The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

Mystery animal (Lincoln Through the Lens)

animal

Lincoln Squirrel reader Stephanie Smart photographed this animal on the afternoon of August 30 near her home on Beaver Pond Road. “It was standing up, hunting when we drove up. It crouched down when it noticed us. It was the size, shape and coloring of a fox or a small reddish coyote. But its face was far too puffy and its ears are quite rounded on the top. I did not get to see its tail,” she writes. Any guesses?

Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.

Your Lincoln Squirrel subscription just got better!

Starting September 16, 2015, the Lincoln Squirrel is switching the service we use to manage email subscriptions (going from Feedburner to MailChimp, to be exact). You may get an email asking you to confirm your subscription even if you were already subscribed. Go ahead and confirm, and you’re all set to keep getting Squirrel emails.

Why are we doing this? Previously, subscribers got a daily email whenever there was a new post. You’ll still get those emails, but they’ll look a lot nicer, and they’ll also send you to the Lincoln Squirrel website to read stories in their entirety. This will give everyone more opportunities to explore other parts of the website, including the display ads (thanks, advertisers!) and the Lincoln Squirrel store. While you’re there, you can also learn how to buy an ad in the Squirrel, make a donation, see upcoming events, and browse some big and colorful reader-submitted photos.

If you have any questions or problems, please email me at lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Happy reading!

Correction

correction-smSome Lincoln Squirrel subscribers may have gotten an email notification on Monday morning with an incorrect headline about the upcoming memorial events for Wesley Frost and Gwen Morgan, saying that one of the events is in memory of Toby Frost. The corrected article can be found here. The calendar section has also been updated with the correct time for the Wesley frost event. The Squirrel apologizes for the errors.

Memorial events for Gwen Morgan, Wesley Frost

Gwen Morgan

Gwen Morgan

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. at the First Parish Church in Lincoln for Gwen Morgan, who died on September 4 at the age of 90. She was a long-time advocate for and authority on quality child care and early childhood education. You can read her obituary here and a tribute here by the president of Wheelock College, where Morgan taught and was director of the Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education. That piece has links to several more tributes, including one by Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute.

 

 

Wesley Frost

Wesley Frost

 

A celebration of the life of Wesley Frost will be held on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 3:30 p.m. at the Pierce House. His obituary was published in the Lincoln Squirrel on July 8.

First Parish Church gets a new minister with diverse worldview

Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti

Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti

By Alice Waugh

Multiculturalism and diplomacy are at the core of Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti, the new senior minister for the First Parish, who was, in his words, “raised Hindu, in a Jewish neighborhood, in a predominately Christian country.”

Before becoming a minister, Mishra-Marzetti had a different vocation—the Pittsburgh native served in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps after graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Working in Oman, Finland, Switzerland and Washington, he acquired a deep understanding and appreciation of cultures shaped by Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. He has also been a teacher of religious studies.

“Religious pluralism and cultural bridge-building were inherent to who I was,” he said.

Mishra-Marzetti graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 2005 and was ordained a Unitarian-Universalist minister. He subsequently worked in six Unitarian-Universalist churches, most recently as a senior minister in New Jersey and Florida. In Lincoln, he succeeds Rev. Roger W. Paine III, who retired last year.

Mishra-Marzetti contributed a chapter to “Wrestling with Adulthood: Unitarian Universalist Men Talk About Growing Up.” YouTube videos include his 2013 sermon on “When Failure Finds Us” and another in a less formal setting where he takes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. There are also audio recordings of him delivering sermons at the First Parish last spring titled “Bringing Alive the Prayer” and “Living a Life of Prayer” on the church’s website.

Mishra-Marzetti will open First Parish’s church year this Sunday, Sept. 13. Regular Sunday services are at 10 a.m., with Sunday School and child care offered concurrently.

Note to readers: important updates about the Lincoln Squirrel

news+squirrelDear Lincoln Squirrel readers,

I wanted to let you know about some updates to the Squirrel, including an important email address change.

Emailing the Squirrel

Last October, we switched to a shorter email address (news@lincolnsquirrel.com). Unfortunately, the server for this address occasionally held back messages as spam and I never received them. As a result, we’re going back to the original email address of lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com, so please update your address book accordingly. The “news@lincolnsquirrel.com” address will continue to work until sometime in the fall, when I’ll publish another notice saying it’s being disconnected.

Lincoln Squirrel merchandise now on sale!

What useful item do you get for the Lincolnite who has everything? How about a sweatshirt, lunch bag, sports bottle or drinking glass with the Lincoln Squirrel logo? There’s something for everyone in the family, including babies. Click on “Merchandise” at the top of the Squirrel website, or go straight to https://www.cafepress.com/lincolnsquirrel.

Advertising

We’ve made our web ads larger and reduced prices. The sidebar ads are now 300 pixels wide (the old ones were 230 pixels), and we have more affordable weekly and monthly rates. Click on the “Advertising” page for details.

Want to write or take pictures?

The Squirrel is always looking for writers and news photographers. Maybe you’re a high school or college student who wants to get some published articles under your belt, or someone who has some spare time and likes to write and take pictures. If so, let’s talk! The mission of the Squirrel is to cover news feature stories about Lincoln and its residents, but you don’t have to be a Lincoln resident to write for us. We can’t publish creative writing or stories on non-local topics, but if your idea has anything to do with a person, place or thing in Lincoln, emaill incolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com or call 617-710-5542 and we can discuss what you want to write about, what kind of research or editing help you might need, and so forth. You can also submit photos for consideration in our Lincoln Through the Lens feature.

As always, thanks for reading!

Alice Waugh
Editor, The Lincoln Squirrel
617-710-5542 (m)
781-259-0526 (h)
lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com

Trails get improvements in muddy areas

The Conservation Commission and the Rural Land Foundation recently completed a project to improve the trails  leading off Codman Road leading over to the meadow at Codman South. Conservation Land Manager David McKinnon and summer interns built several bridges and placed “duck boards” over wet or muddy areas.

A main trail starts directly across Codman Road from the entrance to the Codman House. There is parking inside the Codman House stone wall and a satisfying walk nearby. At this time of the year, the ferns are especially luscious in the midst of the pine forests.

New BridgeNew Duck Boards

An early Thanksgiving? (Lincoln Through the Lens)

Harold McAleer spotted these turkeys in the woods off Winter Street recently.

Harold McAleer spotted these turkeys in the woods off Winter Street recently.

Readers may submit photos for consideration for Lincoln Through the Lens by emailing them to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. If your photo is published, you’ll receive credit in the Squirrel. Photos must be taken in Lincoln and include the date, location, and names of any people who are identifiable in the photo. Previously published photos can be viewed on the Lincoln Through the Lens page of the Lincoln Squirrel.

Drumlin hosts caterpillar activities on Sept. 12

Caterpillar Celebration_GenJoin renowned biologist Samuel Jaffe at Drumlin Farm a day of exploration and discovery with his “Caterpillar Lab” on Saturday, Sept. 12. Through a combination of photographs, art, scientific study and live animals, visitors will marvel at the variety, beauty and behavior of these creatures. Take a look at giant caterpillars as they inch their way along branches and even get a chance to hold them! All activities are free with admission ($8 for adults, $6 for seniors and children age 2-12, free for Mass Audubon members).

Schedule of free drop-in activities (weather permitting):

  • 10 a.m. — Curious Chickens: Did you know that chickens eat insects? Learn about the ecology behind our egg-mobile and pastured chickens.
  • 10:30 a.m. — Meet a Pond Turtle: Turtles love ponds because of the water and tasty insects that live in them! Join us for an up-close look at one of our native turtles.
  • 11:30 a.m. — Busy Bees: Check out one of our new beehives and learn some of the science behind these fascinating pollinators.
  • 12:30 p.m. — Meet a Screech Owl: You probably know that owls are nocturnal, but have you ever thought about the food that’s around at night for an owl to eat? Join us to find out!
  • 2:00 p.m. — Meet a Songbird: Meet one of our resident small birds and learn why being an “insectivore” is important for the environment.
  • 2:30 p.m. — Cockroaches, Meal Worms, and Crickets, Oh My! Check out the creepy critters in our insect collection and find your favorite.
  • 3:30 p.m. — Exploring Compost and Worms: Do you know the difference between a worm and a caterpillar? Come find out as we explore the world beyond the dirt.
  • 3:45 p.m. — Meet a Kestrel: Watch out, crickets and grasshoppers, here comes New England’s smallest raptor!

Ongoing throughout the day:

  • Sam Jaffe’s Caterpillar Lab (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
  • Caterpillar/Butterfly Crafts
  • Insect Scavenger Hunt

 

Letter to the editor: thanks for support from Peggy Schmertzler’s family

letter

To the editor:

To all the friends and neighbors of Peggy Schmertzler, thank you for the many emails and cards expressing your fond memories of Peggy, condolences, empathy and emotional support for our entire family.

We’re resorting to this method of saying “thank you” to make sure that you know as soon as possible that we received and appreciated your messages. Hopefully, we will be in touch more directly in the not too distant future.

Sincerely,

The Schmertzler, Clapp and Bridgman families

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.