Ecuador v Italy

11:15am Men’s Quarterfinals

12:30pm Women’s Ecuador v USA

1:30pm Men’s Semifinals

2:45pm Women’s Italy v USA

3:45pm Men’s Semifinals

5:00pm Women’s Final

6:15pm Men’s Final

7:30pm AWARDS CEREMONY

The Worcester World Cup was literally started 10 years ago in the dirt behind Elm Park Community School by Cultural Exchange Through Soccer(CETS).

It was started in response to the hostile climate against immigrants in our country and the way soccer was treated in our City.

The Worcester World Cup is our challenge to Worcester and our gift to Worcester’s many amazing immigrant communities!

CETS is a youth/adult volunteer community soccer effort. We play soccer. We get involved in community projects. We promote youth development and youth leadership. We are a mixture of nationalities, ages and backgrounds.

We ask our City leaders why they’re not fixing and building soccer fields.

We started as a 6-week youth soccer clinic in 2003 and have grown into so much more!

THANK YOU for being a part of this journey and for making the WWC an amazing festival every year.

Animal Issues

Green Island Grrrl: a Fourth of July column … and pics …

June 30, 2016 admin

Rosalie took these photos of a very patriotic Ward Street house a few days ago:

Go, Ward Street, go!

*******

Here’s the Fourth of July column she wrote a few years ago!

FOURTH OF JULY, GREEN ISLAND STYLE

By Rosalie Tirella

I’ve celebrated the Fourth on a blanket in Boston listening to the Boston Pops and guest vocalist Johnny Cash. I’ve celebrated the Fourth at East Park here in Worcester. Always a lovely time.

Last night I was thinking about my Green Island Fourth of July’s – the years when I was a kid and lived with my mother, father, sisters and grandmother in “the Island”:

I am a little kid – about 9 – and I am standing on our three decker’s back porch. Third floor. It is the afternoon and the sun is shining sweetly. I am looking at “Val,” the buxom middle-aged lady who lives across the way from our rickety three decker in her rickety six-unit building, on her third-floor porch. A big, weed-choked, empty lot lies between our buildings but that is all. The vegetation hasn’t kept Val from inserting herself into ours – everyone’s – lives.

She is wearing a negligee today – for the Fourth of July. I can see it from my back porch. She is on her back porch talking loudly. I swear I can see her bright red lips from my third floor porch! In 10 years I will have learned the word “slatternly,” and it will remind me of Val … but today I am a little kid so Val is just … Val.

Val is very drunk on this special national holiday – in a very happy, friendly way. She is talking with anyone who passes by her building, her ta ta’s damn near falling out of her negligee as she leans over her porch railing to chat up passersby who always chat back. I am standing on my porch, quiet as a mouse, not even smiling because I know Val can be scary sometimes. On a few occasions she has battled with my granny, called my granny, also feisty, a DP – Dumb Polack – during one of their shouting matches held across their back porches. DP, my mom tells me, really stands for Displaced Persons, what they sometimes called immigrants. Val is being mean when she yells DP at my granny, who doesn’t miss a beat and yells back: KISS MY ASSY! and turns her plump little dumpling shaped butt to Val – while standing on our back porch – and tap, taps her butt which is covered in those sweet all flannel nighties with little pink rose buds on them. Bapy – Polish for Granny – wore those flannel nighties year ’round – even in the summer.

Granny is not battling Val today. Granny is inside, sitting in her easy chair we have set up for her in the kitchen, at the head of the kitchen table, a place from which she candrink her cup of coffee, eat her egg sandwich and see and comment on all the household happenings. She has been sitting there my whole life! I love her with all my heart!

But I digress. Val is out on her porch today in her negligee because it is the Fourth of July, a special day – for her and America. Val has turned and gone inside her apartment, a flat that is also home to her wimpy boyfriend, gorgeous blond 18 year old daughter from another guy, and two huge attack dogs: a German Shepherd and Doberman. Both fierce. Both having chased me up a fence more than a few times. Val doesn’t believe in walking her dogs to do poop. She just lets them out, they rush down the three flights of stairs like noisy moose and shit and pee in the little front yard and rush back upstairs. Val has them trained to a tee.

Val has come out of her flat – this time she is carrying her portable record player. I am watching all this from my back porch – not saying a word, not even smiling. Just waiting … . Val puts her record player down, hooks it up to a bunch of extension cords and I see her going back in, cord in hand. Then she comes out with a record album – a big one. I am guessing it is the same one she played last year, has the songs which we – the entire Bigelow Street neighborhood – heard last Fourth of July: patriotic tunes. The kind you can – like Val – march around on your Green Island porch to. Later I would learn these songs were written by John Philip Sousa.

Val puts on her lp. Cranks it up! Da da da da da da de da da! La da da da de da da! Boy, this music is good! Very up beat! I am tapping my feet! I look across the way and see Val crack open another beer and take a sloppy swig and lie on her reclining beach chair on her porch. I can see her relaxing through the slats on her porch through the slats on my porch!

The music is great! Val is getting drunker. …

It is a few hours later and Val is singing – to the entire neighborhood! The folks in our hood are getting ramped up! People are coming out and throwing chairs and sofas and old tires into a big pile in the empty lot a few lots down from Val’s place, diagonally across the way from our three decker flat. I go in doors and crow to my mom: THEY ARE GETTING READY FOR THE BIG BONFIRE, MA! To myself: HOORAY!

My mom, careworn, grimaces. She doesn’t say a word, never voices her disapproval of Val. But I know she is not thrilled with the situation. Sometimes she is the one who will call the Worcester Fire department when the flames of the big bonfire grow too huge and lap up the July night air and orange sparks fill our Green Island night. The fire has never spread cuz the neighborhood kids and adults have kept it in check with big poles that they use to poke at it. But the flames still worried my mom …

But the eve has just begun! I so want to be a part of the celebration and throw some of Bapy’s rags onto the bonfire! She has so many that she wraps her arms in for her arthritis. Old country ways/cures die hard in Green Island. … Bapy never really changes her clothes. Just gives herself sporadic sponge baths and peels off old rags and puts on new ones. She always smells fecund. I love her odor! I still miss her Bapy smell!! If only we could re-smell all the people we have loved through the years. The men I have been with, my late mom who held me to her heavy Heaven Scented perfumed breasts as a child and a teen, my Bapy’s immigrant odor, my long-gone dog Bailey’s gamey scent … .

Anyways, the bonfire was being readied for the big night, but my mom would never let me join in the mayhem. It was all a little too wild for us. We were the good kids. My mom the perfect mom who worked so hard at the dry cleaners and went to church with her three girls every Sunday. My mom knew everyone in the hood and was always polite and talked with folks, etc – she was not a snob. But, she liked to tell her girls, she would never sit and have a cigarette with the ladies, like half the women in our hood did – visiting each other in each other’s tenements, gossiping about folks, bitching about cheating husbands and boyfriends. My mother was busy raising her girls as perfectly as she could, making sure they went to school every day and did all their homework and got all As and went to bed early and ate well. She had no time to wallow in her poverty – or her husband’s wild ways. She – we – transcended the shit.

So, there I was, stuck on our third-floor porch. An observer. My sisters would be home from Crompton Park soon. They would love this spectacle, too! Not as much as I did. But they would hang out on the porch, eating Freeze Pops, their lips ice blue from the sugared ice treat – and watch.

My father would disappear for the day. Celebrate in his own fashion, I guess. He was as crooked as some of the guys in the hood, but he played out his crookedness in other parts of Worcester. I suspect the East Side of town. What my mom and us kids didn’t know wouldn’t hurt us.

… It was dark out now and Val was singing up a storm and marching around her porch. La di da di da!!! Bang bang! Someone had lit the bonfire and everyone was gathered around it! Except for me and my kid sisters. We were on our back porch eating Freeze Pops, mesmerized by the flames – they must have been two stories high! The folks in the hood out did themselves this year! It was like something you would see in an old Western movie – the Indians roasting an elk on a spit they had set up over the flames. People’s faces orange from the glow of the flames. Very primitive and real.
“Come out here, Ma!” I yelled to my mother. “Ya should see how big the bonfire is this year!!”

My mother was indoors getting our clothes ready for the Fourth of July cook out we would be having at our Uncle Mark and Aunt Mary’s the next day. They lived in a a cute pink ranch house in the Burncoat area – a nicer part of town. My mom liked this part of the Fourth best of all. A day off she could celebrate with her favorite sister in her sister’s big back yard, my Uncle Mark grilling hamburgers and hot dogs on the big three legged grill he had stoked with those black brickettes he always doused with lighter fluid. Yum, yum, yum ! We were all pre-vegetarian in those days – ate meat, Nissaan white rolls and buns, potato chips, soda, Cheez-Its … the typical American BBQ 1960s fare. Heaven!

Ma would have none of it. She was busy making sandwiches for the cook out at Uncle Mark’s. She wanted us in bed early for tomorrow. We kids would have none of it. The flames were roaring! So was Val! Some jerk threw too many old tires on the bon fire, so now the air smelled awful! It was thick with gray smoke. We kids started coughing. Ma came out and took a look. Her mouth fell open. She looked at her three silly girls and frowned. I knew … She was calling 911.

In a matter of minutes the Worcester Fire Department had come and the fireman were hosing down the bon fire with their big hoses. The flames were doused out! Smoke was everywhere.

BOO! BOO! BOO! shouted all the kids and adults at the firemen. You could hear their laughs, too.

“Boo, Boo! Boo!!!” my sisters and I yelled from our back porch, laughing. “BOO! BOO!”

It had been, as usual, a fab Fourth of July!

Fashion

Edith – always in style! … SOME SUMMER YUM YUMS

June 27, 2016 admin

Did someone say “flan”?!

Summer Soups

By Edith Morgan

We think of soups as a winter comfort food, steaming hot, full of nutritious flavors, with vegetables and meats all cooked together, and eaten with sandwiches , toast or crackers. But as I was reminiscing about my (very long-ago) childhood, I remembered my mother making what she called cold or summer soup. It usually involved a fruit puree – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or whatever berries were in season – and a small amount of sugar (honey can be used as a healthy sweetener in these days of diabetes and obesity), or it could be omitted entirely, as some of the fruits are quite sweet enough in their natural state, when really ripe.

The soup was also, I suspect, a great way to use up fruit that was already a bit too ripe but not yet so far gone as to have to make it to the compost heap.

I searched various media, as well as my old cookbooks and magazines but could not find a generic “fruit soup” recipe l. Finally, in a very yellowed cookbook that my mother’s sister Grete ( short for Margarete) had sent her from Germany in 1948. The booklet, published in 1948, and entitled “Mit Verstand und Liebe” (With Understanding and Love) listed a category called Wine and Beer Soups, Fruit Soups, and Cold Dishes.

For the strawberry cold soup…

1.use one pound fresh strawberries, add sugar, and let them sit for one hour.

2. pour one liter apple juice or rhubarb juice over the strawberries,

3. sweeten to taste

4 let sit in refrigerator until ready to use.

At the time this book was written, widespread use of blenders had not yet begun. So I would put it all in a blender and puree it. Nowadays we create these fruit drinks and call them “Smoothies”! So today we have much more opportunity to be creative with these summer dishes.

My mother decorated these soups with little “islands” of beaten egg white – nowadays we can no longer do that, as the egg whites would be uncooked. But we can substitute “Cool Whip” or even real whipped cream. Sweeten with a little sugar, perhaps a drop of vanilla or rum – just to add extra flavor.

Another great summer treat is flan!

If you are in a hurry, there are packages, either flan or caramel custard, ready to cook.

If not, here is a Mexican, Southwest U.S. version…

Flan

1 ¾ cups sugar divided

1 tablespoon water

3 egg whites

8 egg yolks

2 large cans evaporated milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

To make the caramel, combine 1 cup of sugar and the tablespoon of water. Heat until it melts and becomes golden brown (stir constantly with wooden spoon. Swirl the caramel around in the pan you will use for the flan, and let it cool.

To make the custard, beat the remaining ingredients well, and pour them into the carameled pan.

Cover it and place it into a larger pan containing one inch of water.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

When done turn the custard onto a serving dish (the caramel will be on top) – cover and refrigerate for several hours.

Again, this dish tastes great with whipped cream on top – and perhaps a mint leaf for garnish….

Enjoy!

InCity Voices

The Green Rainbow Party Convention: 5-21-16

May 25, 2016 admin

Gordon Davis, center, at a Green Rainbow workshop; it was one of several held during the political party’s recent convention.

For the “Third Party,” Neither Trump Nor Clinton

By Gordon Davis

The Green Rainbow Party of Massachusetts held its annual convention May 21 in Worcester.

The Green Rainbow Party of Massachusetts is the official state affiliate of the Green Party US. The national Green Party has made unofficial overtures to Senator Bernie Sanders to form a left-of-center third party should he not win the Democratic nomination.

There was some discussion of how the Reds (Green for Republican) and the Blues (Democrats) were breaking up, similarly to what happed to the Whigs before President Lincoln. I do not think this is the election of the third party. It might, however, be soon.

Jill Stein of Lexington is the favorite daughter of the Green Rainbows. All of its delegates seemingly are committed to Dr. Stein for the national convention of the Greens in Houston, TX, in August. The national Green Party platform included basic income for all regardless of work status, single payer health insurance similar to Medicare, universal good free public education from kindergarten through college, and replacement of fossil fuels by renewable fuels.

The Green Rainbow convention also endorsed the candidacy of Charlene DiCalogero, running for state rep in Worcester’s 14th District and Danny Factor, vying for state rep in Worcester’s 12th District.

There were two informational speakers at the convention:

The first was Jonathan Simon who talked about electric vote counting. He pointed out statistical anomalies between the hand counted ballots and electronically counted ballots. The software for the electronic counters is proprietary, and no election commission anywhere can review the software. Even in Massachusetts the Secretary of State does not allow a comparison of hand counted ballots to the quantity of votes counted electronically.

The second speaker was Mary Lawrence who spoke on animal rights. She made an interesting observation. Ms. Lawrence said when farm animals are treated badly, the workers on those farms are also treated badly. This bad treatment eventually finds its way into society.

The Green Rainbow Party adopted a support resolution for BlackLives Matter during its 2015 convention. This was well ahead of the Democratic and Republican parties. As a part of this convention, the Green Rainbows organized a workshop on racism and BlackLives Matter. The workshop leader was scheduled to be Julius Jones, who confronted Secretary Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire last year. Unfortunately, he had to cancel.

Something of a crisis was handled well by the convention coordinator, David Spanagel. He recruited Darlene Elias, a leader of the BlackLives Matter civil rights movement in Holyoke. A local activist from Worcester assisted her. The discussion was energized and focused on how to interrupt offense behavior. Merelice, a town representative, from Brookline spoke of her efforts to fight racism at City Hall.

Merelice, standing, discussed efforts to eliminate racism in her town.

Other workshops included a discussion of the fight against the gas pipelines through Massachusetts and a workshop on global climate change.

The upcoming presidential election will be a test for the Greens nationally. The party may grow as more people express their disgust for candidate Donald Trump and their mistrust of candidate Hillary Clinton. Regardless, the Green Rainbows seem on the verge of a break-through on several local levels.

InCity Yum Yums

Nature! Fun!

April 13, 2016 admin

Flower photos by Chef Joey!

May Programs Offered by
Mass Audubon’s Broad Meadow Brook
Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary

414 Massasoit Rd.

bmbrook@massaudubon.org www.massaudubon.org

Advance registration is required for most programs.

Programs are held at Broad Meadow Brook unless otherwise indicated.

Volunteer Day at Broad Meadow Brook
5/4/2016, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Fee: Free
Description: Help care for the sanctuary and enjoy a few hours of fresh air, fun and fulfillment. Come once or every week and become part of our growing group of sanctuary volunteers. Together with Mass Audubon staff, put up signs and markers, look for wildlife tracks, pick up branches, fill bird feeders, tend the gardens, and distribute program information. Some tasks may require heavy lifting. Ability to work without supervision required. Carpentry skills welcome. Nature lovers appreciated. Sponsored by Wheelabrator Millbury. For more information, call 508-753-6087..

Nature of Massachusetts: Spring in the Berkshires

5/5/2016, 5/12/2016, 5/19/2016 and 5/26/20116, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Fee: $80 Members, $100 Nonmembers
Description: The Berkshires Hosts special flora and fauna uncommon to the rest of the state, and bird migration occurs in some unique and beautiful locations Every Thursday learn about the ecology of spring species and watch the Berkshires and Taconics come alive this season. Weekend trips are part of the class. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Friday Morning Birds

5/6/2016, 7:00 AM-9:00 AM
Fee: Free for Adult Members, $5 Adult Nonmembers
Description: Enjoy a leisurely birding experience and help document the sanctuary birds over the season. This walk helps us confirm which birds are migrating and which are year-round residents. We’ll explore different corners of the sanctuary each time … you never know what we will find. Birders of all levels are invited. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Saturday-Morning Bird Walk for Adults

5/7/2016, 7:00 AM-9:30 AM
Fee: Free for Adult Members, $5 Adult Nonmembers
Description: Explore the sanctuary grounds in search of birds during this program for casual and novice birders alike. Come discover the immense variety of birdlife that exists at this large urban sanctuary. We’ll teach you the basics of birding and bird identification during an easy-to-moderate walk along the trails. Bring binoculars and field guidesor borrow ours. Dress in layers for changeable weather. Wear sturdy shoes for the trails. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

First Saturday of the Month Volunteer Days at Broad Meadow Brook

5/7/2016, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Fee: Free
Description: Help care for the sanctuary and enjoy a few hours of fresh air, fun and fulfillment. Come once or every week and become part of our growing group of sanctuary volunteers. Together with Mass Audubon staff, put up signs and markers, look for wildlife tracks, pick up branches, fill bird feeders, tend the gardens, and distribute program information. Some tasks may require heavy lifting. Ability to work without supervision required. Carpentry skills welcome. Nature lovers appreciated. Sponsored by Wheelabrator Millbury. For more information, call 508-753-6087..

Spring Wildflowers at Broad Meadow Brook

5/7/2016, 1:00 PM-3:00 PM
Fee: $6 Adult Members, $8 Adult Nonmembers
Description: Spring ephemerals will be making their debut at this time of year. Woodland wildflowers peep out side-by-side with fern fiddleheads and the delicate greens of the trees and shrubs as they leaf out. We’ll look for dwarf ginseng, golden ragwort, and just maybe an early lady’s slipper on our gentle walk along the trails. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Volunteer Day at Broad Meadow Brook

5/11/2016, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Fee: Free
Description: Help care for the sanctuary and enjoy a few hours of fresh air, fun and fulfillment. Come once or every week and become part of our growing group of sanctuary volunteers. Together with Mass Audubon staff, put up signs and markers, look for wildlife tracks, pick up branches, fill bird feeders, tend the gardens, and distribute program information. Some tasks may require heavy lifting. Ability to work without supervision required. Carpentry skills welcome. Nature lovers appreciated. Sponsored by Wheelabrator Millbury. For more information, call 508-753-6087.

Nature Adventures for 5-7 Year Olds

5/12/2016, 1:00 PM-3:00 PM
Fee: $8 Child Members, $12 Child Nonmembers.
Description: Join us for a hands-on nature program designed especially for five, six, and seven year olds. Each month we’ll focus on a new nature topic. We’ll explore our nature topic indoors using investigations, crafts, and activities, and outdoors in Broad Meadow Brook’s beautiful 400-acre wildlife sanctuary. These classes will provide in-depth learning in a supportive social environment. (Homeschool classes for 8-16 year olds meet at the same time.) For ages 5 to 7. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Homeschool Programs at Broad Meadow Brook – Adaptations

5/12/2016, 1:00 PM-3:00 PM
Fee: $8 Child Members, $12 Child Nonmembers.
Description: How do animals and plants survive in various habitats? We’ll look at a variety of species that live on our sanctuary and see how their special adaptations help them to survive. We will get the chance to explore some adaptations using common tools familiar to humans and take a hike on the trails to search for evidence of adaptations. Broad Meadow Brook’s homeschool programs offer a friendly, cooperative learning environment for people of all ages! Our homeschool programs are designed for the homeschooling family. Parents are welcome to attend, or students may stay on their own if a medical form is on file with the sanctuary. Advance registration is required. At the end of all programs, students will receive follow-up information and activities so the learning can continue at home. We look forward to learning with you! For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Friday Morning Birds

5/13/2016, 7:00 AM-9:00 AM
Fee: Free for Adult Members, $5 Adult Nonmembers
Description: Enjoy a leisurely birding experience and help document the sanctuary birds over the season. This weekly walk helps us confirm which birds are migrating and which are year-round residents. We’ll explore different corners of the sanctuary each week … you never know what we will find. Birders of all levels are invited. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Birdwatching at Mount Auburn Cemetery

5/15/2016, 7:00 AM-12:00 PM
Fee: $25 Adult Members, $32 Adult Nonmembers
Description: Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a national historic landmark and has been a mecca for birds and birdwatchers since it was founded in 1831. May is Mount Auburn’s glory month, with an impressive variety of spring migrants that rest and feed at the cemetery, en route to breeding grounds in the forests of northern New England and Canada. Meet at Broad Meadow Brook at 6:45 am to ride in the van or meet at 8:00 am at Mount Auburn Cemetery. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Volunteer Day at Broad Meadow Brook

5/18/2016, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Fee: Free
Description: Help care for the sanctuary and enjoy a few hours of fresh air, fun and fulfillment. Come once or every week and become part of our growing group of sanctuary volunteers. Together with Mass Audubon staff, put up signs and markers, look for wildlife tracks, pick up branches, fill bird feeders, tend the gardens, and distribute program information. Some tasks may require heavy lifting. Ability to work without supervision required. Carpentry skills welcome. Nature lovers appreciated. Sponsored by Wheelabrator Millbury. For more information, call 508-753-6087..

Third Week Wonders Preschool Series: Yucky Worms

5/18/2016, 10:00 AM-11:00 AM
Fee: $3 Child Members, $4 Child Nonmembers, Adults Free
Description: If you are between the ages of 3 and 5, bring your favorite adult for a thematic hour of a story, an activity, and a naturalist-led walk. Choose from the third Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday of each month. Be prepared to go outside. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Third Week Wonders Preschool Series: Yucky Worms

5/19/2016, 10:00 AM-11:00 AM
Fee: $3 Child Members, $4 Child Nonmembers, Adults Free
Description: If you are between the ages of 3 and 5, bring your favorite adult for a thematic hour of a story, an activity, and a naturalist-led walk. Choose from the third Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday of each month. Be prepared to go outside. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Friday Morning Birds

5/20/2016, 7:00 AM-9:00 AM
Fee: Free for Adult Members, $5 Adult Nonmembers
Description: Enjoy a leisurely birding experience and help document the sanctuary birds over the season. This weekly walk helps us confirm which birds are migrating and which are year-round residents. We’ll explore different corners of the sanctuary each week … you never know what we will find. Birders of all levels are invited. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Third Week Wonders Preschool Series: Yucky Worms

5/21/2016, 10:00 AM-11:00 AM
Fee: $3 Child Members, $4 Child Nonmembers, Adults Free
Description: If you are between the ages of 3 and 5, bring your favorite adult for a thematic hour of a story, an activity, and a naturalist-led walk. Choose from the third Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday of each month. Be prepared to go outside. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Connecting with Nature: Identification and Uses of Local Plants – Five Class Sessions

5/22/2016, 6/26/2016. 7/24/2016, 8/21/2016 and 9/18/2016, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM
Fee: $45 Adult Members, $55 Adult Nonmembers
Description: Our 2,000 local plant species range widely in seasonality, preferred habitat, and beauty of physical form. Many also hold surprises and secrets to discover – delicious edibles, useful parts for crafts, striking fragrances, and importance in human history and culture. This series will explore these and other plant connections and offer hands-on recognition and practical experience getting closer to our green world. As an example, we might collect sweet vernal grass in May, make wild strawberry tea in June, explore the multi-use cattail in July, identify our many blackberry species in August, and make fruit leather from invasive autumn olive in September. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Connecting with Nature: Identification and Uses of Local Plants

5/22/2016, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM
Fee: $10 Adult Members, $13 Adult Nonmembers
Description: Our 2,000 local plant species range widely in seasonality, preferred habitat, and beauty of physical form. Many also hold surprises and secrets to discover – delicious edibles, useful parts for crafts, striking fragrances, and importance in human history and culture. This series will explore these and other plant connections and offer hands-on recognition and practical experience getting closer to our green world. As an example, we might collect sweet vernal grass in May, make wild strawberry tea in June, explore the multi-use cattail in July, identify our many blackberry species in August, and make fruit leather from invasive autumn olive in September. Sign up for one class at a time, or select the “Five Class Sessions” option for a discounted rate. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Yoga at the Sanctuary

5/22/2016, 6/26/2016. 7/24/2016, 4:30 PM-5:30 PM
Fee per class: $15 Members, $17 Nonmembers
Register for all 3 classes and save! Fee for all 3 classes: $37 Members, $45 Nonmembers
Description: Yoga is a beautiful way to connect to your inner refuge. In this class, you will be encouraged to discover what each pose feels like from the inside, allowing you to just be as you are. The first half of the class will be about bringing stability and strength to a pose; the second half will be about stretching and relaxing into the pose. Come experience yoga surrounded by the serenity of nature. This class is for all levels. Beginners are welcome. Sign up for one class at a time, or select the “All 3 Classes” option for a discounted rate. Shari Solomon, owner of Cocoa Plum Yoga, has been teaching in the Boston area since 2012 and practicing since 1978. For more information on Cocoa Plum, visit www.cocoaplumyoga.com. For ages 16 and older. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Flower Mandalas for Meditation, Healing, and Coloring!
5/22/2016, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Fee: Free for Mass Audubon members, $5.00 Nonmembers
Description: Join us for a presentation by internationally acclaimed photographer David J. Bookbinder, who will discuss his award-winning flower mandalas. David will read from his book, Fifty-Two Flower Mandalas: A Meditation, and discuss the meditative and healing aspects of nature, mandala making, and coloring. At 7:30 pm, the program concludes, and David’s photo exhibit “Flower Mandalas” officially opens with refreshments and celebrating. David will have copies of his new book, 52 Flower Mandalas: An Adult Coloring Book for Inspiration and Stress Relief, available for purchase and signing, with sample coloring book pages for attendees. For ages 16 and older. For more information and to register, call 508-753-6087.

Animal Issues

Lilac is here…Yes, they’ve got hoodies! And so much more! FUN …

April 11, 2016 admin

Rosalie loves visiting Unique Finds! Here are some goodies she photographed TODAY!

Unique Finds – Open tomorrow!

Open 7 days a week!

Until 7 p.m. (pics:R.T.)

Lilac!!! What are you doing in this post?!

Love JT!!!!!!

Green Island Grrrl, Rosalie's Blog

I am sorry, Brittany

February 11, 2016 admin

If you’ve checked our website you’ll see we pulled the black face story by Gordon Davis and my paragraphs backing him. I did this yesterday evening. Gordon Davis is one of my favorite people – a Holy Cross college grad, a terrific writer and a leader in the Black community. In person, he’s sweet, articulate and soft-spoken. I am proud to call him my friend.

When Gordon was called out on his piece, I called him and said: Is this true? Is your source a reliable source?

Gordon said yes.

A few hours later I asked Gordon for the name of his source. I wanted to call him or her – and ask the question for myself. Was Brittany in black face at a party?

Gordon said he preferred not to give me his source/the source’s contact information. He was politely adamant about this.

I decided to PULL THE TWO POSTS BECAUSE I COULD NOT CONFIRM THE TRUTH.

This morning I received a call – from a trusted source. The person and I talked. The person said while Brittany Legasey has “her issues,” she did NOT appear at a party in black face. The person asked Brittany point blank and Brittany replied NO.

I’ve been publishing and doing a ton of writing for InCity Times for 15 years: most of our stuff is pretty wonderful, I think. We get so much positive feedback from the person on the street. Loyal readers who love us. But I’ve made a few mistakes during these 15 years. The Brit in black face was one of them. And I am sorry for this mistake, hurting someone.

Peace, Brittany, peace …

– Rosalie Tirella

Animal Issues

What with Valentine’s Day around the corner …

January 29, 2016 admin

… it’s good to remember this:

Music

Barbra sings Laura!

January 5, 2016 admin

Fashion

DIY body scrub!

December 20, 2015 admin

From PETA.ORG:

If you’ve got 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar, you’re well on your way to a heavenly, all-natural scrub!

All you’ll need to add to the sugar is 2 tablespoonfuls of coconut oil and 3 drops of vanilla extract.

Mix the ingredients together, apply to wet skin, and exfoliate to your heart’s content. We couldn’t believe how satiny-soft our skin felt afterward.

DIY cosmetics can be affordable and easy to make, and when you choose cruelty-free ingredients, there’s no danger that cruel tests on animals were involved.

DIY cosmetics also make perfect holiday gifts.

We suggest making a big batch and decorating some small bottles with paint or ribbon for an adorable vegan gift for everyone at your holiday gathering!

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Doesn’t Jett look fashionable trapped in his Elizabethan collar?! Lilac nipped him…a trip to the vet a must … dollars flew out of my wallet in sundry directions

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