*

I am not surprised that poet Wendy Drexler is a cavity-nest monitor for the Massachusetts Audubon Society. I am not quite sure what that is, but I imagine she spends a lot of time in nature – watching and observing – all fodder for this wonderfully observed collection, Before There Was Before.

*

Our poet this week is Carla Schwartz. Carla has a new collection out, Intimacy with the Wind. Here is what noted poet Fred Marchant wrote of the book: “Living on a solar-powered houseboat as it moves up and down Lake Champlain is bound to make one intimate with the wind – its vagaries, energies, and comforts alike. But in Carla Schwartz’s new collection of poems, there are also the winds that pass over and through the inner landscapes. There are, for instance, the winds that bring us together in love, and the winds that draw us apart in grief. Also, there is the chill wind of the harm that some may do to others, and there are the winds of determined resilience, the kind that carry the survivor to the shore. These finely crafted poems give us this poet’s vivid sense of being in the world, as if we are with her breathing in what life has to offer, a good wind overhead, like a blessing.” — Fred Marchant, author of Said Not Said (Graywolf Press, 2017).

The City of Somerville’s Engineering Department announced this week that construction previously scheduled to begin in November for the Community Path, between Buena Vista Rd. and the Cambridge line, will be postponed until 2018.

The project will repair drainage systems in that area to address recurring flooding issues and to improve safety.

Arrests:
*

Leodan Salmeron-Molina, November 28, 9:07 a.m., arrested at Middlesex Ave. on a warrant charge of assault and battery.

David McCollin,  November 28, 8:56 p.m., arrested at McGrath Hwy. on charges of drug possession to distribute, trafficking in cocaine, and operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

The City of Somerville Health and Human Services Department (HHS) is offering FREE flu shots for anyone age 4 and up, with or without health insurance. Free vaccines are still available. HHS is hosting a final clinic from 1:00-4:00pm at St. Benedict Parish (21 Hathorn St.) on Sunday, January 7^th. You can also stop by the HHS office at City Hall Annex (50 Evergreen Ave.) during normal business hours to get your flu shot. Office is open MWF 8:30am-4:30pm, Th 8:30am-7:30pm, F 8:30am-12:30pm. If you do have health insurance, please bring your Health Insurance Card (this includes Medicare).

Continuing a multi-year planning and design process, all interested parties are invited to join Mayor Joseph Curtatone and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development on Tuesday, December 5, at 6:00 p.m. at the Brickbottom Artists Association, 1 Fitchburg St., for a meeting to discuss the future of the ARTFarm site.  Attendees will be updated on next steps for the project.  A community meeting will follow in February 2018 to obtain feedback on final designs.

Union Square Main Streets, in partnership with local businesses, will bring you the 3rd Annual Holiday Stroll on Saturday, December 9 from 11am-5pm. Participants are invited to kick off the holiday season with a stroll through the Square with many exciting activities to explore.

Recently, at the Goodwill in Davis Square, I walked in and immediately spotted a giant ring in the jewelry case. It was $2.99 plus tax. I asked to see it and when the clerk handed it to me, I knew right away that it was a Star Sapphire set into 18K yellow gold. I’ll take it, I told her.

Join Groundwork Somerville, Arts at the Armory and the Community Credit Union to Celebrate the Best of New England Farms and Food Every Saturday from December 2, 2017 through April 14, 2018 at the Armory

The Somerville Winter Farmers Market proudly announces today that it will be open every Saturday beginning this Saturday, December 2 through Saturday, April 14. Managed by Groundwork Somerville in partnership with Arts at the Armory and the Farmer Market’s sponsoring partner, the Community Credit Union, this weekly market offers the best locally grown and regionally produced agricultural items, including vegetable produce, cheese, eggs, meats, fish, breads, pastries, chocolate, and wine. Stroll among more than 30 booths while also enjoying live entertainment and rotating guest vendors each week selling local food and wares ranging from dog treats, specialty spices and honey, to botanicals, apothecary and ceramics.

Musician and landscape designer, Jennifer.

By JT Thompson

Jennifer is a musician, landscape designer, and devoted parent who began her life in a homogenous WASP neighborhood in New York City, and now thrives in the multicultural richness of living in Union Square.

In the early ‘90s she had national success in a band called The Story, singing harmony with her college friend Jonatha Brooke. After the band broke up in ’94, Jennifer went on to find happiness in the local music scene, in parenting, and in the mix of indoor and outdoor work in her landscape design career.