Good Morning Gloucester

Typically, we save all of the holiday cards that arrive in our mailbox for just one year.  The boys love opening them each night and we keep them on display until it is time to pack up the other holiday decorations and Christmas tree ornaments.  We then pack them away carefully and look forward to seeing the cards again the next year.  After looking through them 12 months later, they are then recycled….even though it hurts a little to do so.

That being the case, I was surprised when my husband brought a large pile of cards down from the attic this year that were actually much older.  This stack of cards was from the year 2000.  16 years ago.

16 years, it turns out, is a long time in Christmas Card years.  For example, during the Christmas season of the year 2000, we were very recently engaged….but were not married and had no children.  We had, in fact, not even sent out Christmas cards that year….but we had received a lot.

Going through that stack of cards ended up being rather bittersweet.  A lot had changed. Some for the better, some for worse.  Addresses…landscapes….faces….family dynamics….hair color….hair lines….furry friends….and more.  Some single friends are now “coupled.” Some couples without children….now have several.  Some married friends are now divorced….and some remarried.  And, the hardest to discover, some (too many) of the cards were sent by friends and family who have since passed away.  Worst of all are the family photos now missing a member….whose void is hard to believe.

Much love to all who are missing someone special this holiday season….and to those who know those voids all too well.

Welcome To Cape Ann Community Bulletin Board

Joey C ~ 3 Comments

A place where non-profit Cape Ann organizations can post press releases directly and then those press releases will be reposted to http://www.goodmorninggloucester.com . This is not an advertising space for businesses, fitness or wellness organizations, or music listings.

The web address will be http://www.capeanncommunity.com

To have your community organization news posted here, contact Joey C who will grant access for you to post directly.

CAFM Winter Market this Saturday!

December 12, 2016 ~ modpodge16 ~

Come join us for the last market of 2016 on 12/17 from 10-1

Pick up the last of the season’s produce, food items to get you you through the busy days ahead, and handmade gifts for all!

This year we are sponsoring a Holiday Food Drive for The Open Door-our goal is to collect 100 items at the market by noon-help us reach our goal-bring in 10 items or more and receive a free CAFM Tote!

We will have our amazing holiday raffle baskets featuring gift certificates and items from area restaurants and shops-also our CAFM membership drive-a memberships makes a great gift!!!!
For more info and to purchase a CAFM membership check our website at http://capeannfarmersmarket.org/
To purchase raffle tickets before 12/17 please email capeannfarmersmarket@gmail.com

Dining for Diapers Fundraiser

December 12, 2016 ~ Gloucester Health Department ~

Dine at Jalapeno’s Restaurant on December 21, 4 PM – closing and portions of your bill will be donated to The Open Door Food Pantry Diaper Fund. There will be raffles and prizes!

Help Backyard Growers spread garden magic across Gloucester!

December 12, 2016 ~ backyardgrowersgloucester ~

Did you know that gardens are magic?

I didn’t think there could possibly be enough room in our little backyard. But Backyard Growers came, and before I knew it, there was our garden. I couldn’t believe that I’d end up with food for my family if I just followed their directions. Plant some seeds. Water. Weed. The veggies appeared. And my kids actually ate them! Magic.

We’ve had our ups and downs. One summer Chris was injured and out of work. I was working, mothering, pregnant and tired, and money was tight. Our garden was the constant. Plant some seeds. Water. Weed. Magic.

Last fall, I got sick. Doctor visits, chemo and long hospital stays threw our family into a tailspin. I told my 3-year-old Dash, “Mom will be better when the plants come up.” I kept looking at my garden, praying that would happen.

Then Backyard Growers came.

I never asked for help, they just came. They planted my garden with such care and purpose. They brought bins of new soil. Their rows of seeds were so straight and evenly spaced. And the plants grew. Magic.

If you ever wonder about what a garden does for a person, a family, a community, come visit me on Harold Ave. Ask any of the kids. You grow a garden, magic happens!

You are part of this magic in our community. Thank you. So many in Gloucester struggle to put food on the table, and with your support, Backyard Growers can help.

Will you help us reach our $10,000 goal and build 40 more gardens next year by giving today? Every $250 raised is another garden. Another family’s table full of fresh, healthy food.

Another opportunity for magic.

Love,

Peggy Lyman, Backyard Growers Participant

Click here to make your tax-deductible donation today. Thank you!

Sign up Today for Classes!

Image ~ December 12, 2016 ~ lwheels2636

But when I do, it’s always GMG…

Stay thirsty my friends!

(Have you picked up the new sticker yet?)

Full house!

Man at the Wheel gift from our “engaged bipartisan leaders” Mayor Romeo Theken, Senator Tarr, and Representative Ferrante on behalf of the City of Gloucester.

Bob Quinn presented a welcome with driftwood from our beaches on behalf of the Rose Baker Senior Center board hosting the Town Hall.

The second weekend, every December we make the Cuccidatti (fig cookies).   We would watch my Grandmother Beatrice (Sinagra) Frontiero make them with no real measuring but they would always come out the same…delicious!   These cookies are and will always be a flavor and smell that I’ve associated with Christmas time at Grandma’s house.   My Mom and I still do it the same way as my Grandma used to, using hand ground fig, citrus, walnuts and honey and now my daughters are part of the tradition.   We could change the recipe, we could use store bought fig, change the shape, or add choc chips like some families do, but it just wouldn’t be our family cookie recipe if we did.   Every family has their own cookie that brings them back to everything they remember as a child and this is it for me!   So almost 600 cookies later…they are done!

Poor Santa seems to be having a hard time getting started today.