The history of New Ipswich 1735 -1914

The history of New Ipswich 1735 -1914

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Lowell Folk Festival 2009

What can be better than a 3 day multicultural celebration of music, parades, craft demonstrations and ethnic foods that costs nothing to attend? The musical acts are rotated among various stages throughout downtown Lowell Mass, all within trolley or walking distance, which means that it possible to select the acts that you want to see on a single day. I attended Saturday, July 25th and saw most of the acts that I was interested in but sadly missed the Polka band. It’s worth visiting the Event’s website at http://www.lowellfolkfestival.org and make your plans for next year.

One act that cannot be described in words was Alash, a Tuvan throat singing group. This singing technique involves creating overtones by producing simultaneous voice sounds. It is quite extraordinary to hear.

Also the Brotherhood Singers doing A Cappella Gospel

DL Menard with Terry Huval and the Jambalaya Cajun Band

Dr. Michael White and the Original Liberty Jazz Band, these guys were wearing black suits on this hot July day (our first summer day this season).

 

Also various street performers (except woman on bench)

Besides the music, there was the opportunity to pick up some free compost made from the refuse of the previous festival.

 

This event is highly recommended. The music is broadcast live from Boarding House Park Stage on Saturday of the event. It is also streamed online at http://www.wgbh.org.

148th Children’s Fair in New Ipswich NH

Save the Date! August 15th. This is the date of the 148th Children’s Fair which will be held at the Congregational Church, Main Street, New Ipswich NH. The first fair was held during the civil war in 1861 and it’s history can be read here. The fair really does has something for everybody. You will find games for children, Barb-B-Q chicken, Book Sale, Crafts, a white elephant sale, an auction, live entertainment and so much more. I will be working in the garden shop selling houseplants and perennials and I encourage you to stop by and say hello. After so many years this has become a multi-generational event. For more information please call (603) 878-1327. Pictures and more information can be found at this link.

Hummingbirds in New Ipswich

I have no idea why these females just don’t sit at the feeder and get along. There is plenty of sugar water for all. I mix it 1 part sugar to 4 parts water, then bring it to a boil to sterilize it as much as possible (cool before adding to feeder, Duh!). I do not add dye, it’s not needed. Do not use honey or sugar substitutes, it will kill the birds. Make sure the feeder stays clean between fillings.

These birds are great fun to watch and if you are lucky they will hover in front of you and check you out. I also have plenty of plants that are attractive to them (and butterflies) but with all the rain they look sad this year, so they hang out at the bar.

 

 

Here’s a shot of one little wet guy:

Happy Earth Day and the 3 R’s (Reuse, Recycle, Reduce)

It’s earth day and I was thinking of a fitting way to celebrate it. A friend gave me a composter that he had no use for, so I guess that would count as a Reuse  (from the 3 R’s). I loaded it with table scraps and plant debris to Recycle. Composting is a bit magical, the drum is full but will quickly Reduce in volume.

My other earth activity was purchasing some holly shrubs from Walmart. Walmart does a terrible job with their nursery stock. They unload from some truck and place these poor plants on a parking lot to dry and die in the sun and cold. But I will admit that the plants are cheap. I intend to Rescue these poor things and bring them back to vibrant health. This will be my Earth Day challenge.

Another Blog? Why?

A while back a friend suggested that I start a blog. This suggestion occurred about the time of my 60th birthday. This is a significant time because it means I’ve finally reached “elder” status.  I’m happy about becoming an “elder”. I don’t feel that I’ll be changing the world with great words of wisdom or world changing revelations. The technologies available just make it easy to share thoughts, pictures, music and more. It’s therapeutic for me.

I was studying the different blogging platforms and came across some forums discussing the differences between WordPress and Blogger. I created my original blogs (one for family sharing, one for personal “musings”) using the Google platform. I started this one to give wordpress a try.