Month: April 2020

A sweet moment today with a girl reading out loud to her younger sister below. Photo: Cindy deal

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

A sweet moment today with a girl reading out loud to her younger sister below.IMG_20200419_104017_1.jpg

Perspective Distortion

Posted on by Nichole S.

Thatcher had a homework assignment to stage two photos showing perspective distortion.  So, after I figured out what perspective distortion is, we took a little ride.  This is what we came up with.  Photo #1 shows Thatcher putting his finger on top of the one of the Twin Lights on Thacher’s Island….  I mean, we kind of had to, right.   The lighthouse obviously looks tiny (no brainer….because it’s further away).  The second photo is meant to look like an itty bitty Thatcher is standing on the back of a massive orca whale.  It was actually kind of fun and I look forward to being able to explore that homework assignment further with him when it is ok to be out and about.

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Takeout News from Tonno

Posted on by Pat D

From Gloucester Tonno’s Facebook page comes some great news:

Guess who is back! That’s right Tonno Restaurant is back for takeout. We will be answering the phones for takeout on Thursday Friday and Saturday. Takeout is available from 4:30-7:00 this week on those days. You can also pre-order now if you like. There are limited quantities so pre-order is strongly recommended. We will also be offering curbside pickup in our parking lot which makes it a lot easier if you do pre-order. The link is in the bio. We will be expanding our menu as you help us grow the business.

We can not wait to get back to work, miss you Gloucester.
www.toasttab.com/tonno

 

Tonno Menu

Cheers! Brought To You By Keurig

Posted on by Pat D

I don’t know if this is what I want my “drink delivery system” to look like, but perhaps this is the new trend. What do you think of this Keurig-style drinkmaker?Now “on sale” for $249. Drink pods are not all available in our area, but seem to average around $15.099 for mojitos, cider, gin & tonic as examples. I’m not sold especially since Keurig coffee pods are much too weak for my taste. If there’s one thing I do not want to be weak, it is my preferred cocktail. But I’m open to the idea. Have you got thoughts to share? More info here: https://www.drinkworks.com/

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Melissa Abbott French Bread

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Melissa writes:

I made French Baquettes today with a recipe I have been using since I first made this as a teenager many years ago. It’s n the old “joy of cooking”, not the new “joy of cooking”. My mother had a few cookbooks but the “go-to” was The Joy. It has everything in it, even how to cook squirrel etc. I wanted to know what real French bread tasted like, and I have never stopped using this recipe. When people bite into it they roll their eyes. I am not kidding! #frenchbread #baquette #joyofcooking

Streaming Nia and Restorative Yoga Classes via Zoom with Linda All Free! Week of April 20th Nia Routine: Movie Theme Songs

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

niawithlinda's avatarCape Ann Wellness

movie themes graphicThis Nia routine is all about flexibility and strength to music from movies, not musicals, but movies whose soundtracks have become iconic.

If you are new to Nia with Linda, these streaming classes are free.  Share with anyone who you feel needs a little movement in their lives during this period of social isolation.

So here is how it works.  It will be easier for you if you download the Zoom client for meetings for a desktop or laptop, or the app for phones and tablets.

Click here for the link to download the zoom client or the app

Then click on this link to bring to my website and the list of streaming classes

At my website, niawithlinda.com, you will want to click on the link for the class and time you are trying to join.  Otherwise you will be all alone!

If you have downloaded the client/app, the…

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FINAL EPISODE- SNOWY OWL RETURNS TO THE ARCTIC

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Hello Friends,

Thank you to everyone for your very kind comments for this series. It has been a joy creating for such an enthusiastic audience ❤

Thank you to Jennifer Davis and her adorable daughters Ellie and Isla. They stopped by one morning to see if they could find Snowy Owl. The girls and Mom were being so good at watching her from a safe distance. I asked Jenny if she minded if I took a photo and some footage, too. Jenny very graciously said yes!

Some good news-

In the two years that have passed since our Snowy visited Cape Ann’s Back Shore, all of Boston’s North Shore has not seen the same tremendous numbers of that winter of 2018. I read though on ProjectSNOWstorm’s website of the possibility of an exciting upcoming winter of 2020-2021 because there has been a good population of lemmings in the eastern portions of the Snowies breeding grounds. Let’s hope for more visits by beautiful Snowies ❤

A Snowy Owl Comes to Cape Ann was created for the kids in the Cape Ann community during this at-home school time. Please share with young people you know who may be interested.

Thank you again for watching!

To see all five episodes together, please go to the Snowy Owl Film Project page on my website.

Again, thank you to Scott Weidensaul from ProjectSNOWstorm for script advice.

 

A Snowy Owl Comes to Cape Ann
Part Five: Snowy Owl Returns to the Arctic

Friends of Snowy Owl wondered how long she would stay before heading north on her return migration to the Arctic. Typically, Snowies leave New England by March or April, but some have stayed as late as July.

Why do people find Snowy Owls so captivating?

Owls symbolize wisdom and intelligence, and the characters they are given in popular culture and literature strengthen our associations.

We are provided a wonderful window into the world of owls through Snowies because they are crepuscular creatures, which means they are most active at dawn and at dusk.

There are only about 30,000 Snowy Owls in the wild. No one knows if their numbers are stable or decreasing.

Snowies face many threats, especially when they come south to us, including vehicles, planes, and toxic chemicals.

Research analysis shows that most carry some degree of rat poison, pesticides, and/or mercury in their bodies.

We can all be conscientious stewards of Snowies by not using poisonous chemicals and by keeping a safe distance when observing.

In early March, Snowy Owl began to appear restless. Migration is the most dangerous period in an owl’s life, but hormonal changes triggered by longer days were urging her northward.

Snowy Owl survived the fierce winds and waves of powerful nor’easters along with constant heckling by gulls and crows.

She ate well during her winter stay on Cape Ann.

Snowy Owl was strong and healthy when she departed, increasing the likelihood of a safe journey and return to her breeding habitat of Arctic tundra and grasslands.

Safe travels beautiful Snowy!

ROCKPORT EXCHANGE VIRTUAL FARMER’S MARKET IS OPEN – HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

VIRTUAL ROCKPORT FARMERS MARKET — PICK UP SATURDAY, APRIL 25

Welcome to our first Virtual Rockport Farmers Market!
Orders maybe placed starting Sunday, April 19, and the store will close Thursday, April 23, at 4 p.m. (**Orders from Dancing Daisy Bakers will close WEDNESDAY.) Orders will be picked up during a designated time window on Saturday, April 25, at Seaview Farm in Rockport. You will receive your pick-up time window via email on Friday, April 24.
All sales must be prepaid.
Thank you!

Vendor Include:

@seaviewfarmandfarmstand @brothersbrewcoffeeshop @dancingdaisybakers
@breakwaterroasters @sandybaysoaps @banginbutter @halvahheaven

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

FISHERMAN’S WHARF CURBSIDE RETAIL OPERATION

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro
Following Good Morning Gloucester’s Pat. D.’s advice, we called Fisherman’s Wharf new curbside retail fish operation yesterday, Saturday a.m.
As Pat D said, it was so simple.  The phone was answered promptly, our order of seafood and Minglewood’s clam chowder was taken, with immediate pickup possible.  I drove into Minglewood’s parking area and entrance off Rogers St.  A polite young masked man asked my name;  quickly a  young masked lady appeared with my order!  It couldn’t have been easier!
I could hardly wait to get home to inspect the contents of my bag.  The sea scallops were beautiful, uniform in size, big and plump.  Two pounds of skinless haddock was firm, “fresh as a daisy”, and the clam chowder was excellent, fast consumed at lunch time.
Lunch was being prepared; the meat loaf was in the oven, but within a few minutes out came our black iron skillet and the one-pound of plump sea scallops were searing in butter and seasoning.  I stood over the stove and constantly turned each scallop – careful not to overcook (we like our scallops medium rare!)   Bottom line, we had a feast of scallops, (golden brown) and delicious hot Minglewood clam chowder.   Today, we cooked scallops and haddock, our “seafood platter”.  Again, it was superb.    What a treat!
The Gloucester Fisherman’s Wharf curbside retail fish operation has answered the call in this coronavirus pandemic crisis.  It  is convenient and innovative.  Gloucester is fortunate to have these young entrepreneurs stepping up to the plate, offering the freshest succulent seafood at reasonable prices.  We recommend this new Gloucester dining experience.  Fisherman’s wharf curbside retail fish has answered the call!  Someone once said, “necessity is the mother of invention”.  The Giacaleone family, husbands and wives, have delivered!
Ron and Joan Gilson

Chorizo and chuck roast chili 🌶 will be partnered with smoked queso and tortillas today!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

I Have No Answers. This is Just How I Feel. Covid Stinks. Be well.

Posted on by Nichole S.
I like to write.  I find it therapeutic.  I have no answers.  I tell no-one how they should feel.  This is just me…today…putting “pen to paper” about how I feel.  Maybe I’ll feel differently tomorrow.

Today, this sucks.

Some days suck less.
Some days I’m terrified.
Some days I’m just inconvenienced…..and then I feel incredibly guilty.
Some days I’m positive.
Some days I’m devastated.
Some days we enjoy ourselves.
Some days are simply a mirror image of every.other.day.
Some days are incredibly busy….how is that even possible?
Some days are dreadful.
All days…..  I KNOW I am lucky.  We are all healthy.  I am still working (albeit from home).  I have a pay check.
How dare I complain?  For sure….. no doubt….How.Dare.I.Complain?!
One billion percent this sucks so, no SOOO, much more…for so many more.
But, does that completely negate the fact that sometimes I feel like this still sucks in our little healthy and somewhat fortunate house.  Probably. Definitely.  So, why does it still suck?
Am I the only one who is struggling with feeling like this is horrible….even though I should feel blessed?
Sometimes they sound like just words…. I am thankful for those on the front lines.  I am thankful for healthcare workers and first responders.I applaud our Mayors and Governor.  I am thankful for grocery and convenience store clerks, and gas station attendants, and delivery drivers, and utility workers, and take-out restaurant employees….and ALL those working so hard, many in unbelievably scary and horrific circumstances for the betterment of us all.
I promise, though, they are not just words.  I am so deeply grateful for them.  My heart breaks for them….and for their families.  I lay awake at night and think about what it would be like to be them.  I simply can’t imagine.
I hear stories about good deeds and heroic efforts and sometimes I smile….and often I cry.
There are the seemingly small….Nice notes and random acts to spread joy. 
The wonderfully kind….Police officers purchasing groceries for a woman whose EBT card didn’t work in the grocery store.
And then, the absolutely unthinkable……A sick doctor giving up his ventilator for another patient….and then losing his own life
When I think of the loss sometimes I can’t breath. Then sometimes my anxiety gets so high….that my heart hurts…and then I misinterpret that discomfort for being in my lungs….and then I worry I might be sick.  Am I the only one?
I stop and think about healthcare workers and their fear…..if they even have a second to grapple with emotions like fear.  They are heroes. Is there a word bigger than hero?  I think of their families.  And my heart breaks.
And then I hear myself complain about laundry, and dishes, and cleaning…and how no-one can find the trashcan.  And pee on the toilet seat.  What?!  Did I really just have the nerve to complain about laundry.  What the hell is wrong with me?
I hear stories about people who have lost loved ones and and couldn’t even say Good-bye.  And my heart breaks.
And then I complain about the Zoom schedule that I am trying to manage for myself and my two learning-at-home children.
I get frustrated that I can never find a clean corner of the house to log-in to my own meetings.   What?!  Did I really just have the nerve to complain about zoom meetings. In the warm house that I have. For a job that I still have.  And for my healthy children. What the hell is wrong with me?
I imagine the sick and the lonely and the scared.  Family can’t visit. Some are confused. Some are terrified. Many are dying. And my heart breaks again. Shatters really.
And then I think ahead and wonder what summer in our beach town will look like.  Quarantine in 45 degree weather might be bad…..but, quarantine in 80 degree weather when our beaches are closed, will be worse. Wait. What?! Did I really just have the nerve to complain about whether or not we can spend days at the beach? What the hell is wrong with me?
Literally, that is the dialogue that goes through my head on a daily basis.  And I’m ashamed. And I’m sad. Am I the only one?
Reminders pop up on my phone….telling me where we should be…. Only, we’re not.  We can’t be.  And, I get sad. And then I feel bad.
So, instead, I stop and think about the businesses who are being hit so incredibly hard.   So.incredibly.hard.
The restaurant owners and employees…many of whom I know and love.
The store owners.
The hotel and travel industry.
College students…and spring athletes.
High school seniors.
Professional sports.
Olympians.
The list goes on…and on…and on.
Then I stop and think about how sad I am that my boys’ hockey seasons came to an abrupt end.
And that there will be no spring lacrosse
And that there will be no spring baseball.
And that we canceled our April Vacation
And that I canceled a trip in May.
And that I’ll most likely cancel a trip in June.
And then I think….what the hell is wrong with me?!  There are people waiting in line for hours….overnight even…at food banks for the bare minimum of groceries…or diapers for their kids.  Did I really complain about vacations that I was fortunate enough to be able to book in the first place?
What.the.hell.is.wrong.with.me?!
Sometimes I laugh at memes or gifs…..two words I still don’t say correctly.  And then I feel guilty.
Sometimes, I even send them.  And then I feel even worse.
This isn’t a time for laughing.  So many others don’t have time for laughing…or cause for laughing. They are too busy hurting or suffering.
I get sad for my mom.  She’s almost 75 and lives alone.  She hasn’t left her house in 4 weeks and, while we drop things off, we don’t go in and we don’t stay.  We bought her two pet birds for company instead. That doesn’t feel like enough. And we miss her.
We miss my dad. We think he’s not being careful enough.  We want to spend time with them both.  And to know they’re going to be ok.
I miss my friends.  I’m an extrovert….and I love my peeps.  I love spontaneous drinks on Friday afternoons, or Saturday nights….. or Tuesdays at 4:00… I’m not picky. They mean the world to me…and sometimes I don’t feel like me without them.
I get sad for my boys.  They miss our extended family, they miss their friends, they miss their sports, they miss their freedom, they miss their life outside of these four walls.  And, they are sad for what they have given up.  They are feeling a sense of loss and they are worried about what else will happen before this is over.  Will this be over?
This is all unimaginable.  Two weeks ago I went to the post office.  I wasn’t wearing a mask.  We weren’t quite there yet.  It was a small post office. Only one person allowed in at a time. Stand behind the taped line. Credit card only. Don’t get too close.  Don’t reach past the glass.  Please follow the rules.  When I left, I cried.  It was like a scene you’d see in a newscast in other parts of the world, not here…. But, it is here. It is us. It is now.
Two weeks later I stopped at a farmstand.  I wore a mask. It was my first time. Only a few in at a time.  Please wait outside.  Please only take two dozen eggs. Stand behind the line. Please don’t touch anything you aren’t going to buy.  I got in my car…and I cried.  Somehow people’s eyes seem more telling with a mask resting right below them.  You can see the fear….and the sadness….and the solemnity much more clearly when people are wearing masks. Eye contact with strangers lasts just a second longer.  Is it just me?
This is how it is. This is how it will be.  This can’t be us, or here…but, it is.  And, what’s more, it’s hard to see a time when it won’t be again.
Our new normal is not one that I would choose.
Overwhelmed by working from home….. blessed to still have a job.
Irked by being together….. blessed to have each other.
Exacerbated by the monotony….blessed,I suppose, to be able to slow down and live in the moment.
Blessed….also, as the death toll rises….to simply live in any moment.
Our new normal is Ground Hogs Day with nightmares each night.
Vanilla ice cream with sprinkles of anxiety on top.
Meaning…. Monotony and boredom upfront with fear and despair on the side.
In the beginning I thought I would read some books.  I’ve yet to open one.
In the beginning I thought I’d tackle some home improvement projects.  We’ve collectively ransacked the house instead.
In the beginning I thought I’d fit in daily exercise. While we’ve walked or ridden bikes. My days are void of the videos I want to watch and daily routine I want to make….only to break.
I’ve discovered that with the nature of my job, I’m working more, not less. And, it’s hard. I said it, it’s really hard.  I long for the solitude of my quiet office….and co-workers who don’t scream at Fortnite opponents and Tik-tok dance their way past my desk…only to complain about what snacks we’re out of….again.
I love my kids…. Or I at least like them right now (I’m kidding….kind of)…. But, I miss adult interaction from someone other than my husband whose annoying personal habits are only magnified during these days…..as are, absolutely, mine to him!
The balance between trying to work, trying to clean, trying to oversee the boys’ schoolwork, trying to stay up-to-date, trying not to panic, trying to socially distance, trying to get outside, and trying not to count the hours on video games……is all too much.  Yet, I know we’re still the lucky ones. We are lucky.
We have enjoyed family game nights, and movies, long walks, scenic drives, and sleeping late.  We have had moments of being present and reconnecting….but, on the fringe, for me anyway, is a constant reminder of why we’re living as such…..and, if I’m being honest, what work emails I’m not answering.
Even as one of the lucky ones, I have trouble accepting any level of comfort or pleasure in our supposedly relaxed and slower life.  While I like to think I enjoy living in the moment, truth be told, I am always two steps ahead.  I am always thinking about tomorrow’s schedule, the boys’ next games, the next girls’ night out dinner reservation, and our next vacation.  I like it that way.  I like looking forward to things.  I like planning.  I like organizing.  Not having anything to “look forward to” is, however,  insignificant when others literally don’t…or won’t….have a tomorrow to look forward to.
So, for today, I will focus on my family, and my work, and doing my part to end this as quickly as possible.  I will look forward to things that are uncertain for now, but make me smile anyway.  I will thank and applaud all who are doing so much more. And I will continue to send love to those who have lost and are losing in this battle.
Be well, everyone.
Be Well

April Showers Around Town

Posted on by Pat D

Probably every post today is going to be showing some form of “April Showers Bring…” photos. I’d like to think that April Showers Bring us MAY be Out of Isolation. Oh, please…