Vida Local: Coven

I had about 30 seconds to spare before a meeting in Salem this morning and decided to grab an iced coffee and some kind of pastry at Coven. The interior is really fun, with tons of local art everywhere (Rich Flynn Cheap Art!) and a television that was showing everyone's favorite meddling kids, The Amazing Chan Clan.

I got the large iced coffee and a blueberry muffin that was inspiring. As in, I took the first bite and could taste all the right ingredients and instantly wanted to run home and bake my own. Not the usual clod of fats, sugar and flour, but a light, yet substantial cup-cake-sized muffin with fresh blueberries. Bonus points too, for the little spice shakers shaped like lightbulbs at the coffee station.

Coven is located on Essex Street across from Harrison's Comics.

Vida Local: Coven

Vida Local: 3 Reasons to Celebrate!

Survived the crazy thunder/hail storm yesterday and today is one of those days that makes it almost impossible to work downstairs in the "bunker". If you are stuck indoors too, here's 3 reasons to cheer up!

1: The Salem Farmers' Market opens in less than 2 weeks! Sure it gets as crowded as Ben Thanh during Tet, but it's always a great feeling to elbow in there and get your fresh corn while you catch up with your neighbors.

2: Local farmstands are open for business again!


3: Picked-that-day fresh produce is starting to appear in the bins of farmstands. My new favorite is Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton. It's a fun mini-daytrip to go to Bradley Palmer State Park, then stop in at the farm on the way home to pick up dinner. Out of the farmstands I've been to so far this year (4), this is the best one to shop at for all your family's needs. They have guilt-free meat in the freezer section, yogurt, Richardson's milk, toiletries, flowers and enough animals out back to keep a 4 year old entertained while you shop.

Vida Local: 3 Reasons to Celebrate!

If you come....we will build it! The new playground on Salem Common

Volunteers needed for the new playground build on Salem Common!

When: May 21, 22 & 23 That's Fri/Sat/Sun 7 am to Sunset

Where: Salem Common

What: Community Build


Why: The time has come! The new playground is almost here but we need all hands on deck to help build it. The more help we get –
the faster the build! The Salem Common Playground has long been in dire need of a serious upgrade. Thanks to the tireless (and I do mean tireless) efforts of Sarah Wheeler-Gaddipatti and all the Parents at Parents United of Salem, this plan is finally coming to fruition! Kids of all ages will finally have a playground that is accessible and safe for all!

Who: Volunteers needed for 3 hour shifts

To Volunteer: Please email with your available days/times: melzwilson@hotmail.com

If you come....we will build it! The new playground on Salem Common

Nesting has a new hero!

Roost, at 40 Front Street in Salem, has hit the block running with a great selection of what they call, urban country design. They sell terrariums, cookbooks, natural and organic products, handmade soaps, decorative vases and dishes and french presses and teapots, all chosen with an eye towards great design and alleviating the winter blahs. Check them out and help support the awesome 3/50 project as well!

Nesting has a new hero!

So close...

We were supposed to close on our new place today in Marblehead, but the Marblehead Fire Department didn't get their inspection done because (get this) they said they couldn't find the property. Considering the size of Marblehead, this isn't a very comforting idea...

So close...

Fun at the Salem Farmers' Market

Yay! Finally got to go to the Salem Farmers' Market today (see right) un-emcumbered by a stroller full of screeching toddler. 2 fresh zucchini and a big yellow squash for $1.75. And, I'm not embarrassed to say that the only other thing I bought was a gigantic double-chocolate brownie for $3 from Nana's Kitchen. It was there OK?

Guess which food item the 3yo's going to eat?

Fun at the Salem Farmers' Market

Get Lit in Salem!

Salem's 2009 Literature Festival is coming up fast! They have a website here and the schedule page looks really good. It all takes place the weekend of March 27-29 and there's events for authors, soon-to-be authors, kids and Scrabble fanatics. Pack your reading glasses and come on over!

Get Lit in Salem!

Getting Down at the Wenham Museum

Took Chloe to the Baby Boogie Oogie at the Wenham Museum yesterday. Of course, like any rational human being, she was terrified at the site of 18 month old's and their birkenstocked parents shuffling around to the strains of "Burn Baby Burn", so we ended up spending most of the time looking at the new Soul of the Shoe exhibit which is pretty amazing. We learned that Chinese foot-binding practices created a market for cruelly exquisite silk slippers the size of hummingbirds, the 1960's was the Golden Age of stiletto design, and former President Bill Clinton had some mighty big feet. Also, the fact that mothers in the last century needed to button about 10 buttons on each toddler's shoe completely explains the popularity of all those soothing syrups.

Getting Down at the Wenham Museum

Salem Trash Services Video

Interesting video of Salem's Trash Service in action. And yes, they do show them flinging a bin or two back in the general direction of the sidewalk, just like our trash guys do.

Just curious, has your trash pickup crew started acting like prima donnas about the new trash rules?

Things have gotten crazy on my street. Last week, someone put a box with an old toaster oven on top of the trash barrel and, instead of lifting the box off to get the barrel's trash, they simply left the entire barrel sitting there, box on top and all. So we were treated to another week with our household trash, left in the barrel. And, everyone's barrels are also completely battered and barely functional since the trash crew doesn't have the more precise aim of the guys in the video and they heave the barrels into the middle of the street half the time.

Does your trash crew leave trash all over the street? Are they being over-eager sticklers for the new trash rules? Vent here!

Salem Trash Services Video

Kid's Room Needs a Lift?

Found via crossing paths on Boston Mamas' blog, Cheeky Monkey Murals will do custom murals for kids' bedrooms, playrooms or wherever you wish to put one of their unique works of art. (they also do murals for businesses)

I love the style these murals are done in and the artist, Holly Johnson also does portraits of "loveys" that are a wonderful way to capture your little ones' loved ones.

Kid's Room Needs a Lift?

Spring Cleaning! Book Swap

The Salem Recycling committee is hosting a book swap on Saturday,
Februrary 28th at nearby St. Peters Church from 9:00 am - noon. Folks can bring in any unwanted books, videos, CDs, DVDs etc and choose anything that they like. All leftover materials will be recycled through "Got Books".

Address: 24 Saint Peter St, Salem across the street from the Salem Cinema.

See you there! (I'll be the one trying to unload the interactive Princess Barbie books with the almost-dead batteries)

Also, the above image was found on a great site called Simple Productivity Blog. Check it out!

Spring Cleaning! Book Swap

My Random John Updike Memory

So I finally poked my head out of my inbox and found out that John Updike has died. He was the same age my grandfather was when he died. It was strange growing up going to church with my dad and stepmom at the same church that Updike was (nominally) a member of. He manned the booksale table one year at the annual church fair. I bought a copy of "The Omen" from him for a quarter. I remember that he took a good skeptical look at the cheesy mid-eighties foil-embossed paperback cover and then looked at me and said "You sure you really want this one?". I was old enough to recognize him from some book jackets I had seen, but young enough to be saucy so I shrugged and said "Yeah, it looks really scary!" He took my quarter and sent me on my way.

My Random John Updike Memory

Gung Hay Fat Choy at the PEM!

Buddha guides the lions to eat


The lion approaches an offering


Some businesses like to challenge the lion a little



After eating the lion dances to show their thanks

See some Lion Dancers in action!


The Peabody Essex Museum will be celebrating the Year Of The Ox in style with a martial arts demo on January 30th (Friday night) in the Atrium at 7:30. There will also be Lion Dancing and Kung Fu at 11:30am Saturday the 30th. Free to Salem residents! BYOFC

Gung Hay Fat Choy at the PEM!

Buy Local! Salem's So Sweet

-But you already knew that right?


Salem Main Streets will be hosting a chocolate and ice sculpture festival February 6-14!

$20 gets you in the door of the kick-off event at Hamilton Hall on Friday, Feb. 6 at 6:30pm. The event features wine, chocolate and coffee samplings from Salem purveyors.

Lots of stores will be having special Valentine deals and sales as well. The SMS site has the full details.

Buy Local! Salem's So Sweet

Google.org Launches Site To Track Flu

As reported on the BBC's website, Google.org has compared billions of searches that occurred over the years during various flu outbreaks and developed a way to triangulate what is breaking out where based on search data. (Sounds like fun, no?)

Anyway, Flu season is here, kids are snuffling everywhere like bloodhounds, every other parent I know has some kind of cold going on and a couple have had sinus infections, so at least this could help you determine if you have to wear the bunnysuit to to the grocery store.

Google Blog Article

Google Blog Article On An Arenavirus That Could Turn Your Hair Gray

Who Is Sick.org (another sniffle-tracker)

(Thanx to Modern Mechanix for the photo!)

Google.org Launches Site To Track Flu