Month: November 2012

  • Wednesday, November 28, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Honoring the Life of Donald V. Little

    Mayor Thomas M. Menino, along with Annette Born, Harry Collings, Adrienne Camier, Julia Donahue, Christine Dunn, Pam Lazares, and Judith Little, invite you to join them for a holiday jog, nog and nod to honor the life of horseman Donald V. Little (pictured below at Myopia as a teenager,)  and to support the continuation of The Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit, on Wednesday, November 28, from 5:30 – 7:30 at The Parkman House, 33 Beacon Street in Boston.  Donation $500.  The Mayor thanks sponsors Christy and Jay Cashman, Julie and Ron Druker, Elizabeth L. Johnson, Barbara and David Roby, and The Friends of Post Office Square.

    There are many wonderful adjectives that come to mind when Don’s name is mentioned.  The phrase one hears most is “bigger than life.”  Don was that!  His life and the equestrian world were intertwined.  The Mounted Unit was one of his favorite causes.  Don was a keystone figure early on to help save Boston’s six horses.  We honor and thank him.  For more information, contact Julia Donahue at jdonahue@baystatefinancial.com, or call 617-585-4534.

  • Wednesday, December 5, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Lightwaves Opening

    Come out to the Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion (between State Street and Atlantic Avenue in Boston) on Wednesday, December 5 at 6 pm for the opening of Lightwaves, two temporary art installations curated by Boston CyberArts on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Experience artworks by Alex Reben and Georgie Freidman, followed by networking and a nightcap at a Greenway neighborhood establishment to be announced.  For more information visit www.rosekennedygreenway.org.

  • Sunday, December 2, 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm – Holiday Designs for Your Home with Priscilla Styer

    The Waltham Garden Club will present a holiday program entitled Holiday Designs for Your Home with Priscilla Styer on Sunday, December 2 at the Robert Treat Paine Estate on Gentleman’s Way in Waltham.  The afternoon will begin at noon with light refreshments, followed by the program at 1 pm, and a raffle at 2:30.  Priscilla will walk you through how she creates holiday designs for the home.  Reserve tickets early.  Tickets are $20 each.  To purchase, make a check out to The Waltham Garden Club and mail to Joanne Pazzano, 110 Gregory Street, Waltham, MA 02451.  Questions may be emailed to info@walthamgardenclub.com.

  • Thursday, November 29, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – The Ants of New England

    Ecologist Aaron Ellison (of the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA) and co-authors have just completed the new Field Guide to the Ants of New England (Yale University  Press), the first user-friendly regional guide devoted to the diversity, ecology, natural history and beauty of the “little things that run the world.” Lavishly illustrated with more than 500 line drawings and 300 photographs, Ellison’s guide introduces amateur and professional naturalists alike to more than 140 ant species found in the northeast U.S. and eastern Canada. On Thursday, November 29, beginning at 6 pm at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, hear a free lecture by the author followed by a book signing. Free event parking in the 52 Oxford Street garage.  For more information call 617-495-3045, or visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Wednesday, November 28, 7:00 pm – Holiday Workshop and Cookie Swap

    Come join members of the Burlington Garden Club on Wednesday, November 28, beginning at 7 pm, for some holiday cheer as we create lovely holiday decor while enjoying some sweet treats. Cheryl Heimlich of Heimlich Nurseries is sure to put everyone in the holiday mood by helping create either boxwood trees or a centerpiece. Come and make merry with fellow members by bringing 2 1/2 dozen cookies to swap and 6 cookies for the tea table. $20, payable at the door. Location: Burlington Rec Center, 61 Center Street Burlington, MA 01803.  Open to the public.

  • Holiday Wreaths By the Numbers

    Holiday Wreaths By the Numbers

    Orders are flying in for our spectacular holiday wreaths, which will be delivered around the neighborhood during the first week in December.  We thought a review of last year’s project would be interesting for our readers as they contemplate their purchases.  These statistics are especially helpful as we order materials and plan for our four day decorating marathon December 3 – 6 at The First Lutheran Church of Boston.  260 standard sized wreaths were sold last year, and 97 large wreaths were purchased or donated.  A few customers also ordered specialty sized wreaths, in advance, for special locations.  Poinsettia sales show a marked preference for red (32) versus white (25), and pink trailing at 4.  Next season, if pink poinsettia sales don’t pick up, we may drop the option.  Red bows are the overwhelming favorite color for pre-order, followed by red and gold combination, gold, burgundy, and plaid.  Tied for popularity at the bottom were silver and cream, with white dead last (the example below makes me wonder why that is!)  Many customers are kind enough to allow us “designer’s choice” and perhaps our most creative work is done for those adventurous people.  The most important number of all, of course, is the net profit which allows The Garden Club of the Back Bay to plant and prune the street trees in the neighborhood.  Damage from Hurricane Sandy would have been much worse had we not systematically pruned each and every street tree in Back Bay on a three year rotation.  So please, order now by clicking https://bostonflora.com/products-page/.

  • Monday, December 3, 6:00 pm – Repeal Day Anniversary Celebration

    Rumor has it that Charles Gibson bragged about the bathtub gin that he served at 137 Beacon Street during Prohibition. Join The Gibson House Museum on Monday, December 3 at 6 pm when the museum, in cooperation with Etiquetteer Robert Dimmick, hosts a benefit cocktail reception to celebrate the 79th anniversary of Repeal Day (December 5, 1933). We don’t have any of Charlie’s gin available, but the event will feature famous Knockabout Gin from Ryan and Wood Distillery in Gloucester.  For more information, email info@thegibsonhouse.org.

  • Sunday, November 18, 12:00 noon – Clean Food Revised Edition

    Clean Food is a feast for the senses that will nourish mind, body, and soul–and this revised edition by author Terry Walters offers lovers of fresh, seasonal vegan fare even more than before. In addition to all-new color photographs and 20 entirely new recipes, acclaimed chef and nutritionist Walters has updated the dishes to feature today’s most healthful ingredients. Hear her on Sunday, November 18 at 12 noon.

    Note: This event is happening at TAGS right next door to the Porter Square Bookstore in the Porter Square Shopping Center in Cambridge and is part of their Customer Appreciation Weekend celebration. Porter Square Books will be selling books and Terry will be signing after her demo. For more information visit www.portersquarebooks.com, or call 617-491-2220.

  • Thursday, November 29, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Holiday Wine Tasting

    The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay’s Wine Tasting Group invites you to a Holiday Wine Tasting at The Copley Society of Art: Holiday Small Works Exhibition, 158 Newbury Street, on Thursday, November 29,  from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Discover the art of fine wine surrounded by fine art.  Founded in 1879, The Copley Society of Art is the oldest non-profit art association in the United States, with over 500 living artist members: painters, photographers and sculptors.  To reserve, send a check payable to NABB by November 26 for $30 per person to Linda Morgan, 122 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116.  If you are bringing guests, please include their names when you send in your check, since names will be held at the door.