Pull out your calendars and mark the dates when you can go and see our Boston area farmers market friends at their outdoor spots. These dates are for the 2017 spring-to-fall season. This will now be a permanent resource page on this topic so bookmark it and come back when you need the information and we'll update it as we have new information.
First, The News!
With the Boston Public Market (100 Hanover Street) established as a permanent, indoor, year-round stop for shoppers to support local food growers and producers, the Boston Public Market Association will not be running a seasonal farmers market along the Greenway adjacent to their indoor location this year. They will focus on supporting the vendors at the BPM and their Dewey Square farmers market location.
Again this year there will be a second day for the South End/SoWa Farmers Market on Harrison Avenue. You can shop for local food at this popular venue on both Saturdays and Sundays. Neighbors have expressed concerns about the popularity of this market and the second day of the market was in question for a short time.
As shoppers we can help with this situation by being considerate of the market neighbors. If you can walk to the market, please do so. The Silver Line runs nearby Harrison Avenue so the MBTA should be your second choice. If you do come by car, be aware that traffic and parking are difficult not only for you, but also for the folks who live there. This same is true of any farmers market you visit.
If you have confirmed dates for your favorite farmers market, please tell us in a comment or send us an emailand we'll add it as an update to this post.
We use and highly recommend a Rolser Shopping Trolley for your farmers market visits. It stands on its own and can haul your purchases over city sidewalks without a problem.
Pull out your calendars and mark the dates when you can go and see our Boston area farmers market friends at their outdoor spots. These dates are for the 2017 spring-to-fall season. This will now be a permanent resource page on this topic so bookmark it and come back when you need the information and we'll update it as we have new information.
First, The News!
With the Boston Public Market (100 Hanover Street) established as a permanent, indoor, year-round stop for shoppers to support local food growers and producers, the Boston Public Market Association will not be running a seasonal farmers market along the Greenway adjacent to their indoor location this year. They will focus on supporting the vendors at the BPM and their Dewey Square farmers market location.
Again this year there will be a second day for the South End/SoWa Farmers Market on Harrison Avenue. You can shop for local food at this popular venue on both Saturdays and Sundays. Neighbors have expressed concerns about the popularity of this market and the second day of the market was in question for a short time.
As shoppers we can help with this situation by being considerate of the market neighbors. If you can walk to the market, please do so. The Silver Line runs nearby Harrison Avenue so the MBTA should be your second choice. If you do come by car, be aware that traffic and parking are difficult not only for you, but also for the folks who live there. This same is true of any farmers market you visit.
If you have confirmed dates for your favorite farmers market, please tell us in a comment or send us an emailand we'll add it as an update to this post.
We use and highly recommend a Rolser Shopping Trolley for your farmers market visits. It stands on its own and can haul your purchases over city sidewalks without a problem.
It’s a sad fact that our beloved dogs have short lives by human standards. As you talk to dog lovers, you often hear tales of all the dogs they have known and loved through the years. Those who love members of giant breeds face the shortest normal life spans.
Zeus, a gentle giant among dogs, was enjoying a stroll around the off-leash area on the Boston Common.
Big Dog, Little Dog
When people talk about big dogs having short lives, they should change that word big to "giant." In reality, it is the giant breeds, like the Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Mastiff, Saint Bernard, and Newfoundland, that grow to 100 pounds or more, who will probably have shorter life spans.
Recent research reported in Psychology Today looked into why this might occur. It seems to have something to do with telomeres which are the protective caps on the ends of the dog’s chromosomes.
Thor Harald Ringsby of the Department of Biology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway has suggested that, “… large dogs have to run their metabolism and their growth mechanisms at a high rate of speed. The cells divide quickly to allow the dogs to grow to their final size (which is based on the characteristics of their breed). Unfortunately, each cell division is going to clip off a bit of the length of their telomeres, bringing them closer to a state of affairs where their body will begin to fail, starting at the cellular level.”
While it is true that smaller dog live longer lives, there are many large and medium sized breeds who can live to about 15 years old. Among these are American Alsatians, Malamutes, Huskies, Dobermans, Australian Cattle Dogs, and Collies.
No Guarantees
A dear friend of ours just lost a 5-year-old Westie to a sudden and unexplained coronary. This was a dog that had the best of care from the moment she was rescued. She had been in for a complete checkup just weeks before her final rush to the veterinarian when she seemed just a little sick.
No matter what the breed, size, or the care given, bodies can fail, accidents can happen, and a beloved dog can be gone in days. But for the long range, in many cases, there is hope for enjoying more time with these faithful creatures.
Better Care, Longer Lives
Improvements in how we feed and care for our companion animals have had some impact on extending their lives. Rick Docksai, senior editor of The Futurist writes, “Veterinary medicine is evolving. Injuries or illnesses that would have consigned a dog or cat to euthanasia just a few years ago are now very treatable. And more progress is yet to come, thanks to promising recent breakthroughs in genetics, along with continuing improvements in nutrition, surgery, and disease treatment. A dog today can enjoy 12 to 15 years of life, on average. Don’t be surprised, however, if it becomes normal late in this century for a dog to still be alive and tail-wagging at age 20 or 25—or even 30!”
We have seen a few dogs approach those ages in our experience. We met our first Westie’s grandfather Mac when he was 18. He was still king of the house and grumpy over all the puppies who were getting in his way and taking attention from him. We can only imagine what he would have been like at age 30.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
It’s a sad fact that our beloved dogs have short lives by human standards. As you talk to dog lovers, you often hear tales of all the dogs they have known and loved through the years. Those who love members of giant breeds face the shortest normal life spans.
Zeus, a gentle giant among dogs, was enjoying a stroll around the off-leash area on the Boston Common.
Big Dog, Little Dog
When people talk about big dogs having short lives, they should change that word big to "giant." In reality, it is the giant breeds, like the Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Mastiff, Saint Bernard, and Newfoundland, that grow to 100 pounds or more, who will probably have shorter life spans.
Recent research reported in Psychology Today looked into why this might occur. It seems to have something to do with telomeres which are the protective caps on the ends of the dog’s chromosomes.
Thor Harald Ringsby of the Department of Biology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway has suggested that, “… large dogs have to run their metabolism and their growth mechanisms at a high rate of speed. The cells divide quickly to allow the dogs to grow to their final size (which is based on the characteristics of their breed). Unfortunately, each cell division is going to clip off a bit of the length of their telomeres, bringing them closer to a state of affairs where their body will begin to fail, starting at the cellular level.”
While it is true that smaller dog live longer lives, there are many large and medium sized breeds who can live to about 15 years old. Among these are American Alsatians, Malamutes, Huskies, Dobermans, Australian Cattle Dogs, and Collies.
No Guarantees
A dear friend of ours just lost a 5-year-old Westie to a sudden and unexplained coronary. This was a dog that had the best of care from the moment she was rescued. She had been in for a complete checkup just weeks before her final rush to the veterinarian when she seemed just a little sick.
No matter what the breed, size, or the care given, bodies can fail, accidents can happen, and a beloved dog can be gone in days. But for the long range, in many cases, there is hope for enjoying more time with these faithful creatures.
Better Care, Longer Lives
Improvements in how we feed and care for our companion animals have had some impact on extending their lives. Rick Docksai, senior editor of The Futurist writes, “Veterinary medicine is evolving. Injuries or illnesses that would have consigned a dog or cat to euthanasia just a few years ago are now very treatable. And more progress is yet to come, thanks to promising recent breakthroughs in genetics, along with continuing improvements in nutrition, surgery, and disease treatment. A dog today can enjoy 12 to 15 years of life, on average. Don’t be surprised, however, if it becomes normal late in this century for a dog to still be alive and tail-wagging at age 20 or 25—or even 30!”
We have seen a few dogs approach those ages in our experience. We met our first Westie’s grandfather Mac when he was 18. He was still king of the house and grumpy over all the puppies who were getting in his way and taking attention from him. We can only imagine what he would have been like at age 30.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
My preview copy of To Market magazine arrived and it is another gem. Don't you love it when you begin to scan a publication in a pile of mail and find yourself sitting down to read one article after another?
Here's the cover you will find at the best food places in the area.
Make A List
Open your shopping list before you open the magazine because this season's items from the To Market Pantry will tempt you and you'll soon find yourself adding items to your places to go and things to buy lists.
Of course there's more including profiles of some great food heroes. So you know what to do – find a copy!
Support the To Market Team
First pick up a copy of To Market at one of these locations. In fact pick up two copies and share one with a food-loving friend or leave it where someone might discover it among lesser publications and become a new fan.
May I suggest that you let their sponsors know you saw them in the magazine and grab an extra copy and get it to someone else who cares about supporting the local food movement. Also, if you have a blog, twitter account, or facebook page, write about them, link to them, follow them, retweet their tweets, like them on facebook, and in general, spread the word about this great asset to our community.
My preview copy of To Market magazine arrived and it is another gem. Don't you love it when you begin to scan a publication in a pile of mail and find yourself sitting down to read one article after another?
Here's the cover you will find at the best food places in the area.
Make A List
Open your shopping list before you open the magazine because this season's items from the To Market Pantry will tempt you and you'll soon find yourself adding items to your places to go and things to buy lists.
Of course there's more including profiles of some great food heroes. So you know what to do – find a copy!
Support the To Market Team
First pick up a copy of To Market at one of these locations. In fact pick up two copies and share one with a food-loving friend or leave it where someone might discover it among lesser publications and become a new fan.
May I suggest that you let their sponsors know you saw them in the magazine and grab an extra copy and get it to someone else who cares about supporting the local food movement. Also, if you have a blog, twitter account, or facebook page, write about them, link to them, follow them, retweet their tweets, like them on facebook, and in general, spread the word about this great asset to our community.
We have recently returned from a trip to Provincetown where I realized that my morning walks in both that town, at the tip of Cape Cod, and Boston pass by a sculpture by Penelope Jencks.
In Ptown, I pass Dune Woman relaxing on the front lawn of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM.)
In Boston it's her bronze & granite sculpture of Samuel Eliot Morison that attracts my camera (especially in the fall) as I walk the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
If you like one piece by a certain artist, do some research and see what else they've done and where it's located. You might find that you can fit a visit with another piece of their art into an upcoming summer trip.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
We have recently returned from a trip to Provincetown where I realized that my morning walks in both that town, at the tip of Cape Cod, and Boston pass by a sculpture by Penelope Jencks.
In Ptown, I pass Dune Woman relaxing on the front lawn of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM.)
In Boston it's her bronze & granite sculpture of Samuel Eliot Morison that attracts my camera (especially in the fall) as I walk the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
If you like one piece by a certain artist, do some research and see what else they've done and where it's located. You might find that you can fit a visit with another piece of their art into an upcoming summer trip.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
We have been visiting Provincetown for many, many years and we've seen the town change over the years. On a recent morning, Penny took photos of some of the places we are always recommending to friends when they travel to our favorite home away from home.
We often sing the praises of Utilities If you find the place you rented doesn't have good wine glasses, a sharp knife, a cutting board or any home essential, this is the place to find a quality item that you will be happy to take home with you.
You will often see us wearing shirts and hats with fabulous Provincetown graphics. Those all come from Birdie Silkscreen Studio. Once upon a time, we owned a company that created silkscreen designs. We know how difficult it is to do that well and we are long time fans of this graphic artist.
If it is something odd that you need or if you are looking for a way to spend a bit of time inside on a rainy day, make your way to Marine Specialties. This year we found and bought some fish net that we could use to block off the stairs to the deck and keep our dog Poppy contained.
We both have shoes that we've bought at Cape Tip Sportswear. Ed swears by them as the source of his running shoes and the sales they have before and after the prime season are always great.
Supporting independent bookstores is important so make sure you visit and make a purchase at Provincetown Book Shop.
Forgot to pack a sun hat? Visit Mad As A Hatter and you'll find exactly what you want.
There was a time when we brought the wine we wanted to P-town. Now we have two favorite wine shops in town. Glass Half Full is in the center of town.
Perry's Wine and Liquors is in the West End. Now we bring wines back to Boston with us because both these shops have excellent.
for your farmers market visits. It stands on its own and can haul your purchases over city sidewalks without a problem.
. It's full of chefs, farmers, and food producers you know, and we highly recommend it. Remember,