Friday night we (Patty, our accomplished artist friend Melody Phaneuf and I) went out “gallery crawling” in Manchester MA at the Central Street Gallery and then to the PN Sullivan Studio in E. Gloucester. While in Manchester we got to yak with gallery director Alison Rowell and several of the artists including Richard Giedd. The works on display are all “small works” worthy of a good look.

Patti Sullivan and her friend Tracey Martin Logan (formerly of Gloucester, now of ME) had many works on display at Patti’s PN Sullivan Studio. (I found Tracey’s crucifixes to be hypnotic.) We own one of Patti’s Cuba pieces and love seeing all her “day in the life” works. (Look for the small dogs.) Don’t wait for another show to stop by. Patti’s there by appointment and “by chance” so drop in to her studio at 235 E. Main St. Gloucester MA.

Click the photos for more photos.

That’s me. And I REALLY like the Whole Foods Market blog and website. Great ideas, recipes, etc. The latest post talks about all the trash we create during the holidays and ways to cut down on some of it. Giving reusable gift bags like the one shown is a terrific idea. Put the gift in the bag, then the bag can be used again to carry “whatever”. Brilliant.

… and they’ve asked us to put this code in a post: Z6JEHZ5FETQF. Well, there it is.

More later.

1. Buy as much wrapping paper as you need. It’s only paper. Use the tissue, too.
2. Use only paper and plastic goods for your parties. (Especially the plastic table cloths and cups.) Don’t worry about the landfill. It’s the holidays!
3. Send cards to EVERYONE. Have them printed, labeled and bulk mailed. They’ll be well received, just like the ones you get from the bank and the dry cleaner!
4. Drive everywhere and often. Might as well drink, too. Then you’re multitasking.
5. Buy buy buy. It’s good for the economy. And more “things” make us happy.
6. Eat eat eat. Like it’s your last meal! It could be!
7. Drink drink drink. It’ll enhance the entire holiday experience. Guaranteed!
8. Review your grudges and resentments. Sure as hell you’ll run into “him” or “her”. Might as well be prepared. Also see #7.
9. Nap early and often. No exercise necessary. Napping IS exercise in some cultures.
10. Remember: gravy covers a lot of sins. Cigarettes are good for you.

Terrific for those of us that forget how every year. Compliments of Whole Foods.

This past winter I got to see how one of the busiest bridges on the East Coast works: Gloucester’s own “cut bridge” theBlynman Bridge. Located at the mouth of the Annisquam, we can see it from our house. Hence our blog’s name. Many thanks to Jon Griffin.

If you want to see it open and close, see our streaming video on thecutbridge.com .

Don’t ever respond to an email like the following:

E-mail Security

Dear Customer,

A scheduled maintenance has just been completed on your e-mail account and we have successfully upgraded our security system. In order to keep this e-mail address active, you will be required to re-login by clicking on the “Re-login to My E-mail” link stated below:

Re-login to my E-mail <http://www.argen-print.com.ar/Secure-Email-Login/>

Thank you for using our services.

E-mail Security Department.

It’s an attempt to get you to fill out a form that’ll ask for things like your password, date/place of birth and social security number. The email and form look really “official” (sometimes they look like they’re from your bank!) but it’s all set up by cyber criminals. For more info, see this Microsoft page or Google it.

Just ’cause we’re in Gloucester doesn’t mean we can’t learn more about phishing.

You can help to support Gloucester’s Elementary Schools (or your own town’s!) by logging on to www.stopandshop.com/aplus and then registering your Stop & Shop card. Everytime you use your card it will earn CASH for the schools you chose and the money can be used for any of that school’s educational needs.

BTW it only took me 65 seconds to do this. Every little bit helps.

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into our  yard. I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well  taken care of.

He calmly came over  to me, I gave him a few pats on his  head; he then followed me into the  house, slowly walked down the hall,  curled up in the corner and fell asleep. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him  out.

The  next day he was back, greeted me in my yard,  walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an  hour.

This  continued off and on for several  weeks. Curious, I pinned a note to his collar:  ”I would  like to find out who the owner of this wonderful  sweet dog is and  ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a  nap.”

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar:
“He lives in a home with 6 children — 2 under the age of 3 — he’s trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?”

A couple of weeks ago we met Marty Morgan and took a tour of her studio. Her glazes are amazing and she uses a propane fired “car kiln”. I’ve never seen one before. The “car” is on tracks and inside her studio, allowing her to load it and then roll it outside and into the kiln.
Marty’s at 428 Washington St. Gloucester MA on the Mill River and she loves visitors.